Kyoto Sushi for dependable neighborhood sushi

Kyoto Sushi
3676 Braddock Road, Alexandria, VA

Ever since our favorite sushi chef moved back to Korea (we miss you, Ken!), we've been suffering from a dearth of delicious yet affordable sushi. Sometimes we fill this need by visiting Sushi Yama in Vienna, but hauling out to Vienna on a weeknight can be a complete hassle - hello, 66. So when we're jonesing for sushi, we swing by Kyoto Sushi in the Bradlee Shopping Center.

Kyoto Sushi opened in 2006, and from reading the scant online reviews, it appears as though they went through some growing pains related to their customer service. But today, Kyoto is a popular restaurant for the Fairlington/Route 7 crowd, and they do a brisk take-out business for area families. Although the restaurant looks tiny from the outside, it's actually sizable, with a long sushi bar that easily seats 8-10 people. Kyoto is always well-staffed with an army of servers and Korean sushi chefs, so the service is rapid, and the sushi arrives faster than any other restaurant we have dined in.

What we love: the miso soup is delicious and steaming hot. The edamame pods are fat-bellied and perfectly salted. I'm a fan of their seaweed salad (though I like Nooshi's in DC better because it has a lemon vinaigrette - yum). The sushi is good. It's not as spectacular as Yama's, but it's tasty.

I'm not a fan of seaweed-wrapped rolls so I skip the regular maki mono, which are admittedly a bit on the small side, but we like their double maki mono rolls, which offer fish inside, then rice, when a strip of fish holding it together. The house special rolls are also good - the Spider Roll is always crunchy with a good ratio of soft shell crab, and the California Cream Roll (a California roll topped with special sauce and baked) is decadent. Any of the spicy rolls - spicy scallop, spicy tuna - offer a nice kick.

The downside is that Kyoto can be a little on the high side - the house special rolls range from $7.95 to $13.95 for 5-8 pieces per order, and the chef special rolls are a whopping $13.95 to $19.95 for 8-10 pieces per order. If you stick to the maki mono rolls ($3.75-$6.50 for 5-6 pieces per order), you'll fare a little better.

The verdict: Kyoto Sushi is a solid neighborhood sushi joint. The restaurant is clean and the service is quick. Just keep an eye on what you order, otherwise you'll find that the bill adds up quickly.

Photo credited to Kyoto Sushi