Maki Maki

Needs tons of work. Grabbed a sashimi platter after shopping at Trader Joe’s upstairs.
The butterfish or white tuna was of a disappointingly low quality, the texture gelatinous but pocked and rough on the tongue.
The whole bite disintegrated abruptly in the mouth like a mirage, and not melting smoothly as it should. It instinctively felt bad to eat. Took a lot of will power to not just spit it out.
Gave up on eating this and moved on.
My next mouthful, a piece of red snapper, had no fewer than 7 pieces of un-​chewable sinew. Seven. Count them. I told my server this, and her hostile reaction was that’s how red snapper normally is.
Lies. Bald lies. I’ve never had this problem in 25 years of eating raw fish. They swapped it out for salmon, but the salmon was cut to an inappropriate thickness. (way, way too thick.)
My guess? The food at Maki Maki is created by someone who has spent very little money eating out for sushi and raw fish themselves. I wouldn’t be surprised if the best sushi they tasted before opening up shop was the cold supermarket ready-​made kind.
The inexperience here reeks of a team who too abruptly transitioned from running a takeout Chinese joint to a sushi shop.
Pros: Fish free from stray pieces of fish skin, scales. Lemon ice water, promptly refilled.
Cons: Sinews. Unevenly cut. Absurdly low fish quality. Rice wrong kind. They charge for miso and don’t provide a side salad with the sashimi platter. You can always tell the quality of a Japanese restaurant by their salad dressing, but this place doesn’t even start you off with one.

Was my first visit here on a slow Tuesday evening, maybe one other table of two was dining in. I’d say the sushi was average on its best day with this Tuesday apparently not being that day. Server was not attentive whatsoever. Would probably not return, or recommend. One upside is that the rolls are affordable.
Tip: there are a hundred places to eat in Bethesda, make yourself stand out, or at least provide great service to have guests want to return.

I order from here about a few times a month. Small selection of fish, but the fish is fresh and portions are generous.

I picked up dinner here for a carryout order. I had the miso soup, spicy tuna roll & the rainbow roll. The sushi was fresh and the prices were good. I was able to get my meal for about $ 20, which is a great deal to me.
I’ll definitely go here again.

I eat here at least once a week. I love their lunch specials. They are so worth the price. Everyone is so nice and quick.

Not my favorite sushi restaurant but edible. It’s at a great location; although you will have to pay for paying but that’s Bethesda for you. Downside is that it’s a small restaurant and there is not a lot of seating.
As far as the food, everything was pretty good and for a great price. I tried the Philadelphia roll, it was pretty stand but I will say that I am very particular with my salmon. If it says a fish odor I will not eat it. But that wasn’t the case here. The salmon sashimi was very creamy and buttery tasting. The udon noodle were completely over cooked and mushy but the broth was good. The katsu was really good, very flaky and crispy, however the sauce was interesting. First off they give you two sauces, spicy mayo and the standard katsu brown sauce. In my opinion spicy mayo is odd to serve with katsu and the katsu sauce tasted a little off, kind of a metallic taste as if they watered down the sauce with soy sauce. It wasn’t the right consistency either, it was very watery. But the whole katsu dish was only $ 12! If you go anywhere else it would probably cost $ 20.
On the other hand, service was not very good. I asked the lady three times for additional saki cups. I tried flagging her down a couple times and she either close to ignore me or just didn’t hear me. The server never came back to check up on us.
Overall, the restaurant was okay, nothing special. I would go back if someone else wanted to go but it wouldn’t be my first choice.

It’s an average Japanese restaurant. The sushi is fine but you can find higher quality sushi downtown. The prices are reasonable. It’s a small restaurant so it can get very crowded. They are pretty fast with their orders which makes it a great place for a quick lunch.

Delightful. Freshest tuna sashimi, a delicious seaweed salad (generous portion) and a crispy salmon skin hand roll. Thoughtful, attentive service. Yep, I will be back next time in Bethesda

The only reason why this place doesn’t get 5 stars is because the door is kind of hidden had to look for opening and the size of the restaurant is so small had to sit at the sushi bar with my dad. The service was great the sushi is immaculate. I ordered the maki Fuji roll and the Dynamic roll which really fits cause the roll was amazing. Shrimp tempura and avocado on the inside topped with spicy Tuna. Yum yum. I definitely recommend this place

Ate here twice and the Hamachi just melts in my mouth each time. All the rolls I’ve had have been great. I love the spicy scallop roll preferably without the crunch because the last time I had it with the crunch it was kind of stale. I tried their miso soup today and it was lacking in flavor. The gyoza was a bit. different but still good. Staff was attentive and overall great.
They deliver within a 3 mile radius and also have free wi-​fi when dining in.
Likes:
–Hamachi
–Spicy scallop roll without the crunch
–Spicy tuna roll
–Red dragon
–Free Wi-​Fi
So-​so:
Gyoza
Dislike:
–Miso Soup

Not overly impressed. I went on a Sunday evening and I was the only person in the place. It did seem like they were processing a lot of take-​out/​delivery orders though.
My sushi didn’t seem all that fresh. The tuna was pink at best (I prefer it to be almost red) and the yellow tail was ‘chewy’.
The prices weren’t bad (I had three rolls and soup for $ 25), but if your sushi isn’t so fresh I would hope the prices wouldn’t be high.
I doubt I’ll be back anytime soon.
PS– the front door was not accessible. You had to enter through the back door where the kitchen entrance is. Which is weird!

My go-​to Sushi place in Bethesda and I’m a sushi snob. Yes, it’s casual and without frills, but the sushi is fresh, well prepped and presented and very reasonably priced. The chefs will make whatever you ask for, I really like shrimp, avocado, and mango maki. The specials are inventive and when I do get delivery it has been quick! My only complaint is the lack of ice tea other than the nasty stuff in a can.

I’m from Hawaii, where sushi is BIG.
I’m stationed at Walter Reed and I needed to find a place that fills my craving for sushi and I can say it did more than that! They have the best Dynamic Maki (my recommendation) and I love all the rolls with spicy tuna. It’s so fresh and it reminds me at home. Definitely worth going to all the time. I got my colleagues into Maki Maki too! Stop in, you won’t regret it.

Good food, great prices, fast service. Great for takeout!
Here’s what we loved:
— shrimp nigiri
— shrimp & avocado roll
— hawaii roll (mango + avocado!)
— philly roll
— sashimi platter
Good, but probably wouldn’t order it again:
— teriyaki chicken fried rice
They also do delivery within a couple miles.

The price is right and the sushi is good. The locations convenient to both home and work so I continue to patronize.
I dislike that we ordered delivery from our office building just down the street and then the delivery guy actually told one of us that our tip was not enough and demanded more. In their defense, the person picking up the food from our office was accidentally under-​tipping by about $ 3 IMO, but the delivery person demanded a 10−20% tip. 10−20% is what I would tip for dining in. We got delivery, and I don’t believe the same tipping % is customary. I would say 5−10% is standard for delivery, and depends on the quantity and distance. Asking for a tip even if our party was incorrect, just seems inappropriate, especially when the difference between what he tried to give and what he should have given was only $ 3.
I didn’t find my two sushi rolls ordered today to be as cold as I would prefer my sushi to be, and with it being around 30 degrees outside, it seems particularly odd that it should have only gotten colder on the walk from restaurant to here.

Friendly, fast service: 1 star
Small and intimate place: 1 star
Delicious, fresh sushi: 1 star
Rasonable prices: 1 star
Walking distance to my apartment: 1 star

Local sushi parlor that has great food. Variety of fresh offerings and modest selection of libations to rinse those salty delights down the hatch.
Lunch time specials are quite popular here too.
Enjoy!!!

Came here for lunch and it’s a great example where its outstanding location overcomes its mediocre food. Located in walking distance to DoubleTree and a few other hotels, Maki Maki has an inviting atmosphere with several tables and a sushi bar. Lunch special prices are reasonable, and the service is average.
When it comes to taste however, the broiled eel is the same you get from Japanese grocery stores, and the teriyaki salmon sauce had a bland taste to it. However they do give you sufficient portion to be full, and in combination of its easily walk-​able to nearby hotels, it’s not bad.
I’d consider coming back if I’m attending a conference nearby, however it’s not something you’d drive for, or write home about.

We took my daughter away from Walter Reed National Medical Center for lunch with us and her son who we’ve been babysitting while she was in Afghanistan. For anyone who works either at NIH or the military medical center or ambulatory patients in the wounded warrior unit at Bethesda, Maki Maki is extremely convenient 5 – 10 minute walk and there is a municipal parking lot right across the street which is free on weekends.
The sushi and bento boxes were really really good, and the presentations absolutely beautiful (see photos). We picked sushi because my 4y/​o grandson asked to try it for lunch. And you can see in the photos he used chopsticks just like us.
Our waiter was friendly and funny… No hilarious is a better word! He provided quick friendly service, and explained the menu.
The food was delightfully delicious. I love hot tea at Chinese restaurants do I thought why not with Japanese sushi house too, but the green tea had a seaweed taste that I’m not accustomed to. So I don’t think I would order the tea again even though it seemed very popular with the other patrons. They even have lunch specials on the weekends which is usually unheard of at Chinese restaurants.
This is definitely a place I would frequent if I lived nearby. If time allows the next time I’m at the military medical center I will stop for lunch.

My Mobile Jingle
This is a Review on Mobile, on my Mobile App! I’m eating lots of food and doing lots of reviews! If my friends could see me now! I’m posting a review on MOBILE wow!
–then there’s like 10 minutes of tap dancing –singing in the rain style — ill have to show you later
——
I’m someone who prides themselves on experiencing new cuisine, and adventuring to find new restaurants.
When I think of Sushi, I think of Sushi House in Rockville. I know you all just had a … HUH?! moment. I thought he was talking about Maki Maki. This is a review of Maki Maki afterall. EXCUSE ME SIR ! SIR ! You’re reviewing the wrong restaurant.
Wait one second– just hear me out.
So, when I think of sushi I think of Sushi House in Rockville. Their delicious fresh, large rolls, with the shredded fake crab, just the perfect amount of mayonnaise mixed in. The people are always friendly. Definitely a 5 star sort of place for me. I would even say– a family institution for the B. gang. But I live in Bethesda, so when I want sushi… which is pretty much always– it’s annoying to drive all the way up to Rockville. So, I started going to Maki Maki. Inherently, I was like — THIS IS NOT SUSHI HOUSE– MEH ! But, once my brain gave it a chance — I was like — this is damn well near Sushi House and maybe even… on par? GASP!
I’m a California Roll sort of guy. Even so much so that I can make my own California rolls. But, since I don’t have 2 hours to make dinner each night (THAT RICE TAKES SO LONG!!), I dipset– and I’m off to Maki Maki. They even have something that Sushi House doesn’t– wasabi shu mai. Delicious shumai in a fried outer deliciousness with a spicy dipping sauce. HELLLOOOO are those good! If I had to put one on top of the other– I would still put Sushi House on top– but that’s because of a weird undying loyalty to them. Maki Maki is very GOOD! Especially compared to the options in the area!