Ariake - Fairfax

Ariake Fairfax is a must-try for sushi lovers. Their fish / sushi never has the "fishy" taste, just super clean and simple ingredients. My family loves the bento boxes as they are hearty and a good price, and my sister, friends, bf and I always enjoy the rolls and appetizers. There's always something for everyone here, including those who have restrictive diets.I usually try something new each time, as there's constantly rolls and dishes that I want to try. But I will always recommend their nigiri options, as they are affordable and tasty. My boyfriend really liked his french kiss roll and I really enjoyed my crispy tiger roll. My sister loved her dynamite roll and my friend enjoyed his tuna roll (he also got a large tonkatsu plate too). We all shared the volcano roll and some karaage options (chicken and squid). We only wished that the lemon was sliced into small wedges instead of a regular slice, but we were able to just glide the pieces onto the lemon for light flavoring.The staff are super friendly and nice, and there's a lot of seating inside. Super cozy! The parking can get tricky, but there's still a good amount of parking.I recommended this place to my friend and she always goes back here when she visits! Check it out sometime if you haven't already!

We went there again tonight and discovered the Tonkatsu ramen with an Ikura Don add-on; the salty fish roe and salmon bites was just the right amount. Sushi regular and vegetable tempura didn't disappoint as usual.

After hearing that good reviews of Ariake's sushi quality, decided to make a trip to Fairfax for dinner. Arrived around 6PM on a Saturday night and it was PACKED. I believe the front house said that the wait was around 45 minutes but then luckily a space for 2 at the bar opened up so we were seated within 10. We started off with ordering a toro power roll to share and decided on 2 orders of the 12 piece chef's choice nigiri. As we were waiting for our food, we were given a side salad and some miso soup. Pretty standard tasting and felt good to snack on while waiting. Momentarily, we received the toro power roll and it definitely lived up to the hype. The tuna melted upon first bite and the quality was so fresh. I loved how the inside of the roll was negi tuna style while added to the melt in your mouth. We inhaled the roll in no time and frankly it lived rent free in our heads for the rest of the night.Took about 20 minutes from when we ordered before the nigiri came out but for some reason only one came out. Took some time to flag a server down because the place was packed but once we did, we found out a second order was never placed. Slight inconvenience since we wanted to eat the platter simultaneously but we just shared the single platter in the meantime before the other one came out. For $33.50, I thought the 12 piece was pretty value. There was a good variety of fish and seafood options on the plate. My favorites were the unagi (melted!!), the fish that I honestly couldn't decipher (5th from top row). Tuna and salmon were good but I've had better and wasn't too big of a fan of the chewier pieces (shrimp, squid).Given the toro power roll was still in our thoughts, we put another order in to end the night. This time around, it actually tasted different and didn't melt in our mouth as previously experienced. Took a closer look and I noticed the tuna on the instead was whole so the texture of the roll completely changed and was more chewier than before. It was still good but not as enjoyable as we first had it so not sure which is the correct version of the dish?We left stuffed and content with our meal. Would recommend for anyone wanting good quality sushi at reasonable prices. Still conflicted over the toro power roll and its true composition. Perhaps I'll get to the bottom of it next time around.

A great omakase, but if you're looking for a chef explanation omakase experience I am not sure if they do that here. Overall a good selection of sushi by chef with the omakase. Each piece was very well crafted and presented. Taste is as delicious and the service was great. Definitely worth going and trying! Can't wait to go back and try other menu items.

My partner and I have been here twice now. First time was with family for a Christmas Eve dinner. The service was nice nothing too noteworthy. The ambiance is a typical sushi restaurant nothing too glamours very mellow, which I don't mind. Onto the food, their toro power roll is incredible, their sashimi all taste and feel fresh. We did the omakase recently, enjoyed it quite a lot. The only issue I had with the omakase was that we weren't informed about the additional charge for hand roll, uni roll. We didn't request them because we assumed they came with the omakase but it was an additional charge, which is why I wish they would have told us, so we could have ordered it alongside the omakase. Outside of that I had a delicious meal and highly recommend the red bean ice cream it was so yummy.

We walked in for dinner on a weekend around 6pm and it was packed (about a 15min wait) which is a good sign that it's worth it. When we were seated, they already had placemats and the server came around very quickly for our order. There's also staff walking around constantly refilling waters so you don't have to flag anyone down. Also, there's the open kitchen area where you can see the sushi made in front of you. They initially brought out free salad that consisted of lettuce, carrots, and a light sauce. For appetizer we got pork cha-shu, which I didn't try as I don't eat red meat but my party enjoyed it. They said the meat was soft/tender and the sauce was sweet and flavorful. For entrees we ordered curry with breaded chicken over rice, and there was a side of salad with mayo and some veggies. The other entree was a noodle dish (I don't remember the name unfortunately) but the little bit I tried to taste had the right amount of oil, saltiness, and a bit of sweetness, and the veggies and chicken were well cooked. For my dish, I really liked the curry (which I'm usually a big fan of) and it did not disappoint. Smooth flavor, creamy, and piping hot.

Everything on the menu is delicious! So we did it the right way, the only way; we ordered a bunch of food and tried everything! We started with some pork belly (Cha-Shu) served on crispy rice pillows, and grilled mackerel (Saba Shioyaki), both excellent. We followed with a three-roll sushi tray; Rainbow roll, Spider roll, and Ariake roll, all very good, with a preference for the latter. We could have stopped here, but it was so good we ordered a mixed Tempura platter, and a curry dish (don't remember the name), de-li-cious!! Best served with Sapporo.

Sushi and sashimi and Japanese kitchen food is always consistently done well.Closest to a high quality local sushi bar in Japan where the Koreans and Japanese like to frequent!

5/5 for freshness and price! I used to frequent the Reston location when I lived there and have had a chance to try the Fairfax one twice now. I love how fresh the sushi is and the spicy tuna is not overpowered by the mayo. It is basically a sushi roll with a dab of spicy mayo. The prices for the simple rolls are so fair too compared to other mediocre place.

Ordered take out- they had delicious food, fast and fresh! Great customer service! Very laid back and calm environment. We can't wait to come back and dine in with family!