Absolutely a five-star experience! This is a wonderful little gem combining Japanese sushi and Chinese cuisine. The restaurant is small, cozy, exceptionally clean, and has been at this location for an impressive 16 years. The sushi was outstanding -- fresh, delicious, and beautifully presented. Everything looked as good as it tasted. The warm sake was also served perfectly and was a great addition to the meal. The service deserves a special mention as well. Our waitress was extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and informative. She was always smiling, very polite, and made us feel genuinely welcome. The entire staff created a warm and pleasant atmosphere. Excellent food, beautiful presentation, wonderful service, and a cozy atmosphere. The sushi was absolutely fantastic. Definitely a place we'll be happy to come back to. Five stars without hesitation! read more

May Island Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Good spot that has both Chinese and sushi. I usually do takeout. I mainly get the sushi and it is fresh and consistent. Food is usually ready pretty fast and the staff is nice. The only downside is parking can be kind of difficult sometimes. Overall it is a convenient place when you want sushi and I would still come back. read more

Food was good, service was good, and ambiance was good. This is a good neighborhood family friendly causal sushi restaurant. read more

May Island Restaurant - Godzilla Roll (6 Pieces) on the left, the May Island Hako Sushi on the right - Japanese Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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It's not nobu but it is a friendly little hole in the wall ran by a hardworking family. Got the dinner bento box B and was very happy with food and the kind service. Left stuffed and happy. Support these guys! read more

I hadn't been to May Island in a long time, and I'm so glad we went back. It's a cozy, off-the-beaten-path spot with a surprisingly large variety of Japanese, sushi, and Chinese dishes. We had spring rolls, sushi, and sake, and everything was fresh, delicious, and very reasonably priced. The staff was friendly, and the updated interior made it a nice place to sit down and enjoy a meal. It may look like a casual neighborhood spot from the outside, but the food and service were excellent. I will definitely be back! read more

May Island Restaurant - Spicy crunchy yellowtail and spicy crunchy tuna sushi. Very nicely presented with a generous amount of wasabi and ginger. - Japanese Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

The lunch special was just ok. The sushi rolls were pretty basic in nature and were nothing fancy. Just an ok experience. Reasonably priced. Probably will not be returning. read more

Ordered Lo main noodles, General Tso's chicken and orange chicken for takeout. The food was bland.

May Island is a great eatery with a wide variety of Asian dishes, with an emphasis on Japanese. We have visited May Island three times. The food and service are consistently good. Plenty of tables. The music could be turned down a touch. This time around, I ordered the chicken teriyaki and JP ordered the Sashimi Regular entrée. The chicken teriyaki comes with a nice-sized salad and miso soup. May Island let me swap out the miso soup for wonton soup. The teriyaki came with a very generous portion of chicken topped with a just-right teriyaki sauce. The chicken comes atop a bed of pleasing steamed mixed vegetables. The wonton soup came with a side of the little crackers for topping off the soup. The soup, which only had one stuffed wonton, was okay but could have stood to have more flavor. JP enjoyed the beautifully presented 16-piece sashimi entrée. The fish was fresh. The sashimi also comes in a 19-piece Deluxe version. A nice touch was at the end of meal when we were served an orange half. read more

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May Island is a small little Chinese/Japanese restaurant, located next in a small plaza next to 7-Eleven. The menu is pretty extensive, offering appetizers (such as crispy egg rolls, crispy spring rolls, gyozas, edamame, etc.), soups, salads, sushi, sashimi, bento boxes, Chinese dishes, as well as daily lunch specials. We're usually a fan of their Mongolian Beef entree, sauteed with onions and sliced jalapenos - the dish can sometimes be super flavorful and super delicious, and other times, the flavors can be lacking. The staff here are super friendly and welcoming. +inconsistent Mongolian Beef +friendly service +free parking +located next to 7-Eleven read more

I was SO disappointed in our order from here. I'd heard wonderful things, so we gave their sushi a try. 2/3 rolls had SO much rice; it was overwhelming and the filling was so minimal in comparison. The last roll was immediately rejected by my body The tuna had clearly gone bad and the roll smelled atrocious. We will definitely be sticking with Ichiban for our sushi! read more

Neighborhood gem. Reliably good. Friendly service. And reasonable prices too. Our go to place.

The Chinese dishes are always good and portions are appropriate. The sushi is also excellent and beautifully presented. The prices are reasonable for what you're getting and the service is excellent. What's not to like? read more

It was the second time at this restaurant. Actually it's a family restaurant. It's so kind people there. They made a good sushi. read more

May Island Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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We had the food delivered and were unimpressed by most of it. Our order included Hot and Sour soup, my go-to dish for any Chinese restaurant, kung pao beef, Szechuan chicken, and combination lo mien. To our dismay, with the exception of an occasional slice of jalapeno pepper, there was a distinct absence of spice in any of it. But it wasn't just the lack of spiciness, the dishes were pretty much tasteless. This was the first time we tried this place, and we all agreed that it would also be the last. read more

We ordered sushi for takeout. It was fine but I wouldn't order again from this location. The rolls weren't rolled or prepared well so each piece was falling apart. Taste wise, everything seemed a bit off like the fish didn't taste as fresh and the ginger had a weird taste. Not sure if it was an off day or they specialize in other dishes. Maybe it would be better for dining in read more

Service was great! May island is definitely a local gem. We ordered the spicy scallop sushi, caterpillar roll and Mongolian beef. The sushi was good for the price and the Mongolian beef was very tender. Highly recommend for an affordable meal! read more

This place is close to me and I had heard good things so finally tried some takeout. I had General Tso's Tofu with broccoli and all the ingredients were super fresh. I regret not trying it earlier vs another Chinese takeout place in the area. Outstanding food. My new go to place. read more

Meh. Ordered a lot to test it out and everything was ok. We had: General tso chicken - dry, very dry. Udon noodles - wanted more flavor Pork spare ribs app - very tough Tempura veggie app - ok. Maybe needed to be fried in a flavored oil or veggies seasoned. Not sure. Pan fried chicken gyoza - ok, not bad Steamed pork dumplings - Great! Would order again Small house salad - refreshing Hope this helps! read more

May Island Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Had the hot & soup soup. It was temperature hot but not spicy hot. So had to add the chili paste. The meat was good in it, pork. Overall not bad for the price. The spicy tuna roll was good. I was only looking to snack today. I'll be back to try other dishes. What others ordered seemed good. read more

May Island Restaurant - Spicy tuna roll and hot & soup soup - Japanese Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Quality food and affordable with good, quick service when dining in or taking out. Good sized portions also

Extremely consistent spot for both sushi and traditional Chinese cuisine. Ownership is front of house and ensures a great experience.

Only had carry out from here once so will give it another chance in the future. Again, only take out review and not a sit down review. Egg drop and wonton soup were both pretty good but we were not impressed with any of our sushi rolls whatsoever. It looked like they were poorly rolled (or pressed) but the fish did not smell or taste especially good. Again, may give this place another shot but not excited to try it read more

May Island Restaurant - Philly Roll, fusion roll, and May Island Hako Sushi Roll. Egg drop and wonton soups - Japanese Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

The sushi chef is a real artist, the plates come garnished with figurines carved from carrots and cucumbers, which takes a lot of skill. I love this place, a true gem. It's quiet, great prices and a nice family-owned restaurant. My favorite are the spicy yellowtail and spicy tuna rolls. read more

May Island is a diamond in the rough. May and Chen are some of the greatest people you will ever meet and their awesome food is a testament to their dedication to high quality service - and Dennis too. The carrot and zucchini animal sculptures are an added delight to consistently excellent food that deserves all the credit in the world. Anyone out there who gives this place a low rating probably has a low IQ and/or doesn't have a discerning palate. I will be a lifelong customer of this establishment. read more

Always have a good experience! Love ordering a bunch for get togethers or parties! Fresh and reasonably priced read more

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I've ordered from May Island multiple times. They have good lunch specials. I recommend ordering their bento boxes. They are reasonably priced and you get a lot of food (soup, salad, rolls, rice, etc.). The food is always fresh. read more

We had the most wonderful meal! Everyone who lives anywhere near this restaurant and if you love Asian food you NEED TO COME to May Island! This place is amazing! Food and staff alike! Washingtonian and Washington Post Magazine are missing out and need to be here! Such a local place and such a surprise sharing a parking lot with 7/11! Don't miss it!! read more

May Island Restaurant - Mixed Sushi Boat and Triple Delight - Japanese Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

My 2nd time ordering from May Island. This time around, a lot better than last but could be better. Maybe I'll try it in restaurant next time. Mongolian Beef- supposedly really popular. Did not live up to expectations. Greasy and lack of flavor. Plenty of veggies to meat ratio though , came with white rice General Tso chicken dinner combo- came with fried rice and broccoli. The chicken wasn't spicy, more tangy. Tasty but more like orange chicken. Maybe they got confused and made wrong one??? Idk Gyoza- supposed to be pan fried but the texted was steamed. Chicken filling was lackluster and the sauce on the side gave it most of its flavor Eel avocado roll- (added sesame seed) really good! The roll was made beautiful and the eel tasted fresh 7/10. I would try again but probably not as takeout. And may just stick to sushi also read more

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Okay service when you can get it. Only me and one other group in the restaurant and getting the server's attention was nearly impossible. I was thirsty pretty much the whole time I was there. I ordered crab rangoon, steamed jade gyoza, and shrimp lo mein. The vegetable dumplings were really good. The crab rangoons were quite good. The lo mein....well...the shrimp tasted like dirt or freezer burn. Not good. I picked the shrimp out because I was super hungry and I couldn't get the server's attention after more than 15 minutes to ask about reordering love mein without shrimp. If I end up sick, I'll update this review. The noodles and sauce were okay, but I'm still struggling with the fact that the shrimp tasted like dirt. I told the server (and it was clear I'd picked all the nasty bits out), but I still paid full price for them. If they were too gross to eat, I don't think I should have to pay for them. read more

May Island Restaurant - Looks kinda crappy on the outside, but nice on the inside. - Japanese Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Horrible experience. Placed an order online for pick up. They confirmed I could pick it up between 10:15-10:44 pm. They never showed up at the designated location, their restaurant that apparently closed around 9 pm, and no one answered my phone call. The only saving grace was via Yelp and/or Grubhub. I called their customer feedback and spoke with a real person. He confirmed my order had been accepted by the restaurant and that they were closed as well. He initiated the process to cancel my order and refund my payment. He also offered me a few coupons for a restaurant of my choice for my inconvenience. read more

Food was well prepared but the gyoza although steamed was cool. Service and ambiance were fine as expected and I will come again to try the sushi. read more

THE ABSOLUTELY BEST sushi we have ever had. It's super fresh, awesome quality and portions are great too. We love sushi so we try a lot of different sushi restaurants but May Island sushi tasted heavenly and it's our #1 sushi place now! Go and see it for yourself! read more

May Island Restaurant - a plate of sushi rolls - Japanese Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Consistently good food. The sushi is always great. Friendly staff. Highly recommended.

Were visiting from Seattle and my mother in law brought us here for our last meal in town before flying home. We ordered way too much food for just the three of us, but I'm glad we did because oh my gosh it was so so good. We ordered calamari (the first fried calamari I liked!), pan fried dumplings and egg drop soup to start. For our mains we ordered the spider roll, hot dragon roll, 2 California's, and the dinosaur roll with a n additional order of general tsaos. The dinosaur roll and hot dragon roll were by far the best on the giant tray they brought us. Like, I can't wait to fly across the country again to eat them. Meal altogether was just about $90, which is a LOT less than it would be at our usual sushi place back home. Food came out quickly and service was friendly. We will see you next Christmas, May Island! read more

May Island Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

This is an outstanding restaurant! We have ordered a variety of dishes, including sushi and appetizers and -- without exception -- everything was super fresh and excellently prepared. One hundred stars!. read more

Best fish! It has a small casual dining area, more of a take out place. The owners are so nice and so is Denis. Get the raw fish...and when you get enough they do the boat with cute carved carrots and cucumbers. Mongolian beef is also great, but I typically get the sushi. read more

This place was absolutely amazing. The chicken was not overcooked and everything was hot and fresh. The service was well even under these terrible times. They did accommodate me to my fullest needs. I will be making this my new go to carryout spot. read more

I had stopped to get gas next door to May Island. I was hungry and was thinking about grabbing something quick at the 7/11 beside the gas station only to realize that May Island was connected to the 7/11 in the same plaza. The outside is unsightly. You'd think by looking at it that it would be a place that would have a health inspector there every other week. Once I actually realized that it was, indeed, the sushi restaurant that I had been wanting to try for a couple of years - I went for it. I got their lunch special. $9.25 for 2 select maki rolls, salad and miso soup. This was an absolute steal! It was delicious and fresh. It 'WOW'd me. It was so good that I ordered a third roll. All they did was upgrade my order to the 3 roll meal deal for $13.25 I ended up coming in here two days later for lunch again trying a couple of their other items. All that I've tried so far have been on point. Service is great! They're very nice and you aren't left waiting for anything very long. I don't know if I'd go so far to call this an authentic restaurant since they also serve Chinese, but man, it sure is good. Space is small and seats are limited. I can't imagine this was a restaurant prior to being converted into one. They definitely utilize every inch of the space available. Parking is similar to the space available in the restaurant. There isn't much of it. You're going to be parking on the street more likely than you are the parking lot. Take that in mind when planning your visit. Taking an Uber or Lyft aren't such bad ideas for coming here either. Worth coming here for a date night or a night out? Absolutely. It's fantastic and I can't wait to come back again. read more

May Island Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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May be good for some things, but the sushi was awful. It was a bad sign when I picked up the bag and I thought they had gotten my order wrong since it was ridiculously heavy. The rolls were over-full with rice and the fish was cut way too thick. None of the pieces of sushi held together and were awkward to eat. It didn't taste bad, but it also didn't taste good. The edamame was 8 dollars and was over-steamed. This was really disappointing, especially for how expensive it was. read more

We order from here regularly and I love their Mongolian Beef. But this time I decided to go for the General Tao Chicken. Big mistake! The dish looked lovely but was very dry,bland and tasteless with no spice or flavor at all. I also got the Shrimp Tempura Cucumber Sushi regular roll which was rolled so loosely the pieces fell apart before I could get them in my mouth. Thankfully my Avocado Roll Sushi was on point and was absolutely perfect or I wouldn't have had any dinner! Hubby ordered Chicken With String Bean and it had a nice flavorful sauce,nice pieces of chicken and fresh string beans. We will be ordering from here again just not General Tao Chicken. On last note: we ordered our meal delivered via Uber Eats. I wish they would add the option to order brown or fried rice with the entrees. It used to be an option but now on the menu only white rice is available. read more

May Island Restaurant - General Tsos Chicken - Japanese Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia