Ariake

The place is oddly located behind an apartment complex. If I wasn’t looking for it, I probably wouldn’t noticed it. Once inside I was surprised. The restaurant was nicely decorated, like a modern Japanese sushi bar. Came here for lunch and we ordered the grilled whole squid in ginger sauce as appetizer. It was a great dish… in fact I ended up ordering another one for myself to compliment my second bottle of sake. Three of us ordered their bento boxes. Chicken, salmon and bulgogi boxes… they were all good. I ordered their sushi delux special. The portion was good and everything tasted fresh. Big bonus point on my book, especially when you are eating raw fish. Our server was attentive but didn’t look too friendly. I think it was near lunch closing time and she was probably tired. But when she saw our generous tip at the end… she finally gave us a BIG a smile! Overall this is an excellent sushi place, considering I have eaten at so many sushi places in the DMV. Definitely will come back for dinner and see if they offer any unique dish that will wow me.

Ariake is delicious. I really don’t care what other people eat and I don’t have an opinion on anything but the sushi bar, the sashimi, and sushi. We occasionally have a roll or two. The quality of the fish has always been superbly fresh and expertly prepared. We love this place. Anyone that doesn’t give this place at least 4 stars is clueless and doesn’t know what they are talking about. Nuff said…

This place has pretty good sushi rolls and udon. We ordered a bento, udon and about 6 different rolls. The tempura roll and ariake roll were so good!
We ordered all that food (four of us) but we didn’t even get a salad or soup for service, unlike all the other sushi restaurants I’ve visited.

This place is always really busy, but always really good. I come here all the time with my family and am never disappointed.
My two favorite sushi restaurants in NOVA are probably Ariake and Sushi Prince, but lately I’m leaning towards Ariake. The cuts of fish are incredibly thick and fresh, the rolls I’ve tried have been really well made with a lot of flavor and not overloaded with rice, and I’m obsessed with their desserts.
The black sesame and green tea ice cream are so good, and I love occasionally getting their tempura fried ice cream too. The staff is wonderful and attentive in spite of the rush.

Live in Reston and from the reviews, I decided to give this place a try. I went by the recommended rolls and decided to try their Nabeyaki Udon noodle as well as the shrimp tempura.
Waitress seemed upset that we only wanted water with our meal, then tried taking my salad before I was done (a HUGE pet peeve of mine esp. if not to make room for other dishes). Tables here are small so order accordingly (or not).
SOUP: Got the soup fairly quickly, but advised we were going to split it and no serving utensil was provided. Was piping (almost microwave) HOT! Was also difficult to scoop with thick tough noodles (bland with a weird texture). Also, the broth was extremely salty and almost inedible (wanted to send it back, but they gave me a «we’ll re-​make it» vibe)
SUSHI: Was good, but nothing to write home about for sure. I asked for light soy sauce and as mentioned in other reviews, they charge 10¢/packet which was another slap in the face. There was way too much cream cheese in the roll we ordered with it and the other rolls were falling apart/​too large to properly eat.
Waitress’ English was pretty much limited to the menu items and basically took our order and brought us our food and check.
I was really hoping that this place would be great, but I’ll stick to Kumo until I find something better in the area.

I have tried nearly all of the Sushi spots in/​around Reston. None of them have made me want to go back to them. Mainly, because for some reason, the other places do not serve Uni and other more exotic sushi items, which elevates Ariake instantly as the better sushi restaurant in the Reston area. We have gone to other sushi restaurants where they had Uni on their menu, but were always given excuses as to why they didn’t have that item that day.
When you go back to the same restaurants, and they keep saying that they don’t have that item, you would probably start to wonder if they would carry the more exotic items at all! And why don’t they just take that item off of their menu?
In any case, the fact that Ariake has never given an excuse as to why the didn’t have certain items, it makes the a more real sushi restaurant to me. But that’s just my opinion. Also, they have some very creative specials as well!
The staff has always been welcoming and friendly. I like the atmosphere and also the look of the restaurant.

For a quick lunch, this spot if great. A co-​worker and I decided to stop by for a healthy lunch. I got a Spicy Salmon roll and asked them to make me a Spicy Scallop hand roll. My co-​worker got a Rainbow Roll, which looked beautiful. We both got miso soup and shared a seaweed salad.
I liked that the amount of rice was minimal. I get full off of the rice, so I tend to scrape off rice at some places. I know — bad Jackie! But some places PACK rice onto the sushi. That’s why I love hand rolls — you get so much fish and that is the best part!
From what I can see, the restaurant is very aware that it has also of offices, etc. around, so they are super quick with service. This is very much appreciated.
We will be back!

Yay I’m glad I decided to come here during lunch. I literally was at my desk and a little trigger in my mind told me I wanted Sushi and I wanted it immediately. I decided to go with it, and knew I needed to give Ariake a chance. I got there around 12:10 and it was packed!! Literally every table in the relatively medium sized dining room was full of laughing noisy work people, ready to eat. I was solo, so I asked to sit at the sushi bar. I was promptly greeted by a smiling sushi chef. I scanned the menu– hoping to see something that would satisfy my craving. Then a lightbulb went off when I saw the cashew shrimp roll. I was hoping it would be as delicious as the other sushi being placed before my eyes for the waitresses to distribute. 7 or 8 minutes later I was a happy woman, struggling to use chopsticks (don’t laugh at me) and definitely happy I made a good choice. I’m looking forward to returning to try the lunch chicken teriyaki– it was only $ 8.95 and had a great portion size!

Best sushi this side of McLean (tachibana). Great quality. Large rolls. Very friendly staff.
Been 4x’s in 2 weeks.

Reston is full of surprises recently. First, it changes its name to Hill Valley for Back to the Future weekend and now, Reston reveals this cute little Japanese place to me.
I originally picked this restaurant because my friend and I wanted to eat somewhere close to my office and I had a real hankering for sushi and udon. My expectations were pretty low because I’ve never thought of Reston as a place for good Asian food let alone sushi, but Ariake proved me wrong.
When my friend and I arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to see that there was a decent happy hour menu. They have $ 10 specials, which include a side of edamame with your choice of 2 items off a list of various items, such as rolls, nigiri, and octopus. I ordered the special with salmon nigiri and spicy tuna rolls as well as a bowl of Nabeyaki udon.
My salmon was A-​plus. You may ask, «how can anyone mess up raw fish?» but these thick, high-​grade cuts were impressive. It melted like butter on my tongue and I regretted ordering the other dishes because all I wanted was more salmon. My friend was so taken with his salmon nigiri that he ended up ordering the fatty salmon. He said it was delicious.
The spicy tuna roll was also good. I liked that each piece came with a big piece of raw tuna and that their spicy mayo had some heat to it, but remained nicely balanced.
Ariake’s only pitfall was the udon. Because the tempura was submerged in the broth, the once crispy outside completely deteriorated into a soggy mess in my soup. I also disliked the use of imitation crab meat. The chicken and the poached egg were overcooked. The broth tasted great when I first started slurping it down with my udon noodles, but the saltiness kept building on itself and became unbearable towards the end of my meal. I didn’t finish my bowl.
Next time, I will skip the soup and stick exclusively to ordering sushi, but I will be back again soon!

It’s hard to find a great sushi place in the area that is reasonably priced yet offers exceptional quality. Ariake seems to have done that really well.
I’ve been there both times, once for an impromptu lunch and the second time with my girlfriends. First time, I wasn’t really able to enjoy the meal, since I wasn’t feeling well. However, I did enjoy the bento box deal. Second time was better and I was able to enjoy the different sushi rolls. The quality was great and probably one of the best that I’ve tasted in the area.
Will definitely be back!

Sushi didnt taste good. Tasted too basic. The dippin soy sauce that they use is too salty. Must be kikkoman or maybe an even cheaper soy sauce. Also ordered a rice with chicken katsu and egg… the decoration was bleh/​ugly. Tasted dried and boring.

What a gem! This little restaurant is in the middle of nowhere and I was initially concerned about the quality of the food as I didn’t see any Japanese people as customers over there (always a good sign to have Japanese in a Japanese restaurant!!)
With that said, as food arrived, everything was simply amazing. The fish was super fresh, and their tempura super well prepared. The only thing I didn’t like was their complimentary salad to start — a very bland, basic salad with lettuce and some strange sauce.
All the rest, simply AMAZING. While in Reston for 3 days, I went to Ariake 2 times. Highly recommended!

Hands down my favorite place to go for sushi in the Reston area. They have a huge menu with bento boxes, sushi combos, and noodle soups. On top of that, they have special rolls that change often. I find it difficult to decide what I want because there are so many good things!
Sushi is always great quality, no mushy, crappy stuff. Reasonably priced but even better deals around lunch time.
Service has always been top notch with super friendly staff. The environment is great, always clean and has wonderful open windows.
Can’t think of anything bad about this place. Well deserved 5 stars.

We had an okay Japanese meal here. The décor is very attractive and our service was very good. The food, however was just okay. My companions had the ton katsu and said it was okay. We had tempura shrimp as our appetizer and it was lightly battered and pretty good. I did not try the sushi but had the salmon teriyaki. It was two fresh, generous pieces of fish. It came with rice, miso soup and salad. The salad was probably the least satisfactory part of the meal as the dressing just kind of gobbed on top of the lettuce, which was cut into too large pieces to eat (especially with chopsticks) and not drained well enough so there was a pool of water in the bottom of my bowl.
I’d would try Ariake again, but I’m in no hurry to, as it was just okay. Maybe the sushi is better, judging from the reviews.

Came here for dinner on a Saturday night and was pleasantly surprised! We ordered a variety of rolls such as spicy tuna, salmon, rainbow roll, etc. The service was fairly quick and the presentation & quality of the sushi was amazing. The Atkins Roll was one of my favorites– I wish more sushi restaurants offered this. Basically it was a rainbow roll (different sashimi pieces) but with no rice! Delicious. The workers were friendly and there was plenty of seating available. Especially loved the outdoor seating. This place was great; I would definitely return!

This is usually my work day go-​to sushi lunch joint. If I’m looking to get out of the office for lunch and I’m not sure what I want to nosh on, this place is the first place that comes to mind. (Keep in mind that I always default to thoughts of sushi when I don’t know what I want to eat.) Such is what happened today.
I usually end up here with several co-​workers, and they are always very good about split checks. However, today was an outdoor #sololunchdate. Service was a little slower than usual, but I was sitting outside and my approach to lunch today was very laid-​back. I was in no hurry, so there’s nothing to complain about. Their lunch specials are very good here, I tend to go for the sushi and sashimi or the spicy chirashi. Personal choice is to stay away from bento boxes that come with the tempura; mostly because I tend to steal what my husband doesn’t eat (typically the sweet potato) and I don’t «need» all that fried goodness. My order today was the baby lobster roll special, hamachi sashimi and anago sashimi. The baby lobster roll is a rare indulgence because it is very rich and mayo-​y; but tasty. The sashimi were large cuts and just the right temp. A+ as usual.
Side note, I like that most of their rolls are not swimming in a myriad of sauces and that their maki and nigiri are not bursting with an overload of rice. I know it’s trendy to watch your carbs, and I’m no exception to that rule, but a huge pet peeve of mine is «filler sushi».
Overall, very good sushi, especially for Reston. Don’t compare this to «by the water» locations, be smart and remember that’s a different animal.

Very different than my last visit. This restaurant attracts a good portion of the Reston business crowd for lunch. Located in the midst of a residential community, Ariake, a sushi bistro sits apart from the Hunter Woods Shopping Plaza surrounded by trees and a parking lot. They have an outdoor patio as well.
Sushi was very good, bento boxes generously filled, and meals accompanied by miso soup and bowls of sticky white rice. Particularly liked the fresh Ikura and tasty grilled eel slices. This restaurant offers an extensive menu including a full selection of tempura in a pleasant setting. The tea was the only thing we ordered which was disappointing, pretty flavorless. Service was excellent and we did not wait long. About $ 45 – 50 for two adults.
TIP: Arrive around 1 pm to bypass the busiest time of day. if you’d like water served or are fond of extra fresh ginger, simply request it.

Not sure why we don’t come here more often… close to house… fresh tasting seafood… friendly wait staff.
Had a delightful assortment of sushi. Loved the red snapper on the special board. Overall solid place tucked in the neighborhood.
Noticed the folks next
had a tasty looking fried rice. Might need to. explore the non sushi options

This is an awesome place. Nice ambiance, Nice location and awesome sushis. The host was very nice and courteous.
We had gone there for lunch. The lunch menu had a soup, salad and a basket of sushi. I loved their California rolls. They were just awesome. The sushi are freshly prepared and you can make that out from the taste — so delicious !!
The person who recommended this place had told that on busy days, parking is a challenge but we did not face any such issues.
I am waiting for the summers when they open their patio !!