Kyoto Japanese Restaurant has been serving the sushi lovers of Northern Virginia for 35 years. Nestled among small bakeries and large supermarkets in the Bradlee Shopping Center on King Street in Alexandria, Kyoto brings years of experience and know-how to each of its dishes.
Kyoto Japanese Restaurant has been serving the sushi lovers of Northern Virginia for 35 years. Nestled among small bakeries and large supermarkets in the Bradlee Shopping Center on King Street in Alexandria, Kyoto brings years of experience and know-how to each of its dishes.
The main attraction, a long, glass-enclosed sushi bar offset with black banners sporting Japanese characters, greets customers at the restaurants entrance. Patrons can snag a front-row seat at the bar and watch the sushi chef prepare a meal in front of their eyes or sit in the slightly more formal dining area and leave the food prep to the master.
The dining area is bigger than most independently operated sushi restaurants. The tables and booths are well spaced, allowing patrons to the opportunity to relax and not be crammed in next to their fellow diners.
Given Kyoto’s simple décor, the most noticeable element is the elegant Japanese artwork that adorns the walls. Its lack of frills and typical restaurant bric-a-brac lets the food speak for itself.
The Kyoto staff is helpful, but doesn’t linger. They are willing to help the sushi amateur, but diners shouldn’t expect to be asked about their day. Most of the talking at Kyoto is done by the food.
Kyoto has a large menu with tried and true appetizers, such as Edamame ($5), steamed soy beans, and Gyoza ($6), fried vegetable dumplings.
As far as entrées go, Kyoto features a classic a la carte menu with sushi standards, such as California Rolls ($5.25), which comes in five to six pieces and is made with rice, imitation crab and avocado. There is also the hand-rolled Spicy Tuna/Temaki ($6.25), which comes in three pieces of rice, wasabi and raw tuna.
Kyoto also spotlights it’s house specialty rolls, such as the Spider Roll ($11.95), made with soft-shell crab, and the Alaskan Roll ($7.95), of salmon and cream cheese, then deep fried.
The restaurant’s signature roll is the Kyoto Roll ($17.95) – baked scallops, smoked eel and scallions, all wrapped in smoked salmon.
But it’s not all about the sushi. Kyoto also boasts a wide variety. There is the Seafood Soup ($4), with scallops, shrimp and vegetables, not to mention various tempura platters ($14-20) and teriyaki dishes ($18-20). All of these hearty portions include miso soup, salad and rice.
For those who have a sushi craving before dinner, Kyoto offers box lunch specials ($11-15), which include California Rolls, Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura, Seaweed salad, miso soup, salad and rice.
Even kids get a chance to join in on the fun. The Kids’ Steak Teriyaki box ($12) is a smaller portion of the full-priced steak teriyaki serving and comes with miso soup, rice, soda and 50 percent off any desert.
Kyoto Japanese restaurant is a sound choice for those looking for made-to-order sushi, backed with more than three decades of patronage.
Kyoto Japanese Restaurant
3676 King Street, Alexandria, VA
703-379-8060
Hours:
Lunch: Monday – Friday, 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: Monday – Thursday, 4:30 – 10 p.m.; Friday, 4:30 – 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, noon – 10:30 p.m.; Sunday, 3 – 9 p.m.
