Sushi in this corner of Prince George's County is a question people search more than they get answered. Fort Washington, Oxon Hill, Temple Hills and Camp Springs have grown into substantial communities without the restaurant density to match, and halal sushi specifically has been close to nonexistent. We are at 4620 St Barnabas Rd, Suite #B, which puts a halal sushi counter inside the area rather than across the river from it.
Here is what halal actually means for sushi, which is a more complicated question than it is for a grilled plate.
Why sushi is the harder halal question
With hibachi, the issues are visible. The meat, the grill, the sauce. Sushi hides its problems inside the rice.
The rice. Sushi rice is seasoned with vinegar, and a large share of commercial sushi vinegar and seasoning mixes contain mirin or cooking sake. This is the most common failure point and the least visible one. A roll with no meat in it at all can still fail on the rice.
Eel sauce. The dark glaze on a dragon roll is usually a commercial product built on mirin. Most kitchens buy it by the jug.
Imitation crab. The surimi in a California roll is a manufactured product, and its binders and flavorings vary by supplier. This is a sourcing question, not a cooking one.
The knives and boards. A kitchen serving pork somewhere on the menu is a cross-contact question before it is anything else.
We control for all four. There is no pork in the building at any location, our sauces are made in our own kitchen instead of bought from a distributor, and we control for alcohol in the sushi rice, eel sauce and imitation crab rather than taking a supplier's word on a label.
At our Marlow Heights location
We are at 4620 St Barnabas Rd, Suite #B, Marlow Heights, MD 20748, on the MD 414 run. The postal name for this area is Temple Hills, which is worth knowing if you are searching for us rather than driving to us.
Hours are 11AM to 10PM Sunday through Wednesday, and 11AM to midnight Thursday through Saturday.
Geography is the whole story with this store. Fort Washington is a short run down Indian Head Highway. Oxon Hill, National Harbor and the MGM side of the county are close. Suitland, Camp Springs and Joint Base Andrews are a few minutes east, and the DC line is close enough that plenty of our Thursday and Friday orders come from people who work in the city and eat in Maryland.
Fall and the Thursday to Saturday late window
September moves this store's center of gravity later in the week. High school football on Friday nights, Commanders Sundays, and the general shift of the county's social calendar back indoors all land on Thursday through Saturday, which is exactly when we are open until midnight.
That late window is the thing to know about this location. A sushi order at 11:15PM on a Friday is not something most of this area can offer. If you are coming back from National Harbor, off a shift, or out of a game at one of the county schools, the kitchen is still running.
What to order in Marlow Heights
Green Dragon Roll, $10.85. The roll that carries a halal sushi counter. If you order one thing, order this.
Dancing Shrimp Roll, $10.85. Shrimp forward, holds its shape in a container, travels the drive to Fort Washington.
Salmon and Avocado Roll, $11.85. The most straightforward roll on the menu and the one that tells you whether the fish is handled properly.
California Roll, $8.85. The baseline. Halal imitation crab, which is a sentence most sushi counters cannot write.
Shrimp Tempura Roll, $8.85. The one that converts people who say they do not like sushi.
Chicken and Beef Bento, $14.85. Hibachi, vegetables, rice or noodles, a 4-piece California Roll, dumplings and spring rolls. The order for someone who wants sushi and someone who does not, in one box.
Taro Coconut Smoothie, $7.49. Made to order.
Visit us
Halal sushi and hibachi on St Barnabas Road. Flame Japanese Hibachi Marlow Heights, 4620 St Barnabas Rd, Suite #B, Marlow Heights, MD 20748. 240-619-4586. Sun to Wed 11AM to 10PM, Thu to Sat 11AM to 12AM.
