Maneki Neko

Nice, cozy and fresh. I’m no expert on Japanese cuisine but I really enjoyed my lunch last week.

I would never come here on tuesday.
Food was awesome like always!
This is my first Tuesday lunch and last Tuesday.
As an ex-​server this person who waited our table is disrespectful to all the servers disgraceful to the restaurant name and least not last she is very unprofessional.
Long hair down to her sholders, tucked check folder under arm pits, no smile, don’t know menus, and bad service timing.
Like she in the rush left her make up at home forgot to put her smile on and got to work with carelessness mode.
$ 69.73 lunch $ 10.27 tips only because I don’t want her to think that I am who as she expected.
I normally left 18−40% tips, from good to five star or nice hook up. I’m not rich or anything but for the love and appreciation. Only there are some case ¢1−10% tip from worse to acceptable but it could be better.
DONT GO ON TUESDAY!!! NOTE!!!

I popped in for a quick bite and ordered the Takoyaki (Octopus Fritters) and Shrimp Tempura roll. I left quite satisfied and am sure the other menu options are tasty as well. I’ll have to come back in order to get a better feel for the menu.
Personally I think the prices are pretty reasonable for area sushi restaurants. The space isn’t huge, but the sushi bar seats about 10 people

I used to go here quiet often for lunch and dinner. Not the best but quality was pretty decent.
I came back with my parents two nights ago.
My dad got nabe udon, I got tons of sushi and miso ramen to share.
My dad’s udon had two shrimps that went bad. My dad was furious and told them not to use crap like that when they cook. She just said sorry and did not take it off from the check. That was fine.
Sushi was bad. My ikura and uni were ¹⁄₃ size compared to what I get at other place and also here. What happened?
Their hamachi was dark purple color… and tasted like old fish. Ack!
Their salmon was sickening.
Miso ramen soup tasted like it was leftover soup that was cooked over and over. so thick and salty (I cancompare because I had it more than 20+ times here)
I will not be back.

This place is fantastic! I live around the corner and these guys are from Okinawa — the real deal! They know all the intricacies and traditions surrounding Okinawan and Japanese cuisine. Fantastic Sushi with ample cuts. The guys behind the sushi bar are so friendly. I really like the feel of the interior too — it really is a comfortable place. The rice is fantastic! I make my own sashimi and it really is the rice that makes the difference. Service can be spotty, but the food is great!

Mango and coconut desert I had at Maneki Neko was unforgettable that I have to come back soon !!
I also love their such. Uni (Sea Urchin) was very fresh and sweet.
Excellent service. Takazato san, who is a one of the owners, who makes sushi, is a very funny and cool guy.
I will give them 5 starts!

Not bad casual Japanese. The salmon nigiri sushi is fresh and tasty. They also give you a salad with a really excellent ginger dressing. I ordered the chicken udon soup. Unfortunately, they use scraps of chicken, so I was picking cartilage and other inedible matter out odd my mouth. Other than that, it was decent.

Cute little cozy place. Very polite Thai and Japanese people serving and making sushi. But sadly, that’s where all the nice things end.
FOOD: I usually order special sushi when I have sushi cravings but I wanted to save a bit of money so I ordered the basic sushi. I ordered the eel roll, Bagel roll, and shrimp/​cucumber roll. The bill came out to be around $ 24. Okay $ 24 for basic sushi? They must be decently sized right? WRONG. Really small. Like really really small. I ate this with my girlfriend but could of easily ate this myself and order seconds. Maybe I’m being too harsh. So it’s small. Fine. It must taste really amazing right? Like best sushi in falls church amazing? NOPE. Taste like any sushi i’d order at the mall.
FINAL THOUGHTS: $ 24 for really small, average tasting sushi. I would be ashamed to call myself Asian if I ever ate here again.
By the way, I think the wasabi is mixed with diesel fuel because I almost died.

Ramen is subpar unfortunately. Noodles undercooked and char sui pork was too thin. Sushi rice was also undercooked and was made terribly.
Service was bad, waitress missed an order and what made it worse is that the host didn’t tell us that their credit card processing was down. I offered to pay with a check and was told they don’t accept it. I was forced to run across the street, paid a convenience fee at the ATM.

Went here for a Friday night dinner, around 6pm. The place is small, but we got seated right away. I got the Miso Ramen ($ 10.50) and my boyfriend got the Shoyu Ramen ($ 10.50). The ramen was subpar, the noodles didn’t taste fresh. We also shared the Fire Mountain Roll ($ 12.25) It consisted of deep fried spicy tuna with avocado, cucumber, eel, flying fish roe. The sushi was way bigger than usual sushi. The rice was about an inch thick and there were bones in the eel. Didn’t take pictures because the food didn’t look appetizing. Probably would not come back here.

This was my favorite sushi restaurant in the area for the last five years until my visit last night. Original genuinely Japanese sushi chef was nowhere to be seen and the place was now run and staffed exclusively by Thai personnel. Service was curt and uninterested.
When I went to the restroom to wash my hands before dinner, a server was in the kitchen sneezing and blowing his nose. That should have been my first sign to walk away. Alas, my nostalgia for the best of me… I stayed and ordered my staples… takoyaki and sunamono. Both turned out sub-​par and I was dismayed when I found that our server, Noy was the same one who was sneezing in the kitchen.
He was rude, couldn’t answer any of our questions about the menus, the specials, or the status of the original owner of the store. What made it worse was he continued to sneeze into his arm, but serve food without any interruption. On a Tuesday night, is it truly that much of an inconvenience to wash one’s hand after a sneeze?!
He continued to sneeze and touch his face and hair during service until finally my counterpart and I asked him to wash his hands before. We didn’t make a scene and were discreet, yet his only response was, «hey, didn’t sneeze into your food.»
«No, you didn’t, but you’re sneezing everywhere else in the restaurant!» I wanted to shout, but didn’t.
All the while, the sushi chef — owner, Pan, looked on without expression and said nothing. He clearly took no pride in the restaurant, the food or the service.
Noy hid in the kitchen until we asked for the check to leave. He could have left it there, but he decided to follow us out of the restaurant and deride us. He tried to get in my face before my counterpart stepped in and asked him to step away.
Simple thing: If you are sick, don’t serve food.
NEVER GOING BACK

Ramen. I love it. I wanted it. I tried it. I loved it.
Seriously, my wife and I tried the Kyushu and Shoyu ramen. Both were excellent. I couldn’t stop smiling. Oishi! The place is small and simple, but the staff was friendly and the food was delicious. I will definitely be returning.

A fabulous little spot in the heart of Falls Church. It offers a great deal on a lunch special. It’s not often that you can get lunch for less than $ 7 before tip. You are able to choose from a variety of options to pick what you’d want in your lunch. The Tonkatsu and Tempura are both great choices.
It is small and can fill up on busy days. Parking is in the back in a shared lot. There is an entrance on that side as well so there is no need to go all the way around to the front.
Servers are friendly and fast. I will mark off a star because I always leave not quite full. Perhaps I have a big stomach (I do) or I’m used to big portions (I am), but I would think that a guy would have to get an appetizer to take the edge off.

1. The food is really yummy and has a home made feel to it.
2. The service is great; attentive but not too imposing. They refilled my water without asking.
(I accidentally spilled my water, but they said it was no problem and told me it was alright.)
3. The space is kind of small, but not enough to bother you.

I am giving this restaurant a 3 ¾ to 4 star review. Having been convinced by fellow Unilocalers I decided to try out this place when a friend wanted some ramen.
Located on Broad Street not far from dominion camera, and had to turn around to access the parking lot which is in the back. The restaurant is cute, nicely decorated with the Asian cats that have a waving paw.
Even without reservation we would quickly seated. I ordered the salmon teriyaki Bento, and my friend order the pork Ramen. The salmon was fantastic, but the accompanying California roll felt as though it had been made with previously frozen avocados. Also, the Asian salad with the peanut dressing had broccoli florets in it, which typically I have not come across at other Asian places. This took away from the delicacy of the lettuce.
I am told the pork ramen and was spot on, and the waitress explained that pork was specially prepared in the restaurant.
We were given the check without being given the option to order dessert. Imagine my disappointment as I was walking out, only to see green tea mochi being delivered to a table.

This is another review where I wonder what everyone else was eating and wondering why I didn’t get what they got even though I ordered the same. In a former lifetime I was a sou sushi chef so maybe I am just very critical of sushi. I judge sushi based on novelty, quantity and price. So based on the four star reviews I expected something different.
Novelty… none… nothing here you couldn’t imagine with a neat name and throwing some ingredients together.
Quanity… below fair (my opinion). You get 8 bites for the price you pay. Lobster roll here is about $ 11. Lobster roll at honey pig izekaya is a whole meal.
Price… too expensive. If I have to order 2 to 3 rolls to get a sense of being full. Not enough ingredients for what you pay for.
Quality of ingredients… eh… you tuna was darker than I like and I typically steer clear of raw fish (even farmed and processed).

We had the okinawan soba and never having had it before, we weren’t sure what to expect but the broth was light, noodles were good and meat tasty. We also had sushi which was good, uni tasted fresh and was my favorite while our 4yo was happy with the tamago. The takoyaki was good but the okonomiyaki was a bit dry either because it was cooked a bit too long or it was cooked earlier and just reheated.
The service was ok. We had to ask for slices of lemon three or four times before getting it. Servers aren’t smiley or extra nice, but good food is what we were there for.
We decided to try this place after reading a review in a magazine saying it was good for kids because they provide chopsticks for kids and kids menu, but we were offered neither of those. But we didn’t mind since our kids ate the same food we ordered.
Overall, food was good and we’ll be going back to check out the rest of the menu!

Thank you to all who referenced the Okinawa soba in their reviews! I am always on the lookout for unusual and hard-​to-​find dishes, so I had to take my husband here. This Maneki Neko exclusive contains chashu pork, pickled ginger, and fish cake in a rich porky broth. I read a little about Okinawan cuisine, and apparently one of the distinguishing characteristics of the food of this region is the prevalence of pork, less common elsewhere in Japan. Tom N. said the soup was satisfying, just salty enough, and delicious. The bowl looked beautiful and hearty, a great winter comfort meal.
I ordered the okinomiyaki (seafood and veggie pancake with moving fish skins) to share. It was very tasty and had a definitely izakaya appeal to it. While hubs enjoyed his meaty noodle bowl, I feasted on Maneki Neko’s exemplary rendition of sansai udon (a mountain vegetable noodle soup cooked with dashi stock). Maneki’s sansai udon is wonderful. The flavors of the vegetables really come through, and the overall taste is delicate, which is what I look for in sansai udon. Highly recommended.
We also got some small fried fishes, which were flavorful but a tad too bony for our taste.
Service is real friendly and helpful. The owner described the dishes that we were getting so we knew what to expect.
All in all, Maneki Neko is a cute lucky cat-​themed neighborhood restaurant that serves up some authentic Japanese dishes alongside more fusiony rolls and soups (Halloween roll and tom yum noodle soup). I’m not into cream cheese in rolls, more of a purist, so I’ll pass on the «creative» stuff and just hone in on what’s advertised on the small dry-​erase board near the sushi counter.
Whether you enjoy more Americanized sushi or simple nigiri, Maneki Neko is a fantastic option in Falls Church City.

I got the tempura udon noodle soup. It was average good. The tempura was cooked well and I liked how they give it to you separately to dip into the soup so it doesn’t get soggy.
Someone else got the oxtail udon soup and said it was really good.
I didn’t try the sushi/​sashimi but it didn’t look like anything special — ie it was the typical salmon, tuna, white fish you see at all sushi restaurants. Nothing too innovative or locally sourced.
Service was super friendly.

Incredible incredible food. I went in on a Wednesday night and was blown away by the service and food. I ordered the fried squid balls and gyoza for appetizer which were delicious. I had the rockfish, tuna, and shrimp for sushi (1 dollar per sushi deal before 7:30 on weekdays). I finished off with the kyushi ramen, which is the best ramen I’ve ever had hands down. Broth was delicious, the noodles were fresh and the pork was so tender. Moderately priced and just really really great service from the server and sushi chefs. I will def be back soon :)
PS: The music they play in background is the best. Very soothing and relaxing, perfect ambiance (Spirited Away Movie Soundtrack)