Sardi’s Fusion

We wanted to like this place but something happens every time we visit. Mushy shrimp, wrong bills given to us and waiting a half our for a glass of wine. Staff tends to collect around the bar and food is not where it needs to be.

We love this place. My kids love it here and we do too. The food is excellent and the staff is great! This is one of our favorite places to go out to eat.

I came here a couple weeks ago because my annoying wife, Sarah, wanted to see what replaced Taste. So we entered the building and I started heading towards the bar but my wife being the little fucking princess that she is insisted we sit at a table like some pretentious couple from the 50s because she wanted to have a «romantic» dinner and «talk». Mind you this was during the Redskins game and the last thing I care about is my wife’s feelings and her need to dissect every word I dared to utter in the past. Our server Tommy who met before at Taste likes the Redskins so his service was perfect. We had the scallops, mussels and shrimp and other things we can’t pronounce. Everything tasted good and Tommy got my wife drunk that she wanted to sex me so that was good. Overall, Sardis Fusion is a restaurant that your bitch will enjoy.

I have been to Sardis 3 times and every time it is outstanding. The ceviches are fresh and unique. The main dishes are high end in appearance and flavor. So good…

I have been there twice now and both times have been great. The dipping sauces that come with the bread are amazing! Definitely recommend.

First time there, I have to say it wasn’t impressive. We had 6:30 reservations for four. When we arrived the hostess immediately said they didn’t have a table for us. Someone else came up and contradicted her, and we were seated, but you’d like to think they knew what they were doing and that if someone makes a reservation that the restaurant is prepared to accommodate it. Otherwise, what is the point of making a reservation?
The place was crowded and very loud. It took over an hour and a half to get our food. About 15 – 20 minutes after we’d initially ordered the waitress came back to tell us that they ran out of the entrée special that three out of four of us ordered. It was only around 7 o’clock; how do you run out of a «special» that early in the evening? I can only blame that on poor planning by the food planner.
After she told us about the sold out specials and we had to go back to the menu and order something else, I asked about getting an order of their french fries just to hold us over. However, she said it wouldn’t come out before the rest of the food, so that was a no go. Two of us had ordered appetizers but they didn’t come early, they came with the entrees, which arrived around 8!
The waitress continued to apologize for how long it was taking, telling us that they were really busy in the kitchen, but on a Saturday night when you have a packed restaurant at dinner time, again, I can only attribute that to bad management.
We ordered wine when we first got there. Three out of four wine glasses were not clean; one had visible lipstick stains. It took several tries to get clean glasses. We waited so long that we ordered a second bottle, which obviously worked to the restaurant’s favor.
When the food finally came, again, with appetizers arriving with the entrees, one of our party complained that what he got was nothing like what he’d assumed from the description. He’d ordered something that was described as a tempura, but it was cold slices of fish covered with seeds. The waitress explained that it was from their raw menu, but that should have been clearer. People have expectations when they see tempura.
I had a ahi tuna ceviche. It was not the traditional ceviche marinade and the salty sauce overpowered the taste of the tuna. Not awful, but not great.
During the course of our two-​hour experience there we saw any number of tables of patrons looking disappointed and waiting for their food. A number of tables of people left, and the waitress confirmed that a lot of folks did that.
The bill for four was $ 200, escalated by a couple bottles of wine, no doubt, but still a lot for what we experienced. Our bill came with one appetizer on it that someone in our party ordered but never received.
Maybe a bad night, but it seemed like they had more basic problems that caused this. I don’t like to say that I’d never give it another shot, but it isn’t high on my list.

Very disappointed in the quality And quantity of food that I paid $ 27 for. I had to wait a long time for a take out order for two. My son will eat almost anything, but wouldn’t eat the dish I took home, so I gave him the dish I ordered for myself. The chicken was the thinnest I have ever seen. I gave the dish I originally ordered for him to the dog. The two meals I ordered were tasteless and vastly overpriced. I will never order from them again.
On a sidenote, I got food poisoning from their chicken that I ate on «Taste of Olney Night.

Food was delicious! I had the Lomo con Queso sandwich with sweet potato fries. The sandwich was perfect! Meat cooked perfectly and the bread was perfectly crusted. Flavor was good. I definitely recommend it! For the appetizer I ordered the Papa Rellena Croquettes which I thought was a bit overpriced for only 3 almost bite sized balls filled with mostly mashed potato. My review on the appetizer at first bite was that it was not what I was expecting and a lot of flavors going on. I bit into mostly mashed potato wondering where the steak was. I did devour the rest of it though as it was still delicious just not as good as I expected for the buck. Probably wouldn’t order again unless it was half price appetizers. Overall great first experience, friendly staff, a bit overpriced but glad to see them open. FYI same owners as Sardis chicken which they are opening right next door and I’m addicted to. So happy to see a Sardis in Olney!

Had the red Sangria and a sea food dish. It was really good. The service was really great. This is my new happy hour spot.

We really enjoyed our dinner at this new «Peruvian fusion» restaurant in Olney. Apparently it is run by the same people who run Sardis’ chicken place in Gaithersburg? Germantown? I’ve never been there but my dining companions were very happy to learn of the connection. According to our waiter they have plans to open a chicken place in the space next door in the coming year.
The meal started with a small plate of bread and some dipping sauces to share. All the sauces were good but the rocoto was outstanding. For appetizers we had 1) Cebiche Nikei, which is a sorta Japanese style cebiche with ahi tuna, cucumber, and avocado; and 2) El Gran Pulpo, which is a whole octopus tentacle (again with the Japan…) grilled with lots of small potatoes, tomatoes, greens, and several sauces scattered around the plate. The presentation on this one needs to be seen (my photo didn’t turn out, darn) and it tastes as good as it looks, even if the octopus was a bit tough. The cebiche was delicious and the tuna was very fresh and tender.
For dinner I had the Langostinos a la Parrilla, which is six large prawns (complete with heads), grilled with rocoto garlic butter, and served with potatoes and a smear of pesto. It was quite enjoyable. My friends had the pork belly dinner and the lomo saltado, both of which disappeared pretty quickly. They do not have much for vegetarians outside of salads and some of the appetizers, but there is a quinoa chaufa that sounds heavenly. If you are pescetarian you will be very happy here. In general, Peruvian seafood is amazingly good and nothing we had here disappointed us. Also, the potatoes were not your standard US potatoes, but consisted entirely of very small, very flavorful Peruvian potatoes. They were yummy.
But, you say, what is dinner without drinks? I had a couple of fancy pisco drinks (Pisco Punch and something else I don’t remember the name of), and my friends went for pisco sours. Of course we all passed around our drinks for tasting and we were all happy with everything. Although we were very full we did have dessert. I had flan and it was very good, rich and creamy, with some small blueberries on top. Sadly, they didn’t have picarones, which was kind of disappointing.
The restaurant itself is nice enough, if a little cramped and loud when it is busy. The wait staff were great and all our food was fresh and hot and quite delicious. We will definitely be back.

Really cool interior. Glad this place took over from the old restaurant that was in this place. They did good on the remodel inside. Staff was very friendly and extremely knowledgeable. Peruvian fusion… I like it! Had a very tasty grilled pineapple Mojito, scallop appetizer, tuna tartare appetizer, and a beef entrée for dinner. Everything was full of flavor, it was well worth it! Will definitely be back!

This was our first visit to this local restaurant. It was not crowded but very noisy & the noise was not due to those high warehouse-​like ceilings in many eating establishments these days. I think that the music playing both inside & outside (some sidewalk tables for dining) forces everyone to talk louder, which increases the overall din. The Alitas de Pollo chicken wings were the best wings we have ever tasted. They put the wings from Wing Stop, Dominos, & Papa Johns to fatty shame. Crisp and meaty, we were like rabid wolves feasting on these tasty morsels. The Flan dessert was also the best we have ever tasted. Less custardy than many Flans, it was richer with more substance than others we’ve tasted and we adored it. These two outstanding offerings give the restaurant an extra star. Still, there is room for improvement on certain menu items but I understand that expansion is coming, so perhaps tweaking the menu or better quality control will ensue. I’m hoping that cheese filled Empanadas with powdered sugar will be added to the dessert menu!
Thursday night. We wanted beer — some were out of stock so we ordered bottled & draft beer $ 6-​$ 10. Warm rolls were served — one for each diner — which were dense & filling & accompanied by three dipping sauces — each with varying degrees of spiciness. The rolls were so appreciated by hungry diners but we did not wish for more.
Appetizers were:
(1) Alitas de Pollo (8 chicken wings w/​carrot & celery sticks and Blue Cheese dipping sauce
(2) Papa Rellena Croquettes with Huancaina sauce. I had asked the waiter if they offered Papas a la Huancaina and he said that this offering was their version of that dish.
Entrees were:
(1) Langostinos a la Parrilla –6 jumbo prawns, pesto sauce, petite round potatoes sliced in half
(2) Arroz con Pollo –cilantro rice & chicken — leg & thigh
(3) Milanesa de Pollo –fried chicken breast, white rice, fried egg, fries, salad
(4) Carne Asada –marinated & grilled skirt steak, fries, salad
We have friends from Peru who have served some of these dishes, which we love & we have also dined at many Peruvian restaurants. The meat was very salty compared to our authentic friend’s fare & other Peruvian restaurants, still it was flavorful. The Papa Rellena appetizer was not appreciated — just an awkward combination of flavors, we could not identify the flavors in our mouths & it was not served warm — perhaps traditional? Unsure. The Huancaina sauce was almost on par to what we’ve come to expect but missed due to its lack of… something — too-​thick consistency & ability to wake up the tongue and make a body crave more?
The Langostinos had to be returned since the seafood was mushy & not fresh. It was replaced very quickly with another entrée of choice, which was perfect. That entrée was the Milanese de Pollo. The Arroz con Pollo was good but heavy-​handed on cumin and the addition of butternut squash was strange and altered the flavor not for the better. There were no complaints from our Carne Asada entrée eater except to note the meat’s saltiness. The French fries were excellent, too. Our party of four was out the door in two hours for $ 127.27 + tax&tip. We had a coupon for $ 10 off $ 50, so total with tax+tip was $ 143.62. I am unsure if our $ 7 Flan was rung up at Thursday’s ½ price dessert or not since we used a coupon, but it doesn’t look that way. This restaurant is worth a visit just for the wings and Flan, but especially since we did not try its Chef’s Specialties or the authentic Peruvian seafood dishes. We plan to return, if only for wings and Flan!

I’m so glad this place opened up. I’ve been there twice already and both times I was very pleased. The 2 ladies who work behind the bar (wish I could remember their names) were very friendly and attentive.
I’ve already recommended this place to numerous people and each time they said they will definitely check it out. Can’t wait till my next visit.
SN: I went to their grand opening party which was a blast. Unfortunately I arrived after the kitchen closed but they offered me bread and their specialty sauces anyway. It was so delicious.

Lo máximo ! Muy buena cocina peruana.

Fancier Peruvian food, if you like Peruvian and don’t want to go to those disgusting places that seem like are infested with roaches this is your place. I’ve had Sardis chicken before and I’m a fan, but if you want to seat down and have a few drinks you come here, I loved their Chupe de camarón and empanadas, can’t go wrong with their mojitos, although don’t expect chicken prices… lol

The service is good
The food is great
I recommend everything
This is connected to the Sardis chicken place

Sardis has time and again served delicious and beautiful food. The tastes are fresh and inspiring. The service is impeccable, especially when Lauren is your server.

I’m not usually a big fan of Peruvian food, however when I saw that a new restaurant had popped up, and had such high reviews on Unilocal,I had to go and see for myself. I went to the restaurant with a friend for lunch. As we went in, the restaurant had a beautiful, refined atmosphere. However, it did take the waiter a few minutes to seat us, despite the empty tables.
Before the meal, the waiter brought over 3 sauces and explained what they were made of, how spicy they were, and also provided us with complementary bread, which was soft and sweet. As they brought us our meals, out waiter also explained what was in it. We both throughly enjoyed our meals, crafted excellently, with the just the right portions. My strip steak was cooked to perfection, and the salad and fries that came along were delicious.
The exceptional factor though, is the price. If they raised the price by 50% I would still visit frequently. The wait staff and the ambience were on par with restaurants that were far more expensive, yet this restaurant provided that, excellent food, and a casual yet comfortable and beautiful atmosphere.
I would highly recommend to anyone seeking a good, inexpensive lunch.

Our first meal there was excellent, and the service was impeccable. We went on a Monday, and surprisingly the place was almost empty, even though there aren’t a lot of fine dining choices on a Monday. It was also ½ price cebiche night, and the cebiches were definitely enough on their own to make us loyal customers!
The Nikei was a huge pile of tuna with a lovely soy-​sesame marinade. Simple, but definitely something I’d order again. The Mixto was incredibly spicy… which was exactly what I wanted! The Peruvian corn in the dish helped with that a bit, but the pisco sour helped a bit more, and was much tastier! The scallops and squid in the Mixto were wonderfully tender.
I also had the anticucho de corazon (heart skewer), and it was also excellent. There was a bit of green on the skewer that looked a bit like chimichurri, and it was nice and garlicky. The potatoes accompanying the dish were perfectly seasoned, and I actually enjoyed them as much as the skewers.
My dining companion didn’t tell me how she liked the Lima burger, but from the sounds she was making I think she was at least as satisfied as I was with my food!
The server really gave us the impression that he had genuine passion and enthusiasm for the food and beverages, and while he explained everything we asked about at length, he also left us to talk and enjoy our meal for just the right amount of time between visits.

Sardi’s new upscale concept is the latest strip mall gem in Olney, and it’s worth a try. Scallops and calamari apps were perfect. Beet and arugula salad was delicious. Tried a red and a rose from Peru, both of which were very, very sweet. Prices are high for the area, but the food is also above par. The service was cheerful but otherwise mediocre, as is unfortunately typical for the area. Apps, salads and wine for two: $ 71 before tip.
The only major detraction was a table of overly loud patrons along with a server/​friend oblivious to the disturbance they created, acting as if they were at a high school reunion. Hopefully management prevents this from being a nightly occurrence.
I suspect we’ll see some improvements by the time the official grand opening happens. The next visit will determine if this will become a new local favorite.
Sorry I didn’t get around to taking any pictures. The plating was a little bit quirky, but at least it wasn’t boring.

I enjoyed lunch at Sardi’s Fusion two days in a row and dinner once.
Lunch, Day 1:
Diced baguette drizzled with olive oil and herbs and served with three different dipping sauces was a lovely way to begin both meals. My only wish is that more bread would have been served from the beginning so I didn’t have to ask for more as the bread/​sauce ratio was grossly out of balance.
The first day we started with Palta Rellena, which is tiny, burrito-​shaped dish with crab and avocado. We also had Papa Rellena Croquettes and one cannot go wrong with fried whipped potato, steak sofrito and olive aioli. Both were fresh and delicious. Last, we got the app mussels, which were fairly typical mussels in broth and were huge and very yummy. I ordered Lomo Saltado for takeout for dinner and enjoyed it later. It’s the smallest portion of this dish that can be ordered among restaurants in the Olney area, and the most expensive, but it was very good.
Lunch, Day 2:
We ordered Cebiche Mixto and Andrea Turadito Tempura to start. The cebiche was awesome — it contained rockfish for which I was pleasantly surprised and was well put together. The second dish was essentially a couple perfectly fried pieces of shrimp tempura surrounded by ahi tuna. So good!
For our entrée we each got a different sandwich and shared. We ordered the Lomo Con Queso (steak and cheese) and it was an amazing take on the steak and cheese and I loved it. The Barrio Chicken sandwich (grilled chicken, provolone and avocado) was good, though I do feel that it needed a bit more flavor. I’d order it again for lunch, however.
Dinner:
I went with a friend who wss looking for low-​carb options and thought that Sardi’s would be appropriate in that there are a plethora of low-​carb items on the menu. I don’t drink alcohol, so our server Johnny recommended a virgin orange crush. It was delicious. To start we ordered the ahi tuna vehicle, and it was nothing short of perfection for a starter dish. It basically consists of cubed ahi in a ginger based sauce. So good! My friend ordered the ¼ chicken, which was juicy and cooked perfectly that’s served with salad (and fries, but she opted for a double salad substitution). I ordered the U10 scallops in pea purée with pineapple chutney and lime foam. While it’s not a large portion, I didn’t want a large portion and it may have been the most exquisite thing that I’ve ever eaten, without exaggeration, that is if I am not counting the trés leches that we got for dessert (when a meal is this good, it makes you curious about how amazing the desserts will be ;-)) I have eaten a lot of the triple cream soaked cake in my time, but this was by far the best I’ve ever had. It’s served with what I believe is raspberry sauce drizzled on the plate. Unbelievable!
Sardi’s is a wonderful addition to the Olney restaurant selection and my family, friends and I will absolutely be returning again.
Final thought: I’ve got to give a shout out to the management for their customer service. The definitely outdid themselves.