Bamboo to Naru: Sushi Sanctuary Changes Name

Back in January, I visited a small Japanese restaurant called and was pleased with its food and service. And as locals may have noticed, the sign changed a few months ago to Naru. Dedicated patrons of Bamboo and sushi connoisseurs will be delighted to know that Naru is still under the same ownership with the same friendly and knowledgeable staff offering sushi, sashimi, teriyaki, katsu, tempura, and desserts. There are few new decorations and a small garden outside, but it still maintains the same tasteful tone as before.

Naru is located at:

8409 Centreville Rd.Manassas Park

Hours:

M-Th 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.

F-S 11:00 a.m.-10:30 p.m.

Sun: 4:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m.

Price: $

Payments Accepted: Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover

Patrons have the option of sitting at a table or at the sushi bar where patrons can watch their mouthwatering sushi being prepared. Naru’s sushi chef and co-owner has more than 20 years experience. All that experience is tasted in the rolls he prepares. In addition to fine sushi, Naru also makes a great tempura.  

This time I decided to forgo any appetizers or desserts and order two custom rolls, one with shrimp tempura and one with soft-shelled crab. The shrimp tempura roll was comprised of shrimp tempura (guess that’s a given), masago (flying fish roe), crab stick, cucumber and avocado. The vegetables were fresh, masago always tastes the same to me everywhere and the shrimp tempura perfectly fried. A very important part of the shrimp tempura is the batter and Naru's batter is a slightly thicker texture that's absolutely delicious.

The soft-shelled crab roll was comprised of soft-shelled crab, avocado, cucumber, masago and crabstick. The crab was diced up and mixed with spicy sauce. This was the first time I had tried a soft-shelled crab roll and it was rather good but I still find the shrimp tempura to be my favorite.

As most readers may have noticed, I don’t go easy on a lot of places, so recommending this place must mean something. And while you can get good food everywhere, you can’t always get good service, which I think is their best quality. What I’ve noticed during my visits is that once someone walks in, they are immediately seated, brought water and a menu. And I think it’s pretty obvious by now how I feel about not having to hunt down my menu. The husband and wife owners are there all week and are always very pleasant and hospitable. Another good thing is that they’re very open to custom making rolls to suit patrons' particular tastes. The place is clean and quaint and appears to be an enjoyable spot for couples and families. I will certainly be returning  and am glad to see that only the sign has changed and not the quality.