We were driving through Bethesda and were pleasantly surprised when we decided to stop and check out the restaurant scene, it is loaded with a variety of nice looking sit downs right around that entire block with lots of outdoor seating and even live music next door when we were there on a Friday evening. We decided on Hanaro Sushi obviously because sushi is awesome lol but we found a really good deal on a Groupon. We decided to split two specialty rolls which come with eight pieces instead of six and seem to be loaded with more fish than the classic rolls. We had the Cherry Blossom Roll which was by far the most fish I've ever had in a sushi roll with a beautiful red fish wrapped around it and circled by an avocado aioli. We also had the Phoenix roll which was creamy and crunchy and just hit every sensation as the shrimp tempura soaked in the spicy mayo. It's almost like a cheat code when it's fried like that. Our waiter was really nice and brought out this jalapeño sauce that I requested on the side, it was just the right amount of sweet and had that delicious jalapeño flavor without being overshadowed by excessive heat. She also brought us each a free mochi for checking in Yelp. We chose the ube which nailed it! That is just one of the most delicious flavors out there, it comes from a purple sweet potato and is very reminiscent of taro. In my opinion they both kind of taste like a cinnamon vanilla yam birthday cake with a hint of coconut, very unique as it already seems like a combination of flavors. We also had the Mango Thai Basil which I really didn't taste much basil but the mango flavor was very intense. This is the first time that my wife has liked mochi, well "loved" so I don't think I will be getting it all to myself anymore lol Great service, great ambience, great deal, great food read more

Kusshi - Tasteful Art - cherry blossom roll and Phoenix roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Ordered hamachi kama and chicken teriyaki at the front desk. Promised ready to go in about 25 minutes. However, after checking three times, two boxes were not ready for us to go until 40 minutes... At home, two items were tasted average. The hamachi kama (priced $25) was expected to come with more vegetables. read more

Kusshi - Chicken Teriyaki - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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The inside seems to be undergoing renovations. I got takeout there and the sushi was bomb. One of the best sushi spots in Bethesda. I usually get the yellowtail and fatty tuna. The deep fried shrimp shuimai are also a must have. If your looking for hot food, I'd recommend the hanaro noodles. There a bit spicy udon noodles with beef shrimp and veggies. The portion of meat surprised me and was able to make 2 meals out of it. read more

Miso seabass and seared fatty salmon. That's all I have to say. Also two great options if you can't do "raw" food

I tried this place in March. It wasn't that good. I'm not sure if it was the fact that I got my food via door dash ..... Never again! It said my food was on its way well mush sushi and cold ramen soup later Not good!! I had to go back and forth on the phone when I really wanted to go to sleep from the restaurant to door dash back and forth....! Overall not a good experience!! read more

I absolutely love coming to Kusshi whenever I'm craving sushi! The ambiance made me feel very welcome and cozy, considering the freezing cold weather. The servers were very attentive and made sure that my time there was enjoyable. My personal fave is their lava roll but they also have many amazing entrees if you're not the biggest fan of sushi! read more

Hanaro is a nice little downtown sushi joint that is successful not because their food is amazing/unique, but because they have great service and they have a good happy hour and groupon coupon. That said, know you're not coming here for an amazing roll that will change your life. It'll get you a cheap American sushi fix, but won't be the best you've ever had. I like their business strategy of not allowing you to use a groupon coupon in addition to happy hour prices. They make you choose between the two, and are sure to encourage you to come back to be a repeat customer whichever option you choose. Yep, they got me. After the meal, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't come back unless friends wanted to, but now I have to revisit because I went with happy hour prices and still have my groupon to use. They got me. Anyway, Hanaro Sushi is not a bad spot to satisfy hunger for cheap fish, but not to satisfy culinary art discovery. read more

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Food and service were great! Leon was very attentive and welcoming. Will definitely be back

Absolutely AMAZING Service, Food, AND Drinks! If you love sushi and/or have a good time with friends and family. This place is one of the best place to go to. It's not noisy nor is it super busy. The staff are SUPER friendly and hilarious. There's outdoor seatings too when summer time hits. Making reservations is not hard and can be done on same day. read more

Wow! The renovation made this place brighter and livelier! Overall, fun vibes and clean. Such a great spot for good eats and drinks. We tried their new cocktails which were so unique and yummy. The service was quick and super friendly! read more

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Came here for dinner while it was pouring out - so the shoyu ramen hit the spot for a rainy day. Appreciated that good size of pork was given, and the broth was tasty. Had the Lychee cosmo on the side and it was so refreshing. Also tasted my husband's order of Hanaro noodles and I really loved the sauce. The only thing that fell flat was the restaurant ambiance. But it looks like they are doing some renovating so I'm looking forward to coming back! read more

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Absolutely amazing restaurant! Just as good as another place I like to go called Kusshi Ko! Can't wait to go back and have the Uni and Ikura, it was so fresh!! read more

This was our first time going to Kusshi Sushi and we had the best time. The food was great- everything we ordered was fresh and tasty. We originally planned to just grab dinner, but the service and ambiance was so nice that we ended up staying for about 5 hours! Special shoutout to Kevin and Ethan who made the whole dining experience amazing :) read more

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The food was so good, so many things to choose from and the service is amazing, definitely recommend the Chicken Teriyaki! read more

Kusshi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

The food was delicious! We enjoyed sharing the appetizers, I recommend the Takoyaki (octopus balls) as an appetizer! The food was very fresh and flavorful! I would definitely come back here again! read more

Though this review may be different than most, Hanaro now has customers for life due to the genuine hospitality shown by the owner, Austin. My car had run out of gas on the corner of St Elmo and Norfolk, Austin walked outside with a bottle of water just to see if I was ok. After telling him I ran out of gas, he ran into his spot, grabbed a jerrycan, went a block and half to the gas station, and came back to fill up my car. I share this because his interaction was so genuine, he just wanted to help. He turned my ignorance and embarrassment into a fleeting moment. If he shared this kind of hospitality outside of his restaurant, I look forward to appreciating it inside of his establishment moving forward. The bonus in all of this, my wife and I love Sushi and Ramen, so this will be our spot when we are in Bethesda. Thank you, Austin, the world needs more people and restaurateurs like you. read more

I'm absolutely amazed by the service. My daughter and I came in for a special treat to celebrate but she can be quite the picky eater. I explained this to the host and she was so great at helping us. It's very clear that their staff up front is familiar with the menu and how picky kids can be. We had a very complicated order(basically a Chirashi bowl with no raw fish) however that's not something that was easily accommodated. She was very good at explaining an alternative and organizing it in a way that wouldn't make it insanely expensive for a 6 year olds meal. I'm so grateful for the time she spent on us and will definitely be ordering again. read more

We love their gyoza, chicken katsu, and sake. Ethan, the bar manager, is the best and makes a delicious mojito. The new renovations also look awesome and chic. read more

Kusshi - Bar area - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

It was a week I was craving sushi - I'm sure all of you reading this have it occasionally. I was asking around for a good sushi restaurant in the DMV area, and was recommended to Hanaro. And I was NOT disappointed! I ordered the sushi sampler along with a serving of seared fatty salmon. I would say the sushi you get is the expected on the sushi sampler, but one of my pieces came with tuna belly and wow...that was good. And the seared fatty salmon...my goodness it was highlight of the night! Just imagine a soft piece of salmon with a smoky taste to it on top of seasoned rice. I recommend! To add a cherry on top, our server Kelly was great! Checked-in with us to see if everything was okay, and her recommendations were on point! Taste - 4/5 Atmosphere - 5/5 Service - 5/5 Value - 3.5/5 (mainly due to price) read more

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Great sushi train. They have amazing food, service and a few cool things when you order. We had a great dinner

I tried this restaurant for the first time this year for my birthday. Honestly I'm so impressed at the quality that I just don't feel like writing several pages of analysis this time. I got delivered the following: (for starters) --miso soup --2 orders of deep fried gyoza --agedashi tofu (for the main entreé) --hanaro noodles (paired with) --a side of sushi rice --several orders of nigiri (1 saba, 2 sake, 1 ikura) Everything was just outstanding! I got exactly what I ordered, and the driver was very prompt and polite!! In particular, the gyoza was just the right crunchy. I've never had sushi rice by itself before and I loved it so much!! I'm not sure I can go back to ordinary steamed rice! Usually I'm not much of an udon fan (#teamramenforever), but the noodle entreé was just such a delicious medley of so many different vegetables and meats with just the exact right amount and thickness of broth. It was fantastic!! The nigiri had a smaller role in this show's cast (i'm a recovering sushi-holic)--but all means, it shined the brightest! I don't think I've ever had sushi in the US that was as flavorful and fresh and tender...it was like the finest wagyu--if wagyu could swim. They even fulfilled my request for authentic wasabi (another first for me!) This is the type of place that has me deeply conflicted: On one hand, I really want to try them again next year...I would especially love to try the omakase experience! On the other hand, there are just SO many restaurants in Bethesda that I haven't tried yet...and so few birthdays! This one, at least, was very happy. :) read more

Great service and food! Food arrived quickly and has been consistent across visits. The staff has always been friendly and attentive! Very family friendly, Definitely recommend! read more

I had just come back from Japan and was planning a surprise birthday dinner for my boyfriend and came across Hanaro Sushi. The reviews seemed really good and I have been wanting to try this place before going to Japan. Japan is the mecca of sushi and I had the best sushi of my life just a few weeks before going to Hanaro, so I had low expectations. We ordered the sushi boat and I believe it was combination #1. The sushi chefs also threw in a free specialty roll of choice and my boyfriend picked the seared salmon roll? (not 100% sure, it was a hectic night). The salmon sashimi was pretty comparable to the ones I had in Japan, I've had lots of sushi in my life and this was one of the best ones. I will definitely come back, but parking is a pain and I hate paying for parking. The service was really good and accommodated for our large party of 15? read more

Kusshi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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I came here for a sake tasting, food, and drinks. It has really great service and it is a chill place to hang out and drink with friends. I'm not sure how often they do the sake tasting, but I really enjoyed it. It was super informational and I learned a lot about sake. We got to try four different kinds and we ordered the unfiltered sake. The food was good too and I had nothing to complain about. I would recommend this place if you are looking for sushi in the Bethesda area. read more

Kusshi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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Got this delivered via uber eats and it didn't disappoint! The california roll was pretty standard, the lump crab meat was a nice addition though. Was hoping to find the baked california roll seen in a number of yelp photos but couldn't find it on the menu. Seaweed salad was also pretty standard but delicious and always a favorite of mine! The fatty salmon was good but not didnt quite live up to the hype of the yelp reviews....I wouldn't get it again given the rather small portion for $11. The stand outs were the firecracker roll and the mochi. Both were phenomenal and I would highly recommend. The firecracker roll is very flavorful. The mochi is just sweet enough with that perfectly pillowy outside. My only reason for the 4/5 stars is the price. I felt the amount I paid was a little bit steep for the portions and sizes of the rolls, but otherwise would definitely recommend this place! read more

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Wow, we normally go to Kusshi on pike and roses, but since we were already in Bethesda today we decided to try Hanaro for the first time. There was one party leaving as we entered at 5:20pm, we sat down and noticed how dark it was in here. Our server greeted us and took our drink order. We put in an appetizer for the kids and asked for more time to go over the menu. There was no kids cup, which was okay, but when we asked for two smaller cups for the kids. The waitress gave us attitude and some eye rolling. We just wanted sometime to see if the menu was different from the other location, but when we were ready to order, there was lit we all no one in the room with us. At 5:40pm, we raised our hands to get noticed by the waitress. By now, I really hoping we won't get spit in our food. Not sure If the staff is not used to having people dine in, it PLEASE train your staff about customer service. The team at Kusshi is way more knowledge about the menu and provides top notch service every time we have visited. I think we will stick to our normal spot from now. I have no doubt the quality of our sushi will be great, but this review is more about the service or lack of. read more

The sushi and sashimi were great. I look forward to returning soon and with the same company I came with this time. I had just started a low carb, Keto diet and I was concerned about the rice after dropping pasta from my food list. They were very accommodating. They let me know that the sushi could be rolled without rice and wrapped in cucumber. We had a bit of sushi, sashimi, and salmon teriyaki at our table and all enjoyed it! read more

Kusshi - Small Sashimi Platter - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

My absolute favorite spot in Bethesda. Food is perfect. Drinks are yummy and the service is on point always! Peter is our guy! He is attentive, professional, and fun! Happy hour prices are a great deal. read more

Kusshi - This is all that's left if our amazing meal- won't be here for long. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Unfortunately the quality of the food got really bad, used to enjoy their sushis, what happened??? As for the service, one chopsticks for a 300$ order!!! read more

Grabbed lunch here. Quality of fish was so-so. I am docking stars because for $25, I expect fresher, more flavorful fish. Would eat here again if someone was paying. read more

Kusshi - Sashimi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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Hate to write the obit for this restaurant, but it has to be. Ordered take-out tonight from this place (that's all they do now) which was pretty good during the early (2020) parts of the pandemic, but the quality has gone precipitously down hill. By precipitously, I mean sushi that tastes "musty," a word I've never used to describe raw fish. This is a warning. I've ordered sushi more than a hundred times in my life; lived several years in Japan; bought it from grocery stores; but never until tonight had sushi that needed to be tossed out. The rolls tasted and smelled like an old warehouse, the sushi as well. Everything tasted horrible. None of this is helped by the fact that Hanaro the restaurant is no more, and what remains are a bunch of dirty cardboard boxes in a former dining room / bar. Hanaro may stick around for a little while longer, but they won't be seeing me again. None of this is to knock the friendly service staff, but again, this is take-out only, so there really isn't a service aspect of the restaurant to speak of. read more

Excellent sushi and noodles. Prices are a bit steep, but quality of the food was good. Had the omakase sushi (i.e., whatever the chef wants to serve). We got the small portion, which was $80. It came in four courses and was mostly sashimi (which is what we wanted). It was enough for two people to share, but we also had some noodles on the side. Good ramen and udon; loved the texture of the udon, but the broth and pork in the ramen was better. Hot saki was nice. Excellent Mochi for dessert - a wonderful assortment. This place was empty on a rainy Sunday afternoon... though I suspect could be busy at other times. Service was nice... but there weren't many other customers competing for attention. read more

Very meh. I've been here twice and have tried both their American style and Japanese traditional sushi and hot entree options, so now I feel quite certain that I will not be going out of my way to return here unless I particularly have a craving for American style sushi rolls. Their fish, no matter how much they tout its freshness, does not taste fresh nor particularly high quality. In my opinion, most of the fish isn't tasty enough to stand alone as sashimi or nigiri. However with the American style rolls with all their toppings, the quality of the fish isn't as important, and I did enjoy these kinds of rolls the most out of the other kinds of food they serve. They have a lot of variety on their menu which is nice. read more

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Hello folks, I would like to let you all know that this is not a business you should continue to support. VERY VERY UNPROFESSIONAL manager laying down vaping & watching movies every time I come in that's the first thing!!!! ( can see from outside ) Hanaro is also full of filth with leaking ceilings front to back .. could possibly get dirty ceiling water on your food. (the entire place looks very dusty). - needs renovated Ive also watch the manager treat his employees very poorly several visits I've had. seems like it's a personal issue with him. THIS IS NOT A BUSINESS THAT SHOULD BE SUPPORTED WHAT SO EVER!!! THEY ARE ALSO VERY INCONSISTENT WITH FOOD STARTING WITH THE ENTREES NOT TASTING THE SAME EVERY TIME TO THE FISH NOT ALWAYS BEING FRESH. THE GROCERY STORE HAS BETTER SUSHI THEN HANARO. ITS SAD A PLACE LIKE THIS COULD POSSIBLY HAVE SO MUCH POTENTIAL BUT DO NOT GO HERE!!! I tried to give this place many chances but I will never return again read more

This was the first and last time I will come here. Horrible take out service and the staff does not know the food. I called and ordered food amd asked what came in it to make sure it was what I wanted. Then I was told to wait 45 minutes and go to get my food akd there was a line of people all complaining about they were waiting over and hour for the food. My food was not ready and I had to wait 10 more minutes, FYI it is NYE. Then my food comes out and it is wrong and the girl says out I thought it had the stuff you asked about in it. Let me add they say we will rush to fix it and another 16 minutes. The girls were young and so rude to all the DoorDash and GrubHub drivers waiting. Can I say it was that they were black and she was nasty to them and not rude or nasty yelling at the white Doordarshan amd Grubb drivers. I am black and I felt like this was two Karen's acting out yelling at them and not being the person they should be as customer service and yelling how stressful the situation was for them. They did not even say they were sorry my order was wrong or offer anything for me having a wrong order and having to wait more, not even a soda. My soup is ice cold. Now I open my food to see that the special rolls i ordered and paid $10 and more for are only a sloppy 5 piece roll. Anyone who eats sushi knows that a special roll is usually 8 pieces and full of the sushi items described in the description This place is taking your money, giving out bad service and poor quality food. Since it is take out or delivered your won't know what you are getting till it gets to your doors amd what a rip off. #donteathere read more

Hanaro sushi is really good definitely recommend using the Groupon to save up because the prices can be pretty high. Had the chicken pad Thai and two sushi rolls (Philly and spicy tuna) the sushi was amazing with the eel and spicy mayo to accommodate It. The pad Thai lacked flavor but was big enough to share. Lastly we finished with a lychee mochi ice cream and It was very refreshing read more

I liked it! Staff was friendly and attentive. Sushi nigiri was good. Tako and Unagi were fresh and tender. I went on a particularly slow day so got the best view of Bethesda's street crowd. I'll be back. Thanks! read more

Me and my friend were craving sushi on a Sunday. I remembered that many of my friends have been coming to this one sushi place so this was a perfect time to try it out! Luckily, the place wasn't too busy so we were able to get seated right away! Our server, Brandon, was helpful with what we should get for our first time and was amazed. My friend even wanted to order a second round! The prices are reasonable, so there's nothing to complain about what you get. All the rolls had different flavors and it tasted more fresh than other places. We're most likely coming back on Sundays and probably dedicating our Sundays for sushi here at Hanaro read more

Kusshi - Phoenix Roll (left) + Crunchy Roll (right) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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Super friendly waitstaff and good quality sushi. Came here for happy hour with some friends and was pleasantly surprised. After facing a long drive with traffic, I was presented with a seared salmon belly nigiri on the house. The salmon was extremely fatty and unctuous, sticking to my lips. HH went on with a starter of piping hot and not undercooked (thank god) takoyaki followed by three different rolls, the Hanaro, the Redskins, and salmon avocado. Everything was of quality and came out fast. My friends also ordered the loaded tots and other items which I did not get to sample as they disappeared too quickly. Definitely recommend this place. Show up around 5 or 6 on a Friday, as this place is packed by 7 pm with families and regulars on the bar side. Service was fantastic--the manager even came by to chat with the party for a while and made sure we were all okay. read more

I was visiting from out of town and came by here because of the reviews. Wow, am I disappointed...Worst service ever... When I walked in a customer was speaking to three workers, got mad and left suddenly. I feel like after my experience I understand why he left. I went there on a Friday night and it wasn't crowded. There were more workers and wait staff than customers but I couldn't get anyone to even come to our table to take our order or anything. We even sat by the sushi bar where the waiters come and go but all of them ignored us until I flagged one down asking if we could finally order after sitting there twiddling our thumbs. When I asked the waiter about certain things on the menu he didn't seem very educated on anything. The food took VERY long to come out (we ordered pretty much all raw fish). No one ever checked up on us and lets just say it was pretty upsetting trying to flag someone down just to get the bill and then trying to get them to take our credit card. All the workers kept walking back and forth hanging out and talking to each other. As for the food, nothing amazing. The fish quality was ok, nothing extremely fresh and some were a bit chewy or fishy tasting. Rolls didn't seem that fresh either and the tempura in the roll tasted old. If anything, I feel like it took us more time to interact with the staff than to eat our meal. read more

Kusshi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland