My first visit to Love, Makoto and Beloved BBQ was fantastic. Love, Makoto is a large Japanese…read moreculinary hall near Georgetown University Law Center with several concepts under one roof, including Dear Sushi, Beloved BBQ, Hiya Izakaya, and the more casual Love on the Run. Street parking was surprisingly easy, but I highly recommend making a reservation because Beloved BBQ became completely packed by 7 p.m. Beloved BBQ is a Michelin Guide recognized Japanese steakhouse, and the atmosphere feels elevated and luxurious while still being relaxed and welcoming. Our server, Lydia, was wonderful. She gave us excellent recommendations, checked on us despite being incredibly busy, and even brought out additional dry ice so I could capture the perfect photo. Abu was also incredibly kind and attentive, and General Manager Lenny personally stopped by our table to ask about our experience. The entire staff made us feel so welcome. The Wagyu Tower was absolutely incredible, with the short rib being our favorite. We also loved the dragon roll, tuna crisp, and salmon. If you order only one appetizer, make it the oysters with chili koji. They were out of this world, and I could have easily eaten two trays! For drinks, we tried the Sakura Sour, lychee martini, and the zero proof Pomelo. The Sakura Sour was beautifully balanced, while the lychee martini was smooth and delicious. For dessert, we shared the Heartbreaker and Peach Moon and finished every bite. This is a wonderful choice for an elevated date night, girls' night, celebration, or special dinner in D.C. The food, service, atmosphere, and presentation were all excellent. I will definitely be back soon!

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.

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.

I have had this restaurant bookmarked for the last two years since they opened and finally got a…read morechance to eat dinner there. I was impressed and by the experience and would definitely come back for a Japanese meal that did not focus solely on ramen or sushi. The ambiance is well done, and the service was excellent. Our waiter was very attentive and able to answer any of our questions. To share, we got the spicy salmon roll, Karaage appetizer, and eggplant cheese appetizer. The spicy tuna roll was the most lackluster of the dishes, but the fish was fresh and the portion was decent for $12. The karaage appetizer was excellent. The chicken was moist and the coating was crunchy and super hot. The eggplant cheese was a surprise highlight of the meal. Pieces of eggplant in a melted cheese bowl made of eggplant was a simple combination. That was a very pleasant mix of textures. The pork Katsu was a highlight of the meal. Unfortunately forgot to take a picture, but the coding was super crispy and the portion size was pretty solid. The Unagidon or grilled eel bowl was also very well made and tasted great with the pickled ginger and seasoning on the side. The set came with miso soup which was very nice as well. My companions also got drinks which they said were well priced and good quality. Our overall meal cost somewhere in the range of $160 before tip which was reasonable given all of the items that we got. I look forward to my next visit!

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

Adrian was out server, he was timely and friendly! great service, big selection of food, excellent…read morequality, and very fast (for lunch) I highly recommend this restaurant

My first time having omakase…read more The experience was amazing. If you are thinking about splurging, this is a very safe bet. The fish tasted fresh and was well prepared. The only thing even remotely able to be critisised is that the experience was a little mechanical and assembly line like. The fish was all pre-cut and the experience wasn't personalized like I hear some other places are.

This was my first omakase where it only featured nigiri sushi and wow, was I impressed with Sushi…read moreNakazawa. We sat at the counter, and the classic omakase was priced at $190 each. We also added the A5 Wagyu Nigiri for $18 additional. If you choose to dine at the dining room, it's $160, but they exclude several items such as their fantastic tiger prawn. The classic omakase consists of 20 items of sushi. I wish I had written notes on each one, but basically from what I recalled, we had chum salmon, soy marinated king salmon, scallops, squid, tiger prawn, mackerel, sea bass, crab w/ tomalley, ⁠⁠Spanish mackerel, hay smoked mackerel and others. The main course was the four different types of tuna. Of course, the best ones were the chutoro and otoro. The A5 Wagyu was really good as well. The omakase ended with some hand rolls (the toro one was my favorite), uni, eel and the tamago. It's hard to pick a favorite dish since they were all so good. I think this was the first time I had sushi rice that was flavored. That was really good. Service was fantastic. I only wish they had a full bar, because I really wanted to drink some Old Fashioned with this meal, but opted for some Japanese beers instead. My water was replenished frequently, and it was fun interacting with the sushi chef. This is a great place to celebrate a special occasion.

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.

Went during HH (5-7pm), had the Sake for $20, and then had chicken thigh, fried garlic, fries, and…read morebrussel sprouts with pork! Would definitely fried garlic again, and the brussel sprouts! Fries were filling but nothing massively special. Just a good bang for the buck

What an experience! From start to finish, it was heavenly. The service was great, and the waiters…read morewere very attentive. The food was delicious, and the spicy tuna sushi roll was the highlight for me. The Gin-dara no Saikyo Miso Yaki was delicious, especially with the sauce. The Toro Tacos were okay-ish, but the Yaki Tomorokoshi was SO good! Some of the best corn I've ever had. I loved how buttery and juicy it was! The ambiance was perfect for a date night. Such a great experience overall!

Absolutely loved loved loved Shoto!…read more Came here with a friend where we partaked in the omakase premium experience. Firstly, the vibe of Shoto is unmatched. It feels very intimate and the restaurant is very spacious. The Omakase experience is one I had always wanted to experience and I'm so happy I got to experience it here. All the food items that came out were delicious and I was so full by the time dessert came out. Service was amazing and our server was pleasant. She made sure we understood all dishes that were coming out and everything came out fresh and prompt. This is the best restaurant for a date night or an intimate birthday dinner. I can't wait tomorrow to come back.

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?

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

Birthday dinner brought us to Kyojin Sushi on a Monday night, and while the food definitely…read moreimpressed, the service kept this from being a five-star experience. We had a reservation for 7:30 p.m. for a party of 12, and I think that was the first issue. A group our size really needed a dedicated server, but instead we had one server covering our entire section. To be fair, he may have been stretched thin, but unfortunately, the service itself also left a lot to be desired. We were seated at 7:30, but our drink orders weren't taken until around 7:50. Then he disappeared for another 20 minutes before returning to take additional drink orders from people who had arrived later. We were ready to order food, but kept hearing, "I'll be right back." Throughout the night, drinks and items were forgotten. One friend finished her first glass of wine, ordered a second, and didn't receive it until we were literally asking for the check. At that point... we're leaving, friend. To make matters worse, several menu items we wanted weren't available. The mochi? Sold out. The Wagyu? Sold out. There were three or four different items people at our table ordered that were unavailable. On a Monday, that was a little surprising. Now for the good part... the sushi was REALLY good. I ordered the Yume Roll and the Tiger Roll, and both were incredibly fresh. The Yume Roll was especially unique and one of my favorite specialty rolls I've had in a while. It was made with spicy tuna, avocado, seared tuna, jalapeño, spicy mayo, eel sauce, and crunchy tempura bits, which gave it the perfect combination of heat, texture, and richness. The Tiger Roll was another standout, made with lump crab, avocado, cucumber, spicy mayo, steamed tiger shrimp, and a mango tobiko sauce. The combination of flavors was fresh, light, and perfectly balanced. I also ordered the edamame with the spicy black garlic sauce, and I absolutely loved that twist. It was a nice change from the usual salted edamame. One dish that completely missed the mark was the Tempura Rice with Chicken, which I shared with the table. Unfortunately, this was the only thing we ordered that I genuinely didn't enjoy. The chicken was dark meat, lacked seasoning, and honestly tasted like it had come straight from a bag of frozen Tyson nuggets. It didn't have the crispy, flavorful bite I was expecting and felt completely out of place compared to how fresh and well-executed the sushi was. I'd definitely skip this one on my next visit. My cocktail was just as impressive as the food. It was made with Ilegal Mezcal, pomegranate, hibiscus yuzu, simple syrup, and egg white, and it was absolutely gorgeous. The egg white gave it a silky, frothy finish, while the pomegranate and hibiscus yuzu added a bright, slightly tart flavor that paired beautifully with the subtle smokiness of the mezcal. It was as pretty as it was delicious. The restaurant itself is gorgeous. It's tucked away in an alley, so it's a little easy to miss, but once you're inside, the space is modern, spacious, and has a really cool stone bar that gives the restaurant a sleek, upscale vibe. I was also pleasantly surprised by the prices. Specialty rolls ranged from about $12-$20, with only a few premium options around $25. The edamame was about $8, so overall I thought the pricing was very fair, especially for Georgetown. Would I come back? Yes... but probably with a much smaller group. The food and ambiance are worth another visit, but I'd definitely be hoping for a better service experience next time. I also hope they have a better handle on inventory because I'd still love to try the Wagyu and finish dinner with the mochi.

The ambiance was beautiful, amazing photos. The Food even better, full of flavor with every bite…read moreand the presentation is beautiful. The experience was unreal thanks to Lark, she was such an amazing server. If you want to be assured of an AMAZING dinner ask for her, Lark. Thankyou so much Lark

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.

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!