You want sake! You need sake! Buy it at Naniwa!

I’ve spent a lot of time looking around the Washington DC area for good sake. While many of the local restaurants have fine sake for consumption on premises, it’s a lot harder to find a good grocery store that carries a decent selection of sake.

Luckily, there’s Naniwa Food, a Japanese grocery store in McLean, Virginia. I’ve spent a lot of time looking around the Washington DC area for good sake. While many of the local restaurants have fine sake for consumption on premises, it’s a lot harder to find a good grocery store that carries a decent selection of sake.

Luckily, there’s Naniwa Food, a Japanese grocery store in McLean, Virginia.

Their sake selection is truly amazing. Bottles range in price from about $20 for a small, excellent bottle to $75 for a large 1.8L bottle. Your selection will be better than anything you can find at a restaurant. In fact, I’ve been to sushi restaurants in the area where they’ve said they have really rare sake, which I’ve always found plentifully at Naniwa.

If you’re looking to start with a good first sake, try the Momokawa series, in particular, the Diamond series. It’s affordable and delicious. (and chill it, don’t heat it up, you philistine!)

Stay away from the sake with the gold flakes in it. While I haven’t ever tried it, it screams “marketing trick for people with too much money”.

Naniwa also has a decent selection of frozen and dry asian goods, but not much in terms of fresh fish. Check their website for hours, address, and online grocery ordering.