This is possibly the best lunch deal in DC…read more Came with my team for a celebratory lunch and really enjoyed ourselves. I loved that they did the hand roll option - it was so good!!!! Glad that we showed up right at opening because there can be quite a bit of a wait otherwise. My one comment is I really wish they asked people who were waiting to be seated (when there's no available seats) to sit outside or gave them a text when it was time to come back. It was just a little awkward that I was trying to enjoy my lunch with at one point 12 people standing right behind us hoping we would get up soon.

KenScale: 7.25/10 Visit: May 2026…read more One new opening in the DC restaurant scene that I was looking forward to was a standalone sushi counter by chef Masaaki "Uchi" Uchino. My wife Jun and I had visited his counter at the Square food hall a couple of times before and generally liked what he offered from his experience having worked at Sushi Nakazawa DC. When we chatted with chef Uchi while he was at Square, it sounded like he was hitting a few snags on opening a more formal counter in the same building. He finally opened the new Kiyomi restaurant this spring, starting with $40 omakase lunch deal followed by dinner service recently. Knowing what we had experienced at chef Uchi's Square counter, we thought we would have a satisfying sushi dinner. Instead, we were quite surprised that the recent dinner at Kiyomi didn't live up to our expectations. The $135 per person dinner omakase course consists of a couple of starters followed by a series of nigiri pieces, and then wrapping up with miso soup and dessert. As a soft shell crab enthusiast, Jun appreciated that the first course was soft shell crab with agedashi-style dashi-based sauce; I thought the dish was good but perhaps the seasoning was a little too strong? My initial concern about the seasoning quickly became even more apparent from the nigiri pieces that followed such as seabream, striped jack, cherry salmon, horse mackerel and straw smoked bonito. Even the pieces that I thought had very good fish quality, like golden eye snapper or the trio of tunas with different cuts and black cod, also had too much marinated sauce going on. Throughout the dinner, Jun struck a conversation with a white lady who was dining by herself, and even she agreed that the seasoning was a little too much. I've heard stories of sushi chefs sometimes masking mediocre quality of fish with extra layers of seasoning but I just didn't think that was the case at Kiyomi; I would have gladly eaten these fish at home, just without the marinated flavor bomb. Additionally, the fish to rice ratio was off compared to our previous visits at Chef Uchi's counter. Jun confessed to me the day after our visit that she felt bloated for the first time in a while from a sushi omakase meal. Even the miso soup that came at the end was a little too salty, and we relied on the New Zealand kiwifruit that came as a dessert to cleanse our over-saturated palate a little bit. Right now, Kiyomi is open for dinner only on Fridays at 7 p.m. (the reservations are released two weeks in advance) so if you want to check it out, advance planning is required. The décor of the counter is in line with what you typically see in a sushi-ya. There is a full bar with interesting wine and sake offerings; the sake options are smartly categorized by different styles. Kiyomi was one of the biggest disappointments Jun and I have had recently. Knowing the talent of chef Uchi, we were just shocked how out of balance the flavor was, which was a shame because there was nothing wrong with the quality of the fish that were on the table. Perhaps chef Uchi was being overstretched (he also oversees the sushi menu at another restaurant Katsumi), or perhaps he just had an off day. In any event, we will probably need to hear about some tangible improvement before visiting Kiyomi again.

Highly recommend and it can be a great deal. So far this is the best sushi I have had in D.C…read more (fourth place I've tried). I went cheap too: 48 bucks for an assortment of 11 nigiri and one roll. And the nigiri was way more interesting than what you normally get for a deal like this, way more premium. And the rolls had multiple fish in it, like high quality tuna and white fish. Only place I've ever liked the mackerel. Honestly, I really doubt you could do better than this at the price. I went for a very late lunch but the vibes of the place were so peaceful. I will be coming again so soon.

I would like to start by saying the dishes were good for the most part. Unfortunately.. the service…read moreleft a lot to be desired. We felt rushed throughout the meal despite being the first and only guests there at the time. The space itself was also underwhelming. The setup feels more like someone's basement than a restaurant at this price point and even the entrance is so unassuming. I was especially excited to try this place because it is a 2nd gen restaurant, so I really wanted to enjoy it. It was disappointing to find that the wine and champagne options were only available by the bottle. The matcha we ordered cold arrived lukewarm and was mediocre at best. Overall, I do not think the experience justified the price point... left sorely disappointed.

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.

I had a fantastic lunch at Onggi. My husband and I sat at the bar and experienced top notch…read morehospitality. The bartender went out of their way to discuss with the chef vegan options to ensure we had a fully plant based meal. We started with the Clay & Craft soju flight. This was such a treat! We have never tried soju with such high alcohol proofs. It felt so upscale and unique. We shared the Onggi Lunch Jeongsik Set modified to be vegan. This was a great portion size of food to share among two people. The pajeon was my husband's favorite part of the meal. I enjoyed the vegan jigae the most. Overall there was no weak part of this meal and we did not leave a single morsel of food behind. I will note that the vegan bulgogi tasted almost identical to the bulgogi you can buy at Trader Joe's. We love that bulgogi so that is not a problem. It was just funny to taste something very familiar to us. The rest of the meal was new flavors for me, and reminded my husband of his 4 years living in Korea. My husband has not had authentic Korean flavors made vegan before so this was a major treat. We saved room for dessert and enjoyed this soft nutty sweet treat. It was the perfect finish to a delicious lunch. Thank you Onggi for being so vegan friendly! We cannot wait to enjoy another meal here.

Food 5/10 Atmosphere 8/10…read moreService 8/10 For the price point, this place definitely lacked value and taste. I can't really call this authentic Korean food, things kind of tasted off. We didn't end up finishing the bossam or the kimchi jeon. There werent a lot of banchan and they also tasted pretty bland. The spirits and alcohol were great though!

3.5/5 Good, not great. The fish quality is good enough to…read moretrust but it has never wowed me (I had only ordered delivery before this visit). I ordered the prime nigiri tasting, and they were able to accommodate for allergies which I appreciated. The miso was loaded with mushrooms. The salad it came with was quite wimpy. Overall a solid, convenient sushi spot but a bit overpriced for what it is. Very kind service and cute ambiance but I won't go out of my way to come here.

I popped in for a quick bite and rest before my facial at heyday. I love that they have a happy…read morehour on weekends. It includes a mix of small bites and a variety of roll types. Sake and cocktails are discounted and as it was a bit chilly when I ducked in, so I grabbed some hot sake and a few rolls. There's quite a few tables for the small space, and it was set spaciously. Overall the service was efficient and the food was good. I ended up with the tempura (it came with several vegetables which I ate too quickly to photograph) which paired great with the sake. At $5 for a small carafe, it was a great deal. The tempura was so light and hot, it was great. I would definitely return. Heads-up: It's on the top floor so when head up when you walk in.

Nestled in the upstairs space of a building shared with a desserts shop, Reren was a great lunch…read moredestination for Chinese cuisine. Their menu features lamen and noodles, dumplings, and an assortment of soups. The space feels very open upon entry at the top of the stairs, and has a semi-open kitchen in the back of the dining area. My friend and I were seated immediately at a table next to the windows overlooking Wisconsin Ave, and our waitress provided great service throughout our meal. There were only a few other tables dining, so we had plenty of time to enjoy the dishes ordered. The Food Breakdown: Grandma's Style Pancake (4/5) - I was admittedly skeptical at first about the item, as the beef was presented wrap-style within the scallion pancake. However, it was actually a refreshing bite with a slight kick from the red pepper. It made for a filling starter. Pork Xiao Long Bao (5/5) - Very delicious and flavorful. There was a good amount of soup in each dumpling as well, properly wrapped so it was easy to pick up and add in the complimenting sauces. Steamed Vegetable Dumplings (4.5/5) - Unpictured, but I was pleasantly surprised by the seasoning in the veggies. They come with six per order, and I enjoyed alternatively between them with the soup dumplings. This was a great lunch stop in the heart of Georgetown, with a second, equally convenient location in Chinatown. The menu offers plenty of selections, and I'd be likely to revisit for its noodles and broth next.

After spending the afternoon with my friends in the area, we decided to try this place out for…read moredinner. Everything started out good. We were sat down quickly since it wasnt crowded for a sunday evening. The servers were helpful with the menu. We ordered about 10 minutes into our visit. We ordered appetizers to include Taiwanese popcorn chicken, spicy wontons, and cucumber salad. We also ordered our meals, too. A beef lamen, pork soup dumplings, crab and pork soup dumplings, and I originally wanted the fried chicken curry lamen but he talked me against it due to spice level and I opted for the sake chicken, per his recommendation. The soup dumplings came out abt 15 min later at which I was told that the cucumber salad was sold out and asked if I wanted anything else. I passed since I had ordered the popcorn chicken already. My friend wasnt a fan of her pork soup dumplings and didnt finish them at all. She stated a severe lack of flavor. The crab/pork ones were a hit for the other friend. I cant eat pork nor beef, so I was still sitting and waiting for my popcorn chicken appetizer to hold me off a bit. About another 20 minutes passed then the beef lamen came out for one friend and then an order of the curry lamen. We were confused on if this was our actual order until he realized that he wrote down the wrong dish for me after I explained that he told me to get the sake chicken instead. He apoligized but by this point, I hadnt had food in roughly 6 hours, I was starving and asked to keep the wrong order, please. He refused and said he would get me the correct item because it's just in the back. Keep in mind that the spicy won tons were still missing and so was my popcorn chicken. About 10 minutes later, the spicy won tons finally made it and she enjoyed them more than her pork soup dumplings. Then the other server comes to tell me that there is more cucumber salad. Im not sure how we go from sold out to availability nearly an hour later but I still refused since I was ready for my main entree at this point. The other friend ended up ordering it instead. She said it was good. I didn't try out of frustration of how this experience was unfolding for me. My entree finally came out after another 15 or so minutes, which meant it acrually was NOT sitting in the back and ready. Im exhausted. Im starving. Ive sat here and watched my table eat while my orders were fumbled for some odd reason. The sake chicken was okay. Its really like katsu chicken with a ton of yum yum and eel sauce over a bed of rice. Best way to explain it. I probably would have enjoyed the original curry dish more. About another 10 minutes later, my popcorn chicken arrives, which beyond upset me because I asumed this order wasnt put in at this point. It had been over an hour! I gave it to my friend instead after trying one and not enjoying the flour-heavy taste. I'm not sure if this was an off night or what but I cant say that I will return just from the sheer time it took to get our orders! An hour and half was beyond ridiculous when the place wasnt even full. No one explained the delays nor came to give us updates while we were waiting, either. I gave them a star for the food being half enjoyed by some of my party and another for pricing because it really wasnt expensive, which was a plus. If you have hours to spare and dont arrive hungry, check this place out!

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?

Great experience, food was amazing. Chef John Yi was knowledgeable and entertaining. We did the…read morepremium sake pairing and it complemented all of our courses well. Relaxing environment and not stuffy at all. I haven't written many reviews in years but this spot deserved me taking some time to do so. Try it, great time for a special evening or just a good time!

I've been on a bit of an Omakase kick this year (not great for my bank account) and had the head…read moreChef at another event two months before. After hearing him speak so passionately about his counter, we went online and booked a reservation immediately. Spun out of the Takra 14 kitchen, Chef Johnny wanted to show us his vision of the Chef's experience; and indeed he did. We of course went with the wine/sake pairing served up by the lovely and engaging Som. A mix of traditional sashimi, noodles and a surprise Wagu course each dish came out beautifully presented and mouth wateringly succulent. The space, the engagement and the drinks were all paced perfectly. 20+ rolls and dishes were perfect to leave us feeling full. What an absolute treat and stands on the podium with the top Omakases in D.C.!!