Loved the ambiance. Got sat right next to the really cute Japanese anime/culture/art piece that's right in the middle of the top floor. The service was great too. They add the gratuity to the bill, so fyi. On the site it mentioned it is optional, just ask. Every dish was tasty and unique, my favorite dish out of all of them I got try was the corn pizza. The dough was fluffy and yet crisp. The Japanese style michelada drink was yummy too! Would definitely recommend. read more

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5 STARS FOR HOLE IN THE WALL DESSERT BAR and cocktails!! I wasn't too impressed by the actual food, which is why I gave a 4/5 overall. Make sure you call and make a reservation in advance!! Not too many people know about the $55 prix fixe dessert menu, but it's 100% worth your money. The entire menu is 7 courses, 3 cocktails and 4 unique desserts (~1.5hrs). You get to sit at the bar and watch the chefs create the beautiful desserts. The chefs overall were so nice and friendly! Ended up having a great conversation with them. After our dessert tasting, we were able to get walk-in bar seating for the actual dinner menu and I was not as impressed. Definitely a cool blend of Japanese-Italian, but: - Pasta portions were so small for the price of $28+ - Pizzas were good, but heavy! Gyuniku was my favorite, but tastes more Italian than Japanese. - Was not a big fan of the burrata read more

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Really wanted to like this place and a fan of the other stuff the owner has going on, maybe this was a bad night but just not good. Went for RW which I understand can mean food that's slightly substandard for the spot but we started with the Mocktail which was half of a paper cup filled with hot apple cider. Then the burrata was quite good to open, but the follow up of mushrooms and polenta was undersalted and watery. The pizza was fine, it was pizza, but some of our party had cheese on theirs and the other had none which didn't make sense. The pasta which seemed like their specialty was underwhelming and had too much seaweed thrown on top for the amount of pizza. And by far the worst part was "dessert" which was a chocolate tart that could have come out of the box from Whole Foods (see photo). I get they may try to squeeze in extra courses for RW but that was laughable for "dessert". Our server was great, but even though it wasn't that busy it took us 2 hours to get to dessert and the pacing was off. read more

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The food was delicious. The service was also excellent. I forgot the servers name but she was great with helping us navigate all the menu choices. I had the Japanese Philly Pizza and Wafu Arancini. I will have to come back for the half off wine bottles on Wednesdays. read more

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I have never written a review for a restaurant but I don't think anyone else should spend money on food here so this is a cautionary tale. This was actually the worst food I have had since moving to DC. Went here yesterday for restaurant week and If you had blindfolded me and told me I was at a chain Italian pizza buffet I would have believed you. The chicken sausage pasta tasted like a chicken casserole I would have at a funeral back home and was way under salted. We each took just one bite of it and let her be taken away. The red sauce pasta with meatballs was indistinguishable from fazzolis. The app with the bread was okay bc butter on bread is always fine and the bean soup was fine. The gorgonzola pizza was actually so flavorless except for the gorgonzola in a little bloop in the middle and was mostly spicy grease. The red sauce pizza was like still bad but at least it was normal bad. Extraordinarily inelegant is like all I can say. The desserts were the star of the show which isn't saying much. The biggest travesty of the evening to me as a food nerd was the extraordinary lack of creativity having the two best cuisines (in my opinion) at your fingertips. I felt like i just had like super bad Italian food. I saw no creativity anywhere and an almost complete lack of incorporation of Japanese ingredients. Also plz tell me why the dishes (like the white plates and the food) themselves are even boring to look at up until dessert Im giving this two stars bc the bar manager obviously knows what tf is going on the cold brew negroni was sexy and the paper plane riff (cant remember the name) was good. However! it was so hard to get a good drink bc they obviously understaffed. We got to our reservation on time and didn't sit down for 20 minutes. I work as a restaurant manager at the moment so I understand but just in case this is normal I wanted to flag it because we didn't get food on our table until 8:30 for a 7:30 reservation. Also I didn't want to bug our waitress who forgot about the second drink request because she was very visibly stressed from having too many tables and she was very nice. Anyways just wanted to let you guys know this sucked :) which is not fun bc your concept is epic and is obviously enticing because you are so busy but like wow so bad. read more

A very unique and delicious Japanese take on Italian foods. It almost sounds weird but if you're already a fan of Asian/japanese flavors then you won't be disappointed. It's pretty spacey inside and doesn't feel cramped. Fun and simple decor giving modern Japanese urban vibes. Right across the street from Cap One Center. We were first-timers and came in for Happy Hour (bar seating only) and come to find out they had more than drinks n lil snacks for HH. Pizzas are 1/2 off! That's a steal and absolutely worth getting if you're a fan of Detroit-style pizza. Given that fact, my bf and I ordered a pizza each so we could try a diff flavor each. We did the Japanese Philly and Mentaiko Corn, two of the most popular and a personal recc per our server. We also got a Little Caesar salad to share and a wine and a Haiboru cocktail. The salad was a diff take on your normal Caesar, I thought it was unique and light and fresh. The pizzas were so good! Definitely the highlight of our experience. The dough was airy and pillowy, but still able to carry the weight of all the cheesy goodness and toppings. We both loved our pizzas. The corn on the Mentaiko pizza was sweet so it def gave it a little something extra. The crusts/edges were nice n crunchy, and nice balance to the softness of the dough. Service was okay. I believe only bartender services the entire bar, but we were sat on the opposite end of it away from their main bar area so he wasn't able to be as attentive to us. I'd definitely love to return for another round of happy hour eats and bevs, but also to try the rest of the menu. read more

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This review is a blended rating for both the restaurant and the dessert bar . Restaurant: 4.5/5 I've never known this style of Japanese Italian cuisine to exist, but I was a big fan. Would highly recommend the corn pizza . The pizza itself reminded me of Detroit style pizza. The Mentaiko pasta was also good, simple, but good. Dessert: 1/5 The dessert bar was such a disappointment. The girls serving were very nice and attentive. The seating was very intimate, I felt forced to give praise for each course, but it felt like a waste of money. The first course was straight shaved ice, with the faintest hint of some chemical tasting syrup. You can get better snow cones from the trucks on the national mall. One course resembled something my 5 year old sister would whip up in her easy bake oven. The only course I enjoyed was the rice pudding (pictured above). For $55, this was absolute waste of money. Re-reading this, I wonder if I'm being dramatic, but for the price, I really don't think so. Don't waste your time on the dessert bar. read more

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

We came for restaurant week and loved everything. Service, ambiance, food and drinks were all on point. It was honestly one of my favorite restaurant week experiences, and I've done a lot. The salad was much more interesting than what I was expecting with the egg and tuna. My absolute favorite dish was the pizza with mushrooms. My fiance got the corn and tuna pizza, which was also delicious, but not my jam. Both of my cocktails were tasty and balanced. We were excited to try this Japanese and Italian fusion restaurant and are so glad we did! read more

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Came here on a weekday around 5:45PM, was seated at the counter, restaurant was about 1/3 full. Ordered: - slice of mentaiko and corn pizza: I saw my slice was part of another pizza that was already given so it wasn't freshly made (was reheated in the oven), but it was still really good. Sides were a bit burnt but perfectly chewy, really good quality dough. - curry kinoko: pasta was perfectly al dente, could've done with more mushrooms. Pickled wakame was odd, a little too strong for the rest of the flavors. Wish there were more curry flavor. - buchi bomboloni: perfectly light and hot, came two on the plate, not too sweet, plated quite nicely. High-quality food but flavors all around could've been stronger. Was wavering between 4 and 5 stars on food - but they seem to be an honest business and the workers seem to be treated well. I say they seem to be an honest business because it's very clear to me that they charge 22% service fee (so you don't accidentally pay service twice not knowing they already charge it): it was on the menu, on the receipt before you pay, on the receipt when you sign the receipt after you pay - it'd be very hard to miss it. Because the service fee is high, presumably this money goes to the workers there. Service was a bit slow though. Good quality food, would recommend. read more

CARB heaven! Very hip Italian-Japanese fusion place with great pasta, pizza, and funky decorations (like a shelf of pizza boxes from all over DC!) We sat at the pizza bar and it was so much fun watching all the food being prepped, highly recommend it. The food was delicious and the portions were good. We got half a pizza and a pasta each for 2 people. Our server did a great job helping us choose from the menu! The Gyuniku Pizza was chewy, with crispy edges and extra saucy. Interesting choice of toppings (Cheez Whiz?!) but it works! It was described as a Philly cheesesteak pizza. The Mentaiko and Uni Uni Unico Pasta was creamy and slightly sweet with a seafood flavor. It was delicious and unique. Sadly we were so full we skipped dessert but I'll be back for that black sesame tea cake!!! read more

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Very plain taste and overpriced , with limited options. wanted to order those suggested online but they don't have them.

Winter Restaurant Week Cough syrup like Negroni Al dente pasta Tonari's 2024 Restaurant Week menu was one of the more creative takes we'd seen on dinner. The night began with a sparkling Negroni, which while delicious, was masked by the fact that it was served in a cough syrup plastic cup (it goes without saying that the red color of a Negroni didn't help with the association). For a $55 pre-fixe menu, this was a rough start. The first food course of a Caesar salad and burrata were tasty. The Caesar featured a singular marinated anchovy which was cute. The second course, the fungi and fried Brussels sprouts, were sadly both under salted. The mushrooms were also fair mushy which did not complement the mushy polenta. The third course - the classic pizza and mentaiko & corn pizza - are where the night shined. The pizza was piping hot and the flavors in the mentaiko pizza were complex and sweet. For the fourth course, the tomato kare pasta was rich and acidic. The mentaiko pasta had a nice flavor but was quite under salted. Dessert was delicious, aside from the fact that the chocolate tart crust was rock solid. Overall, aside from the food (which was overall okay), the courses felt fairly rushed, and the bathroom cleanliness as well as the paper towel holder were not working - this is a bit surprising and disappointing for the price. I would certainly revisit the cafe for a $6 slice of pizza, but the dinner menu left much to be desired. read more

I attended an event at Tonari where we sampled their drinks and food. I'm sold. It's Japanese-style Italian food with classic pasta, pizza and more with a little twist. A few stand outs: 1) Mentaiko and corn pizza 2) Tagliatelle with meat bolognese 3) Buchi bomboloni if you like well-textured hot donuts The space is small, but it has an open kitchen and an elevated space where you take off your shoes and sit on the floor in the traditional Japanese style. read more

TLDR: Fun take on Japanese Italian fusion. Pricey at times, but definitely worth at least one visit. Come for the pizzas. Vibe: 5/5. Tonari has a beautiful restaurant nestled in the heart of Chinatown. Taking a modern izakaya approach to their decor, the downstairs has a bar as well as several 4 top booths for small group dining. Upstairs they have a huge traditional tatami seating area (you take off your shoes and you sit in the floor with your legs in a recessed part of the floor under the table) which is a fun experience for larger groups. They also have a massive table top garden on display on the 2nd floor which is worth a look! Service: 5/5. During our visit, we dined with a large group of 9 and Tonari was very accommodating. We had to make last minute head count change to the table and had no problems doing so the day of. During our meal, our waiter did a fantastic job at keeping the table well stocked on drinks as well as clearing plates as we progressed through the meal. We ordered with the intent of dining family style which can get a little hectic with the addition of extra serving utensils, plates and the passing of food. However, Tonari did a stellar job at accommodating this and I highly recommend trying the menu in this fashion in order to get a full taste of the menu. Food/Drinks: 3/5. Toting their style of food as Wafu Italian (Japanese style Italian), Tonari does deliver a unique take on food, but at some points fell short on execution and value. During our visit, we ordered more or less the entire menu in order to be eaten family style amongst the table. I feel this is the only way to order at unique restaurants, as it gives everyone a chance to try everything and not be limited to a few dishes. In addition, we ordered several cocktails, a pitcher of negroni (draft) and a bottle of sake for the table. The bar program at Tonari is nicely thought out, with plenty of fun twists on classic cocktails with Japanese ingredients. I especially enjoyed my Drunk Oji, which had a deep smoke note similar to eating BBQ from the Laphroaig and Toki whiskey mixed together. On to the food, the first round was appetizers which we ordered the polpette, burrata, Caesar and robata style shrimp that was on special. Everything came out nicely and tasted fine, but honestly nothing stood out as must haves. Our second course was designated our pasta round, consisting of the curry kinoko and mentaiko. Both dishes were interesting, as we started to taste the playfulness between Japanese and Italian ingredients. The mentaiko pasta dish definitely came out on top, having a nice umami flavor from the nori and cod roe which paired perfectly with the creamy creme fraiche sauce. Our final round was the main attraction, pizza! We ordered whole pizzas of the clam, mushroom and mentaiko. The 2 pizzas we were most excited for, the clam and mentaiko, fell short on expectations. Both felt a little undercooked when compared to the mushroom pizza and just didn't have the flavor profiles we were expecting from the ingredient list. The mushroom pizza faired much better, as it was cooked just a little longer to achieve a nice crisp crust and letting the flavors of the sauce and brick cheese open up. It could of just been a one off situation with our two pizzas, so don't write them off just based on our experience. The pricing at Tonari was a little on the high side for what we received. Each 4 slice pizza costs in the neighborhood of $25-30, which is a stretch in my opinion. Pasta dishes, which could be a satisfying meal for 1 person w/ appetizers, hovered in the $15-20 range. In addition, all tables are automatically charged a 22% service charge in place of tipping. Considering we typically tip in that range regardless of service, we were totally fine with this, but felt it was worth making note. All in all, everyone walked away from our meal satisfied and happy, but just felt for the money we spent it would of been a more memorable food experience. read more

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I'm torn writing this review because I want it to be higher but I'm not sure I can. Overall we had a good experience at Tonari, i think the concept is super interesting and I've never seen any other Asian-Italian fusion. We sat upstairs which had a cute display in the middle and could see there was a section where you sat in the ground and took off your shoes, which could be a fun experience. My friend and I ordered the broccolini and carrot to start, which were both very good. We were a little surprised that it was a single carrot for the price. We then ordered the half chicken and shishito pepper pizza and one of their specials with prosciutto and Brussels sprouts. While the pizza itself was good, I liked the style of it, the flavors were just...not memorable. The chicken and shishito pepper one had more flavor but neither were outstanding. Which was disappointing. I may go back and try other pizzas or a pasta, but wouldn't go back just for the items we got. read more

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A fusion between Italian and Japanese foods, this restaurant delivers great flavors from two of my favorite cuisines. To start, parking is always tough in this area but we were able to find street parking about 2 blocks away. The drink menu was pretty extensive, and they had many unique cocktails. I got the sesame martini, which was stiff with a nice sesame oil flavor. My wife got the espresso martini that had a nice balance between sweet, booze, and coffee flavor. Next came the appetizers. The inari sushi was pretty simple, topped with anchovies which gave a nice salty flavor to them. They were good, but only came with 2. We also got the burrata, which was the only thing we didn't love. The burrata itself was good, but it was topped with a spicy citrus sauce, which to me didn't pair very well. I would have preferred the burrata plain. The highlights are definitely the pizza and pasta. The mentaiko spaghetti comes with a slightly spicy mentaiko (cod roe) sauce and topped with dried seaweed. The spaghetti was cooked perfectly, and the sauce was creamy with plenty of small cod roe pieces mixed in. The Toryufu Kinoko pasta was equally delicious. This was a mushroom and cheese sauce topped with truffles. I could definitely taste the truffle in every bite of pasta. The mentaiko and corn pizza turned out to be one of the best pizzas I've ever had. It's a deep dish pizza but the pizza bread is light and fluffy with crispy edges. The cheese is melting all onto the bread, and the pizza is topped with mentaiko cream and corn. It's a perfect combination of texture and flavors. Lastly, for dessert we had matcha affogato with vanilla ice cream. It was really good, but I don't have much to say other than it tastes exactly as you would expect. As a side note, they have 3 and 5 course menus that you can order, but it's expensive for what you get since the dishes in this menu are only half portions. Best to stick with ordering off the regular menu. As another aside, most of the pastas can be made with gluten free pasta. Many of the appetizers were also gluten free. No gluten free option for the amazing pizza though. We will definitely be back! read more

4.5/5: The crust on the pizza was perfect! Great place to go during happy hour. Relaxing atmosphere and reasonable prices. read more

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

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Everything was amazing the chicken katsu is large enough for 3 people. Meatball bao, oh wow! Such a tasty spin on the ole classics! Yes say yes to it all you will be pleased. read more

It's a pretty decent spot. I would be interested in coming back to try their set menu, since I mainly had their specials. I had two main critiques: 1. The charcuterie board could have benefited from more options in accompaniment like dried fruits or more pickled options. That's more of a personal preference. 2. The uni pasta was really rich from the butter. The uni helped cut through the richness, but that was only for a few bites. I think it needs either more uni, less butter, or an additional item to cut through the richness.* *I honestly should have tried their standard pasta rather than the special. This is more on me. read more

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I love this place! Cocktails and food are delicious! Service is excellent! Try the sesame martini read more

Absolutely LOVED our meal here! Went for 2024 winter restaurant week and honestly blew us away. 6 filling courses and we would 100% go back for the salad, brussel sprouts, pizza, and pasta. Great place for a date or time with friends!! read more

Tonari - Brussel spouts on the right! - Japanese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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While I love the Wafu Italian/Japanese fusion concept, I was sadly not a big fan. Not a place for vegetarians. To the restaurant's credit, it only opened a couple of weeks ago with lunch service starting yesterday on 2/19. While I appreciate the restaurant's accommodations for vegetarians, I wish there were more vegetarian offerings on the menu. The $15 lunch deal is a great way to sample the menu with a soup, salad, and slice of pizza. The Cabbage and Bean soup was loaded with veggies and bursting with flavor. Tastes like fresh Minestrone soup. Definitely the highlight of my meal! The Caesar Salad wasn't quite what I expected with a head of Romaine with Bubu Arare baked rice crackers. While the innovative spin on the dish was fun to try, I wasn't a big fan of it. Since there's no vegetarian pizza on the menu, the staff kindly made a vegetarian style of the Meintako & Corn pizza without the fishy Meintako cod. While the uniqueness of the imported Sapporo dough is impressive and airy with a nice subtle flavor, the dense puffy pizza wasn't very satisfying. The pan pizza was quite oily especially around the edges, while the marinara sauce and corn fell flat. The pizza was too heavy and bland, missing some key ingredients. I bet the Meintako cod really elevates the flavor and the pizza isn't as good without it. Maybe a creamy mushroom pizza would add more flavor and help to diversify the menu for vegetarians? I waited over 40 minutes for the pizza as the staff forgot to bake it in the propane oven despite only having a few customers. The staff generously comped me with a full pie, but wasn't worthwhile finishing or taking home. My friend didn't enjoy the Ricotta Salad with chunks of ricotta cheese or the bland Mentaiko pasta with cod, seaweed, and butter. It missed the mark. The friendly and helpful staff was really accommodating. The hearty meaty dishes aren't fit for vegetarians despite the chef's best efforts. Tonari was fun to try, but I'll stick with Daikaya and Bantam King's vegetarian ramen bursting with flavor. read more

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Been twice now (lunch and dinner) and had excellent meals both times - Tonari is great. Service is quick and friendly and the food is delicious. Downstairs has the bar and some seats, as well as the large oven. Upstairs is a darker dining room, half of which is traditional Japanese style sunken seating where you take your shoes off. For lunch, I had their 3 course set (soup/salad/slice) as well as a pasta. The soup (white bean basil) was nice on a cool day. The salad ("caesar") was delicious - lots of crunch from the romaine and fried shirasu, the dressing was excellent and the yuzu flavor came through. For pizza - the clam is so good. Doughy slices so they do fill you up. You get this all for $15 which is a pretty good deal, although I could probably use a second slice so hopefully they will offer an add-on in the future. I also tried the mentaiko pasta, which was awesome. Buttery, salty, rich and delicious. For dinner, we sampled a lot of the menu. For appetizers, the silken tofu and ricotta were decent, but not outstanding. The anchovy on the tofu was extremely salty - definitely need to mix this in with the tofu. The ricotta/greens lacked a bit of flavor. The pastas we sampled were excellent. I'd rate them in this order: uni, kinoko, shirasu, natto bolognese. The uni was incredible, and probably my favorite dish here. Perfect amount of uni flavor. The kinoko was garlicky and delicious with a good selection of mushrooms. Shirasu was good, but a little plain in terms of flavor - could use a bit more heat. And the bolognese was ok, but I'm also not the biggest fan of natto (texture came through somewhat). For pizza, they're all amazing, but I'd rank them in this order: clam (so garlicky and delicious), mentaiko (I love corn so this one stood out for me), pepperoni (a very good slice), and hawaiian (the cheesiest of them, but I'm not a huge fan of the hawaiian combo. Still very good though). Tonari is close to the office so I bet I'll be back soon. Haven't gotten to try any desserts yet. read more

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Came here for a dinner of one during restaurant week! I just want to say the space is so cute-- sitting at the bar you can eye many different types of alcohol and trinkets. Perfect for a casual dinner date or dinner w friends. Mentaiko pasta 4.5/5- addicting, buttery, hand cut noodles. My only wish is that there was a bit more texture or a stronger emphasis on mentaiko (it was a bit subtle) Mushroom pizza 5/5- honestly amazing; huge contrast between super crispy exterior and fluffy dough interior and you could taste the savory mushroom flavor throughout the pizza, even if you didn't get a mushroom slice in your bite. And the best part? The savory spicy kick at the end. Such a subtle kick but brought the whole thing together. read more

Tonari - Mentaiko Pasta + Mushroom Pizza - Japanese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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#DC #ItalianJapanese Fairly clean and good location. Street parking was available. Food was overall ok. Our server was not attentive. Had uni pasta/ couple pizzas - 3.9/5.0 read more

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

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Tonari just recently opened for daytime coffee. Haven't seen a lot of pictures and reviews about it so here is one. The vibe during the morning was quiet and calm. They have free wifi so good for catching up with some work while having a coffee or breakfast. In addition to regular coffees, they offer a few specialty coffees, including a dalgona coffee. I got a nori croissant and it kind of blew me away. It was warm, flakey, buttery, and had quite a pronounced savory, umami taste from the seaweed. I was also eyeing the chocolate chip cookies that had chicken fat in them and were as big as my face - probably will come back for that. read more

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

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The pizza at Tonari was out of this world. I tried the Unagi and Mentaiko & Corn pizzas - sooo yum!!! Our server was very attentive and kind, also love that the bartender took the time to approach us and recommend drinks. The drinks were very refreshing and tasty. The overall vibe is very unique. You can watch the pizza be made right in front of you. I did not get the chance to dine upstairs, but next time I visit, I will be sure to do so. Super cute for a dinner with friends or date night. read more

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In town visiting from San Francisco, and so far, the food in DC has not been exciting to me. My friend who lives here told me about Tonari recently opening, being a sister restaurant to Daikaya, a ramen place on my to try list. Since I already had ramen on this trip, I decided to try Tonari, and I'm so glad I did! I read the reviews to try to find what the best options were, and I went with the uni pasta and the clam pizza. My only regret is not having anyone to share the meal with so I could try more options! The uni pasta was sooo creamy, and even though it only comes with one piece of uni, the flavor is there. The noodles are very al dente, which I like. But just a heads up if people like their noodles more done. They will be a little chewy. The clam pizza which my server helped push me to decide on getting was very garlicky, cheesy, crispy, and delicious! I love when pizzas are crispy on the edges and still fluffy in the middle. I would've tried more dishes if I hadn't gotten so full, but I might have to go back before my trip is over to try more dishes! :) Everyone there is very friendly from the hostesses to the bartenders to the servers. This was definitely my favorite dining experience in DC and the only place I'd recommend to people (of the places I've been to this weekend). read more

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I was taking here by surprise due to being a huge Japanese food lover. So the Japanese Italian fusion really took me for a loop because hey who doesn't lobe Italian food also?! The concept is a take on the Japanese approach to Italian food, which I watch a lot on YouTube so to see and taste it in person was really cool. Now,I came for breakfast and we got the French toast and the avocado toast sandwich. We had to snap a few pictures of the vast collection of Japanese and other pop culture things. The owner is super nice and chatted with us for a bit. The service is fast efficient and everyone is so pleasant. The atmosphere is very low-key. You can do your work in there or you can bring a coffee date like myself. We will definitely be back for dinner. I came for the coffee and the Dalgona coffee was a dream. I can't wait to go back. read more

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SO GOOD we got the curry tomato spaghetti and the clam pasta. both were great and complimented each toehr perfectly. We also got 1/2 okonomiyaki pizza and 1/2 mentaiko corn pizza. both also great. Service was good. Nice place read more

Everything was really good! I especially loved the pizzas, the dough was soft and buttery and the flavors went well altogether. The tomato kare pasta was also really special. read more

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I normally hate fusion but Japanese/Italian really sounded up my alley. The idea of combining pasta/noodles with seafood flavors is a dream. I also love mentaiko noodles; they have an udon version at nagomi izakaya where you can add squid and extra noodles. I can take down a lot of noodles and basically showed up to Tonari for that. I went with my husband and they apparently encourage everyone to order 1 thing from every section of the menu to be full. Maybe I have that wrong, but I took that as license for us to each order 2 mains. We shared everything and got 3 pastas--the uni, the kinoko , and the mentaiko. We also got the pepperoni pizza and shared the chopped salad. I enjoyed pizza. The crust tastes like that Asian sweet bread at Chinese bakeries--if you know you know. I like food to come out very hot temperature wise. Everything was warm/hot. Mentaiko was probably the least hot but still okay. The worst thing is lukewarm ramen--they don't have this here/unrelated but just saying. I liked everything we had at Tonari. It says wafu on door sign I got confused at first but forgot that's the name of the genre of food. Ate the noodles very quickly--maybe because I didn't eat lunch/maybe because I'm just who I am. Noodles are rich but not too heavy in my opinion. Sometimes I find Italian pasta joints here just drowned in butter, cream, and oil. But it wasn't too bad. Mentaiko is butterier than I'm used to and I didn't see kewpie mayo in the ingredients but I still liked it overall. The texture of noodles is good--liked tagliatelle and the other long pastas we had. Uni was good as well--I chose to add the uni on top it was only $5 extra the day I got it. I had a sapporo and my husband got wine--the grillo, which he liked. He said it was dry with good minerality; not a strong finish at end--don't mean that in a positive or negative way. We ate at the part of the restaurant where you take your shoes off, which I appreciate. Overall I recommend and would come again but will generally minimize going out until COVID-19 gets under control. read more

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I arrived for their grand opening and found this to be a quaint little Asian, probably Korean cafe with a variety of simple dishes. Some Korean (respectfully, or Japanese) and and some basic American fare. I sat inside and glad I did. Saw a variety of beverages and foods I'm looking forward to trying on a future visit. The manager and staff were friendly and openly described the items I was unfamiliar with. Think next visit I'll add another star after sampling the traditional items. I played it safe this time with a delicious tuna salad on flatbread and a refreshing pear juice. read more

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

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I thought Tonari was delicious! The space is super cool and has an upstairs, so it is fairly large. This isn't a fusion restaurant but rather wafu italian which has been around for a while. They recommended two appetizers, two pastas, and two pizzas for a party of two but we thought that would've been too much food. We ended up getting one appetizer, two pastas, and one pizza, and we couldn't even finish the pizza. We got the cold tofu, which has the most amazing soft texture that was even more silky and soft than silken tofu. The anchovies are a little too salty, but if you get a big enough bite of the tofu with the anchovies, it's not too overwhelming. While the uni pasta isn't covered in pieces of uni, you can really taste the uni in the sauce, so I imagine there was a decent amount of uni in the sauce. The kinkoko pasta was also great though a little too salty. There were three different types of mushrooms, and the noodles were cooked great. Lastly, we ordered the mentaiko and corn pizza. The pizza looks kind of aggressive and deep dish, but the crust is super light and fluffy and very much like typical Asian breads. I wish there was more corn on the pizza but otherwise it was really good as well. Overall, loved the new, different flavors that the food has and definitely would come back! read more

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Well this place was incredible. Japanese Italian fusion? Absolutely yes. They use rice flour in their deep dish style pizza and wow it works well. The rice flour renders the dough puffier, bouncier, and honestly more flavorful and crispy. The corn pizza was detectible. I got it without the fish topping. What an insanely good flavor combo-- the sweetness of the corn brings out the depth in flavor of the crust. The tomato kare was insane. Once again, noodles were made with rice flour. Expect to be mind blown. There is such a unique and addictive blend of flavors that come together. And the place is beautiful. Traditional Japanese dining with a twist is available, as are regular tables, but I would suggest the floor cushions. Absolutely incredible experience. Food comes quickly and the service is awesome! Super nice people here. And can't forget the cute display of toys and doodads! Deffo will be back. read more

Tonari - Mentaiko & Corn Tomato Kare Create-Your-Own - Japanese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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The vibes here but that's about it. We came for NYE dinner and had the 5 course menu. Literally the only good food item was the bread. The dinner started with a plate of cheese, onion, and olive. This was brought out about 5 min before the martinis. No explanation was given regarding the pair. The martini was alright, broth (brodo) was trash - the only cool part about this was that it was served in teacups lol. Main entrees were the risotto (plain, no flavor) with some pesto and squash, and a very basic penne pasta. Both of these had nothing special about them. The secondary entrees were the omelette with cacio e Pepe sauce (alright) and some boiled chicken with citrus sauce, onions, and arugula. The boiled chicken was such a disappointment that we only had one bite and asked for a To-Go box to bring home to my dog. The last course was creamy tart filled with grapes which was such a strange and random pairing. Overall, the experience of dining on the floor was nice but the food was not. Not worth $85 pp. read more

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I'll admit that I was curious but also apprehensive of Tonari's concept but they blew me away with dinner on Saturday. Starting off, the Burrata packed a flavorful punch with Sichuan chili oil, orange dressing, and clementines. We then tried the Pesto Ramen which was incredibly flavorful without being too heavy. I personally ordered the Mentaiko pasta, which was creamy, lemony, umami perfection. From what my friends said, the chicken and shishito and the vegetarian corn pizzas were also phenomenal. Our group really appreciated that Tonari had a separate vegetarian menu, which made the whole dining experience much simpler for our party. The vibes of the restaurant are fun and lively, with every corner decorated with unqiue little finds. Our server seemed a little flustered, but we also were a large reservation on an already busy Saturday night. We didn't get a chance to try any of the mocktails or desserts during this visit, but their descriptions looked great and I'll definitely try some out during my next visit! read more

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Tonari is the freshest, best new addition to the DC dining scene. I know they ~technically~ opened before the pandemic, BUT they are finally getting the hype they absolutely deserve since having to shut down and reopen. Their menu is truly so creative and innovative, the food is so flavorful and does a wonderful job of incorporating Japanese ingredients into Italian concepts. You literally cannot go wrong with anything you get here. My friend and I each got a quarter pizza slice and pasta because we were pretty hungry. It was definitely enough for one meal, and we were glad we got to try two main courses at once. The portions aren't huge so it does make sharing multiple dishes or combining things doable. For the appetizers, the cauliflower is a stand out. While the arancini was good, the cauliflower was perfect. It was cooked perfectly with the stems still being crunchy and the pesto sauce was so delicious! For mains, I really appreciated how they used mentaiko in both pizza and pasta. Mentaiko is really fishy and salty, so if you're not used to that flavor profile, maybe get something else but if you're willing to give it a try, having it with pizza or cream sauce is going to be a fantastic intro for you. Altogether, I would highly recommend Tonari. It's an amazing restaurant with a cool vibe and the food is just spectacular! read more

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Had dinner with friends and the server recommended to eat family style. We ordered: Avocado Tonnato for an appetizer. Uni Pasta, Shirasu Pasta, Clam Pizza, Hawaiin Pizza, and Panna Cotta with Yamamomo. The avocado tonnato is served warm with tuna cream sauce drizzled on top and a grapefruit inside. The tuna cream was a good tuna flavor and the citrus of the grapefruit helped cut the strong tuna/fishy flavor. The uni pasta had a strong flavor as well- with a slight citrus aftertaste. The shirasu pasta with baby sardines was good- even better once you squeezed lemon on top to help cut the fishiness of the sardines. The pasta was well cooked. The clam pizza was delicious! Garlicky, clammy and cheesy. The server explained that the dough would be lighter since it was a Japanese style, however while the dough was indeed lighter than a Chicago Deep dish pizza, it still felt like you were eating a pan pizza. I did not try the Hawaiian pizza because warm pineapples is sacrilege!!! My friends all said it was delicious (may their souls rest in peace). Although there was a lot of marina sauce on the Hawaiian pizza. I tried the panna cotta dessert and it was like m many jelly like asian desserts I've had in the past. It was a light and refreshing dessert with citrus tones. The japanese bayberries were tasty but beware it has a big seed so chew carefully! All in all, it was delicious! read more

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The garlic bread and pizza were made with this light and fluffy dough that was amazing! The radicchio salad had a delicious dressing. The draft cocktail had a nice flavor, and the tasting menu was a great deal. Highly recommend, this is a new favorite in DC for sure. Service was also prompt and attentive. read more