Tonari Cafe (aka, weekend lunch) review. Just top notch, highly recommended! Ordering for weekend cafe/lunch is done at the corner of the bar with the bartender, then you find a seat and wait for your name to be called to get your food further down the bar. Upstairs seating is open too, but you'll want to send someone downstairs to listen for the order name, you can't hear it from upstairs. Drinks and food started coming out quickly after we ordered, and come out one item at a time as they are ready, so if you've got a large party with a bunch of people and orders, you really have to pay attention! Hot tea was good, and in a lovely tea set, but the Dalgona Coffee was truly outstanding. The frothing of the coffee made it a little lighter and gave it less bitterness while still being strongly coffee-flavored. Food was (almost) uniformly excellent as well. The Garlic Bread Onigiri was substantial and delicious, as was the Tamago Salad Sando. Ramen is outstanding, at least the Arrabbiata was; lovely broth, noodles with a nice chew, and the tomatoes and garlic cloves were nice complements. Yuzu Pound Cake was also excellent, as was the Big Ass Cookie. The only slightly 'meh' thing we tried was the croissant, which wasn't bad by any stretch, but also didn't stand out. Highlight for lunch service is definitely the kakigori (Japanese shaved ice). The strawberry was absolutely fantastic, and the matcha and coffee looked good (although we didn't try them). It's only served 1:00-2:30, and while it's not a huge portion, it's a nice size to either share if you're not super hungry, or to get your own if you paced yourself on the food. Like the other restaurants by the same group, good service and a great soundtrack playing to boot!

I really loved the Italian Japanese fusion places we went to in Tokyo, so this place piqued my interest when scrolling through Yelp. The interior is more industrial and plain than I would have liked, our server was super peppy and helpful, and we had a good meal here. I enjoyed the pesto ramen and clam pasta dishes, and the pizza was also an interesting spin (any toppings would have worked on such delicious focaccia). I do think everything was overpriced and serving sizes were small (and I'm not one to always prefer gigantic American serving sizes), toppings were skimpy. The creativity is here, and the dishes were all tasty, but most of the pasta dishes were a bit more on the bland and forgettable side.

I came here with three friends and everything on the menu looked good so we definitely to do family style to try more dishes. Everything was very unique and different. We really enjoyed the mentaiko pasta, it is light but creamy with a strong umami seaweed flavor. We got two half pizzas, both were great. I enjoyed the corn pizza more, it wasnt greasy or heavy. Very light and the crust is so crispy and flavorful. The chicken and shishito pizza tasted very onion-y. Pesto pasta was fine...tasted quite watered down, nothing special about the dish. I probably wouldnt get that again next time. Our server was extremely patient and attentive with us. The restaurant itself was cute. Two stories and there was an area where you can sit on the floor to eat traditionally.

Okay first of all, never heard of Japanese and Italian food, so I was definitely intrigued. We made a reservation for a Sunday night for dinner for 3 of us and were seated immediately. The ambiance was intimate and not loud which is what I like! Our waiter was absolutely incredible, I could not remember his name but he gave us a beautiful run down of the menu. All 3 of us did family style cus we wanted to try everything lol. We started off with the Burrata and broccolini. Both were SOO good and refreshing. Then the Japanese Philly pizza came out and my god. What a beautiful combination of flavors. This was def one of my favorite things ever. Then to finish we ate the mentaiko and I was in love. It was one of our friends bdays so we ordered her the tiramisu. It was interesting because of the tea flavor instead of coffee but I would order this again as it was pretty refreshing and light. If I am ever back in DC again I will definitely come visit. I was pleasantly surprised by how amazing everything was and the service. All of what we ordered was enough for 3 very hungry girls lol.

My friends and I went to Tonari on a Sunday night and we had an amazing time! Overall the restaurant wasn't crowded and we had made a reservation ahead of time. We ordered the burrata, grilled broccolini, pesto ramen, corn pizza, and tiramisu. They all tasted so good! My favorite was the corn pizza. The tiramisu was so unique I loved the lemon taste. They also have a separate vegetarian menu that they'll provide for you which was super helpful for me when ordering. The service was wonderful, the food came out super quickly like within 5 minutes which was great for us since we were so hungry. Everyone working there was super nice and made us feel very comfortable and helped us have an enjoyable experience here. The decor inside the restaurant is very beautiful and I would highly recommend this fusion place!

I wasn't sure what to expect when we visited tonari because I haven't had this type of fusion food before. Everything we had was great, with lots of fun drink options. The meatball bao was incredible and definitely one of my favorite things. We liked all of the pizzas we ordered, especially the broccoli cheese which was a special at the time. The sesame martini was very unique and I liked it but probably not for everyone. The branca colada was the table favorite and would definitely recommend.

Tonari is a Japanese Italian fusion restaurant. We came for the weekday happy hour (bar only: Tu-Fri 5-7p for pizza; Tu-Sat 5-7p and Sun 5p-close for drink specials). They offer 50% off all pizzas Tu-Fri so we got the Mentaiko & Corn and Unagi pizzas. The pizzas are Detroit style pizza: thick, and chewy with a crispy crust. The unagi pizza is more savory. Both pizzas were good, favorite between the two was the Mentaiko & Corn, but both pizzas were a little too salty. The happy hour prices for the pizzas are worth it. Service was at the bar was ok, but we weren't really checked on. Japanese Italian fusion is Italian inspired foods using Japanese ingredients and Japanese/Asian flavors. It's a trend in Japan, but not typically seen in the U.S. I would rate it a 3.75/4, rounding up to a 4/5.

A very unique and delicious Japanese take on Italian foods. It almost sounds weird but if you're already a fan of Asian/japanese flavors then you won't be disappointed. It's pretty spacey inside and doesn't feel cramped. Fun and simple decor giving modern Japanese urban vibes. Right across the street from Cap One Center. We were first-timers and came in for Happy Hour (bar seating only) and come to find out they had more than drinks n lil snacks for HH. Pizzas are 1/2 off! That's a steal and absolutely worth getting if you're a fan of Detroit-style pizza. Given that fact, my bf and I ordered a pizza each so we could try a diff flavor each. We did the Japanese Philly and Mentaiko Corn, two of the most popular and a personal recc per our server. We also got a Little Caesar salad to share and a wine and a Haiboru cocktail. The salad was a diff take on your normal Caesar, I thought it was unique and light and fresh. The pizzas were so good! Definitely the highlight of our experience. The dough was airy and pillowy, but still able to carry the weight of all the cheesy goodness and toppings. We both loved our pizzas. The corn on the Mentaiko pizza was sweet so it def gave it a little something extra. The crusts/edges were nice n crunchy, and nice balance to the softness of the dough. Service was okay. I believe only bartender services the entire bar, but we were sat on the opposite end of it away from their main bar area so he wasn't able to be as attentive to us. I'd definitely love to return for another round of happy hour eats and bevs, but also to try the rest of the menu.

This spot has been on my list since I saw a corn cheese pizza on an IG reel. Finally stopped by and the place is cool! My friend and I sat at the bar and enjoyed some drinks and pizza. I started with the yubari sour - really good and strong melon flavor. My second round was the sesame martini - I was really curious about the flavors. Every sip smelled like fried rice because of the sesame oil, but I liked it! We shared two pizzas. The mentaiko & corn and one of their specials (sorry don't remember the name). I loved the cheese corn one, so simple yet so delicious! I'm ready for more of it. Definitely will come back!

Tonari, the sister restaurant to the popular ramen spot Daikaya, combines two of my all-time favorite cuisines: Japanese and Italian, into one for a unique fusion restaurant experience in DC, and I was definitely impressed with my happy hour dinner here. Definitely recommend checking this place out during Happy Hour, Tuesday - Friday from 5PM - 7PM, you can get drink specials and 50% off your pizzas if you sit at the bar! We got the Polpette Pork & Beef Meatballs, Mentaiko Cod Roe Pasta, and Chef Katsuya's Original Mentaiko and Corn Pizza (Half). The meatballs were tender with the combination of the fatty pork and flavorful beef, the marinara tomato sauce was delicious on its own, and the crispy bread crumbs and cheese topping elevated the dish nicely! Mentaiko pasta is a Japanese Italian fusion dish commonly eaten in Japan, but I never was able to find it in the states, so I was very excited for this! The mentaiko cod roe sauce, mixed with butter and lemon was such an explosion of bold flavors: Umami, savory, salty, a little sour, it was SO delicious in combination with the high quality tagliolini pasta, which is also made with Japanese Hokkaido flour. I love this theme and commitment to consistency with the Japanese Italian fusion! Lastly, the Detroit Style Pizza was a gut buster of a pizza, but it was soooooo good. The mentaiko cod-roe sauce here is different from the pasta, being infused with mayo to drizzle over the pizza, but combining it with the flavorful corn sauce and the cheese, it made for such a rich and delicious combination! Plus being half off during Happy Hour if you sit at the bar, is such a great deal! The service was fantastic at the bar as well, the bartender was very attentive and was able to explain the menu items and their current deals!