Nori

We went and got the $.59 sushi deal. I had the Boston Roll. mmmm delicious. The place was very packed but we got in and out with no problems. To be honest, I didn’t think a lot of people know about the deal. Oh well, NORI is now one of my favorite sushi spot in DC. I’m going back tonight.

One of the few – if only? – sushi spots in Columbia Heights. I should preface this by saying I don’t eat a lot of fish. On a very, very rare occasion you might catching me eating a tuna & avocado roll, but for the most I stick to the vegetable rolls, with an occasional California roll. It’s pretty hard to mess up an avocado roll, so my reviews are based on what my fish-​loving friends think, plus ambiance, service, etc.
On all of the above, Nori hits the mark. Their happy hour is a great deal – a ton of $ 3.50 rolls, and $ 3 draft beers (that go way beyond the typical Miller Lite HH deals… we’re talking Dogfish, Sapporo, etc.). Service has always been quick and pleasant. And, according to friends, their fishy sushi is great.
They’re also great for take-​out – I stop by after the gym and pick up sushi for dinner at least once a week.

One word: «Bleh».
Complementary second word: «Mediocre».
I am by no means a great connoisseur of sushi or Asian cuisine –I’ll eat about anything, and I’ll eat this because it’s close to the homestead. But don’t get suckered in just because you’re hungry and on your way to Giant. The Happy Hour food special is nice and you can get a few free rolls out of it, but otherwise, don’t make a special trip. Word of warning: the veggie «stir fry» is stir-​fried in some inedible, mucous-​like nonsense. I’ve never seen such a thing. The more I pushed it around on my plate, the more it congealed. The waitress unexpectedly pushed back a bit when I asked her to hose it off and pour on any other kind of sauce, but eventually she conceded. The meal was whatever but my bowels have never been so well lubricated.

If you asked me a few months ago what I thought of Nori (based on a second visit), I would’ve told you that Nori was another piss-​poor excuse for an «Asian Bistro.» Fortunately, they’ve since then changed the head chef and things have vastly improved. After a third and fourth visit, Nori is starting to show some promise. The quality of the sushi is much fresher and the sushi rolls more inventive. Take for instance, the Redskin Roll (inside out spicy tuna roll with cucumber, masago, jalapeño, and cilantro) or the Dynamite Roll (baked scallop, tobiko roe, scallion). I’ve not yet sampled their new noodle and entrée dishes but the Bulgoki Salad ($ 8) was superb with its wonderfully marinated strips of beef and sweet and tangy vinaigrette. [Last Visit: March 31, 2009]

After reading a few negative reviews I was pretty hesitant to try Nori, but we decided to give it a try because it is just a few blocks from the house and local sushi = good idea.
Maybe I was expecting the worst — or at least the mediocre — but I really liked Nori! It was beautifully decorated with great views of the «New Columbia Heights (ie: Target, Children’s Place, Bank of America, all of those things we thought we’d gotten away from when we moved to CH three years ago…). I thought the service was very good, we were seated instantly, and our needs were well attended to. I think we even had two or three waiters helping us, so check plus on the service.
Two people in my party got sushi and a third ordered from the kitchen and we all loved our meals. I thought the French Roll was awesome, with deep fried shrimp and perfectly spiced mayo sauce. As people have mentioned, it’s not mind-​blowing sushi, but it’s pretty tasty.
I would definitely go here again, although I wish they would put out their terrace seating for lunch! This place is definitely good-​sauce, and a welcome addition to the Fancy CH we’ve come to know.

I’ve been to this place twice, and I’m a fan. The atmosphere is nice and the food is good, though the entrees and starters are where it’s at – the sushi is decent, nothing great but nothing bad. I’ve had the Bangkok peanut noodles with chicken, which is sweet and tasty with a nice building spiciness, and the jop chae, Korean stir fry clear noodles with beef and vegetables — very good. The mussels appetizer (or clams, I forget) were also good. They have a good Asian beer selection and lots of sake too. It may not be the best Asian place in town, but it’s good and close if you live in Columbia Heights, MtP or Petworth.

It went form a café/​bakery, to a club, to now a restaurant, it seems like Nori is still discovering itself. The food is a decent fusion but it can do better. The sushi is good and I tried the Korean/​Chinese jajangmyun (black bean noodle? — correct me if i’m wrong). You can rarely find this ANYWHERE in DC, so this is a hit for those who crave it. However, I think they use udon noodles instead of the traditional kind. But hey, beggars can’t be choosers.

I went back just the other day,
and was not impressed.
I saw that they had put some paintings up,
redid the whole front area, and had a few
changes on the menu.
However, this did not excuse what they
had done to their food portions.
We paid $ 10 for 4 or 5 pieces of rolls.
I ordered the tonkatsu which I actually
thought was decent before and got
something different from what I got
last time. The tonkatsu pieces that were
normal sized (approx. size of my hand)
were now half the size of my hand… if that.
The seoul black bean noodle was garnished
with frozen vegetables…
All of the meats and seafood in the black
bean noodle dish were overcooked.
The seafood was definitely frozen too.
The only reason i would ever go back
is if I’m super hungry and feel like using my
20% coupon which I regrettably forgot to take with me.

I have only been here twice, both times for carry out as its across the street from my apartment. The first time I ordered two rolls to go — Tokyo Roll and a Philly roll. I should have checked it before I left but didn’t (lesson learned). Got home to find a California roll and a Volcano roll.
I got someone else order. I called them and told them what happened they said that the other person had already called and let them know. I they asked me what I would like for them to do. I thought about it for a minute or so and the women said if I wanted she could credit me for my meal and replace my order it would be ready in 10 minutes. I really didn’t want to go back out as I was already in my pj’s. She said no problem they would still credit my card and please let her know next time I am in.
I went it last week while on vaykey as I didn’t want to cook so I stopped by on my way home just as they Nori was opening. Placed the same order as before and checked it before I left (they got it right).
Headed home to check out my sushi — it was decent the roll did not hold together and the rice was a little mushy for me, quality of fish was a little lacking I thought hence I think its a bit pricey. It is not the best I have had but when I don’t want to head downtown or out to my #1 place in MD. this will do as long as I stick with the basics I think.

I went back to Nori last week and not only was service vastly improved, but the quality of their fish seemed much better, as well.
TIP: Sit at the sushi bar and the chef will make a complimentary sushi taster of the day for you.

I just went for a drink at the bar. I ordered my drink: a perfect manhattan. It’s not a complicated drink to make but, when done wrong, it can be nearly undrinkable. Alas, Nori’s bar did not pass the test. The proportions were slightly off but the real problem was that the bar tender shook the hell out of it. Any good bar tender knows that whiskey is to be stirred, not shaken. I get the feeling that he shakes every drink he makes, perhaps for show. I live around the corner from this place so I really want it to do well but I’d be surprised if it makes it to spring.

I’ve been to Nori twice now. The first time I got sushi take out and the service was despicable. I will forgive them that given that it was the first or second Friday night that they opened, but the sushi was just okay. I’m no sushi connoisseur and I could tell that it was mediocre.
The second time we went I ordered «crazy noodles,» which weren’t «crazy» so much as «gross.» You know when you go to the grocery store and buy those frozen bags of stir fry and they are mostly bland and have those teeny tiny shrimp (where do those things come from?)? That’s what the crazy noodles were like, only I think they threw some red pepper flakes on top because it was really spicy.
I want to see this local place succeed so I will go back, but if I’m being honest, it’s not very good.

Really? This many negative reviews? My roommate and I just went here tonight for dinner, and couldn’t stop talking about how good our food was.
I don’t remember what we got, but we picked some random things off the menu (Fire roll and Tokyo maybe?) and some others and everything we got was fantastic. We left full and happy. And the best part is that it’s up the street from us.
We’ve been to a few different places around DC and this is the first one that we were happy with. Go figure.
Anyway, one less star due to the fact we got seated at an awkwardly double parked table, that basically was near a very lovey dovey couple. Gross.

You know, I feel bad saying this, but the food at Nori is just horrible. Horrible, I say! I was very, VERY excited to hear that they had opened up where Mayorga used to be. I ate there with a few folks and these are just a few things that I had sampled:
– Tuna roll (sushi)
– Salmon roll (sushi)
– seaweed salad
– avocado salad
Sounds pretty straightforward, right? Something that a decent sushi joint shouldn’t screw up, right? Well, Nori did a fantastic job of screwing all of these dishes up. The sushi was very disappointing, the seaweed salad was very bland, and the avocados in the avocado salad were ICE COLD and totally NOT ripe at all… which means they were completely flavorless. On top of all that, our waitress was M.I.A. 90% of the time.
All three of us were terribly disappointed and vowed to never return. It’s such a shame when an establishment takes over such great real estate but can’t put the effort into making quality food. Please save your money and go elsewhere. If you’re in the mood for sushi, I recommend Banana Leaves in Dupont. Steer clear of this place.

OK for neighborhood sushi, but once again, not a place to go out of your way to. The seating is arranged strangely but it looked like they were trying to protect the integrity of the Tivoli theater. The service was also strange — at first our waiter walked around in circles near our table like a hawk, ready to pounce when we were ready to order but later when we wanted to pay the bill, he was nowhere to be found. We ordered the tempura appetizer, which was alright, but way too much for an appetizer. The sushi rolls we got were acceptable, though the California roll had WAY too much wasabi. If I am in need of sushi, I would go again, but I wouldn’t recommend it to a friend.

Given that I didn’t want to make dinner and the line is ridiculously long at Giant after 5 pm, I decided to stop in at Nori for some take-​out. I don’t see a problem with using the same tables as Mayorga, and I in fact thought it looked nice and clean. I like the ‘bar’ where you can sit in front of them making the food.
When I walked in they were very friendly and let me take my time choosing what I would like. I got Miso ($ 3 or 4) soup and the spicy roll combo ($ 14) which has 18 rolls. I’m not a sushi roll expert but I thought they were pretty good and 18 rolls for 14 dollars isn’t bad in my opinion. The only thing is that it wasn’t very spicy — at all. The soup could have used more/​bigger chunks of tofu as well, but it all still tasted yummy.
One thing that could help the ambiance is music. It was deathly quiet in there!
Decent prices, good amounts to split with a friend. Not a place I would frequent but definitely in my price range.

2.75 stars. If Nori was located in, say, Ballston, it could get away with serving pedestrian sushi at reasonable prices. But given its location, I think it will have difficulty attracting customers in the gentrified neighborhood of Columbia Heights. Here, the yuppie urbanites will either 1) be grossed out by sushi, 2) be scared off by the friendly Hispanic population, or 3) have enough sophistication to realize that they aren’t getting a quality product. Fresh out of college kids will probably like it, but are there enough of them in the area to sustain business for this restaurant? But anyway, I digress from the substance of this review.
I tried the don katsu. It was sufficiently average. It is really, really hard to screw up deep fried pork chop, and Nori does a sufficient job of making a pleasurable meal out of this particular order. The portion size is large enough, and it comes with a miso soup (below average) and a salad (I really like the dressing they use). My biggest question was 1) why it took so long to make and 2) what was the pink blob that appeared on top of the raw cabbage salad in the takeout box? Holding those two items aside, though, it’s basically what I would expect for a $ 13 order of don katsu.
On the other hand, I order 18 pieces of sushi (the spicy roll combo) for $ 14, and I should have known from the ridiculously cheap price that this was going to be low-​end sushi. If I ordered a roll that cost me $ 14, and I received this kind of crap, I’d be pissed. But this was basically like fast food sushi; it wasn’t the worst I have had, but I have certainly had better sushi. The major problem with the sushi is encapsulated in Jack F’s eerily similar experience to mine at this restaurant (the fish was not firm, and it had water pockets).
In the future, I will probably just go with orders like their don katsu, chicken teriyaki, yakisoba, etc. because these items are not necessarily difficult to prepare. It’s possible that for the more expensive sushi, they use a better product. Having said that, I’d steer clear of that for now and wait until they hopefully upgrade their product.

3 stars for food. 2 stars for service. 2.5 stars for décor (same as it was in its previous life as Mayorga). I don’t have the heart to give them a 2 star rating on their opening week. The fish was fresh enough and the prices are reasonable. This isn’t the best or the worst sushi you can get in DC, but for the price its what you would expect. If you enjoy… say, Café Asia, this will be a step up for you. If you are a regular of Sushi-​Ko or Sushi Taro, this will be a definite step down.
The waiter and hostess were nice enough, but the slowness and lack of knowledge of the menu was just excruciating. Nori has lunch specials that seemed reasonably priced, but since the list is not printed on an actual piece of paper and the waiter can’t remember them I was given the option to reacquaint myself with the lunch specials by returning to the lobby and reading them off of the board.
After the extremely long wait for the food and then again for the bill and then again to run the credit cards, I don’t see eating here for lunch again. I do work close by so I will use it as a carry-​out option. This could be just some opening week slip-​ups. I’ll be sure to update if anything changes.

It’s nice to be able to walk across the street and have sushi this good. Admittedly, I’m not a connoisseur, but I understand the difference between the heaven-​in-​your-​mouth stuff that costs a fortune, and the kind of sushi that serves as a way to mix up your take-​out schedule on a lazy Sunday evening.
Nori fits into the latter category, and as long as you approach the place with that attitude, you’ll be far from disappointed. This isn’t going to be the best you’ve ever had. But if you’re going to spend the same amount on something comparable, I recommend Nori highly.
The staff is friendly and accomodating. Our take-​out order took a little longer than expected, and we were given some fresh orange slices and a nice cup of tea while we waited.
When our food was ready and we got home to eat it, the only complaint I had was that they packaged it in styrofoam. The gyoza and the sushi was delicious. The sesame dressing on the complimentary salad was scrumptrilescent, and the beef yakisoba was awesome.
Think about it this way: there is the kind of pizza you get at a trattoria in Naples, which is authentic and heavenly, and then there are the expensive places Stateside that try to replicate it and come close. And THEN there are the less-​expensive places like Pizzeria Paradiso and 2Amys that are obviously not authentic, but are delicious nonetheless. Nori’s like that.
Also, yes. Nori is in Columbia Heights, and if you’ve been to Pete’s A-​Pizza or The Heights or any other place in the area, you’ll notice that there are plenty of potential patrons, but it’s so new that it hasn’t caught on yet.
This place doesn’t pretend to be upscale, but it isn’t a hole in the wall. I think a lot of D.C. people don’t understand that something can be right in the middle and still be good.

Just when my hope for sushi in Columbia Heights was dwindling, Nori came to the rescue. It definitely needs more publicity, since the only reason I knew it existed (and is no longer Mayorga Lounge) is a sign outside its entrance. We decided to stop by and see if they do take out. We were greeted by friendliness that is rarely found in any DC restaurant, let alone a NEW restaurant. The sushi chef and the waitress that helped us were creepily friendly and courteous. While we waited for our food, we were offered tea and a delicious orange.
In about twenty minutes, we were enjoying (for all of $ 30): a rainbow roll, gyoza and beef yakisoba (which Surprise! also comes with soup and salad.) We were even given TWO salads and TWO soups, because the waitress was attentive enough to notice that this was a dinner for two. On top of that, she also gave us a 15% off «coupon» for next time, letting us know that actual coupons will be around shortly (she just wrote on the back of our receipt… but how sweet is that?
My anxiety to try this yummy and inexpensive food was matched by the delicious and fresh dinner that was inhaled in about 10 minutes flat (note: exaggeration.) The roll was extremely fresh and made perfectly. The salad came with a delicious sesame dressing, and the miso soup was some of the best around, in my opinion.
The gyoza and yakisoba were as delicious. If I had to improve anything, the yakisoba was a bit bland, but was saved by fresh steamed vegetables (there is no way these veggies could have been frozen) and very tender beef.
All in all, I am half angry half extremely excited that Nori has opened up in my neighborhood. I will probably be eating sushi at least 3 nights a week now because it’s fresh, delicious Asian cuisine with friendly staff.
To address the comments in another review, I agree that the menu items are standard, staple «Americanized» Asian dishes and the sushi menu does include those weird combinations like the «Boston Roll» (whoever thought that bagels and lox could somehow be morphed into a sushi roll is just plain strange.) But, in my opinion, that is exactly what CH needed. If you’re looking for Asian fusion and something that will run you more then $ 50/​pp, head a few metro stops down to Chinatown to your typical DC fusion/​wannabe/​pick-​of-​the-​week establishment.
I want to shout from the rooftops «Go to Nori!» You can tell that a lot has been put in this place to make it work and I hope that the yumminess of Nori catches on soon!