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    AKO by KENAKI

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

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    An easy breezy roll
    Kwame S.

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

    Lauren S.

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

    Four different rolls!
    Nini J.

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

    Sydney G.

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

    Premium cuts sashimi bowl (16 pieces)
    Andrew H.

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

    Timothy V.

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

    Tessa A.

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

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

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

    Black Magic, Devil's Kiss, New Spicy Tuna

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    4 years ago

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

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

    Sushi Hachi

    4.3(633 reviews)
    0.6 miCapitol Hill
    $$

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

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

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    Sushi Hachi
    Sushi Hachi - Chicken Kara-age

    Chicken Kara-age

    Sushi Hachi - Beef, sweet shrimp, roll

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    Beef, sweet shrimp, roll

    Omakase at Barracks Row

    Omakase at Barracks Row

    4.8(66 reviews)
    0.5 miCapitol Hill
    $$$$

    What an incredible experience at Omakase at Barracks Row! I can see why they have a Michelin star…read more We got the best seat in the house at the end of a long counter. There aren't any tables here - you all sit at the counter. That way you can watch Chef Ricky make every piece of delicious sushi. Omakase means "I'll leave it up to you" so there's no menu. You just sit down and eat what's handed to you. You have to be adventurous and open minded! And they change the menu seasonally so you might not have ever have the same meal twice. Everything was delicious and beautifully plated. There are 19 courses of small plates or nigiri. We started with a delicious octopus salad, marinated tuna and uni dishes. I was in awe of how nicely plated and delicious everything was! The nigiri was so fresh and every piece melted in my mouth. After 19 courses I was comfortably full and not too stuffed. The pacing of the meal was really good. We had a delicious strawberry sorbet for a refreshing dessert. I can't wait to come back!

    The BEST sushi I've ever had.Their sushi is fresh and flavorful. We left feeling full and…read moresatisfied. You get to watch a show along with your dinner. The chefs grate fresh wasabi in front of you. As they make the sushi, they tell you about the sushi in Japan and how to eat sushi authentically (with your hands) The waiter was a sake connoisseur. He was able to recommend a sake we would both like.

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    Omakase at Barracks Row
    Omakase at Barracks Row - Uni special

    Uni special

    Omakase at Barracks Row - 10/26/24

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    10/26/24

    Sushi Sato - Sato Roll

    Sushi Sato

    4.4(58 reviews)
    1.4 miH Street Corridor/Atlas District/Near Northeast

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

    There are several levels to sushi Sato. Discussing the first floor. I went in to enjoy their…read morehappy hour and unlimited sushi. I purchased the first option since I was more interested in the basic sashimi/nigiri and was very impressed. It was so fresh and every bite was extremely tender. I believe the time limit is 90 minutes, but I was done at about the hour mark. I sat at the bar which made the ordering experience very easy. There are several tables on the first floor and a second floor devoted to table seating. My bartender was great and provided excellent service. They have pretty good happy hour specials as well--$3beers, apps decently priced. Overall really easy and nice experience. I popped in early on a Friday afternoon and found the place to be somewhat busy, but not too packed that I needed to make a reservation. I would suggest one if coming after six since it did pick up. My next foray on another weekend on the third floor (i believe it's called red lantern) was so fun. It's set up as a karaoke floor with TVs to see the lyrics and sing all around. The space is smaller, but tables are spread out for you to sit with your group. There's also a bar with a few seats if that interests you. You can order food and drinks and the song selection process is easy. I enjoyed a cocktail, a delicious Japanese take on a grilled cheese (which was amazing and like nothing I had before), and a Japanese whiskey cocktail. The bartender serving me gave me a Japanese whiskey tasting which was pretty unique. I'm a big fan of Japanese whiskey! Sushi Sato and red lantern are so much fun and I encourage everyone to give both floors a try for good food and fun.

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    Sushi Sato - Group shot

    Group shot

    Sushi Sato - Spicy tuna rolls

    Spicy tuna rolls

    Sushi Sato - Second floor dining room

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    Second floor dining room

    AKO by KENAKI - sushi - Updated September 2026

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