We waited quite awhile for menus and were surprised we couldnt order cocktails, only beer, wine or sake...but that is okay. I think some places now want you to pull up their menu on your cell phone because of the pandemic, less handling of things by other people but Im old fashioned and like a big menu to look at. The shrimp tempura was the BEST Ive had since living in NYC, and we ordered the sushi dinner. All the sushi was great except we didnt like their disguising one piece on our plate as sushi when it was an omelet cut to look like sushi! I thought it tasted like scrambled eggs! So if you like sushi, you might ask for the real thing for all pieces, no egg surprises. The dinner came with salad and miso soup. All in all, it was a great dinner!!

Took our daughter out for her 25th birthday. Had a great time and good hibachi. Sushi was also good. We had a fun time and the flavor was fantastic. Good cocktails also.

High quality ingredients. I have been to Japan many times and everything here is very similar to real Japan

The food is great and so is the service!

Fantastic food! We eat here pretty regularly and have never had a bad meal. Sushi is fresh, Ramen is tasty, and the miso soup and seaweed salad are some of the best Ive had anywhere. Highly recommend

Best sushi in Old Town! Zento is our go-to for sushi and it is always delicious. Their rolls and nigiri sushi are amazing. They are also very friendly and the atmosphere inside the restaurant is very pleasant. They are quick to get orders ready for takeout and are always courteous. Highly recommend Zento!

This is my new favorite sushi spot. Their rolls are fresh and just amazing. Highly recommend!

Great little restaurant with fresh sushi!The decor inside was done very well and reminded me of many other Japanese izakayas in Asia.I enjoyed the Yellowtail Jalapeño. It had a slight kick of spice and nothing over the top. The Atlantic Roll is like a double salmon roll, but the sauce made it slightly sweeter than what I would’ve normally liked. Regardless, every cut of fish was very fresh and did not feel like it was frozen at any point. The Tonkasu was made well and had a nice, light crispy crust.The staff was very friendly and provided spectacular service.

Great Ramen bowls.. Must try!

The food, ambient, everything was excellent, my brother and I definitely enjoyed our dinner!

I had never done happy hour sushi before: its as delicious as it is a great bargain. A wide selection of some of the best quality sushi in Old Town served quickly without compromising quality or service. 👍🏻

Bento boxes were great! Vegetarian options for all, good price for the amount of food.

Did not taste like sushi rice. The price was high but the maki rolls tasted like mass produced sushi at a buffet like Sushi King or Hibachi buffet. The rolls were wrapped so loosely that they were falling apart as I picked them up with my chopsticks. I ordered the spicy salmon roll which their idea of that was squeezing siracha and Mayo on top of a roll with salmon inside. Normally used to that being mixed in with the chopped up salmon. Woke up at 4 am with upset stomach and food poisoning from the sushi which is the only thing I ate for dinner.

Came here for dinner on Friday. Made a reservation. Temperature checks at the host stand, tables were spread out. Server was nice. Decent sushi menu but it took a little long to come out. Wish they had more cocktails.

The food here is very delicious. And the staffs here are really nice too. I will come back here again!

Always enjoy supporting my local sushi 🍣 spot. Never fails to deliver tasty sushi.

The hostess Kim was super sweet and accommodating. The food was amazing, exactly what I wanted and great portions. I’ll definitely be back when I’m in town!

Loved this place.Tiny location (with limited seating, even at the best of times by the look of it), but nice inside. Staff was friendly. The food was GREAT. I had vegetables tempura, ramen, and a side salad--even the salad, with whatever that sweet but slightly savory dressing was, was excellent. Will absolutely be back again.

This place is super quaint and has a great selection of sushi and Japanese food. Their bento box is a great deal. Sushi has been excellent every time. Great place for happy hour.

Consistently delicious every time. Service is great.

Definitely the best authentic Japan cuisine Ive ever had, the employees are absolutely wonderful and carry out orders efficiently and quickly :)

Called to place an order for pick-up and confirmed the order with the woman on the phone as she repeated each item back to us. Picked up the food and took it home to find that 2 of the meals that we ordered were not there and one meal was missing a miso soup. We had already driven 30 minutes home but called back to see what happened because the missing meals weren’t even on the ticket. The woman on the phone even remembered our order and confirmed that the 2 meals were forgotten.Really disappointed with this mistake, especially during coronavirus when we rely so much on take-out and efficacy of the restaurant. Will not order again due to unreliable service.

Great restaurant, I definitely recommend.I have been here multiple times and the service and food are always amazing. Not only the sushi but this restaurant does other japanese dishes that you must try. For example the Curry is amazing

This sushi place is smaller than the one I go in Arlington, but the food has a large presence. I tried the quail egg for the first time and it was not as bad as I thought. I always order eel and salmon sushi. Both are meaty and delicious. Will go back when Im in Alexandria.

Awesome food, and they have Okinawan Orion beer that not very many places nor stores do in the whole DMV area.

Service and food is WAY better than Ichiban Sushi House in King Street in Old Town! Go here instead!

Fantastic service and good, fresh fish. They had salmon and yellowtail belly which are both great to see. No tuna belly or uni though which is unfortunate. Lots of great maki options beyond the good nigiri/sashimi choices.Not ultra high end, but better than your average corner sushi place.

Favorite sushi in the area! Ive eaten here several times and have never been disappointed. The food and service both are always great. Most recently I got delivery - tuna poke salad and yakitori (teriyaki chicken skewers). Food was packaged really well which preserved the presentation and taste. Highly recommend!

When I arrived to pick up my food, the restaurant was near empty and it still took an unreasonably long time for someone to approach me. When the server finally did, she hardly looked at me or spoke to me and just about tossed my meal at me. Im not exaggerating- I almost dropped my food because she was already turning her back and walking away as she passed it off to me. It was well before their closing time and I had tipped them well beforehand and so I believe there was no reason for me to be treated that way for a simple pick up order after I politely waited for service. In the future please treat your guest with basic dignity.

I love sushi and Japanese food in general, but this Ramen might just be the best Ive ever had. I wish the pork belly was a little more tender, but the BROTH! It was so flavorful and rich. The noodles were perfect. I also had a Spicy Salmon roll which was also fantastic.

Ill start by saying that I am not a big fan of Asian food. I have tried a few different things here and so far to me the beef bowl is the best. It had a nice flavor overall. The chicken teriyaki was on the dry side. One of the other people in the group really liked the sushi.

Wow this place is amazing. Everything was delicious! The salmon sushi roll, the dumplings steamed, the teriyaki chicken was so simple but the best Ive ever had. The place is small but great service and excellent food. The price blows me away too as so affordable. If this wasnt our last meal in DC we would have come back every night!!

Delicious food but the place is a bit packed/tiny

This place was packed when we got there around 5.30pm. Its a small vibrant Japanese restaurant.Service was fast and efficient (dont expect any personal feel to the service here).Sushi roll was satisfactory - eel smells a little funky.The size of Gyudon was generous - nothing mindblowing special about it either.Recommend to come here during happy hours.

This was our last day in Washington, and we were looking for something to eat when zento popped up on Google maps.We ordered ramen and definitely did not regret that decision. Having been to Japan before, we simply loved the food being served here.The place was rather full, but staff managed to arrange a table quickly and the service was great. Definitely recommend this place when passing through Alexandria.

So good! Fresh fish, perfectly cut to melt in your mouth.

One of the best sushi restaurants I have ever been to. The service is always fast and friendly. All of the food Ive tried has been amazing, not just the sushi. A great place to go for lunch or dinner if you are in the area.

The ramen soup is really good here. Also the udon was good too especially the pork dumplings. The udon had some nice chew to it which I really liked.

I constantly stop getting some food in here. I enjoy the speedy customer service and well prepared dishes. 5 stars from me.

Fresh, fresh, fresh food. Good service.. Beautifully prepared and presented in the Bento Box. Will definitely come back.

Just got takeout from here and wow. The rolls are creative and perfectly crafted with expertise. Not a bit of sauce was needed. Just wow and thank you. I could not recommend this place more

Good sushi,great wide selection, great service and was delicious!!!!💚

Bento Box C with the nigiri is a great deal. Very filling!

It was really good! Me and my family came here for my sisters birthday and it was awesome! The little ice cream that they gave her was super cute. The sushi is awesome and the bento boxes! And the waitress was really fast and nice. We will definitely be coming back.

My fiance and I got the ramen and it is the best weve ever had. The broth was rich and the noodles were cooked perfectly. Will definitely be coming back for more.

The prices are decent and portions are great. The food is really good and you get a salad and miso soup for free to start off your meal. The store is open and really comfortable and youre seated fairly quickly.

Great sushi, good prices, awesome service. i ordered the sushi deluxe and it was delicious. the fish had good texture and the rice was seasoned perfectly. menu had all other kinds of dishes as well. waitresses were all very friendly. i will have to try this place again when i am in town. definitely worth going.

Great sushi small venue so get there early. Its in demand!

Best chashu ramen noodle spot around hand down. Good service, sushi, miso soup, green tea...highly recommend!

Awesome service. Great food. Outstanding portions.

Delicious! I never enjoyed mushrooms in my life but these changed my mind. The chirashi was fresh and the spider roll did not disappoint! Will definitely go back!

Best place to go for Japanese food! Everything was awesome!!! Bento box for the win!!!

New to the area and its hard to find sushi that rivals Annapolis, but Zento is awesome. Wish there were more tables, as it can be had to get a spot. Definitely worth it.

Excellent cozy, Japanese Food. Great Sushi and Nice Staff

Solid sushi, combination of tempura and rainbow roll is ingenious

Id passed by this place for 20 years and finally decided to try it. Excellent sushi, maybe best in Old Town. They lose a star for blasting Fox News Propaganda in the background

The fried chicken ramen is sooooo good!Would definitely come back!

Sushi is average, the price is good. I was a little grossed out how the shrimp is not deveined!

Randomly found this gem while at the outlets. We came in, they took our temp, which is nice precaution given the current predicament. The edemame with garlic soy glaze...awesome. We got some rolls with tuna and salmon...awesome. reasonably priced, and great service.

Cozy little hole in the wall in a great area. Atmosphere was very zen and the staff was friendly and helpful. Food was outstanding as well 😊

Great spot. Good service. The sushi and ramen is well priced. You dont get little skinny rolls here. Im a fairly large guy and two rolls makes me full. Ramen is really good too. The sushi happy hour between 5 and 7 is the best deal around for sure.

Good food. Always reliable & friendly service.Make sure to make a reservation

I ordered for pickup and didn’t get my order until nearly 2 hours after my pickup time. One of the worst things about this experience is that I was assured my order would be coming out soon. Why not be honest about how long it is going to take? To make this experience worse, I ordered on their website but they also take orders through Grubhub which is prioritized. I sat here from 715 to 9pm being told by the staff that my order would be coming soon and watching grubhub orders with a later time being fulfilled.

Excelent ramen. The broth is superb. I wish there were more options to add to the ramen though. The food also came out pretty quick. Overall, great place.

The best beef bowl weve had in the DMV area.

I enjoyed my Sushi. Very fresh.

Absolutely delicious sushi, and the service was wonderful. Hope to eat here again the next time Im in DC

Exceptional sushi!

Great food and staff!

We love Zento. Best sushi around!

We love Zento! It is a simple place, but the food and the service at both fantastic.

The sushi we ordered was excellent and the tofu ramen was okay.

Came early and was able to leave a phone number while waiting for a table. A bit small but not overly cramped. Very clean and interestingly decorated atmosphere.Some of the best sushi Ive had. Took a while to prepare 6 sushi dishes (had about a 25 min wait on a busy Sunday evening) but was super fresh and very much worth the wait.

Possibly some of the best ramen Ive ever tasted. The Katsudon was fantastic too. The seating is a little tight but the food definitely makes up for it.

Food is very good but service is EXTREMELY slow.

Small place with good food and atmosphere

Food is great but they really cannot handle busy times. Even ordering 3 hours ahead does not seem to allow them enough time to have your food ready at an appointed time.

Zento was awesome! The sushi was delicious and the atmosphere was great. It’s a pleasure to be able to go and sit in a restaurant to have a nice meal.

Went there today. It was delicious, service excellent, very clean, and food prices were very reasonable.

The absolute best udon and sushi restaurant in the entire DMV. I literally don’t go anywhere else unless this place is closed.

Seriously I’m impressed. Moved here in June 2018 and have been looking for an amazing sushi place ever since... and this is it! Tbh most sushi places around here just aren’t good. This sushi really blew me away and reminded me of some of the best sushi I’ve ever had. I actually ordered the firecracker roll and miso soup off DoorDash, and had a great experience! My order arrived in the time it said it would, the miso soup was still warm and NOT LEAKING ANYWHERE, the sushi still tasted fresh and they even taped the soy sauce on top of the sushi box so it wouldn’t spill in transit. It’s such a small but brilliant add! I can’t wait to go here in person and/order again. 100/100 amazing def go here!!!

No frills great sushi

Been getting take out and it is amazing. Cant wait to dine in!

Zento’s staff was AMAZING! The food was incredible and they treated us like we were stars. Highly recommend

Amazing sushi!

Fantastic food, service is great, decor is nice. Id recommend it for dates or casual

My partner and I frequent this spot on weekends, the sushi is deliciously fresh and atmosphere relaxed,highly recommend!

The sushi is good but the ramen is phenomenal.

Amazing food and friendly staff

Not so bad but not good. I expected more tasted.

Huge menu! They have everything! So, so, so GOOD! 🤤😍 Friendly staff and fast service! Large portions and wonderful quality for a great price! If you like asian food, you HAVE to eat here!!!! ❤️❤️

Good ramen!

Great Services and the food was amaizing

Best sushi in Alexandria!

Outstanding service and excellent sushi. The wait staff and management care about the customer experience and go the extra mile to ensure your visit is worth the wait. The sushi is fresh and tasty. Excellent rolls, both traditional and specialty. Highly recommended!

Arrived at 2:25pm and they would not seat us

With the number of sushi restaurants in the area, I find that, too often, I compromise quality for proximity. I have tried to change that as life is too short for mediocre sushi. Zento was not only worth the drive, but will be on my list of top three sushi restaurants in the DC/VA area. Very nice atmosphere and great quality fish make this a great place to try and keep coming back.The only reason this did not get 5 stars is due to my very sparing use of over three stars. Five stars would be getting sushi in Japan from Jiro Ono.

The sushi was fresh! Id definitely go back!

I got some Chasu Ramen to go, delivered through Door Dash. I loved that the broth came separate from everything else. That ensured that the noodles didnt overcook! Simple detail that is easily overlooked. Of course, I had to taste the broth on its on. It was umami magic with a little bit of a kick. I liked it as much as my homemade broth! The pork belly was delicious. Seasoned perfectly. Not dry at all. I like mine a tiny bit more:) Even the egg was seasoned perfectly! Finally, the noodles were perfect. Thank you for a wonderful meal Zento!

Nice service