Restaurants in Bethesda

With chef Raynold Mendizabal at the helm, Fujimar Restaurant blends Asian and Latin American culinary traditions to form a menu heavy on fresh seafood, sushi, and ceviche. Its sashimi-quality fish are speared and hooked in the waters off Hawaii by divers mindful of sustainability, the environment, and Poseidon’s busy water-polo schedule. Much of this seafood is flown directly from Hawaii the day it’s caught, ensuring the freshness of Pacific delicacies such as light, crunchy Hapu’up’u and rich, flaky mero.

With an elegance to match the cuisine, Fujimar’s softly lit dining room seats guests at jet-black four-top tables with deep-red seating. Crystal chandeliers dangle teardrop-shaped trinkets. At the bar, a translucent, neon-orange candelabra emits a glow rivaling that of the candles it holds. Behind it, mixologists Ari and Micah Wilder craft complex drinks and synchronized cocktail-shaker routines with locally sourced and seasonal ingredients.

Inside a crisp black-and-grey interior relieved by bright yellow flourishes, Eat & Joy’s staff serves food from a menu that combines pizzeria fare with casual Middle-Eastern dishes. Beside calzones and pasta, the kitchen team tosses pizza dough before decorating it with toppings such as chicken, artichokes, and spicy red pepper sauce. Tender slices of kebab—whether made from beef or lamb and veal—fill plates and warm up pita pockets like beef kebabs warming up blue jean pockets. The eatery’s two specialties combine in a kebab pizza, topped with gyro meat and feta, and Turkish-style pizzas that host spicy sausage or chopped veggies.

Specializing in teppanyaki, Samurai’s chefs grill fresh scallops, strip steaks, and salmon at cooktops built into the tabletops of their Japanese-style dining room. This tableside preparation ensures that every hibachi entrée is delivered with their just-seared flavors intact, while maki filled with yellow tail, avocado, or eel are rolled behind-the-scenes and presented on combination platters.