Bluefish Bistro Sushi & Kitchen, a new sushi restaurant, has quietly opened at Centro Arlington on Columbia Pike.
Located at the corner of S. George Mason Drive and the Pike, the 1,450-square-foot sushi restaurant celebrated its grand opening last month, taking up residence on the ground floor of the mixed-use development next to the Harris Teeter and the Vietnamese eatery Pho Saigon Pearl.
Andy Park, the owner, previously owned and sold a sushi restaurant in Illinois before moving to Northern Virginia in late 2020. He spent the last three years working at Ariake Japanese Restaurant in Fairfax before opening Bluefish.
A prominent “Grand Opening” banner has been displayed above its entrance for several weeks, welcoming diners to savor its various sashimi and sushi rolls, such as the Red Dragon, made with spicy tuna, soft shell crab, cucumber and spicy mayo.
So far, however, Park says the restaurant has not been getting the foot traffic it hoped.
“We didn’t do any advertising,” he told ARLnow. “People don’t know we’re open.”
Centro Arlington, which replaced the long-standing Columbia Pike Village Center in 2019, is a six-story complex that also houses medical and professional offices, an Orangetheory fitness studio, a veterinary practice and apartments.
As a newcomer to the local dining scene, Bluefish faces some competition on the Pike.
In October, Japanese street food and sushi restaurant Ryu Izakaya opened on the ground floor of the Days Inn. Last year another Japanese eatery, Takohachi, opened down the Pike at Penrose Square after relocating from the now-redeveloped Westmont Shopping Center.