| Address | 238 West Broad St., Falls Church, VA 22046 |
|---|---|
| Hours | 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m. Mon-Thu & Sat; 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Fri; 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Sun |
| Phone | (703) 534-8666 |
| Website | www.mneko.com/ |
The first impression I got walking through the doors to Maneki Neko: "Wow. Charming!" The presentation is almost overwhelming; the walls are painted gold and red, and there are tiny glass kittens (Maneko Nekos are "lucky cats" in Japanese lore) decorating the restaurant.
The service staff is very competent and responsive--refills are quick, the time from ordering until you get your food isn't long, and your appetizers are brought out first. I'm guessing it's just "Japanese politeness," but the waitresses are a little too quiet for my tastes. The sushi chefs at the bar energetically great you as you enter, though: "Irrashaimase!"
Most Japanese places around Falls Church seem to focus on sushi; Maneki shines brightest in their kitchen entrees, which is a huge plus as someone that doesn't care much for sushi. I've found Maneki's appetizers and entrees (especially the gyouza, teriyaki chicken and tonkatsu) far better than their competition in the area.
As I said, I'm not much of a sushi fan--but my group of friends is, and they say Maneki's sushi is good, but nothing to write home about. But if you're looking for authentic Japanese kitchen food, look no further.
I was on the prowl for an authentic bowl of ramen soup during the winter time. The town favorite seemed to be Sushi Taro, but Sushi Taro only offered ramen seasonally and they were closed at the time remodeling. Maneki Neko is a little Japanese gem tucked away off the side of a busy street in Falls Church. It is very easy to drive past this restaurant and keep on going, unless you are actively seeking it out.
It's very hard not to dock points here for my fellow diners. There were very very annoying people seated all around me, even at the sushi bar. What can I say? I hate drunk obnoxious old women and old white men that butcher the Japanese language and try to speak Japanese to the sushi chef when he is clearly pained by the language daggers attacking his ears. But I digress.
The ramen was better than some I've had, but still nowhere close to Japan. I think I'll have to travel to New York at least for that. It was only $5 and it was Duck Ramen, so there was at least that. The broth was a little too salty and too rich for me. I personally liked how the duck soaked up all the liquid so that it was a bit soggy, but some people might not. Age tofu was towards the lower end of the spectrum here, taste and texture wise. The tofu was too soft and the outside coating was too soggy. I think this was because the dish the tofu was served in was so small that it was immersed in the liquid deeper than it usually is. Their site touts that okonomiyaki is their specialty (as I saw them cooking it at Sakura Matsuri after this visit), but it does not list it anywhere on there menu. I wonder if this is an "off the menu" item... Seaweed salad and the sushi went un-noticed on my radar, neither good nor bad. Like I said, the only reason I went here was because I wanted ramen that wasn't in Maryland. I do think that it's worth trying out because I give it points for authenticity and the fact that it is quite local and convenient to the Northern Virginia area. (Maybe I just like speaking Japanese and being told that I seem Japanese []. But that's a personally great way to get in my good graces)
Now this is just a personal problem of mine, but it really irks me when non-authentic Japanese restaurants pop up, make chains, and invade neighborhoods. I had a restaurant gift certificate to this place or I would most likely never have gone. And I mean never.
Continuing my ramen hunt from Maneki Neko, I ordered the ramen here. They warned me when I ordered it that it was going to be spicy and that it was not authentic. Well, they were half right. It wasn't spicy, but it also was not authentic in the least bit. Unless you count dumping a square block of Maruchan Instant Ramen into a pot of water and cooking it with the included packet of seasoning authentic. They did add some other 'toppings', but they didn't mask the tell-tale ramen noodle/sauce combination.
My best advice is to only go here when you have a gift certificate of some kind and only order sushi. The sushi is pretty decent and if you're getting $50 worth of sushi for about half the price, I'd say go for it. Oh, and sit as far away from the hibachi (grill) tables as possible. The annoying, loud groups enjoying their theater meal tend to echo in this large, empty restaurant.
Now this is just a personal problem of mine, but it really irks me when non-authentic Japanese restaurants pop up, make chains, and invade neighborhoods. I had a restaurant gift certificate to this place or I would most likely never have gone. And I mean never.
Continuing my ramen hunt from Maneki Neko, I ordered the ramen here. They warned me when I ordered it that it was going to be spicy and that it was not authentic. Well, they were half right. It wasn't spicy, but it also was not authentic in the least bit. Unless you count dumping a square block of Maruchan Instant Ramen into a pot of water and cooking it with the included packet of seasoning authentic. They did add some other 'toppings', but they didn't mask the tell-tale ramen noodle/sauce combination.
My best advice is to only go here when you have a gift certificate of some kind and only order sushi. The sushi is pretty decent and if you're getting $50 worth of sushi for about half the price, I'd say go for it. Oh, and sit as far away from the hibachi (grill) tables as possible. The annoying, loud groups enjoying their theater meal tend to echo in this large, empty restaurant.
Now this is just a personal problem of mine, but it really irks me when non-authentic Japanese restaurants pop up, make chains, and invade neighborhoods. I had a restaurant gift certificate to this place or I would most likely never have gone. And I mean never.
Continuing my ramen hunt from Maneki Neko, I ordered the ramen here. They warned me when I ordered it that it was going to be spicy and that it was not authentic. Well, they were half right. It wasn't spicy, but it also was not authentic in the least bit. Unless you count dumping a square block of Maruchan Instant Ramen into a pot of water and cooking it with the included packet of seasoning authentic. They did add some other 'toppings', but they didn't mask the tell-tale ramen noodle/sauce combination.
My best advice is to only go here when you have a gift certificate of some kind and only order sushi. The sushi is pretty decent and if you're getting $50 worth of sushi for about half the price, I'd say go for it. Oh, and sit as far away from the hibachi (grill) tables as possible. The annoying, loud groups enjoying their theater meal tend to echo in this large, empty restaurant.
Now this is just a personal problem of mine, but it really irks me when non-authentic Japanese restaurants pop up, make chains, and invade neighborhoods. I had a restaurant gift certificate to this place or I would most likely never have gone. And I mean never.
Continuing my ramen hunt from Maneki Neko, I ordered the ramen here. They warned me when I ordered it that it was going to be spicy and that it was not authentic. Well, they were half right. It wasn't spicy, but it also was not authentic in the least bit. Unless you count dumping a square block of Maruchan Instant Ramen into a pot of water and cooking it with the included packet of seasoning authentic. They did add some other 'toppings', but they didn't mask the tell-tale ramen noodle/sauce combination.
My best advice is to only go here when you have a gift certificate of some kind and only order sushi. The sushi is pretty decent and if you're getting $50 worth of sushi for about half the price, I'd say go for it. Oh, and sit as far away from the hibachi (grill) tables as possible. The annoying, loud groups enjoying their theater meal tend to echo in this large, empty restaurant.
