4 stars only because you have the a la carte option and their sushi platters are pretty great (bang for buck). If I paid the omakase price, I would give this place 3 stars. We went to dine at Sushi Ogawa on a Wednesday (lunch), and we were the only people in the restaurant. Suffice to say, it's probably easy to score a reservation or walk in. Like you read in other reviews, they have Zero ambiance. A little bummed, because their sushi is not cheap, but I tend to prefer good food over good ambiance & service, so this was fine for me. Ogawa's sushi was okay. It wasn't the best I ever had -- I would say it was definitely mediocre given the price. We really like their Arctic char sashimi, but everything else was felt a bit bland. Their ikura and Uni was definitely on the lower end quality, so don't pay the extra to get those. Their eel especially was pretty bad. Their toro is definitely not O-toro (best grade toro). Sushi overall didn't feel fresh at all - it was on the mushier end (and I know even for Japanese sushi, this was probably a couple days old -- felt stale). All of this said.... their a la carte price is INSANELY reasonable. My husband and I left full having ordered the amount in the photos, and spent less than $200 (including tip). So -- Ogawa feels like a bougier sushi joint if you are in the area and want to spend a little more than usual to eat fine sushi. I definitely would NOT think this is the top DC sushi spot. Personally thought Sushi Capitol offered a MUCH higher quality sushi, granted, a little bit pricier. Make sure you set your expectations right -- then you'll have a great time! read more

Sushi Ogawa - Matsu Sushi Assortment - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

Ogawa offered great sushi for a very reasonable price. Wife and I dined a la carte at Ogawa and enjoyed their sushi platter offering. Portion size was very generous and both of us left very full, having paid less than $200 for the table. Ambiance was meh - felt like a neighborhood sushi joint. Felt a little dusty even. That said, if you only care about food quality, Ogawa is a fine place to swing by some decent sushi. We didn't do omakase, so I can't speak to that experience. But, if it offers the same quality sushi, I honestly don't think it's worth it. read more

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

See all

I went to Sushi Ogawa in Washington, D.C. on October 2, 2019--pre-COVID--and the experience has stayed with me ever since. It was easily my best sushi dining experience in the mainland U.S. The omakase was $100 plus tax at the time, which felt like a steal for what we got: premium cuts, pristine freshness, and an authentically intimate setting. Just look at this plate. From the uni to the toro, ikura, and delicate white fish--every piece was carefully prepared and melted in the mouth. I was so full I could barely breathe! I ended up walking around the Washington Monument just to help digest. Prices have likely gone up since then, but the memory remains priceless. Totally worth it. read more

See all

Just had lunch here and ummm, 10/10. Best sushi meal I've had in all of DC. I came as a party of one and went a bit ham. Got the Matsu Sushi assortment, soft shell crab, and a few more nigiri pieces. Everything was SO delicious. The journey starts with the entry. Cool whale mural and soft anime musical tunes welcome you. I sat in the dining room this time which was small and quiet, which I loved and wanted for a Saturday afternoon. I ordered a half bottle of sake which came in a beautiful blue almost fish scale like glass. The proportions were excellent and service was warm and very knowledgeable. They were able to help me pick the perfect sake half bottle. Was it a bit pricey? Sure. But SO worth it. You know when you go somewhere and spend close to $150 and go "THAT was $150?!?" Not here. I spent a bit more than that and left feeling, "Wow. Such a good deal." Disclaimer: I also really love sushi so might be a bit biased. But seriously. Excellent, fresh, bright bites of fish, ginger sauce with soft shell crab tempura really kicked it up, and ending with the red bean ice cream was perfect. If you're looking for THE place to have sushi in DC, it's here. read more

See all

Honestly, this is the best sushi place I've been to in DC. They really don't skimp out on the fish quality-- the slices of fish are thick and juicy, and the rice is well seasoned. Ambiance is very cozy and service was great. Definitely coming back!! read more

Sushi Ogawa - Sushi assortment - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I ordered take out (via Uber Eats) from Sushi Ogawa earlier today for lunch since I was craving sushi and wanted to try somewhere new. The packaging arrived nicely with all the sushi packed neatly. TAKE SUSHI ASSORTMENT - 48 It's 57.00 off the Uber Eats app, but fortunately, I had a lot of coupons, lol. This came with 11 nigiri and 1 maki roll. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures, so I don't remember which nigiris I ate, but the fish were pretty high quality and I enjoyed all of them. The rice was a bit too vinegary. The maki roll I got was a salmon, tuna, and cucumber roll that was pretty big. I'm not a huge cucumber fan, so I just took those out. I don't think I would get take out from Sushi Ogawa again, but I would like to dine-in in the future to enjoy the sushi while it's as fresh as possible. Sushi quality can be hard to maintain, and to-go orders might not be the best way to enjoy them. The pricing is on the higher end, but the quality is good, and the variety of fish is quite extensive. Maybe I'll be back for the omakase, but that's later down the line. read more

I enjoyed the omakase at Sushi Ogawa. Being from Hawaii where we are literally surrounded by fresh fish everywhere, you can get decent sushi anywhere, living in Nova on the other hand.... makes me miss home lol. It is omakase which means Chefs choice. We sat at the sushi bar and had a really nice time talking with the chef. The hostess was also very friendly. We had an early reservation so it wasn't packed at all, but the service we got was exceptional. The ambiance felt very authentic, the focus is very much on the food, it's not like this trendy spot that's great for Instagram. This is 100 percent about quality, which I appreciate. read more

Sushi Ogawa - The Chawanmushi was soooo good - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

If you are going to Ogawa, you are going because you are a sushi lover - maybe even aficionado. So you will appreciate a comparison to the other top sushi place in town, Nakazawa. They both offer genuinely excellent Omakase experiences but are very different. Ogawa is much more laid back. It has a low key dining room where the service is not exceptional, but you can order a la carte or order a smaller omakase offering. This is fine. There is nothing wrong with this experience. There is no stress and it's nice to have an Omakase experience in this price range. But it would be nice if the staff on this side of the restaurant knew a bit more about the fish that was being served. They really do not know anything... and sometimes this is frustrating. Then there is the sushi bar. This is significantly more expensive, but also a much finer experience. At least in cost, this is fairly similar to Nakazawa, but the experience is much less formal. The room is warmer and cozier. The chef (Kevin) and his apprentice (Peter) are friendly and talkative, but only talkative if you want to engage with them, not in an intrusive way. On this side, the service is much more personal and intimate, necessarily. The quality of the fish was top notch, and the offerings were on par but different from Nakazawa's. Ogawa did not have a wine list that I recall; but their sake list was good. The Ken Katsuyama sake was maybe $125 and outstanding. A splurge but it was for a special occasion. I feel as though a similar quality sake at Nakazawa would probably be marked up a bit more. Overall, Ogawa is a wonderful sushi establishment. On par with Nakazaw, just different. Despite similar pricing at a base level, Nakazawa feels more like a special occasion restaurant and Ogawa feels like the type of place you could just swing by on a free evening. If you sit at the bar, talk with Kevin. read more

See all

My fiancé and I visited to celebrate our anniversary with the omakase experience at the bar, but it didn't quite meet our expectations (especially for $240/person). Service: The service left a lot to be desired. The chef and his assistant were a bit cold and unengaging: they provided minimal explanation about the dishes and seemed unreceptive to our comments. The pacing of the meal was erratic, sometimes we felt rushed and other times we waited uncomfortably long. The fruit fly buzzing around did not help the atmosphere. Food: I appreciated the variety in the menu, from classics like chutoro to more adventurous bites like monkfish liver, cod sperm, and also a selection of warm dishes (nice on a cold night, but a few too many for my personal preference). The fish was mostly very good, but: some of the tuna tasted overly fishy, the rice texture and seasoning was not our favorite, the pickled ginger was inconsistently sliced (some were way too chunky) and my fiancé even had to spit out a fish bone. The dessert was particularly disappointing: a scoop of bitter, low-flavor matcha ice cream and two cubes of flavorless watermelon. We expected more refinement for this price. That said, we did enjoy several dishes. The textures and flavors of the scallop, monkfish liver, cuttlefish, lobster, and chawanmushi were excellent. read more

100/100 I enjoyed every bites and appreciate how nice and fresh the experience was. Sushi were special and delicious, the atmosphere and ambience was amazing.100% Satisfied!!! read more

See all

A wonderful Omakase experience in Washington, D.C. Superbly fresh and meticulously prepared. Hats off to the staff who were so warm and welcoming. A small piece of Japan in the Nation's Capital. read more

See all

Cyndy's Bottom Line: ok sushi *Reservations on TOCK for prepaid omakase or Sushi A La Carte in dining room. $25.00 deposit non refundable *Street parking if you are lucky otherwise use car service This is what we ate/drank: *Kirin beer and sake were complimentary since the $25.00 deposit is non refundable, kanpai! Mahalo. *Shrimp tempura (2) pieces The shrimp was cooked perfectly. The tempura batter was light and flat with no crispiness. *Extra Special Sushi Assortment 30 Chef selection pieces of nigiri sushi; including salmon roe (ikura) and sea urchin (uni) with two rolls. We enjoyed most of the sushi. The standouts were the hamachi, sake, and toro nigiri. Surprised to be served the knifejaw fish which is a fish that I normally do not have a desire to eat raw. The dining room is comfortable except for the black gnats flying around. Makes for an entertaining challenge of catching a gnat with your chopsticks. read more

See all

It was the only sushi place opened at 4pm, so decided to give it a shot. Swing and a miss. 2 pieces that were really good but overall missing the mark significantly. Ambiance and service, less of a priority for me, but was pretty unpleasant. Good: the hotate with yuzu and the shrimp was very fresh, tasty and well marinated. The acidic of the yuzu definitely brought out the taste of the hotate. Bad: the tuna was fibrous and a little stale tasting, the unidentified white fish roll was very tasteless, ikura tasted like bland plastic with soy sauce. Service: I was the only customer at 4pm and the server did a really poor job explaining the menu or the offerings. I flagged that there was a sharp piece of shell in my uni and there was no offer to feedback to the chef or resolve the problem. They also have a set 20% service charge. Ambiance: normally places with less ideal ambiance surprise you with the best food but this was not one of them. The minute you walk in, it smells like a dirty wet market, the tablecloth and ambiance was aged and dingy, fruit flies everywhere for some reason. read more

Sushi Ogawa - a plate of sushi on a table - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

We came here on a Friday evening for the 4 course omakese and were the only people in the restaurant. They didn't even ask for our drink orders before they started to bring dishes out. The pace of the omakese was extremely rushed. We could tell the wait staff were watching us and waiting impatiently to bring the next course out. In terms of the quality of the food, it was pretty underwhelming. A few pieces of the nigiri were exceptional (maybe 3 out of the whole night), but others tasted as if they had been sitting out for a while. The hot dishes were boring and flavorless. Especially considering how expensive this meal was (and that they mandate a 20% service charge), it was one of the worst restaurant experiences we've ever had. Safe to say we will never return. read more

I'm Japanese and I've been to many omakases in the U.S. as well as in Japan, but I've never been served that much food in such a short amount of time. Clearly we were rushed to catch up with a party that had started 30 min earlier. If they wanted to serve the entire counter together, they probably should not have accepted a reservation later than everyone else. We were there for barely an hour and a half and it felt like we were being force fed by the end. Fish was fresh but they were all pre-sliced which meant that every piece lost flavor while it was sitting. Rice was too soft and poorly shaped (which you could see when we began eating only the fish). I also found it funny to see miso soup served in a bowl for clear broths. The chawan mushi is supposed to be a delicately-flavored custard but it was cold and salty. The dessert of ice cream at the end was so flavorless, I couldn't tell what the flavor was supposed to be. I think it was maybe vanilla but it had a purple tint. I went in thinking this was an authentic establishment and it seems like it no longer is. Disappointing. read more

Wow! What a fantastic experience. Sushi Ogawa is hands-down my favorite sushi in DC, and could definitely hold their own in comparison to top sushi restaurants across the country. I visited about 30 minutes before closing, and while there was some discussion about whether we were too late to enter, they decided to seat my group of 3. There were no customers to be found, so I'm not sure what the concern was, but it worked out well for us. As we were told we needed to eat/order quickly, we were a teeny bit rushed in deciding, but I honestly think there is no going wrong with this menu! The freshness of this fish was absolutely incredible, and everything we ordered was fantastic. I would highly recommend the salmon nigiri and any of the grades of fatty tuna. Wow! Like, eye-rolling wow. Melt in your mouth heaven! The salmon and toro rolls were excellent, and I'm always excited by a California roll with real crab! Definitely plan ahead if you have a group and are visiting during prime time! Reservations are easy through the restaurant's website. You can also order online for pickup or delivery through the restaurant directly. I will absolutely be back the next time I'm in town, and I am already looking forward to trying the omakase. read more

Sushi Ogawa - Check out the beautiful toro! Star of the show. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Great omakase experience here. Less fancy than the other big ones, but this feels very much like an omakase in Tokyo. You go in and sit at the bar, and the chef just hits you with food until you're full. There were some unique and fun courses here (ankimo, snapper roe, lobster miso head, lobster nigiri, etc). Everything was great - if I lived closer I would come more frequently. Probably the best chutoro/otoro I've had in the city - the kama toro is ridiculously fatty and melts in your mouth. read more

See all

Absolutely phenomenal omakase experience! From the delicious, fresh, and flavorful fish expertly prepared and layered on top of perfectly cooked and seasoned rice (which is honestly far rarer than one would expect), the wonderful chef and the conversations I was able to have with him while enjoying the meal, and the great selection of sake to complement the meal, every part of Sushi Ogawa's omakase was executed to perfection. The chef's selection included enough food to leave you stuffed to the brim, but you won't be able to leave a single piece untouched. If you're looking for a delightful omakase in a relatively small, intimate environment in D.C., definitely give Sushi Ogawa a try! read more

See all

August 2020 - COVID Review: My husband and I have had a reservation for their omakase since March but due to the pandemic, we have had to postpone it for months due to DC restrictions. Since we kept getting our reservation rescheduled, they were kind enough to offer us free beers when we can visit. In August, we were able to come finally for a private dining experience and they followed all of the covid precautions. We sat at the bar but there was a plastic barrier between us and the chef the entire time. We were given about 22 courses! This was our first omakase experience and it was definitely a good one. Chef Ogawa wasn't our chef but he was around and did bring out a few of the hot courses for us from the back. Our favorites were definitely the A5 wagyu (first time too!) and alllll of the toro (tuna). Definitely will be back during a nice occasion (and post-covid). Worth the price for the once in a lifetime experience. read more

See all

I chose Ogawa over Nakazawa fir my first omakase experience because I liked the cozy personalized feel of the restaurant without any of the hoopla. Sushi chef was very knowledgable with great knife skills. Watching the knife work was a great experience in itself. The fish was fresh and melted in my mouth the moment it touched the tongue. I barely needed teeth for this experience. read more

See all

I've only been here once, and the good thing is that the sushi is normally twice as large as those that you have in normal sushi stores. That being said, the fish taste mediocre for the price that you pay, and by mediocre, I meant that it's not as fresh but at the same time it's not bad. It's just as if they cut the fish the day before and froze it overnight only to take it back out to serve the next day. There's not a lot to distinguish in taste between each piece of sashimi. Ultimately, the service and staff are really accommodating, and they bring out the food faster than expected. Service is 8/10, and sushi is 6/10. read more

I read reviews about the quality here and pics looked good so I wanted to try it. I got the big platter thing and it was roughly $60 and it wasn't worth it at all. The fish wasn't as fresh as I thought it'd be, esp at that price. I expected it to taste more fresh and melt in my mouth. The eel was the only thing I fully ate. The salmon just didn't taste as good as I'm used to (I eat a lot of sashimi) If you're looking for nigiri and sashimi, I'd probably go somewhere else. Didn't try any rolls so I couldn't really recommend if you're just looking for regular sushi. Overall I'd give this place a solid 3.5/5. read more

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

See all

Newish sushi place in a condo Bldg (next to my condo). Neighbors love the omakasa menu-sit down and be fed. The wait is long for reservations. I walked up and asked what was good for take out and was told it is all good. Went with the tuna and cucumber sushi. Choice of regular tuna, fatty tuna or extra fatty tuna. The fatty tuna was better than regular tuna. You can taste the difference. Salmon role was basic and good. Edamame was crunchier than most. Also tried the Saki taste trio. Came in brown chem bottles. Saving those for tonight. Cute. App was a problem (50 dollar minimum). If you value high quality food, I'd recommend Ogawa. read more

See all

Oh My God!!! The best sushi you will ever eat! You will pay the price for the quality... it is also the most expensive sushi you will ever eat. I was surprised that on our second visit the service slipped a bit... we had to ask for soy sauce and wasabi! I was also surprised to see a 20% tip included... I almost doubled it! Be warned. The sushi is so good these complaints are nothing! Worth every penny! read more

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

See all

I'm at a loss for words, this is so good: I did the pre-Paid, $200 dinner and it was like heaven on earth. Absolutely delicious fish, awesome sushi chef. Wowowowow. read more

See all

Great sushi and small dishes. The quality was good. I didn't feel too full with too much rice. Will definitely recommend and go back to try again. read more

Amazing omakase! Delicious fresh fish prepared with spectacular flavor and friendly smiles. This is definitely a little more divey than most other omakase options in the city, but hey, I'm here for the fish! And it did not disappoint. There were even some little flavor surprises, like black truffle. I do recommend they reprint their sake lists a little more often. Getting a wilted stained menu when we first sat down wasn't the greatest first impression. I think they also forgot the finger towels for a while, but we did eventually get some. A must try if you're in the city and love sushi. They also use to have a "mini" sushi counter at the Mandarin, which will hopefully open again sometime soon. Funny story, I had just posted this review and saw the guy who posted right before me had been sitting right next to us. How he could give them a one star review blows my mind. Seems like he was trying to impress his girlfriend and failed. We noticed he was grilling the chef throughout, which seemed to be more an exercise to prove how knowledgeable he is than anything else. He even complains in his review that the the sushi chef clearly knew us. Uh, no dude, we were just chillin and actually enjoying the food instead of trying to flex how much we know about sushi. The chefs cheered us with sake because we offered them a glass when we got the bottle. It was our first time there! read more

See all

Good for a quick sushi option. I placed and order online, the person was very polite when I came to pick up my food. It's a decent decor, I wouldn't mind coming here for a sit down meal. read more

Terrible for lunch. We were the only table in the restaurant. They brought out the food, but didn't give us plates. So we were left to dip the sushi in our soy sauce dishes over tablecloth. Then a second pair walked in and they seated them right next to us, even though the whole rest of the room was empty. So we could hear each other's conversations, which is nice and awkward. The waitress could not answer questions about the menu. Had to get up and flag someone for the bill. Then had to get up again to find someone to pay the bill. Sushi was fine, but nothing memorable. read more

OK, I've got to be honest we almost had a heart attack when we walked up after taking a long uber ride to get there and saw the menu outside! The special dinners for $200 a person not this girl. We decided to go in thinking that the menu on yelp showed regular sushi items. Man we are so glad that we did. Our server was so nice and helpful with the menu. They only serve beer and saki so keep that in mind, but the beer was ice cold so I was all good. We ordered edamame with salt none of that garlic edamame and it was hot an delicious. We moved on to spicy tuna roll, yellowtail maki and yellowtail nigiri all were delicious. The place is really unique when you walk in the have rocks in the walkway with slabs on something black on top, it looks really cool and kinda gets you in the vibe for a really Japanese experience. The rooms are small and very comfortable, decorated very nice. We will be back and after trying their food maybe go for the $200 meal I am sure it would be delicious. Just not this time. Cute neighborhood that it is is as well. read more

Sushi Ogawa - Cool entrance - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

This place isn't great to look at, but the sushi was phenomenal. Also it was weirdly hot in the dining area, like incredibly uncomfortable hot. read more

Excellent service and comprehensive menu. We enjoyed our omakase and will definitely come again. They follow safe guidelines and are very accommodating. Chef Kevin is amazing. read more

See all

I can't say enough about this sushi spot! The staff are very friendly and followed COVID guidelines. We went for Omakase and had an amazing experience. They have a huge sake menu for all of the sake lovers out there! It definitely completes the experience. The quality of sushi was top notch and there were so many different bites offered. We left feeling very full! Although the ambiance could use a little work, the food more than made up for it. We sat in the dining room so the Omakase wasn't served one piece at a time like it traditionally is but perhaps due to COVID they aren't doing that anyway to minimize contact. I've never seen uni served so many ways! Highly recommend giving this sushi spot a try! I will be coming back for sure. read more

See all

COVID update. Amazing sushi but due to covid they currently only offer takeout. Great quality sushi. It feels weird to do take out for "omakase quality sushi" but if you need to do it Sushi Ogawa won't disappoint. Their online ordering is very streamlined as well as their pick up service. The website notes what's good and what's currently being sold out. I'm very curious about how different this place will be post covid. read more

See all

4 stars for a fun upscale sushi spot. I'm a sushi fan, but my wife not so much. Therefore, whenever she is out of town or busy late with work, I try to look for good sushi spots to try. I had been trying to check out Sushi Ogawa, located on Connecticut Ave in Kalorama, for a while and was finally able to do so a couple weeks ago. I arrived at the venue after making a reservation online for an early chef's menu timeslot. I went up to the door and it was locked. I had to be let in my a server and told him that I was doing the chef's menu. I guess Sushi Ogawa has shifted more to take-out due to the pandemic (which makes sense), but it was a little odd as I walked inside to see a really unique hallway and interesting eating area in contrast with some open spots showing stuff stored in closets and other random stuff. It felt almost like I was going into a rich chef's house when he wasn't quite ready for company. Pretty nice, but just a little off. I took a seat and was by myself for about half of my meal, which seemed odd considering how few timeslots showed up online. Two girls came in about half way through my meal and mostly chatted with the sushi chefs in Japanese while I ate. I could tell they lived in the area and were probably regulars, which again made it feel like I was over at a rich chef's house with his rich friends rather than at a restaurant. I kind of liked it, but your experience could vary based on your preferences on that type of thing. The chef came over to say hello and see if I wanted anything to drink. I decided to start with a Japanese beer before getting to the food. The chef worked in tandem with another chef, and he seemed to enjoy the fact that I was interested in hearing about each dish. It struck me like he didn't really speak to people that often, so maybe other people aren't as interested in what they eat? Regardless, he mostly seemed to like doing the descriptions. We started out with a 3 piece dish that included some pumpkin that was pretty good. We then rolled through several various sushi dishes until getting to a hot custard dish that had shrimp in it (or prawn maybe?) and was pretty unique. We then moving through dishes with some standouts (e.g., the sea eel melted in my mouth, the foie gras wagyu was awesome, and this crunchy sushi was great). However, the thing that stood out about this experience is the sheer volume of sushi I was provided. I had to have had something like 40 pieces of sushi. They just kept making more and more and I was a little concerned that I might explode. Due to the lack of people there (and the fact that the foie gras wagyu and a caviar dish are normally for the premium selection course), I think the chefs were mostly just hooking me up with as much sushi as I could eat. In fact, at one point they asked if I wanted more and laughed when I said that I was pretty stuffed. It was a pretty wild experience. Overall, Sushi Ogawa provided me with a pretty interesting sushi experience. While not the most orthodox experience, I am definitely glad I went. read more

See all

Came here this past week, and it was overall a great experience. We booked the Omakase at the counter in advance and were lucky to be served by Chef Ogawa himself. This place has been on my list since we went to his other restaurant, Capitol Sushi and loved it. The sushi and nigiri kept coming -- we had a stone slab each at the front, and Chef Ogawa continued to add different cuts of sushi to it. In addition to that, we had 3 appetizers: a steamed egg with tamarind and a thin sauce which was silky smooth and flavorful, a dish with monkfish liver (texture was like sea urchin) bok choy and tofu skin, and Maine lobster which was deconstructed and replaced for easy eating with micro greens and a light truffle oil. All three had an interesting mix of flavors. I think there was only 1 or 2 fish from the sushi that I didn't really like because they were on the fishy side, and it included the sea eel. I told him I LOVED uni (sea urchin), and he treated us to Hokkaido uni after trying the uni from Maine. Very different, and I have to admit I've never realized there were differences in the source. I loved the fatty tunas, salmon, needlefish, scallops, octopus, clam, the roll ... all of it. The service was great, the decor was lovely and transported you to a different place, and it was a peaceful, quiet meal focused on the food itself. My only complaints were that I couldn't understand Chef Ogawa 100% so couldn't learn exactly what I was eating. And also apparently they asked my boyfriend if it was someone's birthday when he made the reservation and he told them yes, but they didn't really do anything special (to my knowledge). read more

See all

One word, Omakase. Omakase, a Japanese term for Chef's choice, where the chef bombards you with a cornucopia of dishes of his choosing. You pay a hefty price, but it's worth it. You're not just paying for the sushi; you're paying for an experience. Something about the Chef serving it straight to you somehow makes the food taste that much better. My favorite piece was the Toro or fatty tuna. It melts in your mouth! I wouldn't come here on the daily, but it's definitely worth it for a special occasion. read more

Sushi Ogawa - Itadakimasu! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I was excited to try sushi ogawa and it met all of my expectations! I went around 5pm on a Monday so I was the only one in there, but service was great and very quick. My server was kind & attentive. The fish tasted very high quality and I ordered a couple more after my omakase cause it was seriously sooo good. Impressed with the house sake as well. Highly recommend!! read more

Sushi Ogawa - $60 10-piece nigiri omakase - Sushi Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Wow supremely underwhelming and super disappointed in this place. After seeing so much hype for this place a few years back I was excited to go and try this place for a true omakase experience. However this place is super overpriced for what it is and it is NOT a real omakase where the sushi chef serves you each piece of fish individually and explains it. I have had a better omakase experience in Durham!! The inside of this restaurant is drab, cold, echoey and looks like a cheap hole in the wall place in the bad way. There is a giant blue fly zapper light by the wall and the flies kept flying into it and making super loud noises as they were killed. We noticed numerous fruit flies around our table. So annoying. Service was rushed and the place was totally dead on a Thursday. We were served a lackluster app - some kind of fish. Fish was browning and pathetic. Pass. Next we had some appetizer I couldn't even eat because it was gross. So bland and no flavor. Egg custard with a giant flavorless prawn on top. The only redeeming thing about this meal was the big portion of nigiri (12 pieces). All of the fish was higher quality (not amazing) but fresh. Standouts were the fatty tuna, salmon and one on the top row that was a lighter fish. Dessert was a palate cleansing coconut gelato. For the price point, this place really needs to step up their game AND ambience. read more

I recently moved to DC from Tokyo and San Francisco prior to that and was not expecting to find noteworthy sushi in DC that met my well-seasoned standards and expectations. I was pleasantly surprised after visiting Sushi Ogawa and am glad I've found somewhere I can enjoy while in DC. We went at lunch on the first day indoor dining reopened in January and shared the counter with just Ogawa-san. He's kind and paid close attention to our reactions as the course progressed. I felt like I was back at a small mom and pop sushi restaurant in suburban Tokyo where it's more of a conversation than just a meal. Just as with high-end sushi restaurants in Japan, it's the rapport with the chef and staff that make or break a dining experience for me. Quality of ingredients and preparation closely follow to round out the experience. Sushi Ogawa certainly impressed me, and I'll be back often. read more

See all