We stopped here for a drink before our table was ready at a different restaurant and ordered the espresso martini and the wafu sour. Our table was ready earlier than expected and we had to drink these quickly to make our reservation and it felt like a crime to down these drinks because they were some of the best drinks we have ever tried! Definitely will be back to enjoy our drinks and try some of the food! read more

The Asian/Italian fusion mix was a tough sell to get people to come try with me for whatever reason but if you are on the fence..Go! My ranking of the pizza from best to still very good would happily eat again: Japanese Philly, chicken & shishito, unagi (very good but you have to really like eel), and lastly mentaiko/ corn. Honestly my favorite pizza in DC - it's a Detroit style crust. read more

Literally EVERYTHING on the menu is delicious (don't overthink it -- go with the umami pasta), but our absolute favorite thing about Tonari is the dessert bar on the second story! Grab a reservation early and make sure to treat our girl Mary well! read more

I hate to start off with a bad review since my husband and I were so excited about this restaurant, but until we go back, I feel like I have to be honest. We made reservations quite late since they were booked up, which didn't really bother us. We got there about an hour early because we figured we'd sit at the bar and have a drink while we wait. When we arrived, we were told they didn't have their liquor license yet. Which confused me because I had already seen multiple photos online of people posting drinks. Either way, we sat down, had some water and decided to order an appetizer. We got the cold tofu which came out very messy. It was VERY SALTY. And I know, anchovies, but I've had anchovies in dishes before, and this was so salty I couldn't even finish it. Also it was SWIMMING in olive oil. As we didn't want to ruin our appetite, we didn't order any more and waited. About 10 minutes before our time, the bartender who was very sweet and knew how long we waited, walked over and told us that they had just run out of pizza. This upset us so much we just left. Pizza is half their menu, and to run out of it entirely around 9 when they closed at midnight just seemed ridiculous. All in all, it was not a very good first impression. Planning on going back once they've had more time to get things ironed out. read more

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Ordered two pasta dishes, the mentaiko and the uni pasta. Both were cloyingly sweet, which confused my palate. I could not stomach the taste of either dishes. It was a confused dish, with ingredients that did not compliment each-other. It truly left a sour taste in my mouth. Lastly, the server added a 20% service charge for two dishes and only came to the table twice. Would not recommend read more

Staff was friendly as they quickly fou.d me a spot at the bar. The food being a fusion of Italian and Japanese cuisine was excellent. The pizza was crisp on the bottom while light and airy in texture. The generous amount of sauce was rich in umami flavor enhancing the flavor of the toppings without overpowering them. Even the 22% service charge was upfront on my receipt so I did not feel like I was being deceived. Overall a truly memorable experience. read more

Tonari - Clam slice: top left Anchovie: bottom left Special full pie: bottom right - Japanese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Tried the restaurant week menu. It was good at best - 2 people + 1 drink with tip was over 160$.

SO SO Sat at the pizza bar and observed. I have visited Nihon numerous times and this is a disappointment. I did not order pizza. Mentaiko pasta is BLAND, no spicy cod flavor, no YUZU flavor. Basically pasta with nori on top. Hint of Dashi. "Caesar" salad was just ok.......Sauce plated on bowl with kale on top with pickled onions, soft boiled egg, cheese. Cheese was probably Granada Padano. since it lacked the flavor of true Parmiggiano. It was a good KALE SALAD, not great. Caesar is overused to mean any salad without ranch???? I liked the pickled onion which is a Nihon touch but definitely not Caesar. How about "Caesar influenced kale salad with Nihon flavors" would be more honest. Order after oder after order went out for the ham-pineapple very deep dish pizza. Really? Pizza I have tried in Tokyo is Napoli style not Chicago. Maybe a lot of Midwest transplants come here. Daikaya is great and I have visited it several times. The vegetarian Ramen is also great. Bantam King is Ramen light: chicken noodle soup for initiates to Ramen. read more

Heard great reviews about this place on Yelp, so decided to try it when we visited DC. Ordered clam pizza, which was okay but not good. The mentaki pasta is really bland. The panna cotta and bucci bombalini for desserts are great though read more

This is the worst service I've ever gotten. I actually have no words for how bad this was. I think that's all I have to say. I could go on for paragraphs but I won't waste my breath. Cool concept, poor execution. Word of the right? Lacking or maybe Excuses. I'm over this. Wouldn't suggest. If you're in DC for less than a year don't waste your money. Legit would go anywhere else. Food was fine, missed the par a bit in terms of pizza. We wait 30 minutes until I finally went to find a waitress. Then we ordered drinks. It fully took 45 minutes. I think that speaks for itself. Won't even go into the dinner itself. Plus, they automatically put a 20% service charge for a group of four when they deserved maybe 9%. read more

We had a fantastic tasting menu experience here at the pizza counter. Highlights were the pesto and of course the pizza. Excellent wine list and cocktails. Not to mention so much sake to choose from. We'll be back. read more

I waited two years to come back here and it was every bit as good if not better!! Best pizza I've ever had. The wafu (Japanese style) flavors of some of the pizza and pasta make it extra amazing. Don't be deceived by the simple titles of the appetizers...100% get the cauliflower. read more

The food is incredible! We had appetizers and pizza and pasta and every item ordered for the 8 of us was astounding. Pizza crust texture was quite special and the flavors in the pasta had a lot of depth and was so good. The drinks were okay, nothing very special there our favorite was the sour. The ambiance is also fun. Great value overall. Highly recommend and will come back read more

Tried this place because it was close to the Capital One Arena venue! Overall dark-ish lighting but moss decor was cool. Waitress recommended our party of two to get 2 from every part of the menu?? Which would have made 2 apps, 2 pastas, and 2 pizzas. We ended up ordering the shisito peppers app, the kinoko pasta, clam pizza, and the grapefruit granite dessert. The food was incredible!! Really loved the combination of light Japanese flavors in Italian dishes -- this is not fusion food!! The star was definitely the pasta dish. Friend got the jasmine white Negroni drink, so light and refreshing and paired well with the food. Grapefruit dessert cut through the cheese and carbs in a delightful way. Definitely wanna come back to try more pastas. And good value for the quality of food. read more

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Great food and incredibly welcoming staff (especially the amazing managers) made us feel very much at home. The apps, pastas and pizzas were all very well done. It's such a fun place that I would love to see more risk and creativity in the pizzas. I think DC is game. The possibilities are endless and I think the kitchen and Chef Katsuya could knock this out of the park. Maybe.... Yakitori Pizza - chicken skin, meatballs, pickled grilled green onion Ramen Pizza - chintan reduction bechamel, all the toppings Chirashi Pizza - and so on and so on Maybe it's a rotating special. Whatever happens, great place to have in the District! Hope you feel as welcome as you made us feel. read more

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I was intrigued by the Wafu Italian concept which led us to choose this restaurant for dinner. The on-the-floor seating was fun, but I was not prepared for it! They were busy the night we went, but it was also very slow and our food took over one hour to come out. The staff were friendly and apologetic. We ordered the burrata, which was interesting and very citrus-forward. I wished there had been more of the sichuan chili oil as it was delicious and a great counterpart to the burrata. I had the mentaiko pasta and my friend had the uni uni unico. We were both disappointed. They were inexplicably very sweet and the flavors weren't as balanced as we would have hoped. The idea was great, but the implementation left much to be desired. read more

You won't find food like this anywhere else in the DC area. The rich-but-not-heavy pizzas are perfect and the uni pasta is one of my favorite dishes of all time. (Or try the mentaiko pasta if you don't like Uni). Cocktails were also top notch, and there is a pretty good selection of digestif amaros to sip after your excellent meal. read more

A group of five of us went to Tonari yesterday and wow, we were blown away. We asked to be seated upstairs where they have horigotatsu seating, which means you sit on cushions on the floor. The table is set into the ground so that you have room for your legs like at a regular table. This was so fun, so definitely recommend everyone try to get this seating! The service was superb and attentive. Our waitress was helpful, she knew the menu (including the history of Italian influence in Japan), gave us suggestions, and answered all our questions. Onto the best part of the night: food! We had the ricotta and edamame appetizer and cucumbers and yogurt not on the menu. The ricotta was smooth, it came with edamame and peas, and a yuzu drizzle which gave it a light citrus taste. The cucumber and yogurt was creamy and sour from the pickles, very refreshing. The portion sizes were good for sharing and were a great start to the meal because they weren't too big or heavy. The pastas were the highlight of the meal, they tasted fresh and the sauces were delicious. We tried the uni pasta, natto bolognese, mentaiko, and kinoko. The uni had a only one or two pieces of uni, but it wasn't overly salty, and had a nice butter sauce. The natto bolognese was delicious, the pasta texture was perfect, and it had a generous amount of meat on it. The mentaiko spaghetti was a good choice for the less adventurous eaters, the nori gave it a nice twist and just the right amount of salt. The kinoko was by far the best pasta, it had a bunch of different types of mushrooms, a creamy sauce, and shishito peppers. The pasta was cooked al dente, the mushrooms added a nice layer of taste, and the peppers gave it a nice fresh crunch. We also shared two pizzas, which was just right for five people. We had the Hawaiian with no ham and the mentaiko and corn. The Hawaiian had red sauce and brick cheese, it was exceptional. The sweet pineapple was a nice contrast to the tart and spicy tomato sauce and the creamy brick cheese tied it all together. The mentaiko has a refreshing cream and corn kernels and the delicious brick cheese again. This pizza was unique and tasted amazing, it was creamy, light and the kernels gave it a nice crunch. The pizzas are baked Detroit style, which gives them a nice crunchy crust and bottom while being light and doughy at the same time. We finished the night with tiramisu, which was traditional but came with a citrus foam on top. The perfect way to finish an awesome meal. Great addition to the neighborhood and DC! We will definitely be back! read more

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Bring back this place!!!! I'm so sad covid shut them down! Food was so good. The corn pizza I still dream about. There was nothing like this in the city! Pasta was pretty good too. read more

I think the Japanese and Italian fusion is a great concept, however, the portions are a bit small for the menu price. The tomato sauce for the pepperoni pizza is yum, it's got the umami taste on top with a tad bit of sweetness to it. The pasta has a great texture, but hardly any uni to it. Service was great though, they were attentive, we were at the restaurant for their opening night. read more

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Totally lackluster and overpriced. Would not recommend. Normally I'd think I just ordered wrong but I ordered all the most popular items. Do not understand the hype. read more

Food was creative and delicious!!! We loved the half price bottle of wine (yay Wednesdays!). Service was friendly and speedy. The one complaint is that the food came out too quickly. The pasta came before the appetizer, and all within 3 minutes of each other. The meal should be spaced out a little better. Will absolutely return (and just change the way I order). read more

I was excited to try this place but once I got there and tried the Japanese style pizza I was amazed the stuff is sinfully delicious. I need to go back to have a three-course meal experience but if you just want to pick up some comforting pizza this is the place to go. The crust is quite thick and very crispy on the outside and extremely soft on the inside almost like a pillow, similar to a very soft bread roll. The toppings sauce and cheese like on the one I had was phenomenonal - creamed corn fans prepare! Next time I plan on trying the uni pasta and clam pizza. The ambience is great for couples, solo escapades, groups, colleagues and family. It's a great addition to the restaurant group and I hope you go back soon. And share you pizza! It's filing. read more

So I loved the ambiance and the fusion foods. However, I did get sick the very evening so maybe don't go in for lunch

Visited Tonari this Saturday with a friend. There was a bit of a wait of about 20 minutes. Ordered the cabbage with Tonari special sauce as an appetizer. The flavor, taste and price for the appetizer was quite underwhelming, IMO. We ordered two pizzas - mentako and corn, and pepperoni pizza - and it was delicious. The pizza crust although thick looking tasted light and airy. Wait staff was extremely polite and attentive. Overall, a pretty decent dining experience. read more

Wow! This little place packs a punch! The corn pizza alone is worth writing home about! Pasta and service excellent as well!

If I were driving through the outer suburbs of a middle American city like Indianapolis and landed here, I would be thankful. But, for full urban/DC prices - the food was a huge disappointment. It does not taste distinct, fresh or innovative. The pizza was horrible. Appetizers and pastas were ok - again, if we were stuck in an strip mall looking for good food - would have been ok. The second star is a for a GREAT staff and a festive vibe. But, the Pizza was really not good. read more

I booked the Chef's Tasting Menu for 2 as a Valentine's gift to my partner. With the service charge and taxes it came out to $198 (plus $50 for a bottle of wine). I would describe Tonari as good -- nothing more, nothing less. The food concepts were interesting and some were better than others (the pasta and pizza were our favorites), but it was certainly not worth $200. I've had pizza and pasta just as good elsewhere in the city for a quarter of the price. On top of the food and expense, we were underwhelmed by the atmosphere. Had high hopes and were let down. read more

Outstanding eats! Arancini, salad, pasta and pizza all top notch and unique - in a good way. My only disappointment? I ate too much of the excellent Curry Kinoko pasta and irresistible pizza - clam pizza and pepperoni pizza - so I had no room for dessert. This is a big fail on my part. BTW, do not miss the clam pizza or Kinoko pasta. Spectacular. read more

The food was okay (pizza crust was burnt, pasta came cold), ambiance is nothing special, and service was SO SLOW. We got our main course 1 hour after we arrived. Automatic 22% tip incuded. Not coming back again. read more

It's just meh. Meh is a good word for it. They don't do anyone thing great. Well maybe the service was pretty good. But the food...its just watered down versions of what they want to do. For example, mentaiko pizza barely had any mentaiko at all. All it tasted was cheese and corn. Same with the clam pizza. Clams didn't taste fresh, more like canned. So the flavor was weak. The dough was crispy but on the burnt side so it tasted a little bitter. I just wish the shops from Daikaya would do something that's not half assed. There is no passion. Feels like just a money grab generic concept. read more

To say I'm obsessed is an understatement! I've tried all the pastas and desserts on the lunch menu. All of the noodle dishes are unique with a nice texture and flavor. The Japanese really have a way with putting their own spin on things especially when it comes to food and I love it. My favorite so far is the natto bolognese but I'm hoping to come for dinner at some point to try the expanded pasta menu. Everything is sooo delicious! Runnnnnn, don't walk! read more

Tonari is definitely a gem of the area. Nice, welcoming and moderately priced. The staff are very attentive and friendly and they're very good at giving recommendations. Everything I've tried so far has been terrific. Why would you want to go anywhere else besides Tonari? read more

I love wafu Japanese food -- really all Japanese food -- and I was so excited that Tonari finally reopened after Covid. I went with a friend last weekend and between the two of us we managed to try about 75% of the menu. Across the board incredibly good. This stands out as one of the best restaurant meals I've had in over a year and I go out a lot. The clam pizza and curry noodles were standouts. We were way to full to try any of the desserts but they sounded delicious. The wine selections were great too. The staff members are cordial, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. I am a huge fan of all of the Daikaya group restaurants btw. Highly recommend them. read more

I absolutely cannot recommend this place enough! they are reopening soon and i cannot WAIT to go, I was lucky enough to go february 2020. I tried the hawaiian pizza, mentaiko pasta, and the napolitan pasta. everything was phenomenal. the napolitan sauce was a ketchup/tabasco sauce and idk what they do to it but it is INCREDIBLE. The ambiance was super cool as well, and the staff was soooooooo friendly. Cant wait to go back! read more

Service is iffy. We were ignored for quite some time, the waiter took forever to get back to us. People were getting served left and right while we hadn't even had our orders taken. read more

Tonari brings outstanding Wafu style Japanese to the district. Loved the pasta and the pizza. Our server was outstanding. (Thanks Martha!) read more

Finally checkout tonari at lunch and it was just ok. The waiter didn't really know what the specials were and had to find out multiple times. The natto bolognese pasta was tasty but I wasn't tasting the natto really. I was hoping for a stronger flavor. The Hawaiian pizza was extremely burnt and not so great. If it weren't burnt then it probably would've been a lot better as there was definitely potential in the crust. Maybe need to wait a year after they've smoothed our their service and food? read more

My friends and I went to Tonari tonight, and absolutely loved it. The food, atmosphere, and service were amazing. We had Deven as our server, he was so sweet and was able to answer all of our questions that we had about the menu. He was very personable and made the experience even more worth the while. We will definitely be coming back!! read more

Food wasn't anything special (tried three appetizers and two entrees), had to wait over 30 minutes for our table which we reserved ahead of time. I feel like I can make better pasta at home. read more