I just had the pleasure of visiting Kotobuki for a second time earlier this week during my visit to Washington, D.C., and it was as fantastic as ever! The photo of the large platter of sushi is what my group and I ordered this past visit, and it was absolutely delicious! As you can tell, we are big salmon fans, and Kotobuki is the perfect place for salmon lovers! It is unbelievably fresh, and I could easily eat a dozen salmon nigiri myself! They have a decently wide variety of rolls and fish on their menu, but a select variety that you know that whatever you order, it will be top-notch. The environment is very calming and quaint in Kotobuki. Be prepared for a fair number of steps to get up to the small restaurant, but it is 110% worth it! The restaurant itself has fewer than 10 tables, plus a small Omakase bar, making it a nice, relaxing experience. The servers and all workers are very kind and easily make genuine relations with the customers, which makes it the perfect neighborhood restaurant to keep coming back to! They are very welcoming and ensure to provide you with excellent service. I will definitely be coming back to Kotobuki the next time I am in Washington, D.C., and I can't wait for another delicious tray of amazing sushi! read more

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Best best best value sushi ever. I think they share the same sushi supplier as makoto downstairs which is $$$$. Service is great and the sushi is amazing! Parking can be a pain but well with the effort read more

Kotobuki - Sushi special - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

TL;DR: Toro is where it's at Came here close to the end of lunch time and was able to snag a seat. Interior is small and minimally decorated, but very cute. Service is very fast and friendly. FOOD: ~Toro Sashimi (5/5): they let the product speak for itself. Very good ~Chirashi Deluxe (3.9/5): I love the variety of fish they give. Flavor/quality varies depending on the fish. I LOVED the mushrooms that came with this, I thought about asking for a bowl of it. Favorite fish we liked from here were: toro, crab stick (surprisingly), and white tuna. ~Eel and avocado roll (3.5/5): basic ~CA uni (4/5): yummy and fresh ~Hamachi (3/5): mid quality and flavor ~Scallop (3/5): again, not up to par ~Saba (2.5/5): didn't have that pungent flavor that mackerel usually has ~Aburi salmon (2.5/5): was over charred and couldn't taste anything but bitterness Overall, if we stick to the main things we liked, this place would easily be a 5/5. But if you want a variety of things every time you visit, then you MIGHT be disappointed. read more

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I came here for the first time in probably a decade or more a couple of weeks ago. It's a small spot with about 8 tables. Service is attentive and friendly. Most importantly, the food was excellent quality and a good deal, especially in the current inflationary environment. For appetizers we got the ohitashi (poached cress/spinach with a refreshing soy based sauce), and ankimo (monk fish liver with roe and soy vinegar). Both were excellent and perfectly salted, a great and bright and healthy start to the meal. This time I got a bunch of rolls. The spicy rolls use spicy flakes not a mayo based sauce. The salmon, tuna, scallops, and salmon skin were all very fresh--the tuna is quite tender and flavorful. Next time we visit we might try to special clam hot pot meal, chirashi, and sashimi/sushi now that we know the fish quality is high. We will make this one of our regular neighborhood spots. It's a true gem! read more

Kotobuki - Sushi rolls: salmon skin, salmon, tuna avocado, scallop - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Had a chance to come to Kotobiki on a Friday night before new years. Situated upstairs in a small cozy shop, kotobuki really made you feel like you were in a no frills, "all about the fish", sushi shop. The food also didn't disappoint. We started off with a miso soup and a clam miso soup. Both were good but the clam miso had a fresh seafood flavor that elevated it above the traditional miso soup. For our entree we got the chirashi and the sushi and sashimi combo. Not too much to say here except that the fish tasted very fresh. The price was a bit high but I feel like you can say that about any Japanese restaurant in the DC metro area. Overall was a good experience and would definitely be willing to come back! read more

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I am Japanese, and I love traditional Japanese food. Kotobuki has been consistently good in serving quality sushi. It has been my favorite sushi place for years. They have integrity to their cooking. read more

This restaurant is in a quieter part of DC. It had a cozy atmosphere and seemed authentic. I liked the edamame, shumai, and shrimp tempura roll. It was cool how the sake came in a box with some salt to put in the corner which I've never seen done before. The service was good and I had a nice experience overall. read more

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I've been hearing about Kotobuki for a good 10 years or so as the 'casual sushi joint above Makoto where they source the same fish'. Makoto was probably the best sushi experience I've had in the DMV but that is no longer available since their closing a few years back. We were in the Tysons/Mclean area and needed to kill a few hours for dinner and we see no traffic to Palisades on Waze and, to top it off, when we call Kotobuki...no wait! So we head over...finally I have my chance. I am very tempted by the Kamameshi as others have mentioned but I decide on the Chirashi Deluxe. My fellow diners go with the Sushi Deluxe and the unadon set. The complementary miso soup is top notch...the dashi broth is so flavorful and you can immediately tell this is owned by Japanese folks (although you should be able to distinguish that even outside the miso). Good start...the main dishes come out immediately after and the sushi looks very fresh and it doesn't disappoint. The chirashi bowl is actually quite large with a heaping mound of rice and tasty seasoned mushrooms underneath. The unadon is also excellent and I really enjoy the authentic veggies provided in the set...not the usual stuff provided in a bento box which adds to the authenticity. The wife asks what I think...I enjoyed all our dishes and would make the trip out to the Palisades again to try the Kamameshi and other dishes. As the Terminator said..'I'll be back...' read more

Kotobuki - Sushi Deluxe, Chirashi Deluxe, Unadon set... - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Situated off MacArthur, kotobuki has always received high praise from my local friends. This time around, I finally managed to make it there with a crew of 4. We had called ahead, worried about the place being packed on a Saturday night @ 5:30, but were told we could chance it. It's a good thing we came at 5:30, because the place was packed by 6. Their kamameshi came highly recommended. However, this time my friends and I were feeling the chirashi deluxe. The chirashi deluxe was enough to satisfy each of us and then some, and was well worth the price. Honestly, the mountains of fish will satisfy any craving for sashimi that you have. If you're in the area, this is definitely worth the trip! read more

This place is gold! I first discovered this place when I went to school at GW and this was close to the Vern campus. I remembered I thought the sushi was really good here but once I graduated and didn't have a car, I haven't been back in a while. Recently, when I had sushi cravings I remembered this spot and mentioned it to my husband so we came to check it out again. I am kicking myself for not coming back sooner! I love getting chirashis and not only do they give a generous amount of fish in their chirashi, they are all extremely high quality and fresh fish--all at very reasonable price too! I also got the clam miso soup which was very tasty and the clams are shell-on so it's extra flavorful. Staff is super attentive and friendly too, and the place is small but cozy! I do wonder if on busy nights there'll be long waits. I will definitely be back often!! read more

Kotobuki - Chirashi Deluxe - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Parking is challenging with new construction across the street. The sushi are amazing. Fresh. Tasty. Well cut. Patronizing for 20+ years. read more

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Used to be okay. Not anymore. Service and food are pretty bad and the interior remains run down. Now seems to be a food poisoning risk.

Great sushi, fast service. Take out is great, recommend the kamameshi and salmon avocado rolls as well.

Kotobuki notably offers kamameshi, a unique Japanese dish, in a small spare room above the space that previously housed the acclaimed Makoto sushi restaurant. I've never seen kamameshi offered elsewhere in DC, a steaming rice bowl with eel, chicken, or vegetables cooked to toasty perfection in an iron pot, set on a thick wooden trencher and accompanied by miso soup, sashimi, and a variety of small dishes of fresh and pickled vegetables. It was filling and savory - perfect after our hike on a blustery day. The menu otherwise offers a selection of sushi and sashimi, including a special menu with large sushi trays that would be good for a catered event. The restaurant itself is just one room with a few small tables and seats around the sushi bar, well lit and clean. It's intimate in it's small size and simplicity. Food 4, service 4, ambiance 3 read more

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I absolutely love this restaurant. Some of the best sushi I have tried. Located on a nice, quiet street in DC. It is upstairs, so keep that in mind if you're mobile impaired. Very small space too, so be prepared to wait. By far the best chirashi bowls I have had. Easily my go to dish here aside from the sushi. I also tasted the eel kamameshi, and it's very good. Love how the rice is cooked to a crisp alongside the metal bowl it's served in. They have a top to keep the dish hot and big tasty chunks of eel throughout. The small side dishes they serve with it are also great. Servers are busy but helpful and nice. Looking forward to coming back! read more

Service was always good no matter how busy they were. Sushi was always fresh and eel/clam rice combo was always a hearty meal.

$25 for this set was great! Food was fresh. A little bit less salty but tastes very healthy read more

Kotobuki - Eel Kamameshi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Not sure why this place has such high reviews. The only good thing is you can get a lot of sushi for relatively cheap at happy hour. But even for that I wouldn't go back. The rice doesn't taste fresh. The tuna in my tuna roll was not a cut of fish and was instead just mushy ground up tuna bits. The salmon skin was chewy and flavorless. The spicy salmon roll was for some reason chopped up cuts of fish with green onion and no spice. The only edible thing was the avocado roll and the eel roll. read more

Kotobuki - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Sad to say that I will not be returning to this restaurant because the chirashi bowl I ordered did not sit well in my stomach and I was hurting for the entire evening. We ordered two deluxe chirashi bowl, and had to sub out some items, and although hesitant, they were accommodating. The staff is friendly, and the presentation of the food is superb. They just might not be busy enough to have fresh fish at this time. There was pink color from the fish stained onto my rice as well, which might indicate that the fish was dyed to look fresher than it is. Regardless, I really wanted to like this restaurant, as their rice was delectable, but I would be very weary to try this again as the food made me feel miserable after. read more

Kotobuki - Chirashi Deluxe - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Nice intimate spot in a quiet area. Food was good and simple. Service was friendly and nice.

Perfect spot for a weekend or Friday evening with loved ones! Cold sake is served with pinch of salt, which is unique and first time in the US. read more

Kotobuki - Yum - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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(3.5 stars) Love the lunch specials here, fish was fresh and portions are plentiful. Also a really pleasant atmosphere to relax and dine in. Just wasn't crazy about the spicy tuna roll. read more

Kotobuki - Tekka Don - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I am truly baffled at how this restaurant has 4 stars. When I entered for lunch the pungent spoiled fish smell smacked me in the face. That should have been the sign to walk out. After picking up my roll, when I opened the container I could smell the rotting fish. I immediately threw it away. I will not be returning read more

What has happened to Kotobuki?? I am no expert in Japanese food, just a passionate consumer, but I recognize bad rice when I eat it. I couldn't even pay much attention to the fish and vegetables (quite good) in the sushi that I ate tonight because the rice was truly awful: overcooked to the point of mushiness and completely bland. Rice is the fundamental building block to sushi, and I am not even sure if what I ate was sushi rice. Before Covid, I used to like this restaurant but regretfully I will not be returning. read more

This is a small sushi place that has some delicious Japanese cuisine that sets it apart from other sushi places. We had the unadon (eel) dinner set, scallop nigiri, monkfish lover pate, and two items off of the special menu - seared salmon belly and fatty salmon. The fatty salmon special was really delicious. The scallop was fresh. I wasn't a huge fan of the monkfish liver pate, I think it needed something else to add to the flavor. I would come back here just for the scallop nigiri and would also get toro nigiri next time! The chirashi bowl also that others had gotten looked good. read more

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Traditional Japanese sushi, no frills, high quality, fast service, friendly staff, and good miso soup. You wont find fusion sushi here. Highly recommend it for quick dinners. Sushi Deluxe is an easy sampler. read more

Ordered sushi, Eel Kamameshi, Seaweed Salad and aburi Salmon. Great food and service!!! Definitely recommend aburi salmon. It just melted in my mouth. Everything was fresh. read more

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Best place for sushi in DC. And if it matters, I'm half Asian, was born, raised, went to GW, and did my first 4 years in Arlington, so I know a few things about sushi and about DC generally and this place is the best. Small, so call ahead, or ideally just order takeout. ...also my family has been ordering like gigantic, unreasonably complicated orders from them every family holiday for about 10 years and they always get it right, so kudos to them for accuracy and also putting up with our shit! read more

A neighborhood gem. The sushi is excellent, tucked into a no nonsense space. We usually go with takeout but enjoy ourselves when we eat-in. read more

Honestly wasn't super impressed by the eel dish. It was good, but the flavors were rather bland and it was not a lot of eel for the price. I appreciated the side dishes though. The chirashi was fresh but nothing out of the ordinary read more

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This is pound for pound the best sushi spot in DC. When you compare price, fish quality, chef skill and service there is just no better place - PERIOD. Even more it's a rare hidden gem in DC. It's become my favorite out of the way spot when I don't feel like being trampled by the masses in larger more popular sushi spots. You have to eat here at least once if you live in the DC area. You won't regret it. I promise. In fact DM me if you didn't like it. I'd literally need to speak with you to find out why not. read more

I thoroughly enjoyed Kotobuki. I would return. I went because it was the only sushi within walking distance of the AirBnB where I was staying, in the Palisades. It more than meets the grade for a neighborhood joint, and it would be worth driving to from nearby. I had the chirashi. That is always a good dish to order. Its presence on the menu signals the place is serious and the clientele knowing enough to order this "scattered" raw fish atop rice, usually with other items such as mushrooms and pickles. The assortment offers an easy means to assess what the chef has available, e.g., if it is tuna and salmon only, or if there is also ikura and uni (in this case, a good helping of the former). The fish was high quality, including two slices of toro. I was there early. I was the first diner. They filled up over time. I lingered to enjoy beer and then walk back to turn in early due to a half marathon the next morning. The clientele it seemed to me were sophisticated about their sushi, a father explaining to his son, maybe seven years old, what was what. The other important aspect to mention is the patrons were well heeled but dressed casually. I am not sure why, but I have been to more than one Japanese restaurant in the States where they play the Beatles non-stop. There are worse choices. The Beatles certainly have a catalog of enough to make it not monotonous, though over time these songs must repeat in the staff's sleep. I like the Fab Four. I am noting this background, in the event a reader is not a fan. The fancy place downstairs, Makoto, has closed, apparently to reopen in downtown digs dedicated to all things Japanese. I do not believe these establishments were related -- there was a character named Makoto Kotobuki in a Japanese domestic market videogame, but that likely is mere coincidence. Anyway, Kotobuki is a fine restaurant in its own right. read more

4.5 stars. Stopped by for a quick snack and was not disappointed! Small cute place. Quick service. We were in and out within 30 min! I got a scallop, sea urchin, and fatty tuna nigiri. All of them were very fresh and delicious. Melts right in your mouth! Highly recommend them. Also VERY affordable for quality sushi!!! I would say this is almost as good as Yoshi Sushi in Vienna (my favorite sushi place). The only thing was that the rice didn't stick well together and some of my nigiri fell apart. I will need to try other things whenever I'm in the area! read more

I don't get the buzz about this place. Ive driven by here numerous times and never made the effort but came based on the 4* reviews and written accolades. The best thing about this place is the service and speed. Avoid the watercress cold appetizer that is swimming in a pool of unflavored sauce. The edamame was just bizarre and I think I've been sitting in the freezer for way too long. The flavor of the sushi is fine but there is very little substance/fish to the rolls and loads of rice. For seven or eight dollar rolls I expect more. The Chardonnay is cheap and terrible and I guarantee there will be a headache in the morning. There were definitely no green tea or mango in either the green tea or mango mochi and both had freezer burn. The three stars for this review are based on the service and the authentic/relaxed nature of the atmosphere. That's it. read more

Kotobuki - Bad wine - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

i'd been wanting to come here for weeks, and knew already that i had to get the eel kamameshi. yes, there's a lot of rice in the bowl, but it's really flavorful from the eel sauce and pairs well with the side dishes. the eel itself was immaculately tasty. doesn't leave you feeling sluggish either. the miso soup was also good--not too salty like it sometimes is. friendly and quick service too! got our food in around 10 mins on a saturday at 12:40. read more

Kotobuki - Eel Kamameshi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Recommended by a friend; this is one of those places you could drive by all the time and not realize it's there or how good it is. As of February 2021, it's open for takeout; you can order there or call in. The sushi was delicious & the tuna hand rolls were phenomenal. It was my first time trying eel sashimi & it was The hand rolls were meaty and so fresh; I could eat those everyday. The presentation was beautiful even with it being takeout. My husband and I went on a freezing cold day after a long hike. Kotobuki threw in free miso soup with our order and it was the perfect warm treat after the hike. I don't know for sure, but I think they may pickle their own ginger... it was super fresh, but not as acidic as most. It's a little thing, but I really enjoyed that. Would highly recommend! read more

Kotobuki - Spicy tuna hand rolls, eel sashimi, salmon roll, scallop roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I'm always up for finding amazing traditional Japanese restaurants. I think I've hit the jackpot with Kotobuki. The parking around here is kind of weird, so I suggest you come during off hour so you can find parking on the street as this place has no parking lot. We came here around 8pm on a Saturday, got a little confused, but just walk upstairs right above another Japanese restaurant called Makoto. It's very small hidden hole in the wall place. We tried two of the sashimi and ever since coming back from Japan, we don't really eat sashimi as nothing compare to Japan. However, Kotobuki had pretty decent sashimi that we were pretty impressed. We both got the eel Kamameshi as we've never had it before, even in Japan. It was such an interesting concept we had to wiki what kamameshi was. It's "kettle rice" made popular after the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake. It's pretty to similar what is "clay pot" in China. The eel here is really good, next time I think I'm going to try the eel unagi. Overall, great Japanese food, can't wait to come back! read more

Kotobuki - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Super delicious and fresh fish. Great price. We ordered the eel Unadon and the sashimi, both of which were excellent. read more

You have to try their Kamameshi - maybe the only place in DC that offers this hearty yet light meal. Kamameshi is translated in Japanese as kettle rice and has very toasty smell after it's cooking process. It's really something you can enjoy in winter and summer while the flavor stays enriched but not heavy. read more

Kotobuki - Restaurant interior - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I've been recommending Kotobuki for years (since before I even discovered Yelp), yet I haven't written a review for it yet? How'd -that- happen? Solid, delicious, filling rolls on the cheap. Possibly fresh cuts of fish for nigiri. These are some prices that you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. Just try and point me to a $3-4 spicy scallop roll anywhere else in the DMV. Six rolls, a filling meal for three people, all for under $25? It makes me wonder just a -little- bit what would make people go to Makoto downstairs. I won't say this is the most delicious or consistent sushi I've had in the area, but the prices will keep me coming back again and again. read more

Kotobuki - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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