Spices Asian Restaurant And Sushi Bar

YOU CAN SKIP THIS PLACE. It looks better than it tastes. The food is lackluster. I give it a six out of 10 (6/10). it’s geared towards tourists, going to the zoo and other attractions in the area. If you’re looking for quality food or anything authentic, this is not the place and anyone who thinks that this food is good, I’m sorry but they just don’t know good food. If you want real duck go to Duck Chang‘s in Annandale or Peking gourmet in Falls Church. I live in DC, but I drive to the suburbs for those places. I was hoping to find a good duck in DC, and I’m going to have to still keep looking, because this place is not it. The sushi, the soups and everything else looked mediocre at best.

Great service and food. The calamari and jalapeño appetizer was ok but not spectacular. It was served with some sort of citrus dipping sauce. The vegetable tempura entree and the stir fried eggplant with chicken were excellent.

We ordered half big duck, some Nigiri sushi, mango sticky rice, and aged tangerine beef peel. Overall pretty good, nigiri sushi have thick fish meat on top. But the aged tangerine peel beef is somewhat misleading. No tangerine flavour and it tastes more like an American Chinese dish-deep fried thick crusted beef with thick sauce on top. Not a fan. Duck is good. Mango not sweet but stick rice tastes good. Good location 6 mins walk from the zoo. No wait times.

Very impressed by this restaurant. As a starter we ordered the crabmeat wonton and spring onion cake. The wonton were superb with a delicious horseradish sauce. They were filled with real crab meat, not the fake stuff. The sushi platters were wonderful and the desserts were a piece of heaven. With it we had an extremely tasty pineapple sake. The ambience is classically elegant and the service could hardly be better. Our waitress was extremely friendly, courteous and very attentive. The whole experience was wonderful, we will gladly come back. Highly recommend.

One of my go-to places for a quick meal or to sit longer and get multiple dishes. I love the vegetable selections!

Great service, delicious food and very nice atmosphere!

The portions appear to be small for the price. We had the Grilled Mixed Vegetables and the Vegetables Tempura for dinner. The Sticky Rice and Mango dessert could have been better. The mango wasn’t ripe completely. It probably needed two or three more days to sweeten.

Yes. This food is good. The sushi is very, very satisfying. I got 6 pieces of Nigiri sushi, a spicy salmon handrolled piece, and the vanilla mochi ice cream... and it was all very delicious. The dishes had beautiful presentation, the fish had a lovely bite and texture, the rice wasn't overly dry like you might find with grocery store sushi, the handrolled piece had a lovely layering to each bite, and it was all just very good. It's a pretty plain opinion from me about this: this place has great sushi. The mochi ice cream was also treated with respect: in terms of its presentation and my enjoyment of it. The restaurant itself was fairly open and spacious. There were many small tables, to one of which we were seated. I didn't check the bathrooms, unfortunately, so I can't comment on cleanliness or maintenance. Overall, however, the place seemed well kept and generally well treated. I really have no complaints, from my perspective on the sushi itself. The server was courteous and checked in from time to time. She accidentally gave us the wrong receipt at the end, but thankfully I checked it before she realized. This is a simple review. Excellent sushi. You pay per piece, if you want Nigiri, otherwise pay by the roll or entrée. I hope my included pictures help entice you to try this restaurant. I recommend everything pictured, and hope to come back for more in the future. 5/5 stars from me.

Food was great and the service was fast and friendly. We had a variety of rolls, salmon and chicken.

Meh. We were asked to seat ourselves but every other party was seated by a hostess. That was a bit unsettling. We went on a Friday night, so it was pretty lively. The mango sticky rice wasn't my favorite. The rice tasted dry and a few days old. The bulgogi boa buns were great! I also had the kimchi bowl which was so good. I'm not a huge fan of kimchi, but this was perfect. Lastly, we had the spicy crunchy salmon rolls. No complaints with that either.

I enjoyed the service and ambiance at Spices, and the meal I had was pretty tasty. My party shared the edamame and crab meat wontons, and I ordered the Mongolian stir fry for myself. You can never go wrong with edamame, and the portion size was fantastic--plenty of edamame for four people to share. The same is true of the crab meat wontons. I'm not sure if the meat was imitation crab or not, but if it was, it certainly fooled us. The wontons were great! I'm not crazy about the mayonnaise-based sauce that came along with them, but other people in my party seemed to enjoy it. And I'll admit, I do have a bias against mayo... The Mongolian stir fry was good, but I think there was too much of the syrupy sauce. Has there been less, or had it been not so thick, I think I would have enjoyed the dish more. Everything else on mg plate was perfection (e.g. brussels, beef, peppers).

Food was very average, but worse was the guy talking on a FaceTime call at the sushi bar for an hour, on speaker. Not sure what staff could have done but they didn't seem to care at all when I told them how annoying it was for me. On the way out I told him about the virtues of earphones. They all laughed at me. Is there a world in which it's ok to be FaceTiming in a restaurant for your entire meal? AITA?

Great for happy hour. A lot bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside. Great utilization of space. I'd definitely return for happy hour or even for dinner to explore the menu. Service is wonderful. Staff is so nice and friendly.

You can relax here at a high top table, booth or outside with some shade! Happy hour can truly be a happy hour. However, my favorite thing to do is get a Thai iced tea with vanilla vodka. Yummmmm. Don't knock it until you've tried it!! Great service, Wanda. You always remember what I want or what I ordered fives times ago! I've been here so much I could basically tell you about everything on the menu, okay, maybe not EVvvverything, but pretty darn close. Enjoyed some sushi and Pad Thai this evening :) I don't think Cleveland Park would be the same without this yummy and delightful place. Check out the curry laksa (sp?!) in the noodle section-- it's one of my favorites!

Well well well, what can I say about my fav sushi place in DC. I am soo glad my friend introduced me to this spot. I am obsessed with the fresh cucumber and avocado rolls I always get. Another great item I always get is the scallion pancake. Which here is called spring onion cake. They are a good size and comes with three pancake type cakes. I have say inside and outdoors and both areas are very chill and relaxing. One of the waiters named Wanda even remembers me when I come visit DC. He also remembers my order and that I have food allergies. He is great and super nice.

My cousins, girlfriend, and I popped into a little shop nearby, and we decided to grab lunch & a drink while we were parked. We figured we couldn't go wrong with sushi, and we very much so enjoyed our lunch. We started with drinks, and then had the kimchi veggie potstickers (very yummy, but not quite enough kimchi), and then veggie sushi (were vegetarians, and they had many options). We mostly made our own sushi by asking the server if they had certain things. Overall, it was a good meal, we had good service, and the ambiance was nice. They had outdoor & indoor seating, and the indoor seating had the doors all open to get fresh air- it was quite nice! We would definitely return.

Came here for dinner Tonight and went with something different as previous times I've gotten the pad thai or fried rice dishes. For starters we got the seven spice tofu "fries" and the Crab wontons. The amount of crab and flavor in the wontons drew rave reviews. You get 6 so there was plenty for us. The tofu "fries" were also very nicely spiced and tasty. We finished both. We got sushi to round out our meal, for our main. The Dragon Roll for my partner and the special panda roll and Soft Shell crab roll for me. It was all very tasty. we'll be back!

Delicious food and great menu selections. Food was presented very nicely! Service is great. Outdoor seating options.

Stumbled upon this place and it was a lovely surprise. We read some of the reviews and we didn't have any complaints. The service was good (it was an early lunch) and the food was hot and fresh. Loved the vibe as well.

We ordered here through Caviar and were pleased with the food. I especially liked the tangerine peeled beef and the bulgogi buns. The Tom Yum soup and dumplings were fine. I would order from here again.

Great service and excellent food and sushi. The General Tsos chicken is crispy and savory, not overly sweet. The sushi is always fresh and delicious as are the salads.

Spices is my number one restaurant in Cleveland Park. Excellent service regardless if you are doing carry out or dining in. The menu is expansive with an incredible sushi offerings, both traditional with great Chef's Special Maki. The Lychee Martini is my favorite on the cocktail menu.

Food is amazing, drinks are amazing and the ambiance is super chill and very clean. Staff is friendly and helpful. Happy hour is one of the best in DC.

We ordered from Spices this weekend as we were craving sushi and are trying to find a new spot as our old favorite has closed. I ordered the dragon dumplings, the avocado and cucumber roll, and the veggie tempura roll, and my partner ordered the sashimi. It was on the pricier end, but it is sushi so that's to be expected. The website said it should take about an hour to arrive. Our delivery time came and went without any updates from the restaurant or the delivery website (ChowNow). ChowNow doesn't have a driver tracker so we were in the dark. About a half hour after time we were about to call to check on status, and finally got the call. As we were unpacking the bag, we realized that my dumplings wasn't there (devastating!!). We called the restaurant who already knew about the issue, apologized, and gave us a refund. I'm not sure when they realized the dumplings were left behind, but I wish they had been proactive about reaching out to us about the error. The food was fine. A couple pieces of the sashimi were not cut that well (which is a shame, especially as it was $26), and the tempura rolls were crumbly. I liked the avocado/cucumber sushi. The search for a new sushi spot continues.

The food is good, but some of the staff have a bad attitude. One of them actually started lying about an order to cover himself since he made a mistake. He then became hostile when his assertions were met with questions and facts. For food itself I'd give 4 or 5 stars. But the terrible experience with 2 of their employees left a bad taste in my mouth. I will move my orders to other restaurants like Nooshi and Raku.

the food was amazing and so was the ambiance. The staff was so polite, dyum and wanda were VERY nice!

Green curry's flavor is so creamy and good. The shrimp and eggplants cooked right on the spot. We love to order sushi and sashimi here, always fresh made and flavorful.

Waitress refused to give me condiments after ordering 3 orders of sushi among other things. She said I should have told her in advance. Wtf. My bill was 100 bucks!! This place cost too much to not be able to get what you want. I'll never return. The customer service was horrible!

Best Sushi ever, good service and clean, Asian cuisine is so good, friendly atmosphere, appropriate for family gathering

I've had the basil chicken twice and it is excellent. But this review is more so based on the restaurant. I received a brand new face mask wrapped in place attached to my order. I thought that it was very considerate of the staff to attach it. During these difficult times it is essential that we stick together. I will continue to support this restaurant because their consideration to keep us all safe. And because I love basil chicken... spicy!

Ordered 3 special rolls for $26, then when I was checking out I decided to ask for 2 lemonades (non alcoholic), I was charged $5 for each lemonade. Total was $37. This lemonade is made for kids is this a joke??? Will be contacting my bank for a refund.

This was my second time at Spices--honestly a great place for sushi and other Asian cuisine. I just moved to Cleveland Park and took my parents here. Service is quick and friendly, and the restaurant itself is nice. We started off with spring onion cake--honestly not bad! Reminds me of a potato latke. I then got the dragon roll & tuna avocado crunch roll. My mom got the noodles on the boat--really good. And my dad got the general Tao's chicken. Definitely recommend and will be returning soon to my new sushi spot.

Food is mid-level. Service is not memorable. Ambiance is not really existent but maybe it's just me. Bang for your buck is debatable b/c the neighborhood has few other Asian food options. Noise is like everywhere else. It is a Good space for families and/or accessibility issues.

5 Stars for the fantastic service we received by six different employees throughout our visit. Sushi Roll Call: Doris: The fabulous Owner giving life to every customer with her contagious personality. Wanda: Our blasé yet pleasant & accommodating Server. Fiky: A fellow Server checking in on us whenever she passed by. Borey: Another fellow Server who had us try the Lychee Desert & Fuji Apple Sake. Sushi Chefs Juan, Jose & Sammy: In the meantime and between time of making Sushi they would look up every now & then with a slight nod or facial expression equating to "Do you like or need anything?" A quick fix for Sushi before seeing a movie & opted to sit at the Sushi Bar. Doris placed a green piece of wood with the letter A on it indicating who will be our Server. Looking over all the menu options was a feast within itself with numerous good eats to choose from. We shared the Seabass Spring Rolls that were very, very good. My Sashimi tasted fresh with decent cuts. My Companion went with the Maki Zen Combination Sushi; Seasoned Seaweed/Avocado Roll, Vegetables Tempura Roll & Cucumber Roll, no complaints. A precisely neat, open & warmly decorated Asian restaurant presenting an extensive selection for Lunch, Dinner & Sushi. The Beer, Cocktails, Sake (Sake Flights) & Wine Lists are of many choosing. In addition to the large Sushi Bar that can sit roughly 20 people, other seating options included a cozy alcove for 4, a huge semi-set apart area with sliding doors, a few small tables by the window & the main sitting area on the other end of the Sushi Bar. Spices is definitely a Cleveland Park (maybe 2 blocks from the Metro Station-Red Line) sidewalk gem located on Connecticut Avenue between Ordway & Porter Streets. Online Ordering for Pick Up & a Crazy 'Happy' Hour Monday through Friday 5pm-7pm with a handful of Small Bites, 50% off Cocktails, Wine & Sake. I absolutely will return to experience more of the menu offerings & to receive the impressive & collective customer service.

I ordered a bunch of sushi for a family event and Spices was really easy to work with in substituting several items for the 2 platters we bought. The food was excellent and the presentation and service was perfect. I texted them, stopped by the alley and it was a hassle-free experience.

Spices has now been in our neighborhood for a long time and has turned into a pretty decent and reliable place for Asian comfort food. Came recently for a quick dinner - like the couple of high tables in front which is the only area that has a view of the street as the fair sized dining room goes way back without windows. We had a sushi platter and shrimp tempura entree, both well prepared. The tempura has the nicest light batter, although quite pricey at $22.50 - not a good surprise - hence the 3 star - as it's $19.50 on their website menu.

Just popped in here for a quick bite at lunch time, but I will definitely be back! The sushi I had was tasty, neatly prepared, and fairly priced. The service was quick and courteous. I like the selection they offer on their menu, and the vibe here is great. Also, the whole place looks very clean. It's very easy to maintain a conversation for business meetings, or share a meal with someone on a casual date. The location is easy to get to (right by the Cleveland Park Metro), but there isn't any free parking immediately by it, so take that into account before driving. The location is small, not sure how busy it would be during peak meal times. If you are coming during non-peak times, you should have no issues being seated. The server actually asked me if I'd like a refilled glass of water as she took my payment (I know this sounds silly, but it's very rare). I can't wait to bring my friends here to enjoy the rest of the menu.

Great food, reasonably priced. Nice variety of cuisines from many Asian countries. Sushi, Thai, curries, dim sum and more.

Great value Asian fusion/ Street food restaurant! We had the sashimi, pepper steak, and green curry. The sashimi is very fresh as shown in the pic. The pepper steak is cooked to perfection as we wanted. If you can articulate what you like this is a good place because they have a lots of options. Also, although the service is not perfect but we noticed that the owner will personally correct the little imperfection by the server.

The rice was not fresh. The chicken was not fresh. The vegetables were not fresh. The food, seriously, is not edible. I ordered a $60 delivery for two people on a Friday, early evening. The food was more than 40 minutes late, the wrong order was delivered, and then wrong order that was actually sent was cold. The food was cooked with rotten, expired chicken and with vegetables that were past their expiration (brown, molded). The rice was yellow and seemed to be several days old. The spring rolls were not delivered and were replaced with a hot fried mess. Yuck. Seriously, this place is bad.

delicious food for good prices, great cocktails ($8 at happy hour!!). over all had a great time

Pretty nice! We had the chicken teriyaki and the noodles on the boat - both very tasty. The mango sticky rice was also good. It seems like most of their business comes from online orders which is a shame because they've got nice outdoor seating.

Used to be my go-to sushi spot but the quality has really gone downhill. The last two times I've ordered the salmon has been really fishy and not properly cut. It's a shame because I used to like this spot, but, after having two meals ruined, I will not be coming back. If you are thinking about it, just don't do it. Trust me.

Located in Cleveland Park, just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the National Zoo, Spices Asian Restaurant has a great variety of choices on their menu! Fun backstory - A little over 4 years ago, Jeff and I went to Spices for our 1 year anniversary after spending the day at the zoo, so it will always hold a place in our hearts! We decided to go back for dinner this past weekend while spending the day in DC and it was as special as we remembered! The restaurant is very long and fits surprisingly quite a few large tables in the back. It can be a little tight if it's crowded, but luckily the restaurant wasn't too full when we went, so it was comfortable. We still didn't order any sushi, so I can't actually be the judge of their sushi, but we tried their KFC, Firefly Calamari, Seafood Udon, and their Ginger Chicken. The food was definitely a 5/5! While the KFC wasn't exactly what I was used to and kind of disappointed in the size of the wings, the sauce was absolutely delicious! Also, I'm not a huge calamari fan, but theirs had a honey lemon dipping sauce that really made the difference. No complaints! The service was excellent and our waitress was super friendly and helpful. She even let us move to a different table when I was having issues reading the menu when we were seated at a table in the back (I have bad eyes). Some of the wait times felt a little long, but overall we had a very nice evening and I would still rate Spices with a 4.5-5 stars!

Server were very nice but I didn't enjoy my food. I ordered General tso chicken and it tasted bland. I think its a pricey for a small portion.

This was my second time eating at Spices. The first time was ok, but pricey. Recently, though it was downright disappointing. The $20 sushi/roll combo had only four pieces of actual sushi and one of them smelled a tad rotten, wasn't cut properly and was dry on the outside. When I brought this to the attention of one of the servers (mine was busy) she thought was fine and only offered a replacement, which I didn't want - no discount, nothing. The roll that came with was cooked crab, not even sushi. I also ordered the $15 wrinkled green beans that were made with Szechwan vegetables, but really they were green beans in a sauce, not much Szechwan about them and when I asked my server he didn't know what Szechwan was and offered chili sauce. I had a $4 beer along with these two dishes and my bill was over $40 with tax. Not worth it and I'll not return.

We had the tofu with peanuts and grilled veggies. Really good food! Perfectly cooked and made even more tasty by the chilli sauce

I have lived in Cleveland Park, DC for over seven years and this is one of the best Asian restaurants in the whole district. Positives: - Spices Crazy Hours (5-7p) which includes half off on drinks and select appetizers - The long sushi bar and absence of television which makes for a more pleasant experience - The wait staff are very friendly and efficient - Excellent sashimi and sushi roll options - Diverse Asian cuisine including Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese Negatives: None

We had reservation at 8:00 pm on Monday, we ordered right away , done with appetizers and main courses by 8:45pm, asked if we can order dessert ?? The waiter said sorry we are already closed !!!!! I love Spices that the only reason I didn't give 1 Stars for Monday dinner , we left very surprised and disappointed, we had dessert somewhere else .

The honey roasted sea bass was superb! The shaky beef was tender and delicious. We had a yummy meal and excellent service.

Ordered delivery through DoorDash. Really delicious food and everything had a bit of a different "take" than your traditional offerings. For instance, the crab wantons are served with a wasabi Mayo and not the sweet sauce at my Asian fusion restaurants.

Just five stars this place is amazing. Lot of diversity, excellent sushi and an amazing volcano desert.

Don't let the facades fool you. Full blown sushi bar which had gorgeous fish. Clean as a whistle. The dining room is surprisingly chic and minimalist, at first glance it doesn't impress but moving into the dining area there is a banquet room for an intimate dinner group. The prices are reasonable for DC. Trust the recommendations of the staff. Divine seasoning and ample portions too.

Spices is a good Chinese/Japanese spot in the neighborhood. In particular, I admire the flexibility of the menu, as Spices serves a variety of Asian cuisine (Chinese/Japanese) and is not limited to one geographical region. Moreover, ordering delivery from their website was a breeze as my food arrived hot and on time (on a Friday night). The food was good, but not remarkable. The Korean wings (dubbed KFC on the menu) were tasty, but extremely small. The beef stir fry was delicious along with the classic General Tso's chicken. However, the food was not greasy, which seems like a weird thing to complain about. When I order Chinese food, I crave the fast food like tastes of salt, grease, and oil. That being said, if you're in the mood for quality Chinese food, this can be your spot. If you want something more hearty and "americanized;" you may want to try a different spot.

Oh no, this is definitely a place not to return. The maki rolls were pretty terrible. Not sure what happened here but aside from too much rice their rolls were so sour. Like they were dipped in a lemon juice! I never had anything like this before. I asked the waitress (I think she was a manager, as well), what's wrong with the rolls, why so sour!? She said they put the rice in the vinegar before making rolls (huh?!?) so they stick together. Or maybe they accidentally spilled the whole vinegar jar on our rolls... Anyways she argued and said that's the way it goes. It's vinegar. Dah. Ok...

Delivery - on time and great. Food - overall good - some highs and some averages. Cost - too high for comfort. Ordered delivery on a Sunday night after an exhausting day - I had the Sushi Bamboo, Crab Wontons, Bulgogi buns, and pad Thai. First, delivery was easy and quick off Yelp. Second, the food arrived correctly and was tasty. Finally, I did not think the quality matched up with the price. It's definitely on the high end, but the menu is extensive and there are a lot of options. I felt the sushi had just a touch too much rice, and I was disappointed that the crab wontons didn't come with the sweet & sour sauce. Instead, it came with some wasabi mayo - tasty but didn't hit the spot. The pad Thai was also a smaller portion than I expected for the cost, and it wasn't sauced very thoroughly. Overall I'd definitely recommend you try it out, will will likely save my impulse-ordering for somewhere easier on the wallet!

Today, I got a takeout lunch from Spices. You need to drive/walk around to the back of the restaurant these days. The Bali-Style Crispy Tofu was delicious. But, take note: in my bag of delicious food, I was surprised to also find an unexpected gift. This gift is extremely timely, and of incalcuably high value. I will return, this is now my favorite restaurant in this area. Thank you, Spices.

My favorite local Thai spot. Partner and I eat here at least once a week. I love their 7 spice tofu fries with the sesame sauce and their Green Curry with fried tofu and veggies.