Review for Hiya Izakaya--the cocktail bar option in this "Food Hall" style restaurant…read more Visited for our one year engagement anniversary and it was the Perfect vibe. Loved the creative cocktails and every appetizer we tried was insanely unique and delicious. I am still salivating over their edamame 4 months later! We also took the plunge and ordered the biggest sushi assortment, unknowingly ordering a boat to our table. They were awesome, fresh, and flavorful. Too much for us to finish at dinner so we also had leftovers. Servers were very attentive. Since visiting, we have ordered takeout from Love On The Run and it was VERY good.

Love Makoto is a cool food hall with different restaurants inside. We tried Dear sushi for a…read morebirthday and the staff was so polite and professional after the group got rambunctious after a few bottles of sake. God bless them. The table got à la cart nigiri and they received large portions of fresh fish. The toro is great here. I ordered the omakase. While it had a cool concept of "old vs new school" methods of preparing the sushi. I ended up liking the simple flavors so next time I'll just go with the à la cart menu. The non sushi dishes were unremarkable. I found the omakase to be of poor value because the non sushi dishes were bland and uninteresting, and I was so hungry after. The thing that I couldn't get over was the rice. The rice was large kernels that tasted kind of like brown rice and had an odd texture. It did not stick together well and was falling apart when you picked it up. It was so distracting. Next time I will only order sashimi.

I had a solid dinner at Ko and ordered the Katsudon Set. I had the pork cutlet which was…read more simmered in a sweet broth and topped with fluffy egg over steamed rice. It came with miso soup. Service was great and the restaurant itself was very lovely. The portion was huge and I was stuffed when I left. I really appreciated the presentation of the meal. I ended up repeating the order for takeout a few weeks later. I would definitely return in the cooler months and reorder the Katsudon Set as it seems like it would be a comforting meal in colder weather.

It was sufficient…read more Ko is centrally located by Dupont Circle as a second floor restaurant (next to Zorba's). Interior is simple and open. A/C was nice and cool which I appreciated but found the place to be too loud for me once it filled out with more people. Service is courteous. I ordered the tomato salad and two sushi rolls. Yes I committed the sin of ordering just sushi at a kaiseki restaurant, gasp! So I guess I did this to myself since I found the food to be just ok. The spicy tuna roll was just not happening since all they did was drizzle hot sauce over the roll. I've been noticing this more at places, can we just say tuna roll with spicy dipping sauce instead? It's a bit misleading... but I guess I'll have to make sure to ask everywhere whenever I order spicy tuna. I am a believer in that if you're eating at a good restaurant and you ordered their less popular menu item that it should still be good but in this case, Ko didn't deliver. Anyways, I didn't have much of an appetite because of the hot weather so take this review with a grain of salt but I don't plan on returning unless someone can convince me otherwise and if I do, I'm not ordering sushi here.

Soooooo good and great staff!! Loved the environment and the food was very very good!read more

Upon entering, you are greeted by a multi-level establishment with sushi bar and small dining area…read moredownstairs and a larger dining room upstairs all laid out in subdued, modern chic, Asian vibe. The staff is amazing, attentive, friendly and efficient! Thank you Kay, for taking such good care of us! We started off with the Kara-age Lollipop chicken, which was finger lickin' delicious. For our entrees we shared the 6 Set Umai Temaki and Sashimi Nori. Super fresh, flavorful and beautifully presented. I got a kick out of the canned sake and maybe over indulged...but so much fun! We felt the value was very good, 27 pieces of generously portioned and fresh sashimi for under $60! We'll make this a regular stop when in DC. Cheers!

Date night! I was surprised when I was walking up to the place because it was so tiny, and the…read moreentrance is so small. Once I got inside, it was a long L-shaped counter and just a couple of tables along the outer perimeter of the wall. Our server checked on us efficiently, and I definitely have a few highlights from what we tried. Fried oysters: simply delish! I didn't want anything fried, but I was talking to this and didn't regret it haha. Eggplant: if you don't like the texture, don't get this. But the ginger and other flavors going on really make it hit. BBQ eel & cucumber: my favorite dish! It was both refreshing and flavorful, and we enjoyed it so much we got to. The omakase dish had a fun colorful variety of fish on it, and while it was good overall, some fish just tasted so plain compared to others. I would come back here, mainly for the dishes I highlighted and for the daily options that become available. It might take quite a while to get through everything!

I went with a group of friends to try Izakaya Seki after having it on our list for years. The space…read moreis very small and it can be challenging to get reservations, so you have to make sure to book early (especially for a larger group like ours). We ordered family style and tried a fair bit of the menu. I enjoyed the food enough but wasn't blown away by any of it. It was very expensive with tiny portions, but the flavor and quality wasn't any better than much cheaper restaurants. The croquettes were $18 for just two, but it didn't have as much crab as comparable croquettes I've had for less, and it felt under-seasoned. The standout was the garlic rice, funnily enough, and the eel tamago dish for me. I enjoyed the kakuni and the pork belly in the soba noodles, but it wasn't particularly well-prepared and the serving style was awkward for a group (3 big pieces with no way to cut or portion - they said they had no knives). The other savory dishes were just okay, and really none of them were something I would order again at this price point. The cod in particular disappointed me by being so bland. I did love the ice cream we ordered at the end, although each of us ordered a separate flavor and they confused us a bit by combining them at random in 2 bowls for 5 people. Honestly, I think my views are being colored slightly by the service, which was poor across the board. I would have been more generous with my rating if I felt the service was good or friendly, but to have cold service and high prices and tiny portions and unimpressive flavors made me feel less inclined to return. Still, it wasn't bad food, just mediocre - I wouldn't go back but I wouldn't warn anyone away, if that makes sense. Looking at the other reviews now, it seems we weren't the only ones to receive poor service, so it wasn't just an off night. The prices are one thing, but when you compare the service to an izakaya in Japan it's a pretty stark difference, right?

After walking past this place nearly every day for two years, I finally made it in…read more Overall, I enjoyed the meal. The menu spans a wide variety of Japanese cuisine (or at least, how one might traditionally imagine it), and there were some genuine highlights: the steak (it wasn't billed as wagyu, so I'm not entirely sure what it was), the eggplant taco, and the corn. That said, as someone who's particular about Japanese food, I do feel that restaurants specializing in each of these dishes execute them better -- Uchi's sushi and Izakaya Seki's yakitori both outshine Shoto's versions. The room itself is glamorous in a very Miami way: sleek decor, a showy bathroom, and it takes on a bit of a nightclub vibe as the night goes on. My main gripe was pacing -- service felt rushed at first, then there was a sudden lull, and dessert took forever to arrive.

My mom & I went Shōtō in DC for an early birthday treat and we had such a great experience! The…read moreservice was immaculate from start to finish. They started us off with warm towels, which was such a nice touch, and everyone was so attentive and welcoming throughout the meal. I started with a martini that came with a shot of sparkling sake, while my mom had a cappuccino. For food, we shared the Wagyu no gyoza and OMG... so good! Definitely an 8/10 and something I'd recommend trying. I also ordered the grilled octopus with potatoes, and that was delicious as well. My only wish is that the portions were a little bigger, but honestly, the excellent service and the fact that we shared several dishes made up for it. My mom ordered the Suzuki yaki, branzino, which was delicious, and the corn was SO good. It's covered in butter and absolutely worth trying! We ended the night with the matcha tiramisu, and they even wrote "Happy Birthday" on the plate for my mom. Such a cute touch and a perfect way to end the meal. They said online that we might leave hungry, but we were actually pretty full! I definitely think sharing several dishes is the way to go. If you're only ordering one entrée for yourself, you may leave wanting more, but with a few dishes to share, we had plenty. Overall, I'd definitely recommend Shōtō. It's definitely a bit pricey but the service really stood out, the food was delicious, and it felt like a special place to celebrate. I'm already looking forward to coming back to try the sushi!

When I hear sushi and all you can eat in the same sentence I typically proceed with caution. No…read moreneed for caution here. From the moment I walked in Kay gave prompt, professional service. He walked me through the options and ordering was a breeze. The price point is a little higher than your average all you can eat dining experience, but well worth it. I must've had 15 pieces of nigiri. Having worked in a sushi restaurant I can tell you it was phenomenally well done. Beautifully fresh and buttery and the sushi rice was perfect. The eel kamameshi was a highlight and came with a showing amount of eel. Finished everything off with the matcha tiramisu and a cup of green tea. I won't need to eat for days. Will definitely be coming back! Thank you Kay and team!

First off, let me just say.... If I'm honest, whenever I…read moreshow up to an AYCE I'm always skeptical with the quality of the food, especially when it comes to sushi but wow, I was blown away how great it was for AYCE. The set- up and the ambiance is very comfortable and sleek/modern with the main sushi chefs in the middle and the tables around them. The tables have waiters and a tablet at the table like most hot pot/kbbq places and you can order everything off of there. I have only been here once and wanted to try to low tier without going "all in" on the top tier option of diamond without knowing how the basics would taste. Let me say if the bottom tier was as good as it was, I'm excited to come back to try the next tier! Anyway, the basic tier already comes with a lot of sushi options and should be enough for those who are craving just sushi. All of the cuts of nigiri was great, all tender with great flavor, but what stood out to me the most was actually the yellowtail, super buttery and great flavor. The eel was also a top choice! All the rolls were good basic to the fancier ones, I would say that most of the bang for the buck would be the nigiri. The rolls are good but a little too much rice for me personally. The appetizers, didn't spend too much time on them but the chicken karaage was solid and the seaweed salad was my two favorite. Overall, super solid for the price and I'd totally want to go again to try more of their options! 100% recommend!

We are here for work and one of my colleagues wanted to come here…read more It's located upstairs so remember to take the stairs on the left side. Super cool looking restaurant. As soon as we reached the top of the stairs, to the right is an amazing bar. Darker warm lighting in the whole restaurant. There are a few tables to the left of the bar, that's where we were seated, and more to the right and there's bar seatings as well We shared all the items ordered and enjoyed it all. Gyozas had wasabi on it so be careful but it was amazing with layers of flavors. The rice pot was more than enough for 4ppl to share with tons of meats and seafood inside. Like a paella but Japanese. Meatballs were underestimated but it delivered. Tasted amazing we had to order another one. Most items are one order, one item so ask before ordering. Service was perfect. Waitress always checked on us and food came out very timely.

I was excited to try it because I had a craving for ramen and other dishes. Unfortunately, the…read moretonkotsu ramen was mediocre at best. The broth was okay (lacked a lot of flavor). The noodles were good, and the pork belly... puny and tasteless. I also ordered a pork katsudon to eat later; although slightly better, the meat portion was terribly small. The only bright spot was the chicken katsu, which was very good... though everything fried is usually good.

Tucked away in the alley behind the Main Street nw in Georgetown, we got there right around 5 when…read morethey open, and watched it turn from a quiet restaurant to a thriving and lively place. Excellent service, the food was great and not outrageously priced (considering the area), and looked amazing inside! The decor and the lighting is makes it a cozy and intimate place but also great for a large party as well We booked our experience during restaurant week, we love trying out new places and their restaurant week menu offered a little bit of everything. We got some champagne to start, ordered some cocktails after, and the food started rolling in. We started with a caviar bump, and moved into the beetroot salad (which was amazing and so flavorful, we both wanted more), had the Tataki/carpaccio style followed by the nigiri/sashimi, then for the main course - the winner/volcano lobster roll. We didn't want our night to end there, there were so many great options in the menu so we opted to hold off on our desert and ordered some more food We got the sushi dinner dish to share along with the lavender smoked salmon Tataki style. Definitely could've eaten more after but decided to end our night after that, and had our ice cream to finish the night (matcha ice cream and raspberry sorbet) The service was 11/10, our waiter was extremely knowledgeable and all of the other waitstaff was extremely kind and was more than willing to help us with any questions or things we needed. The restaurant was very clean and they had nice bathrooms. The quality of the food was amazing and every dish had us hungry for more. This is definitely a place we'll be coming to again and will be recommending to everyone

We stopped by for a random work dinner on a weeknight. We were seated just fine without a…read morereservation, as the restaurant was about less than half full. As first timers, the menu is really overwhelming. Great for those who want a lot of options, but a lot of the rolls' descriptions were very similar. Our server was very friendly and helpful in guiding us through a few of her preferences/favorites. Everything we ended up ordering was good though nothing stood out as over the top. You are definitely paying for the vibe and ambiance here.

Beautiful sushi restaurant in Union Market, perfect for celebrations or a night night out. I came…read moreduring happy hour for my anniversary and had such a memorable experience! Our server was attentive and helped us keep track of the time so we can put in any last minute orders for happy hour. The sugar and spice cocktail is one of my favorites in the DC area, it's perfect if you like a spicy margarita flavor. The snow king roll was my favorite (included in HH) but the surf and turf one was delicious as well. Definitely recommend the broccolini and rock shrimp to supplement your experience! I can't wait to come back.

Upscale sushi spot great for any occasion…read more The restaurant has two floors with tons of seating (upstairs is bright and downstairs is very dark and moody). Overall great food, ambiance and service here. - Crispy Rice (5/5) - Firecracker Roll (5/5) - Rock Shrimp (3.5/5) - Scallop Temaki (5/5) Definitely prefer and recommend the sushi and options that are not marked for happy hour but still worth a try if you don't want to spend a ton.

Japanese Pizza here is fire! I recently got news that they will be shutting down. I'm really sad…read more.. not sure why such an amazing concept would shut down. Maybe DC is going through it with the economy. Maybe it's the lack of foot traffic. Whatever it is, restaurants in DC don't seem to survive. I hope one day they bring back Tonari - would do great in Virginia. For now, I say my good bye, and this 5 star review is my love letter to this place. Goodbye Tonari :(

Disappointed to hear Tonari is closing! I marked my calendar to try their next cheesesteak night in…read moreMay, which I was so looking forward to! I had a nice dinner here recently and the pizza was absolutely delicious, actually one of my favorites. I will note that my guest was served their entree almost 10 minutes before mine came out and was finished by the time I started to eat.