Italian and Japanese are two of my favorite cuisines, so I was super excited to try this fusion! Unfortunately, I thought some of the dishes fell a little flat. There are so many great flavors in the dishes, but none of them really came through. The miso pasta had a great creaminess, though, and I enjoyed the corn pizza, even though it was very rich! The service was great, though, and our waitress gave us great recommendations as we navigated the menu. And she clued us in to Wine Wednesday, which we of course took part in :) read more

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Came for dc restaurant week but both my partner and I want to come again to try regular menu - even though I think the items we liked most (the brussel sprouts and tomato kare pasta are not on their normal menu ). The rest of the food was pretty good, some hits and misses for us but I think it's just our tastes. My partner got the drink pairing for restaurant week but he didn't think it was worth it. Very cute restaurant. We sat upstairs and they have an area where you can also sit on the floor. Our waitress was great, definitely a big reason why we would come back and try again. read more

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I'm giving this place 5 stars because the service has been phenomenal both times I've been, the menu is creative, and the vibe is great - upscale but not pretentious. Servers, hosts, and bartenders are really on top of their game here and seem genuine in their wanting you to have a good experience. Shout out to the amazing bartender who helped guide us through our sake choice for Sunday discounted sake bottles and carafes. Also tried the sesame martini which is a sensory experience. I really enjoyed it for its novelty and savory flavor, but it's the kind of cocktail where one is enough. My friends Yubari sour tastes like those green melon hard candy's and went down dangerously easy. Overall impressed with the cocktail program. In terms of the food, I am fully aware of my overly high standards :) so I found it to be hit or miss in terms of SPECTACULAR dishes. Would definitely go back for any of the pizzas. The chicken katsu Caesar was such a nice surprise - massive portion, perfectly crispy, delicious Caesar. I do crave it again when I think about it The burrata was a highlight and the carrots were pretty good. The octopus was not my favorite - it didn't taste as soft and fresh as I would have liked, was a little overdone, and the beans being served cold alongside it threw me off The pesto ramen was tasty, but lighter than I excepted. I wasn't getting much complexity beyond broth plus pesto. This was what I was most excited to try, so my expectations were high. If you're not thinking about a really rich creamy ramen when you order this, you might quite like it The tomato kare pasta also was too subtle for my liking. I couldn't pick up on Japanese curry. The meatballs and whipped ricotta were yummy. I'd eat my friends leftovers (lol), but not order myself again I'll be back Tonari, next time for that clam miso pasta! read more

TLDR: contender for best pizza I've ever had This is such a cool spot! We were lucky enough to eat on their very cool second floor which had the table partially in the ground (you have to see for yourself). I feel like you can't find a lot of the dishes at any other restaurant. I truly loved everything we tried but I have to say the unagi pizza was definitely the highlight especially if you like Detroit style pizza. The Japanese Philly was also a fave at our table. We also got two pastas which were delicious especially the mentaiko, and some burrata. Although it was delicious the burrata was an extremely small portion. I really appreciated the staff as they gave some great recs and kept us updated even though some of the food took a little longer. Overall would definitely come back or being people here. read more

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Tonari is great, want to come back soon. Don't pass up the pizzas which have incredibly crispy crusts - get the Gyuniku (Philly cheesesteak) complete w cheez wiz. The wings are amazing. Also the broccolini (addictive sauce) and the Caesar salad. read more

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For Japanese-Italian, I would have imagined the pasta dishes to be the star here. Ordering the Toryufu Kinoko (mushroom pappardelle with shaved black truffles) for $28, I expected an amazing dish for that price but it came out to be just okay. I also tried the "Daniel" sandwich which is served during happy hour, and liked it much more than the pasta, surprisingly, but the only thing that makes the sandwich Japanese was the Kewpie mayo. So I'm not sure what to think about this. Drinks were alright. Tiramisu also didn't impress. Overall, I think this place is just mediocre - a OK. They probably would do better to lower the prices to justify the experience. read more

One of very few 5-stars in my reviews. The food and service here are amazing, and I love the setting. We went here for breakfast and got the tuna salad croissant and the ham and egg sando. Both were great, and we went back for dinner. The dinner was perfect. The server (Ritchie, I think? Young tattooed kid with a moustache) was amazing and helped us make decisions about what to get. He also provided some context for all the food which only made things better. I wish all my servers were like him. We had the broccolini, the chicken wings, Mel's Ragu, the chicken and shishito pizza, and the oat milk panna cotta. For me, the pizza was the best, followed by the broccolini, then the wings, ragu, and the panna cotta. The drink special was also perfect for the dinner. Anytime we're in DC, we're definitely going back. We loved this place. read more

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had a reservation at 5:30, wasn't pretty busy when we came in, we got seated upstairs. the food came out super fast and our serve was incredibly joyful and even recommended what drinks/dessert to get when we felt indecisive. never had mentaiko pasta before but it was really creamy and had good flavor. the decor was so cute we sat next to a little spring garden! read more

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PHENOMENAL food. Would come here any time. Absolutely will be bringing friends here. Drinks were delicious and service was super friendly and helpful. read more

Tonari - Broccolini legs - Japanese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Solid, solid place. Location is perfect if you're looking for a unique spot near Capital One Arena. We reserved a spot earlier in the day and we're able to walk in quickly. The food was served promptly. But what really struck me was the uniquely flavored Japanese-Italian fusion; the combinations just work, with my favorite fusion combination being the Detroit-style pizza with eel and the giant cookie with Parmesan. Crazy sounding, I know, but the flavors married so beautifully. The price points were also fairly reasonable. They culminated pleasant sensations of taste, texture and an element of surprise. The vibe is casual and local. I felt at home here, and plan to be back. read more

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When I first heard about tonari, a japanese-italian fusion restaurant in dc, I wasn't sure what to expect. At first glance, the menu is classic Italian fare--pasta, pizza, and appetizers like burrata and garlic bread. However, a closer look (and bite!) reveals the Japanese twist behind each dish. This is a cozy, vibey atmosphere--perfect for a date night--so be sure to make a reservation if you want to squeeze in. The service was nothing particularly spectacular, and even a little slow at times. They also messed up our order but quickly corrected it. Note that the kitchen closes early, so while we made our reservation for 7:30 PM, we had to order our dishes before 8:00 PM, unbeknownst to us. The dishes also came out pasta first, then appetizers, then pizza, which was a little strange. For starters we ordered the burrata, which comes in a sichuan chili oil and orange sauce and served with slices of orange on the side. The burrata was creamy, delicate, and paired well with the tart crispness of the orange. I wish the sichuan flavor was stronger, but the chili oil was still a good addition. The fresh orange slices were also a great addition, cutting through the flavors of the main dish and providing a nice palate cleanser for the following dishes. The highlight of the night for all of us was the Korean-style garlic bread. While I'm not sure what exactly was "Korean" about this garlic bread, the brioche was light, fluffy, and the garlic butter and cream cheese filling struck the perfect balance of creamy umami. My only complaint is that the garlic bread wasn't bigger. For the pasta, we ordered a classic marcela and the recommended mentaiko. The classic was nothing particularly special in terms of flavor or presentation, with al dente noodles served in a tomato sauce and with a side of ricotta, but the pasta was executed well. The best dish of the night for me personally was the mentaiko pasta, which was served perfectly al dente in a silky sauce and topped with nori and chili threads. The cod roe, as opposed to topping the pasta like I expected, was integrated into the sauce to create a more glossy texture and add a hint of fishiness to the pasta (but not overwhelming!). This dish highlighted the Japanese flavors that I expected to find, with the pasta remaining the star of the dish. For the pizzas, you can order a half (2 slices) or a whole (4 slices). Because the pizza is all Detroit-style, the portions are small but filling. The gorgonzola is strong, but not overwhelming--but you definitely have to like gorgonzola to enjoy this one. The honey and pistachio were a fantastic pairing, but this pizza did come out a little sweet, which some people may not enjoy. The tonari classic is a classic pizza slice--cheesy, covered in tomato sauce, crispy, and melts in your mouth. Nothing particularly special about the flavor profile either, but I imagine that adding anchovies (for an additional $4.00) would certainly augment the experience. The japanese philly was my personal favorite of the three pizzas we tried. I was disappointed that I couldn't taste the soy and mirin braise on the meat, but the pizza itself tasted exactly like a philly cheesesteak, just in pizza form. For dessert we ordered a panna cotta, which comes with honey, fennel pollen (???), and a blueberry and prosecco granita. While the panna cotta was wonderfully light, creamy, and not overly sweet, I could've done without the granita on top. The blueberry and prosecco don't pair well, lending the panna cotta an overly sweet, alcoholic taste that takes away from the refreshing dessert. While the food is certainly excellent, the portion sizes are small, so expect to spend a decent amount of money if you come here on an empty stomach. However, I'd definitely come here again to try the rest of the menu. read more

Life is short .. F....it up! Family, Flavor, Friends While visiting DC we found our way to this Italian- Japanese fusion place inside the Chinatown area. Walking down the street to a modest sign. Walking into the restaurant you get hit w that aroma of a typical Italian place. Which was a great start. We ordered 2 pasta dishes the Mel's ragu and miso clam and the mushroom pizza. They make the pasta per order like in a ramen place. Although the serving size was Japanese and not Italian. It certainly was not lacking in flavor. The pasta for the Mel Ragu was what you would expect in a Asian fresh pull noodle place - perfect texture and chewiness. From the 1st bite to the last gave you blast of savory flavor. And yes it have you that sigh and bliss feeling. The miso clam was also very good - you could say it was like a surf and turf pasta. The pizza is made w a imported Hokkaido Flour. As you know the flour can make a difference w texture and flavor for dough. They baked it like a Detroit style light and crispy and thick. For dessert we got the Affogato. The entire meal was very memorable that you will not affogatoable it - sorry - def check out this place if your down in DC. read more

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I came here with a large group and was sat upstairs. No shoes and a sit on the floor experience which is a traditional Japanese style. I ordered the miso clam which had bigoli, clams, miso, garlic, butter, oregano, lemon, white wine, olive oil, chili flakes, bread crumbs. I loved the umami flavor and textures ($28). Beautiful combined! The service was attentive and quick. read more

Came for restaurant week winter 2022. The menu included five courses, including an appetizer, salad, pasta, pizza, and dessert. The menu was $55 but their reservation system was through Tock where you pay in advance, and the tab was only $50 but had you pay tip and tax in advance. I understand some restaurants having a deposit, but I personally don't like paying the full tab this way because I can't adjust the tip based on actual service and I almost always get drinks anyway, so I still have to go through the card process at the restaurant. To start, we were given a small bowl of pickled veggies compliments of the chef. The first two courses were good, but nothing extraordinary. Drinks were good but also nothing extraordinary. I tend to like things sweet, so I loved the spaghetti dish I ordered for my pasta course. The pizza was by far my favorite--I would definitely go back just for more pizza. The crust is thick and chewy with a crispy edge from the pan. The serving is a generous slice, and we split the pepperoni and mushroom slices to try both. Can't go wrong with either! The soba-ko dessert was just okay. I'm familiar with this kind of texture, but I was expecting more sweetness for a dessert. The crumbled cookies were a nice touch though! read more

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Was wandering around Capital One Arena before a concert looking for some where to grab a drink and a nibble and at first when I saw the Japanese Italian menu I thought um. I don't think so. Then we looked at a few other places and thought it's cute. It's air conditioned and they have a daily happy hour from 5-7. It's 6:50. Let's go! At least we will grab a drink. There were no tables open. The bar was full as one would expect before the concert; however, the bench was open for waiting and so we decided to order two glasses of bubbly from the bar and then sit on the bench and look at the menu. As I read the menu more carefully, I realized I had made a mistake. This was interesting! We got lucky and two seats opened up at the bar, and we sat at the bar and each had an arancini. yummmmmmm. It was exceptionally crunchy because of panko rather than bread crumbs. Brilliant!! The bartender was polite, friendly and helpful. We didn't have a lot of time however, I saw many things on the menu that I am absolutely looking forward to trying the next time I'm downtown to see a show. The service was prompt The restaurant was clean. It wasn't too loud to be able to converse. The Asian Italian Fusion combinations looked really delicious. The people sitting next to us raved about their pizza. I wish I would've been hungrier because I definitely would've tried some of their combinations of deeper dish fluffy crust pizza however just gives me a reason to go back another time. Looks like they take reservations, so I'll plan ahead next time before a show so I can try some of their delicious looking combinations read more

Tonari - Arancini. What's not to love? It's fried ball of rice with tomato - Japanese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

We went to Tonari for my brother's birthday and we focused mainly on vegetarian dishes! I was very excited to try it as I had heard such rave reviews from my friends, and I went in with the expectation that this would be in my top 10 places in DC, however, although the food was good, I think it still fell a bit short of my expectations. I liked the vibe of the restaurants, they had pizza boxes of other pizza restaurants as decor too, which was pretty cool! It was also fun to see the chefs making the pasta infront of you. The service here was super quick, particularly for the Mentaiko Corn Pizza and the Marcela Pasta, they came in less than 10 minutes after we placed the order! Here is all the stuff we had ranked: 1. Espresso Martini - 10/10 This was such a good espresso martini ! it was my brothers third and my first and ill let you know, I'll be ordering espresso martinis at restaurants from now on! 2. Black Sesame Tea Cake - 9.5/10 The ice cream balanced out the tea cake so well! The flavours of this were absolutely divine, although I did think that this was a little too sweet (if you're asian you know that you want to be on the 'not too sweet' side of things but that's the only reason why I took the .5 off! Otherwise a great dish highly recommend! 3. Marcela Pasta - 9/10 This pasta was so yummy! The noodles itself were so good, and I usually am not a fan of tomato based pasta! The whipped ricotta was such a good addition! 4. Grilled Broccolini - 9/10 I loved it! Although my brother wasn't as big of a fan of it, I thought the flavours were great! 5. Tiramisu- 8.75/10 This Tiramisu is definitely one of the most unique Tiramisu I've had. It had hints of citrus? The mascarpone was on the thicker consistency side which I am not very used to and is the reason for my rating as well. 6.Mentaiko Corn Pizza - 8.5/10 I thought that this corn pizza was very very reminiscent of Corn Cheese (a great dish that I've had at Korean restaurants to accompany alcoholic dishes). It was very rich but perfect for me cause I love chese and corn !! However, I did feel like I was expecting something slightly more read more

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I don't know that I've ever been to a Japanese/Italian fusion restaurant until now. Granted I've been to Japan, and know they like to put spaghetti on their menu next to Ramen and other traditional Japanese items..but I'd not had anything like Tonari before. I ordered the spicy sauce and dippers for happy hour. Those were just average, nothing special. My coworker friends and I each ordered a different noodle dish so we could try as much as possible. I went with the mushroom pappardelle (so chewy and deliciously savory!) One friend had the cod roe noodle dish (very unique and tasty!) Another had the uni noodle dish (the one everyone comes here for, and for good reason!) My favorite was the uni dish and I will come back for that for sure! As if we didn't have enough to eat we then followed up dinner with the black sesame tea cake, affogato, and pumpkin panna cotta. All around delicious! We had to walk back to our parking that was a few blocks away - but it was good after all we ate! read more

Okay first of all, never heard of Japanese and Italian food, so I was definitely intrigued. We made a reservation for a Sunday night for dinner for 3 of us and were seated immediately. The ambiance was intimate and not loud which is what I like! Our waiter was absolutely incredible, I could not remember his name but he gave us a beautiful run down of the menu. All 3 of us did family style cus we wanted to try everything lol. We started off with the Burrata and broccolini. Both were SOO good and refreshing. Then the Japanese Philly pizza came out and my god. What a beautiful combination of flavors. This was def one of my favorite things ever. Then to finish we ate the mentaiko and I was in love. It was one of our friends bdays so we ordered her the tiramisu. It was interesting because of the tea flavor instead of coffee but I would order this again as it was pretty refreshing and light. If I am ever back in DC again I will definitely come visit. I was pleasantly surprised by how amazing everything was and the service. All of what we ordered was enough for 3 very hungry girls lol. read more

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Tonari is a solid 4/4.5 star restaurant. Went with a group of girlfriends and we ordered pretty much the entire menu, including the specials. The restaurant itself has a nice ambiance and big wooden booths for large groups. My menu highlights include the Arancini with a pepperoni sauce, the cauliflower, the burrata, and the edamame pasta (special). The flavors were interesting and nothing like I'd tried before which I appreciated. We thought the pizza was good we've had better. The topping choices were interesting. I did not have a drink but I heard cocktails were strong. Tip is included in the bill at 22% but you're welcome to leave more. Service was fantastic. Would definitely recommend getting a bunch of menu items and splitting so you can try everything. read more

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Absolutely love the food here. It made sense after learning this was the sister restaurant of Daikaya next door. Located extremely close to Chinatown, my wife and I came to Tonari on a hot summer Sunday hoping to return home to Baltimore with a final memorable meal. We were seated upstairs and our waitress, Madeline, was very friendly and welcoming. She was very attentive and we appreciated her services. We started off with a couple of meatball baos with ricotta cream & fried basil. I wasn't a huge fan of the ricotta cream, but the flavors were still very good. Next, we had the pepperoni arancini. This was super tasty and flavorful. The outer crust was super crispy and the rice and surrounding sauce had amazing flavors. There's a bit of a spicy aftertaste from the pepperoni. Next, we had the mentaiko & corn pizza. I usually don't eat corn, but wow. I can understand why this dish went viral. The flavors are so unique and for it to be in pizza form? Bravo! My wife loves Italian food especially pizza and I'm partial to Asian flavors. This pizza is a great balance to what we both enjoy and that we did. I wouldn't mind eating pizza like this on a regular. And that's a huge compliment since the only time I've eaten pizza daily was when we were in Italy. Lastly, we had the pesto ramen. Love the noodles. Reminds me of Chinese egg noodles. I would've never thought I'd enjoy ramen with Italian flavors. I love pesto, EVOO and Parmegiano reggiano. I also love Japanese ramen. But combining the two is not something I would've ever considered. Thank you Tonari for opening my mind to new and greater ideas. Since my wife and I were celebrating as newlyweds, we were gifted a black sesame panna cotta with blueberry and tapioca compote. Very interesting flavors as well. We definitely appreciated the hospitality and the wonderful experience here. Wafu is on my radar now and I'm glad Tonari does it justice. read more

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I've been wanting to try Tonari ever since they posted a 'The Bear' themed restaurant week menu. Finally made it here and was not disappointed! Apps - we got the broccolini & the Burrata, both were incredible. I shockingly liked the broccolini more than the burrata. If you're not a citrus fan, skip the burrata! Entrees - My favorite thing by far was the Mentaiko & Corn pizza. This really blew me away and I would come back here just to get it again. The mentaiko pasta was also good, but didn't compare to the pizza in my opinion. We also got the Unagi pizza, which I didn't care for and thought the flavor was odd. Drinks - I got the sesame martini and loved how unique it was! read more

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I'm glad I stopped by here for happy hour last night. Since I just started back up on Keto, I don't have a lot of options here to eat as its mostly pizza and pasta, but the happy hour lasts until 7 PM and the bar service was great. It's definitely a chill vibe here and I can see this being a place I frequent for happy hour. Once I'm off Keto in a few months, I plan on checking out their pizza as it looked delicious. I'm usually not a thick crust fan, but it looked really good so I'm curious. read more

3.5 in reality Visited Tonari during Summer Restaurant Week to enjoy their "The Bear" themed menu based of the TV show. I was very excited for this because I love the show. The service here and the vibe, decorations, and set up the restaurant were spot on. I do wish we were seated on the "Japanese style" tables in a section of the upstairs. But the most important part, the food, fell a bit short :/ especially at this price point. The starters, the oyster Rockefeller and the salmon roe cannoli were both very good, the cannoli especially was a very unique dish. The second dish, the charred radicchio, was quite frankly bad. The third course, the spaghetti and mushroom adobo were both solid, good flavors and cooked well. The 4th course was the pizza, though was disappointed that despite its name, it wasn't the style seen in the show, it was pretty good. The dessert was pretty mid, the chocolate cake was more of a pound cake, not very moist, and just lacked. The sundae was nothing special. Though I was disappointed by the restaurant week special menu, I would be willing to give this restaurant to try their traditional offering in the future. read more

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I was excited to try the fusion of two of my favorite cuisines and I thought restaurant week would be the perfect opportunity to try a range of items since it was $66 per person for a five course meal (tip and tax included). We ordered: Sunchokes Sott'olio Cesare Burrata Spaghetti Napolitan Risotto Pepperoni pizza Funghi pizza Soba-ko dessert Mary's budino dessert Some of the food was an acquired taste like the spaghetti which had a ketchup based sauce but most items were pretty good. The pizza was probably the best along with the desserts. Get the budino if you're craving something chocolatey. Overall it was pretty good and give this place a shot for a unique experience of blenderd flavors. read more

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I wasn't sure what to expect when we visited tonari because I haven't had this type of fusion food before. Everything we had was great, with lots of fun drink options. The meatball bao was incredible and definitely one of my favorite things. We liked all of the pizzas we ordered, especially the broccoli cheese which was a special at the time. The sesame martini was very unique and I liked it but probably not for everyone. The branca colada was the table favorite and would definitely recommend. read more

Tonari - Roasted Carrot - Japanese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Tonari is a Japanese Italian fusion restaurant located right next to Daikaya. Came here with a reservation on a Saturday for dinner. Instead of being offered a choice of getting seated on a table with chairs, we were taken to the seating table with a hole cut out for your legs. Essentially you are sitting on the ground on a cushion. Other people started coming in and they looked uncomfortable getting seated. My immediate thought was how often do they wash these cushions and if it was sanitary at all. I'm sure people can step on it with outdoor shoes or after using the bathroom as well. I did see indoor slippers inside but no one was enforcing the slippers to be worn. Unique, but I would have preferred sitting on a chair. I tried the meatballs, Japanese Philly, chicken shishito pizza, and mentaiko pasta. With the exception of the pasta, everything was so heavily seasoned with salt. I think they could cut back on the sodium and let the ingredients do more talking. Everything that we ordered was spaced out. Like the meatballs came out, then 15 minutes later the pasta came out, 15 minutes later the pizza came out. All the food was pretty lukewarm and not hot. The meatballs had to be sent back because it was almost cold. The pizza also lost heat before it got served. Cons: slow service, overboard with salt, uncomfortable seating, limited dinner menu, small portions Pros: unique food options, good mentaiko pasta, good selections of drinks, not too expensive read more

I randomly decided to give Tonari another a chance this weekend since my first experience was a little lackluster, and unfortunately,I wish that I hadn't. Tonari has amazing and unique food pairings and fusions, but the execution just isn't there. We ordered the Pesto ramen, the Funghi ramen, theBanana Bread with miso honey, and the Maritozzi. The ramens were both extremely lack luster. The broth was very plain and the price was a bit high for what was essentially just noodles and a handful of toppings. You can get much better quality ramen and ramen that includes a protein for a very similar price point. The banana bread was unfortunately dry and the miso honey butter oddly enough lacked a honey flavor and was extremely salt forward. I understand the umami from the miso was supposed to counter balance the sweetness from the banana bread, but it was hard to experience that flavor combination when the salt flavor was so strong. The Maritozzi was disappointing because it was supposed to be a dessert, but had almost zero sweetness, so much so that it felt like the chef potentially forgot to add sugar to the cream filling. I really want to love this place, but I just kept leaving disappointed. read more

Tonari - Japanese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Ordered their Scallops and Japanese pizza The pizza had so many flavors on it that it was so good. Crazy to think that Cheese Whiz on pizza would be good but it did fit in this case. The scallops were also amazing, perfectly cooked. The server was quick with our drinks and order and food came out pretty quickly read more

I've never had Japanese/Italian fusion before so I knew I had to check this place out. I highly recommend the mentaiko pasta and mentaiko pizza. The pizza was amazing. The drinks are also very well made. They offer happy hour. My only complaint was that our service was incredibly slow, from the food to getting our drinks and paying, despite the restaurant not being full. Also fyi gratituity is automatically included in the check for all party sizes. read more

Tonari - Japanese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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One of those restaurants that makes food you'll struggle to find anywhere else. Japanese/Italian fusion at it's best. The mushroom pizza was delicious but the mentaiko and corn probably was the most memorable (and craveable). Their pasta dishes are incredible, the toryufu is delicious as is the mentaiko (bring a partner or friend so you don't have to pick and can have a bit of both). I enjoyed their appetizers but they weren't as memorable, the dessert however was well worth saving space for. I've only come in groups and while we all ordered our own pasta we did share a pizza and an appetizer (between 4 people) and a few more apps (between 6 people). Make a reservation, it can and does get busy. The service has always been friendly and the cocktails are pretty decent. read more

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Wow wow wow. What a meal. Japanese + Italian = incredible bursts of flavors. The mentaiko corn pizza is a MUST; order it as an appetizer. You'll have trouble deciding on a pasta dish but I highly recommend the uni uni unico (sea urchin tagliatelle swimming in the most amazing butter sauce). SO GOOD. I kept making "mmm" sounds with every bite. As a mushroom lover, my husband raved about the shiitake, cremini and truffle pasta. We started the evening with tasty cocktails ($2 off during happy hour, M-Sa, wnds at 7pm) and ended it with the moist black sesame cake with coconut ice cream. We can't wait to come back and try everything else on the menu! read more

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Tried this spot for the first time last night & I'm not sure I'll be back. This "Asian fusion" hit across from Capitol One arena is about 90% Italian and 10% Japanese with a menu mostly comprised of pizza and pasta with some American style veggie starter choices. The drink and pasta portions were incredibly small for the price, and the pasta was far fishier than I would have liked. While this is a fun concept and restaurant vibe, it's just not hitting the mark. read more

Tonari - Japanese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Love this place. We walked in and was seated right away. We tried several things. They have an amazing allergy menu if needed. My boyfriend got the anchovy special. He loved them. We decided to split a bunch of stuff. We got them Mentaiko & corn and Clam pizza. The mentaiko was SO good. The corn added a unique sweetness to it. Highly recommend. Couldn't try the clam because of my allergy. Next we split the Marcella Hazan and Toryufu Kinoko pastas. My favorite was the Toryufu Kinoko. So creamy and the truffles added a nice lil crunch. So good. The Marcella Hazan was really good too. The vibe of the place is hip and unique. They had a cute moss garden in the middle of the dining room. Also an entire traditional Japanese seating section. The service was phenomenal. Highly recommend. read more

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The happy hour 1/2 off pizza is a fantastic deal. In my opinion, this is the best Detroit style crust in DC. It is very light and fluffy. Service was excellent and the place is clean. The Japanese Philly is delicious but I would say meant for sharing. It's just too rich. I will be back to try the corn pizza and the classic. Well done Tonari, well done read more

Stopped by right before the wizards game . The location was perfect ! I sat at the bar and ordered a whole chicken sausage and pepperoni pizza and it was AMAZING. To the point where I was completely stuff after just 2 slices. The bartender was nice , didn't offer much interaction with customers from what I could see . Nonetheless he got my order correct and the wait wasn't long . The place its self is cute and clean . Definitely recommend stopping by for a slice of pizza if in the area . read more

Tonari is just the best. I mean, Japanese Italian fusion, what could be better?? I am a big fan of Detroit style pizza and Tonari's rendition is just delicious. The crust is perfectly caramelized on the edges but light and chewy on the inside. The combination of flavors is so unique and interesting too. Clam on pizza sounds iffy but dont second guess it!! The pastas are delicious too. The noodles are perfectly cooked and there's plenty of sauce which is obviously very important. The portion sizes aren't huge but it's perfect for trying a bunch of different options, which is what it's all about! Sat at the bar and got to chat with the lovely bartender while he made our drinks. The restaurant filled up as the evening went on but it never got too loud, even with their fun music playing. Will definitely be back! read more

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Recently learned of "wafu" (Japanese style Italian food), came to Tonari immediately and they did not disappoint! If this is your first time experiencing this cuisine, I highly recommend the Mentaiko pasta. This dish is if sushi and pasta had a baby. The pasta sauce is traditionally made with fish roe, yuzu, and Japanese Mayo which creates a beautiful sauce that is rich, briney, bright, and delivers the perfectly complex umami flavor. Honestly, I don't really recommend anything else on the menu but mentaiko. The red sauce pasta is extra buttery which is a Japanese signature. The corn pizza is decadent but not the most special. The curry (Kare) dish leaves you wishing you had a real bowl of curry. The mentaiko is the star of the restaurant and worth coming back for. read more

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I came for happy hour, and I'm now convinced that it's the only way to do Tonari. We had both of the happy hour bites (spicy tomato dip and Brussels sprout chips), and they were phenomenal, and such a great price! We also tried the Shinobu Sling and the Hello Limoncello, which were sooooo good. But the real star of the show was the corn and mentaiko pizza. So ridiculously creamy and delicious. My only complaint would have been that it could use a little spice, but our bartender hooked us up with some red pepper flakes, which turned this into one of the best pizzas I've ever had. I wish the standard menu wasn't so pricey, or I would be back all the time, but for HH it was perfection! read more

Found Tonari through Yelp (thank you, Yelpers, for your reviews and pics!) and loved it. Ambiance was adorable and we loved the Japanese-style seating. Our server was super-friendly and very knowledgeable We tried several dishes but our favorite dish was the Mentaiko pasta! Yummmm!! Would return and recommend read more

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We came here for a friend's birthday party. I would say the service was pretty good. The waiters were very attentive and often came around to swap out the glass bottle of water. The ambiance was chill and not too loud. I was a little disappointed with the food. I should have looked at the menu before coming, but I didn't realize that the place offers Japanese inspired Italian food. However, it didn't feel Italian nor Japanese. I ordered the uni uni unico, but it was hard to describe. I couldn't really taste the sea urchin. The dish was quite sweet with a slight lingering metallic aftertaste. It wasn't too noticeable, and I got chili flakes, which made it a lot better. I wish the uni was more present and that the flavors were more cohesive. read more

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