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    AKO by KENAKI

    4.5 (21 reviews)
    Closed • 4:00 pm - 10:00 PM

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    An easy breezy roll
    Kwame S.

    My experience with Ako by KENAKI is pretty limited because I had only one small cucumber and eel roll. I thought my roll was fresh and pretty delicious. One small thing that I really appreciated: the MASSIVE amount of wasabi that accompanied my roll. *I have to admit that I'm a little but of a wasabi fiend.* While I did not try any other items from the menu, Ako had a decent selection of yummy bites that I hope to try in the future. Also, I thought the prices were pretty standard for the area. *Note: I did not order addition items, because I was ordering small plates from other establishments in The Roost.*

    Lauren S.

    We went to AKO by Kenaki for my birthday and we really enjoyed it! The sushi was innovative but very tasty. As you might know, this is located in the Roost which is more of a food hall vibe. We sat at a counter and ordered on the app and it was delivered to us. Only complaint was that it was a little pricey and only open on certain days for lunch but overall pleased with the food and experience

    Four different rolls!
    Nini J.

    This place is so unrated. It has the best sushi in the DMV and the prices isn't outrageous either.

    Sydney G.

    This is my first time visiting any of the restaurants in the Roost and I have to say, this was a great way to start! We got almost all of the specialty rolls and then a spicy crunchy salmon roll. One thing to note is that in the spicy crunchy rolls, they use a whole piece of fish instead of like having it chopped up inside the spicy mayo so if you've got a thing about big pieces of fish, this might not be for you. The sushi was beautiful to look at and it was served with a great amount of pickled ginger and wasabi. My favorite roll was the Devil's Kiss (but beware the Calabrian chili ponzu definitely sneaks up on you!). The fresh Granny Smith apple is a great addition. My least favorite was the Black Magic--I think they were a little too heavy handed with the truffle and there wasn't enough variety of texture within the roll. There are no servers--you just order off a QR code and they deliver it to you, which was annoying bc there was no one to refill my water when I had to chug it after the Devil's kiss haha

    Premium cuts sashimi bowl (16 pieces)
    Andrew H.

    I'm glad I get to be the first to review AKO. Due to Covid, I haven't been able to get much of my sushi cravings due to my favorite ones not having outdoor seating. I was skeptical of a food hall sushi but their vendor stand looked well made and authentic, so I gave the 16 pieces premium cut sashimi a try at $35. It did not disappoint at all. The fish was fresh, large pieces and melt in your mouth soft. They gave large portions, it was enough for me and my wife to share, they gave two pieces of each type of fish. The sushi rice had a perfect texture to go with the fish. The tamago, and fish eggs were a perfect completely as well, and they gave a lot. The Japanese mushrooms were also a nice touch, I don't like mushrooms but these were delicious. One of the best sashimi bowls I have had and at $35, very reasonable. I would definitely get this bowl again and love that I can enjoy it outdoors.it even includes a piece of uni as well, but all the fish was great.

    Timothy V.

    Bottom Line Up Front: Woefully Overrated OKAY at best food. I was hopeful and looking forward to Ako, and really wanted to like the place. I was hoping to try the fatty tuna donburi bowl, but they were unavailable. I thought this was strange as they had another dish using fatty tuna (pictured) which had no apparent shortage. Maybe they were missing some other ingredient. AKO is in the Roost Food Hall, environment is what you would assume - nothing bad, just a bunch of people who want variety in food. Unfortunately as the issue with most restaurants in food halls, you get a plethora of choices without real expertise in any of the restaurants- Jack of all trades master of none. I had sushi rolls with fatty tuna placed on top along with a salmon donburi bowl. The rice was hard and tacky, something completely unacceptable for any sushi place. With a bad base, it was hard to appreciate the rest of the dishes. The donburi bowl was seasoned nice, with crunchy chili flakes. The sushi rolls looked nice, and were strangely flavorless. I'd give another chance to AKO to try the fatty tuna donbur bowl, but I'd skip on anything else - go to a real sushi restaurant and save your money.

    Tessa A.

    Stopped by for lunch and we left satisfied! After hearing nothing but great things about Kenaki in Gaithersburg, MD we knew we had to stop by at their DC location. Ako is located inside a food hall, The Roost, which offered a variety of cuisines. The establishment is very spacious with lots of seating both inside and outside. If you want to sit outside, they have fire pits and heated lamps to keep you warm. Service is self-served. You order and pay for your food beforehand. They do have staff members coming around filling up your water cup if you decide to dine in. We loved this concept as it was convenient and more efficient. The sushi rolls were all delicious and beautifully presented. We ordered the White Tiger, Devil's Kiss, Green Monster, and New Spicy Tuna. My personal favorite was the White Tiger-- which had eel, salmon, apple, and avocado topped with seared scallop and dried, crunchy chili. This was such a unique roll and different from what I usually get. I loved the chili consistency with the other ingredients. The soy sauce and wasabi also tasted delicious and it did not taste store bought. We were later told that it was all made in house (so that makes sense). Overall, the fish was fatty and good quality and the ingredients also tasted fresh. If you are looking for delicious sushi with a relax ambiance this is the place for you-- 100% recommend.

    I can't forget the taste of this Sashimi bowl. The fish was so soft and flavorful . The food was perfect and great service.
    Sina H.

    This Sashimi rice bowl was perfect and AKO delivered great service. The fish was super flavorful, and the texture of the sushi rice was great.

    Black Magic, Devil's Kiss, New Spicy Tuna

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    4 years ago

    Excellent maki. Very fresh and delicious. This will be my new go-to in the neighborhood!

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    Sushi Hachi - Salmon Avocado roll, Salmon Sashimi, and two special rolls

    Sushi Hachi

    4.3(636 reviews)
    0.6 mi•Eastern Market, Capitol Hill
    •$$

    First off, I want to thank the staff for being so humble, welcoming, and inviting. My daughter…read morerecently earned a promotion to Petty Officer Second Class in the Coast Guard, and I flew in from California to pin her. ​Looking for a great dinner spot to celebrate, we were both craving sushi. The atmosphere is nice and cozy, featuring a lovely brick wall on one side with bench seating, and a small bar on the other side. ​We started with miso soup, edamame, and warm hand towels before the meal, which was a wonderful touch. For main dishes, we ordered the sushi platter, tasting platter, and shrimp tempura. Everything was delicious--the sushi was so soft it practically melted in your mouth. ​Because it gets crowded quickly, we made reservations both nights we ate here. Booking between 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM seems to be the sweet spot! We had a fantastic experience and highly recommend it. ENJOY

    This restaurant is super cute and chirashi bowl was good. It's perfect for date nights for sure…read more We came here on Sunday evening and were able to sit right away. The servers were very friendly and the food came out pretty quickly. Delux chirashi bowl was so pretty and good. Definitely recommend Chicken karage was little too floury for us. It was not crunch and it was just ok. Ordered rice to eat with karage for my son but it's not regular rice but sushi rice so it was sour for kids. Kids tempura udon was pretty good, recommend it.

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    Sushi Hachi
    Sushi Hachi - Chicken Kara-age

    Chicken Kara-age

    Sushi Hachi - Beef, sweet shrimp, roll

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    Beef, sweet shrimp, roll

    Torai Sushi

    Torai Sushi

    4.5(247 reviews)
    0.5 mi•Eastern Market, Capitol Hill
    •$$

    So good I almost don't want to share it! I was craving some sushi/nigiri and came across this…read moreplace. The few reviews all seemed positive and I wanted to give it a shot - I'm so glad I did. I ordered from them for a week straight. All of the fish is SO fresh and tasty. The Sushi Jumbo for lunch is the perfect amount to keep you full and then some - I'm not particularly fond of salmon and saved those pieces for my friend the first day, but the second day i ate them and they were good! Not fishy but you could tell it was salmon (i can't explain the exact taste). The Yummy Yummy roll was so good. I wasn't a fan of the spicy chicken bowl, it wasn't to my liking. It was a little too ginger forward, and not spicy and overall wouldn't get it again. I've never gone in person, but the staff was able to accommodate the little roll included to be just tuna so that was nice. I can't wait to visit them in person.

    I will preface with saying the only reason this is 4 stars is because we've been burned multiple…read moretimes on the pick-up wait time at Torai. Other than that 10/10 recommend. Torai, is a lovely local sushi and ramen spot on Barracks Row where the sushi is reasonably priced, of great quality, and delicious. We are regulars here either dine in or take out. As they are amazing - the wait time for pick up tends to be long and unfortunately tends to be severely underestimated - thus, prompting the 4 stars. We've experienced multiple times where our wait time says 45mins and ends up being over an hour. After this past week where I waited outside in the cold with our pup while my husband went inside pick up food, that's when I really felt the extra time. If I could give any constructive feedback to management would be to look into revising your wait times and accuracy for pick up. If the max it allows you to put is 45 mins, and the wait is over an hour, that is a large gap.

    Photos
    Torai Sushi
    Torai Sushi - Spicy Tuna Roll

    Spicy Tuna Roll

    Torai Sushi

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    Omakase at Barracks Row

    Omakase at Barracks Row

    4.9(69 reviews)
    0.5 mi•Eastern Market, Capitol Hill
    •$$$$

    Truly one of the most amazing dining experiences I've had in DC. Bottom line is that omakase in DC…read moreis TRASH (besides a few select spots). This is the exception. Each course was aesthetically beautiful, paced perfectly, and tasted as fresh as I've ever had on the east coast. We've all left an omakase hungry and wondering if it was worth the price. NOT HERE. It is worth it. Maybe not all the fancy add-ons, maybe not the Wagyu, but it is truly worth it. Well done Barracks Row!

    What an experience!!…read more First things first... you absolutely need a reservation. They open them about three weeks out at midnight, and this is not a casual "I'll check tomorrow morning" situation. Set an alarm. Wake up. Question your life choices. Smash the reserve button. Go back to sleep. Because if you wait until breakfast, everyone else has already taken your sushi. And after eating here... I understand why. Omakase on Barracks Row turns tiny slices of fish into an entire evening. Every bite feels incredibly deliberate. The fish is delicate, beautifully prepared, and paired with different seasonings, spices, local ingredients, and whatever other culinary sorcery they're practicing behind that counter. Even better, somehow each piece seems to get better as the night goes on. You eat one and think, "Well, that's probably the winner." Then the next one shows up and immediately starts redecorating the podium. You'll end up with somewhere around 15 beautifully curated bites, plus several little surprises along the way. And yes, describing dinner as "15 bites" sounds like something I'd normally follow by stopping at Taco Bell on the way home... but this is different. It's paced perfectly and feels like an experience rather than simply a meal. There's genuine care and joy behind every piece they serve, and you can taste it. Absolutely worth setting a midnight alarm for. I could not recommend this place more.

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    Omakase at Barracks Row
    Omakase at Barracks Row - Uni special

    Uni special

    Omakase at Barracks Row - 10/26/24

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    10/26/24

    Sushi Sato - Sato Roll

    Sushi Sato

    4.4(60 reviews)
    1.4 mi•H Street Corridor/Atlas District/Near Northeast

    Until the pandemic Sushi Para was the only All You Can Eat Sushi Place in DC. Then it closed. Now…read morewe have Toryumon which is even better and Sushi Sato which is the best of the best. Been here several times over the past year since it opened and absolutely love this place. They offer both AYCE and Al A Carte. Each time we have gotten the premium tier for selection which is absolutely worth it. To save a bit and/or get money back we use InKind. The drinks are all great. We save on them during happy hour. They have All You Can Drink Beer but it is just limited to one so do the drinks Al A Carte. Service has been prompt and friendly each time. Ambiance resembles an Izakaya. It does get busy so reservations via OneTable are reccomended. They own a few other places like Lucky Danger in Chinatown (really Penn Quarter) that now may have the best Happy Hour. Hope to have many more memories here in the years to come.

    Delicious spot for elevated AYCE sushi, I was particularly impressed by the presentation and taste…read moreof the side plates/non-sushi items. We definitely got great value out of the meal! I appreciated the perfectly warm sushi rice, the salmon was buttery soft. Eel was firm and flaky, sato roll was our favorite roll. The miso cod had an amazing texture and sauce but was way too salty. The tako taco was one of my favorite small plates. Would skip the steak which was super tough, and truffle baby roll which was too creamy. Our waitress was super fast and attentive and food came out quickly! Nothing notable about the ambiance.

    Photos
    Sushi Sato - Group shot

    Group shot

    Sushi Sato - Beef+Onion Rice (Gyudon) (GF)

    Beef+Onion Rice (Gyudon) (GF)

    Sushi Sato - Spicy tuna rolls

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    Spicy tuna rolls

    AKO by KENAKI - sushi - Updated October 2026

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