Osaka

I love (d) this place! My family and I always came here and threw down a lot of $ for amazing quality sushi. We have followed Osaka since John was in Springfield, and moved to the Annandale location. I am so upset to find out that he no manages there and that Osaka is no longer. If ANYONE knows where he went (because I know he did not just quit, as he is a diehard sushi man) please PLEASE let us know! My brother even rented out the place to propose to his now wife!
Pleaseeeee!!!

the restaurant is under new management. Does anyone know where the former owner, John went? He came up with a special roll just for us— we will miss him
The sushi is still fresh and the new management seems nice. But, it’s just not the same place

Too bad there has been a change of ownership at this Little River Turnpike location. I give them a 4 stars with the old owners but will have to wait and see what happens in the coming months.
Went there yesterday hoping to get Osaka’s happy hour sushi specials & lunch box special but Chef John is no longer there! :(
It is now Gangnam restaurant which appears to serve Korean and Japanese. They said it has been about 2-​weeks already. They had Bibimpap and Kalbi on the menu along with some sushi. So I opted for their Bento Box lunch special of $ 9.99 and chose the option that came with Kalbi beef and 1 california roll, plus salad and soup I think BUT we were told that this was not available on Sundays, though their menus did not say anything about this exclusion.
Ok, we went through the other dishes which had lunch & dinner pricing, so decided to choose the sashimi & rice lunch option for $ 8.95. But again, we were told that the lunch portion was not available, and we had to order the $ 13.95 dinner portion. Decided to go to another restaurant nearby, and just wait for the new owners to settle down with their menus and give them another chance in a month or two… maybe.

On the outside, Osaka looks like a bright and sharp-​looking haven for authentic Japanese cuisine. Indeed, when you walk in, you’re greeted by the sushi chef in the back, and the hostess (also your waitress) seats you with a smile.
Then, you notice the table is a little sticky. The walls have scrapes from years of being banged and slammed by the chairs. The interior of Osaka is not far off from a cafeteria. It’s a guess on my part, but I’m guessing Osaka was built in the early 80s, and hasn’t been touched by a contractor (or floor waxer) since.
The food comes fairly quickly, although, if your dinner partner ordered an entrée, they’ll get their food 15 minutes before your sushi arrives. The appetizers are all much, much better than other restaurants — which is odd, because you’re getting the same salad and miso soup as any other place, but theirs appears to have some effort put into its preparation.
The sushi is just fine, and the presentation of the rolls is given the proper attention by the chef.
Over all, this is slightly above average sushi, in a below average setting, and I found it odd that this restaurant, located in an area with a very large Asian population, was devoid of Asian customers. There were several people around me, but we were all just a bunch of white folks out at dinner.
I may give it another shot, but then, I’ve been wowed by Tomo Sushi (look it up, I reviewed it), and have no reason not to drive the extra 10 minutes to go to *that* restaurant.

Konichiwa! Osaka to me is a traditional Japanese restaurant, with yet a distinct American character. It is unique to me in that it offers a great hybrid of Japanese cuisine within the ambiance of asian hospitality. First thing when walking in the door, you can’t help but notice the special maki roll wall. On it you can see pictures of non-​asian regulars that came-​up with sushi rolls that are now a part of the regular menu. Obvious is the relationship between customer and proprietor and it’s a formula that seems to work.
I’m usually a stickler for authenticity, and I typically like my sushi spots a little more bare bones. The flamboyant bells and whistles common to many Japanese restaurants in the U.S. rarely impress me. However, this restaurant has a quaint, yet elegant feel. It’s small enough to still be considered intimate — there’s no flying spatulas or fire-​breathing stoves here.
Sashimi is my thing… so I ordered the «Sashimi Regular». It was also a rather cold night that evening — nothing cures chilly weather like warm sake, so I had them fetch me some house blend to warm up my insides. The sushi chef was the real deal — he answered my order with a firm «Hai!» and set about instructing a young apprentice on how to prepare my order. Very impressed and appreciative of his proper Japanese etiquette.
I’m really not a fan of Japanese salad, so I can’t say much about it other than it tastes the same as everywhere else. The miso soup was excellent: warm flavorful broth that doesn’t settle once you put the spoon down.
When the sashimi came out it was a work of art. The highly decorative plate it sat on would embarrass most Japanese (who prefer everything low key), but it complimented the appearance of the food well. Every slice of fish was thick, freshly chilled and delicious and the tobiko was a nice colorful touch.
I would recommend this restaurant for anyone who wants to have a great sushi selection with colorful presentation and Japanese cuisine. It is a perfect spot for a date night with customers who prefer a western-​style sushi restaurant.

Our first visit.
It was a very quiet Saturday evening between two holidays, and we were looking for a little dinner that was different than usual Christmas season meals. Osaka was a very quiet restaurant that evening, and we might have wished for a few more tables of patrons so one particularly obnoxious loud conversation did not dominate the space.
We started with chicken yatikori (a safe appetizer of mini-​kabobs where the delicate flavor vaporized a bit too soon for our liking). First choice off the sushi menu was not available (no toro tuna available) but we both liked the yellowtail roll well enough. Thin-​sliced ginger on the sushi plate was pleasantly fresh, neither the washed-​out version or too-​tart offering I’ve had at other restaurants.
Entrees were both nicely prepared. Beef yakisoba was wonderful (though perhaps too many onion slices in the mix). Vegetable tempura had delicate and perfectly presented batter robes though I would have liked more variety (too many slices of sweet potato, not enough of anything else).
Green tea was replenished often enough to stay warm in the cup, a nice touch on a cold winter evening.
Nice space, good mix of privacy and community to the layout. Price tag was about $ 35, a little more than planned because we got two appetizers. We both liked the evening enough to return in a month or so to try other menu items.

I only order the sushi here and havent tried anything else. I will also order a roll every now and then. The rice never falls apart and the fish is thick! I’ve been to plenty sushi restaurants and so far none cuts thick slices of fish like this place! Everything always tastes fresh and the owner is very friendly. This place is a hidden gem.

My wife and I both love Japanese food. So with Osaka so close to our place, we knew we needed to try it. Our decision to finally come here went kinda like this:
Eric W & son walk in the door.
Eric W: Did I remember to take the chicken out of the freezer.
Wife (who was remarkably home first that day): No.
Eric W: Ohhhhh… Sorry. Salads for dinner?
Wife: No. I kinda feel like sushi.
Eric W: Should we try Osaka?
Wife: We’ll take my car.
As you can see, it was a bit spur of the moment. And that made us forget one very important thing. It was late and our kid was about to get cranky.
I wouldn’t say this was the greatest Japanese food I’ve ever had, but it was still very good. The sushi was very good, I especially liked the gourd roll. The miso soup was good. (As you know bad miso soup is about one of the worst tastes ever.) I also had the Yosenabe, which tasted excellent if a little bland.
What made Osaka a great experience though, is the customer service. Even when our little boy started throwing a fit and launching chop sticks, we never got a dirty look from the staff. In fact, they did all they could to try to make him happy. They even gave him an order of rice for free. (Needless to say he liked mommy’s sushi and daddy’s miso soup better.)
Our first visit to Osaka was a whirlwind. So I didn’t get enough of the experience to give it 5 stars. But I can see it getting the other star soon.

came here for lunch with a friend.
we both ordered the lunch special.
the food was okay… but service was good.
the teriyaki chicken was a little rubbery, the California rolls were a little dry, house salad and miso were good, rice was okay, popstickers and tempura were a little too oily.
but for 7.95 it’s not bad.

Another one of my favorite sushi places! :) What can I say, I LOVE sushi!!!
Osaka is about 5 minutes from where I live, so whenever I crave their «crunchy battered chip sushi», I am there! The owner knows me so well that even when my boyfriend orders for me, he knows its for ME! If you’ve never tried their crunchy battered chip sushi, it is definitely a must have!
Another thing I like about this place is that they have Happy Hour sushi! I always try to go around those times, but when I went 10 minutes late one time, they still let me have the sushi at the Happy Hour cost.
Definitely another sushi place to try!

What the crap?
This is the worst sushi restaurant I have been to in my life.
It can’t be more obvious that they skimp on the fish.
Their spicy tuna roll is a joke… Rolling some rice and microscopic sized tuna on seaweed with a drop of spicy sauce on top of the roll… Are you kidding me???
I can’t believe the great reviews this restaurant has… WHY!!!
Go to Yuraku or Tachibana, have some real sushi!

This place is ok for the price. They seem to skimp on the rice (at least for sunday)
Also, maybe they are using the wrong rice but it isnt very well packed.

Decent sushi, nothing special at all, not the freshest. Sushi Yoshi in Vienna is way better.

Osaka gets three stars because the service was excellent, but the food was less than.
Osaka has some of the smallest Nigiri that I’ve ever seen. I understand that the cost of fish is the reason. Plus, customers wouldn’t want to pay outrageous prices for the larger pieces, but it has to be a better way. The rice was much smaller than the raw fish — it was like a King size comforter on a Full size mattress. Making the rice larger would make each Nigiri more appealing, I think.
In addition, some of the fish had no taste at all. Could not tell the difference between Yellowtail and Salmon in some cases.
I did enjoy the Tempura, however. The onion ring was a nice touch especially because it was a sweet onion and not the harsh yellow one.
The ubiquitous sweet potatoes is my favorite.
Let me say that I’m hard on Japanese restaurants having lived in Japan for 2 years. I do understand, however, that I would have to go to some upscale eatery to get the same product as I ate in Japan. I should expect a $$$$ price tag for that level of sushi.
Osaka is great for a novice, but not for those who expect sushi prefection.

I come here for the happy hour sushi. I try anything and everything from the menu. The only rolls I stay away from is anything labeled as «spicy». I was a bit disappointed with the spicy tuna roll — not feeling the «hot sauce» they put on top of the rolls. ew. But everything else is delicious. Cute little sushi place; and the workers there including the server/​Chefs are nice.

2.5 stars.
Lunch special includes a bento-​box with chicken teriyaki, shirmp/​veggie tempura, 2 gyoza and california roll. It sounded good but for $ 7.95, it was just OK lunch… Nothing stands out.
Katsdon was OK. nothing out of ordinary.
Yakisoba was TERRIBLE. sorry. it was just… worse than a ready-​made package I got for $ 2.50 at H-​mart!
Osaka is a Japanese city known for food. so the name seems so inappropriate for this restaurant.

One day, I just needed to leave the office. So I went a pick up a friend of mine and we just kept driving until we saw Osaka. The place looked inviting from the outside so we decided to give it a shot. Osaka is pretty nice inside and quiet (really relaxing). The service was just great and helpful. The prices are definitely normal and their presentation was quite interesting. You could see that the person was making sure that presentation was well done and interesting. I will definitely go back if I am in the area. I am just a bit surprised that it was not that crowded because it is a good place to escape from the office once in a while.

I came back to treat a friend to the «Osaka Experience» as a thank you for driving me out to BWI. While the rice wasn’t as flavorful as it was the first time I came the service was fantastic. I really couldn’t tell you all the things we got to try as I don’t even know what everything was.
My friend was given some sort of sushi that tasted exactly like chicken teriyaki but was made from fish. They made it for my friend since he decided to order chicken teriyaki & I was teasing him about it. He loved it and all the other stuff he tried. The Tempora Cheesecake {which I SOOOO shouldn’t have had} was sooo worth it :-) It also was unexpected as we were very surprised when it was placed in front of us. Cheesecake & the traditional fruit {orange} dessert; man was I stuffed. At least this time I didn’t have a 6 hour drive back to Rochester.
I love the presentation of the food from the carrot flowers & daikon butterflies to the efficient use of space & color on in the dishes. They have some customer rolls that are pretty good and they’ll custom make anything you ask as long as they have the ingredients in stock. There’s some non-​alcholohic shot drink {in a lemon or lime) that looks… interesting; It’s got egg yolk, soy sauce, and something else. Looking at the guy’s face who decided to try it was priceless, I don’t think I have that kind of adventuresome spirit.

Osaka opened about 2 weeks ago. The old place Dong Hae Bada closed only after being in operation for like half a year.
NOTE: This place closes after lunch and reopens for dinner except on Sat & Sun. They advertise happy hour sushi and karaōke as well.
Not surprisingly, a Korean-​owned Japanese restaurant with a typical Japanese menu. Interior was clean, bright and inviting. Décor is simple yet pleasant.
As for the food…
Salad and miso soup… standard.
Donburi and udon was exactly what you’d expect, also filling.
Chirashi came in a small little box. Although it looked appealing, it also looked really small.
The one avocado roll we ordered seemed pretty standard too.
Service was helpful and nice.
I think I preferred the old place better, but it’ll be interesting to see how this place does.

I was saddened when Dong Hae Bada went out of business. They had crappy nigiri, but they excelled in maki and Korean style sashimi. I decided to visit the newly opened Osaka, which occupies the same location as Dong Hae Bada. The menu consists of all Japanese cuisine. The newly decorated interior was nice, but the food left alot to be desired. In fact, I had some of the worse maki I have ever had.
One would have think that scallop nigiri is a split scallop on top of a ball of sushi rice, but not the case here. The scallop nigiri I got here was constructed the same way as a salmon roe nigiri, but filled with a small scoop of mashed scallop mayo salad instead of salmon roe. The sweetness and the tenderness of the scallops were completely lost in the preparation. I could have been eating imitation crab meat for all I know.
The spicy scallop roll was a cucumber roll topped with the aforementioned scallop mayo mess. The spicy tuna roll is a little better in that at least I can see the tuna, but again it was over stuffed with cucumber and the tuna was mashed so fine that it lost all texture.
The age tofu lacked the desired crispy coating and the sauce tasted just like tempura sauce, not the slightly tangy dashi based sauce usually accompanies age tofu. Its a small, but noticeable difference. The tofu dish also lacked grated daikon and bonito flakes that are common in most restaurants.
The sashimi appetizer and the vegas roll were only passable. Dong Hae Bada was good at their raw fish preparations, but competition in Annandale was fierce and the restaurant didn’t survive long. I expect the same fate will befall Osaka if the owner don’t make some serious changes to the food preparation.