A new Japanese restaurant is quietly serving sushi, ramen and donburi bowls in downtown Silver Spring, taking over a building that spent more than two decades as a neighborhood Cuban spot. Momiji Sushi & Izakaya is currently holding its soft opening at 1201 Fidler Lane, across from Mi Rancho, in the space long occupied by Cubano's Restaurant.
The soft opening was reported by Source of the Spring, which detailed the menu as Japanese fare including ramen, donburi rice dishes and vegan options. The 4,632-square-foot building dates to 1942 and had been home to Cubano's for more than 20 years before that restaurant closed in 2024, according to the outlet's reporting.
Cubano's history at the address stretches back further than many Silver Spring regulars may realize. Per Bethesda Magazine, the Cuban restaurant occupied 1201 Fidler Lane from 2001 until it shut down in August 2024. While the Silver Spring location closed for good, Cubano's Bethesda outpost, which opened in 2020, remains open, the Source of the Spring report notes.
A Winding Path to Opening Day
Getting Momiji open took time. The restaurant filed for a use and occupancy permit in mid-August, and its liquor license was approved last fall, the station's report states. The building itself had been on the market before the restaurant moved in — it was previously listed for sale for $2.75 million, according to The MoCo Show.
Visually, the transition from Cuban restaurant to Japanese izakaya has been gradual. Permanent signage reading Momiji Sushi Izakaya & Japanese Ramen went up at the Fidler Lane address.
No Connection to the Old D.C. Momiji
Despite sharing a name, the new Silver Spring restaurant has no ties to the Momiji that once operated in Washington, D.C. The MoCo Show reported the Silver Spring eatery has no affiliation with the Momiji restaurant that had been operating in D.C. since 2008. That distinction matters for diners who might remember the Chinatown location, which closed its doors last year.
On the business side, the downtown Silver Spring restaurant is registered in Maryland, while its business filings list an address in Centreville, Virginia, per the Source of the Spring account. The account also describes Momiji's sushi chef as having more than 10 years of experience serving sushi in Georgetown, with training in both Korea and Japan.
Early Reviews Mixed on Price, Praise the Food
Diners who have made it in during the soft opening have offered a mostly favorable, if cautious, verdict. Early reviews are mostly positive but also note that prices run somewhat higher than at other downtown Silver Spring sushi outlets, according to the same Source of the Spring report. That tracks with what tends to happen when any new restaurant is still finding its footing.
Momiji is open Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and again from 4 to 10 p.m., with longer Friday and Saturday hours running 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday service from noon to 10 p.m., per the outlet's reporting. For a restaurant still working out its soft-opening kinks, those extended weekend hours suggest Momiji is already leaning into downtown Silver Spring's dinner and late-night crowd.
