While surrounded by many Chinese restaurants, Momiji offers a refreshingly different menu of Japanese dishes at reasonable prices, including sushi as well as a variety of meat and fish dishes.
★★★☆☆
$$$$
Us California girls love our sushi, and so the unofficial mission of my first years in Washington, D.C., is to find a great sushi place. In the spirit of this quest, I was very excited to check out the sushi in D.C.’s Chinatown. I was initially skeptical — Japanese food in Chinatown sounds a little like sacrilege — but after tiring of the slightly disappointing rolls at Mai Thai and Vittles, I was ready to venture outside the Georgetown bubble and give the restaurant Momiji a try.
My date and I took a taxi and had no problem finding the restaurant, despite its slightly hidden main entrance. The place was completely packed on a Friday night, which seemed to bode well for the food we were about to be served. The interior of the restaurant was cozy and charming, with lots of smaller tables and a small hibachi bar. The decor was simple and appealing, true to the restaurant’s Japanese identity.
The line of people waiting for tables would probably be better described as a small, benign mob. The restaurant’s intimate interior meant that there was no clear waiting area or obvious path for the overflow of hungry patrons, and we were at first confused by the lack of a hostess podium. Luckily, we had called ahead and made reservations, so once we had found and we were seated immediately.
As duly noted, I love sushi, but my date was there for the lauded hibachi and had specifically asked for two seats in front of the grill. Unfortunately, there were not enough people ordering hibachi that night, or perhaps the chef was off duty, because while we could still order the dishes, there were no cool onion volcanoes to be displayed.
Nonetheless, he ordered the steak hibachi ($21) and was otherwise very happy with it. I stole a few bites for journalistic purposes and found the meat to be pleasantly tender and seasoned deliciously. The plate also included a large pile of fried rice, a mound of grilled vegetables and two pieces of hibachi shrimp. The portions were generous and the flavors were on point — a genuinely solid dish.
For myself, I ordered a soda and the maki combo ($15). The soda never came, but the sushi entree arrived promptly and was accompanied by some very good miso soup. Service and lack of pyrotechnics aside, the sushi at Momiji was certainly among the best I have had in D.C. My combo included six pieces each of a salmon roll, California roll and Christmas roll (made with tuna and avocado). All three rolls tasted fresh and looked beautiful — they definitely fit the bill for what I was used to getting at home.
I did a little looking around at what people nearby ordered and was definitely impressed with the extent of Momiji’s menu, which also includes several teriyaki dishes, tempura options and a long list of signature rolls. If I go back, I would definitely order the restaurant’s Valentine roll ($14), which is made with shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, avocado and the chef’s special sauce. The pieces of the roll also, predictably, come in the shape of little hearts.
Momiji is a good place to dine before a basketball game, as it is located just a few blocks away from Verizon Center. If you’re in the mood for a little dessert afterward and want to make it a night out on the (China)town, you’re also just a short walk away from It’Sugar, the legendary sweet shop full of giant candy. Either way, Momiji is definitely a promising start to a great evening.
