Blue Ocean Japanese Restaurant

Japanese owned and operated. My family has been going here for years. Quality is always great. Lots of options for sushi and non-sushi lovers!

Service can sometimes get backed up when very busy. They have a private area in the back for semi-large groups. Recommend a reservation for that.

I was craving sushi and decided to try out blue ocean located in Fairfax. The menu had a large selection of foods from sushi to ramen and traditional Japanese dishes. Their miso soup tasted fresh. And service was kind and welcoming.

However, I would not recommend the sushi here. The fish tasted low quality and the portions were pretty small. I was disappointed that their "spicy sushi" was just adding Sriracha on top of regular sushi, it did not go well with the sushi and ruin the taste. For the price of the sushi ($6) I was expecting better quality. The Philly roll was just impossible to eat, the cream cheese was so thick and hard making the texture difficult to eat. The only enjoyable roll I had for this meal was the crunchy salmon roll.

MAKE A RESERVATION IF YOU ARE TO COME HERE DURING WEEKEND DINNER RUSH.

My partner and I decided to try this place out on a Saturday evening but didn't realize that they recommended doing a reservation here. Luckily there were 2 spots at the bar, so we were able to be seated there.

Service overall was friendly, but they get slammed with demands on orders, takeout, and other factors. It did take us about 15-20 minutes to get our order taken, but when we were seated, we were given menus very quickly and our water. After our orders were taken, all the food was delivered to our seats at a very reasonable time.

The sushi chefs were Japanese and I believe all the waitresses were Japanese as well.

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What we ordered:

- Shrimp Tempura (4 pieces)
- Age (Dashi) Tofu
- Yakitori (2 pieces)
- Seaweed Salad
- Chef's Special Sushi (salmon roll choice)
- Kitsune Soba (sweet fried bean curd)

Complimentary with orders:

- Miso Soup
- House Salad

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The shrimp tempura was light and crispy, a delicious appetizer. Same with the age dashi tofu! The dashi broth made it super delicious and not too salty. Lots of umami. The yakitori was tender, but it wasn't anything special. It was still overall tasty. My partner really enjoyed his seaweed salad and destroyed it.

The miso soup was very delicious and the house salad had a sesame ginger sauce (was very refreshing).

The Chef's Special Sushi comes out on a sushi boat and my partner basically inhaled all the sushi. I was able to try a few pieces before he vacuumed up all the sushi though (my favorite bites were the eel and the salmon roll).

The Soba itself took a bit longer to come out, but was very refreshing. I enjoyed the taste of the broth (it was very light) but I felt that the amount of seaweed made it a bit too contrasted in terms of texture and flavor (if eaten together with the soba).

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I'd definitely come back and try the appetizers and the sushi again, but would opt to try another dish that wasn't that specific soba. I have heard good things about the ramen and their kaiseki, so I'd definitely make a reservation in advance to check those out! They also had a lot of people popping in for to-go orders, so I'm glad to see that their food holds well with takeout.

I came to Blue Ocean based on a recommendation from my wife's Japanese American Society of DC. I checked the mixed reviews and decided to arrive early because they are known for getting busy in this small establishment. The wife and I arrived on Saturday about 1/2 hour after opening and sat at a table for four with pleasant music in the background. We placed our order and our food came out timely. Our main dishes of Soba (in a plastic bowl) and black cod marinated in a mixture of miso were good, although the Soba was warm, not hot as my wife prefers. The sushi was mediocre, thinly cut, and minced fish in the rice. Our tea ran out and we asked the waitress for a refill but she never approached the table so I had to flag her down. She told me that she couldn't refill because it would be extra cost, I told her that wouldn't be a problem but we are accustomed to drinking tea after our meal. She told me she couldn't bring me more tea because she needed the table, so I asked for the bill. After a few minutes, she returned and apologized. She asked us to move to the bar and brought us tea as I paid the bill and we promptly departed not feeling so good about the experience.

Blue Ocean is our favorite Japanese restaurant in Northern Virginia. The chefs have been there for over 30 years and their food is authentic.

Ambience - It is a small izakaya-like restaurant in Pickett road. The interior looks dated but it feels cozy.

Service - Most of the servers are Koreans or Japanese who speak basic English. They work very efficiently as the lunch/dinner rush hour draws in crowds. I'd highly recommend making reservations to secure a table.

Food - The menu is big. They do suhi/sashimi, ramen, chirashi, curry etc I never get bored of this place as there are so many options.

Highly recommend this place if you are looking for comfy and delicious Japanese food!

The fish was super fresh and very good cuts. I really liked the chefs special and the toro don was a special for $22! The only complaint is service is a bit slow but worth the wait if you have time!

Pretty decent Japanese place located in Fairfax, right outside of Annandale. It's a small restaurant, maybe 10 or so tables, so just be mindful of that if you plan to come during a peak time. For dinner I got the Soba, a Sushi Platter and an order of their fried chicken off the Izakaya menu. The soba was good, generous portion and the tempura that comes with it was great. The sushi was fine, nothing overwhelming and the fried chicken was enjoyable as well. It didn't come with any dipping sauce (maybe it isn't supposed to?), but I thought that would really enhance the dish. Overall the food was fine, I would probably try a few other dishes next time. I was a bit disappointed in the sushi, but it's a place worth checking out.

여기는 사시미 만 맛있다.
일본분들이 주인이고 종업원이여서, 일본말들을
들을수있음.

사시미에비해 라멘과 규동은 맛이 심심했음...
조금 아쉽.

하지만 사시미는 존맛탱! 담엔 배띄우고 먹을거다

Truly Japanese cuisine from their perfect okonomiyaki to miso glazed eggplant to rainbow seaweed salad to grilled mackerel with salt... I felt like I was in Japan again with the art and design of the space, as well as their clientele. How fun to be in a part of the DMV where one is surrounded by everyone speaking Japanese. Finally, the service was wonderful - everything they recommended was fantastic. It transported me right back to my time in Japan. Will definitely go again. Hard to find any reason not to go back, and soon. What a find.

Great cheap sushi restaurant in a largely overpriced area. Try the tempura sweet potato and the sweet and sour (eel and plum) rolls!!!