I have had this restaurant bookmarked for the last two years since they opened and finally got a chance 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! read more

Delicious food, cozy atmosphere and great service! When you want good quality sushi, in a quiet and cozy place, Ko Japanese Dining is the place for you. Right when I walked it I felt so welcomed by the staff. They were very attentive and the food was delicious! This place is definitely a place I will come back to! read more

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Elegant and cozy dining space with soft lighting and modern touches. Waitstaff was as professional and courteous as can be. Menu had recognizable sushi and hot entrees but also had some pub grub seen in izakayas. They had an extensive drink menu and reasonable happy hour choices. We shared several small plates (edamame, potato croquettes, chicken karaage). Everything came out piping hot and delicious. For my entree I ordered the sukiyaki. It came with white rice and a Rick vegetable soup. They were great preludes to the sukiyaki stew. The main dish was a sweet and rich broth still bubbling over a burner. Expertly layered clear noodles, spinach, fresh shiitake, king mushrooms, silken tofu and beef filled the pot. The beef was paper thin, rare and so tender. It cooked up well on the hot broth. Was such a nice comfort dinner for a windy evening. For dessert we shared basque burnt cheesecake and matcha chiffon cake. Both were great. The basque cheesecake was rich, but not too heavy. The matcha cake was green tea sponge slices (not too sweet), with ear slice topped with azuki, powdered sugar and whipped cream. A perfect sweet ending to a perfect evening. Tea was refilled often. The food was authentic Japanese. read more

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Very good traditional Japanese kitchen food. They had nigiri & sashimi on the menu but that's not why we went. It was for dishes like freshly made rolled egg omelet, sunumono, hamachi kama dinner set and more. I'd go just for that tamago appetizer plate, omg so good! I'm kicking myself that I didn't order the chiwanmushi now. It's hard to find authentic Japanese kitchen food (as I call it lol) and this place tasted like home. read more

Ko Japanese Dining - Happy Hour specials - Japanese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I went to culinary school. This place imports fresh fish from Japan on a weekly basis. The grilled mackerel was perfect. The skin was so crispy you could eat it like a chip. The miso soup has onion and carrot it in which is uncommon but it worked beautifully. read more

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Authentic taste and such quality food. Our server told us they ship directly from Japan!! Really cute ambience (warm light and comfy seats), it wasn't too busy on Friday night -- space is limited though. They do have a small 10% tariff fee, but I think for the quality of food you get, it's worth it! read more

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Made reservations in advance. Seated right away when arrived. Superb service. Kind, attentive, quick and overall happy. We had karage chicken, smashed cucumber, tempura roll, beef teriyaki and katsu. Very clean nice space, serene. Space is upstairs. All tasted good. Maybe would've like the steak more well done but get it. Overall nice place. read more

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Wonderful spot for outstanding and authentic Japanese food! I visited Ko Japanese Dining with a couple friends for a Saturday morning brunch after another friend told us it was the best Japanese food she ever had in DC. It absolutely lived up to the hype! It was pretty quiet when we arrived, so we had our pick of seats; we selected a spot next to a window where we could overlook the rest of Dupont. It was cozy and simple, and the food was outstanding. I got the grilled mackerel, which included two beautifully grilled fillets with a side of miso soup, rice, and diced radish. The fish was remarkably fresh and super tender, and it was super flavorful on its own but also paired well with the soy sauce and sides of radish or lemon. They offer two different types of mackerel (white and blue), and I ended up getting the saba / blue mackerel at the server's recommendation. My friends sampled their spicy salmon roll, shiromi fry (fried fish), and oyakodon, all of which were outstanding. The spicy salmon roll was simple but well-executed, with super fresh fish and a great kick of spice. The shiromi fry was perfect, with the super tender, flaky fish encased in an addictively crispy and slightly salty shell. The oyakodon was incredibly tender and flavorful, and it both looked and felt like pure comfort in a bowl. The menu is a smidge pricey, but the portions are really generous and the everything is crafted with precision and care. read more

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My friend and I wanted Japanese food for her birthday dinner so we decided to venture into DC to give Ko Japanese Dining a try. The interior is pretty simple with not a lot of flair. When we were here last Wednesday around 6:30 PM, maybe half of the tables were full, so you may not need a reservation for a la carte. We got started with a couple appetizers and ordered an entree each. CHAWANMUSHI (STEAMED EGG) - 9 The chawanmushi came in a petite cup, topped with a couple pieces of shiitake (?), okra pieces, imitation crab and a couple others I forgot. The steamed egg had a more solid texture and the flavor was pretty good. Not my favorite chawanmushi, but it was pleasant. KARAAGE (FRIED CHICKEN) (HH) - 7 The HH portion is huge. We got four fat pieces of karaage which was battered and fried well with the mayo dipping sauce on the side. The chicken thigh itself was juicy and flavorful. We enjoyed the little side salad on the side that goes with it. Overall, super solid for the price and the chicken was so tasty. GRILLED FISH (HOKKE MACKEREL) - 29 The grilled fish came with a small bowl of fluffy white rice and miso soup (this one had a lot of stuff in it other than tofu, miso and seaweed). The fish has all the bones on it, but you can peel off the top fried layer to remove most of the bones. The hokke was very flavorful and salted well, and as described by our server, definitely on the fishier side. I enjoyed the fish, but I don't think I would get it again because it wasn't anything too out of the ordinary. MATCHA AFFOGATO Because it was my friend's birthday, they gave us two matcha affogatos on the house. Very nice of them! The vanilla ice cream was good, but the splashes of matcha was hardened by the time we ate it, and it felt like we were eating a hardened bark-like texture for the matcha. It also didn't have a strong matcha flavor, either. Either way, free dessert is always a win! My friend got the TENDON which she loved. She said she doesn't see this entree too often in the Japanese restaurants in the area, so she'd come back again for it. If I come back, I'd like to try it! read more

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Mixed experience here! Service was very meh. We struggled to get the waiter over to our table to order to the point where it was nearing closing time and hadn't gotten our order in. The offerings here are great, seem pretty traditional. I LOVED the eggplant cheese and the sushi rolls are pretty reasonably priced. We struggled a bit with what to order and probably should have gotten one of the mains rather than splitting some of the smaller dishes. The ambiance is awesome - in an upstairs floor on a row home type building. Just a mixed experience, maybe just an off night and off orders on our part! read more

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This is a great place for traditional Japanese food! We started with an order of Karrage that was delicious. We incorrectly thought it would be a small order, but it was not. It was very good and we enjoyed, but we couldn't eat it all if we wanted to eat dinner. I would order it again if we had two more people to share it with. Our waitress was great and knew the menu well. We were asking so many questions and she handled them with grace and style. Because of our waitress' recommendations, my wife ordered the Grilled Fish-Hokke Mackerel instead of the Saba Mackerel based on their discussion of the two types. My wife grew up eating mackerel and loves it, if it's done right. Ko definitely did it right. She was so pleased with how it turned out and was grateful for the recommendation. I really wanted noodles. They have two great looking options and by accident I got see both. Our waitress made suggestions between the yakisoba and the yakiudon. I decided on the yakisoba and based on the photo of the yakisoba decided I would add an order of chicken teriyaki because the noodles appeared to come with sauce and noodles. Somehow during our discussions, lines were crossed and an order of yakiudon noodles came out. They looked good, but my first reaction was these are for another table. It wasn't until the meal was over that I found out it was a mistake. I tell you that so I can tell you the staff handled it so smoothly you didn't know it was a mistake until later and our lovely waitress apologized. The chicken teriyaki was amazing! It is different than your typical Americanized teriyaki in that it was definitely not sweet. It had so much flavor and not overrun with sweetness, which I really appreciated. Other notes. The dressings used on the salads and the shaved cabbage were amazing as well. The owners were present and happily checking on diners to make sure their experience was up to their expectations. During one of those conversations we found out they've only been open for 4 months, but it didn't show in how they handled everything. Overall, we loved our meal and the service at Ko. We will gladly come back when we're in town for our next visit. read more

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The service was exceptional and great. Very attentive and friendly. Chic and hip feeling to this place... it's somewhat hidden if you didn't pay attention around DuPont circle. Ordered grilled saba mackerel - it came with a bowl of rice, miso soup, small side of chopped veggies. The grilled saba mackerel was fabulous as it was good salted flavor to pair with warm and soft rice. It was very filling! Tempura variety was so good! Perfectly battered and fried. Great shrimps, amazing veggies. Can't even go wrong! Tuna ongiri was soooo good, wrapped with warm and sticky rice then hugged by a nori. Pretty amazing and made me think of 7-11's in Japan! Sake was decent and not as strong. But great pairing with meals shown above. No complaints. read more

A great Japanese restaurant in DC!! The atmosphere was a bit fancy, so dress up a bit when you come. Service was fine. The food was very tasty for the most part. The only thing I disliked was the miso soup, which tasted like it had cooking alcohol in it... which is not how miso soup should be made. I was very disappointed with that. My favorite dish was the agedashitofu, which we got as a starter. It was SO GOOD. Would definitely come again! read more

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Great food. Very traditional. Serene space. Portions were also traditional, limited. Would have been more nourished if the serving size had been larger. read more

Ko is an incredible experience, some of the best Japanese food I've had outside of Japan. The food is flavorful, but not overly salty. It's cooked to perfection, the chef clearly takes great pains to ensure the dishes are prepared with a light but flavorful touch. The meat is tender and cooked true to temperature. The ambiance is open and airy. It's upscale without trying too hard. It's comfortable, not too noisy, but energetic. The perfect place for either a date or a night out with friends. The Staff is friendly and engaging. They're incredibly helpful and willing to help customers understand the menu. I can't wait to go back! read more

We were craving some authentic Japanese cuisine. Brought my sister who was visiting from TX and my daughter to Ko Japanese restaurant in DuPont Circle. It's literally less than 3 minutes walk from the Metro station. We ordered the Lychee martinis and hot green tea. For appetizers, we had edamame, fried tofu which came fried served in a delicious sauce. We used the sauce on our steamed rice afterwards! My sister and daughter had the potato croquettes which had minced beef in it. Not too much, just the right portion. For the main course, we had the grilled mackerel, minced beef katsu (cutlets), tempura, and the jumbo fried shrimp. Each dish was served with steamed rice and soup. The tempura was not like any other tempura and were not overly breaded. The shrimp was soooooo good and crispy! They did not stinge on the minced beef in the katsu. I kept joking that they were beef cakes . The mackerel was fresh and delicious. Finally we had the warm matcha chiffon cake that was topped with red beans and whip cream. I have never had anything that delicious! Note to all, Asian desserts are not too sweet so please know that when you order the cake. The staff were so friendly and knowledgeable. We were there for a late lunch and on a Saturday. We were seated immediately and were even graced by the Japanese chef and owner who checked in on us. I highly recommend this restaurant. It is not your usual Japanese restaurant in your neighborhood. This is the real deal and genuine experience and authentic Japanese food. Certain dishes may take a little longer because food preparation is an art form and you can tell from the presentation. Our dishes did not take long and food temperature was hot. We drove 2 hours and then took the Metro (13 stops). Yes, they are that good! Now it's time to walk the food off . I'm the biggest in the group. You can trust me cos I love good food. read more

Very delicious and authentic Japanese food! The Sogayaki set was delicious and savory. It was a little too salty, but paired well with the rice. However, they don't give too much rice and I soon ran out and was left to eat the pork by itself. They charge $3 for extra rice. The place itself is very spacious. It is located on the 2nd floor and is all stairs. The staff is very nice and gave very good recommendations. I really appreciate that they add more to the miso soup! Mine had soft potatoes in it, which was perfect for the cold winter weather. read more

My friend and i came in for the first time tonight and had an amazing experience. Everything we tried felt like so much care and effort was put into curating every dish. It was our first time and we weren't that hungry, so we tried some small plates but will be back! Ambiance: the restaurant has nice minimal dining room. It's not too big at all so it also feels super cozy. We came in on a Saturday night and the entire dining room was full 10/10 Customer service : we had a nice server but the star was the owner who made sure to go to every table. He visited our table more than once throughout our meal. He gave recommendations and was super nice. I couldn't believe the restaurant has i my been opened for about 6 months. Wow! 10/10 Food: we must come back because i don't think we ordered enough food. An instagram post recommended the karaage, so we ordered that and it was our favorite food item of the evening. 10/10 We also ordered the yakitamago, which was slightly sweet and had an overall great texture. It almost melts in your mouth. 9/10 Spicy tuna roll was solid. I think they're more know for their sashimi, which we learned is hand cut to order. 8/10 Drinks: i ordered a plum wine sprits and we also ordered sake which paired very well with our food. 8/10 Dessert: we ordered the matcha affogato. Love the idea of this dish. I can't wait to try it at home. The dish was good, but i wish there was a bit more matcha. 8.5/10 Overall: we had such a great dining experience here, and we cannot wait to come back! 9.1/10 read more

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Super expensive. Quality and taste of food is not bad but everything costs twice what it should.

Great authentic homemade Japanese food. Unfortunately they were out of Japanese hamburger and beef tendon curry but everything we ordered was amazing! read more

So excited for this new authentic Japanese restaurant to join the DuPont Circle neighborhood. They have a Japanese chef that serves dishes like onigiri, karaage, and yaki udon. It's rare to find a lot of the items they feature in DC. You have to go to NYC for most of this. I didn't try the sushi, but that and the tempura from other tables looks impeccable. I look forward to coming back. They have a nice happy hour until 7 and fun cocktails. The staff is lovely and they also have lots of specials on their instagram that they are willing to make if you just ask! read more

Ko Japanese Dining - Katsu Sando set - Japanese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Wonderful, authentic Japanese restaurant in the heart of DC. It's on the second floor above a Thai restaurant. The space is quite large with a small bar as well. It's clean and servers/managerial staff are very polite. The tempura here is absolutely authentic. I would come back just for this. Their sushi is also very fresh and tasty. Prices are very reasonable and I'll be back to try more dishes here. read more

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Ko Japanese Dining had recently opened, and this minority-owned business offers kaiseki and omakase, as well as a la carte items. We decided to order off the menu: +Potato Croquettes +Garlic Potato +Tempura Set - shrimp, fish, and veggies were part of the set; came with rice and miso soup +Kaarage - marinated and fried chicken, served with a side of dipping sauce; this also came with miso soup and rice +Chicken Katsu - deep-fried panko-crusted chicken cutlet, served with tonkatsu sauce; this also came with miso soup and rice +a Sashimi Set B - chef's choice; this also came with rice and miso soup The service was friendly and welcoming. We'd love to try out their kaiseki and omakase on the next visit. Metered street parking around the area. +minority couple-owned! +kaiseki and omakase offered +metered street parking available read more

Food: Fried Chicken system in rice flour- tender, flavorful, lightly crisp, and delicious; Fried Tofu in a gingery broth: so different and so good. Tofu quality was excellent. A family affair with a refined atmosphere. Highly recommend read more

Ohhh wee! Calling this the best sushi I've had in a long time doesn't even do it justice. I wholeheartedly recommend Ko Japanese--not only for the top-tier food, but also for the exceptional service. The owners are incredibly welcoming and clearly passionate about what they do. Everyone at our table enjoyed their meals, and "delicious" was said more times than I can count. The name Ko means "the light," and it's also the maiden name of the owner's wife--a beautiful tribute that reflects the warmth and brightness of the entire experience. With sushi flown in fresh from Japan every week, Ko Japanese delivers a dining experience that's as memorable as it is mouthwatering. Simply wonderful experience! read more

Ko Japanese Dining - Unagi Dom - Japanese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

By far the best Japanese restaurant in DC. Hike in the wall, but the food is the best outside of Japan. So fresh and flavourful, yet simple. Service is great and attentive. I want to gatekeep place, but feel it should have more recognition read more

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We came here for the first time today for lunch, and we already look forward to our next visit! We enjoyed their tempura dish, which had just the right amount of light and flaky texture, and their perfectly crispy chicken katsu. The dipping sauces complimented the chicken and the salad balanced it well. We also loved the yellowtail collar, which was the most generous serving size of yellowtail collar I have ever enjoyed! For dessert, we shared an affogato which was vanilla ice cream finished with matcha instead of espresso. The phone did not eat the collar or dessert first, so you'll just have to order them yourself! Accessibility note: there are several sets of stairs leading up to the restaurant, as well as to the restrooms. read more

Ko Japanese Dining - Chicken Katsu Set (Lunch) - Japanese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Great food and exceptional service! I haven't had any better tempura in any other restaurant in USA. Highly recommended! read more

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Delicious meal with friends, all of whom were Japanese and gave the place the stamp of approval! Waiter was very nice and gave some great recs. Love supporting Asian owned businesses. Tempura was light and fluffy, not oily at all like too many restaurants do. Grilled fish was light and flavorful which was all enjoyed. Yakisoba was also not oily and a good deal especially during happy hour. The potato croquettes also excellent. Restaurant was empty for a weeknight, which was good for us, but I hope that others don't sleep on this place! read more

Finally, a bona-fide "like your mama used to make" Japanese cuisine in DC. It's refreshing to be able to indulge in a selection of familiar bites like chicken karaage (expertly fried and very generously portioned) and more hard-to-find dishes such as yakitamago, which would've been perfectly paired with beer. The katsudon, aside from being thick and juicy, had the perfect ratio of meat to egg/onion without making the ensemble too soggy. Aside from food, the family of staff led by the super friendly and funny Miki-san was accommodating and definitely made me and my partner want to come back for seconds! read more

Ko Japanese Dining - Katsudon; best in the neighborhood - Japanese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Ko was a very disappointing experience. It started well. The location is nice and it is only a few steps from the Dupont Circle metro station. The interior was also very nice with a clean and simple aesthetic. Unfortunately, things went downhill very fast. First, the food is not authentic Japanese cuisine. It's fake Japanese. If they advertised as such it would have been fine but they don't. My wife (who is from Japan) and I are very familiar with Japanese food and Ko is not serving it. Second, the place is not as clean or hygienic as it first appeared. I opened the soy sauce dispenser while waiting for the food and found 5 dead fruit flies floating on the surface of the liquid. The wait staff were apologetic about the pest issue. But they offered no consideration for it. In a decent restaurant the chef would have sent out an appetizer or tea or something as a gesture. Nothing like that at Ko. To sum it up: (1) not really Japanese cuisine; and (2) pests in the food. It is our personal opinion that Ko is not worth visiting and we certainly will not visit again. read more

I recently discovered a truly authentic Japanese restaurant in DuPont. I've been walking by it since it opened this summer, but I only managed to try it out tonight. It's probably one of the best Japanese restaurants in the DMV. The Japanese owner is incredibly friendly and welcoming. It's rare to find a Japanese owned restaurant these days. The food was delicious. We ordered the Japanese fried chicken appetizer, the steamed egg appetizer (which was incredibly smooth!), pork cutlet and egg, and ginger pork. All of the dishes were excellent, and you can taste the quality and the difference. The restaurant itself has a modern Japanese style vibe. If you've been to Japan before, it's very similar to what you'd expect to see in a mom and pops Japanese restaurant. We'll definitely be coming back for more! read more

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Wife and I went to DC for 3 day to celebrate our birthdays. Saturday night was our Birthday Dinner. Out of all the places in DC we decided on this one. What a mistake. There were only 3 tables of people. After ordering We waited for a hour no food. Finally we ask the manger if you can't bring the food we have to leave. He said ok go ahead. Then said wait 2 more mins. 15 mins later it finally arrived. The food was ok but by that time we were so BUMMED!! But hey they gave us a free $10 desert. read more

I am so impressed by this place that I'm tempted to NOT review it so it stays a secret! I ordered the Tempura Set which was fried fresh (something that used to be the norm at Japanese placed but exceptional nowadays) and it was masterful: batter was barely there light and crispy, the large shitake and japanese eggplant were burst in your mouth juicy and tender (under the crispy outside), the shrimp was plump and the edible tails were crispy, and even the broccoli (normally too thick with batter and mushy at most places) was crisp, light and fresh tasting. And get the tea - the Genmaicha - came loose leaf in a japanese porcelain pot stayed flavorful even after multiple steepings! I can't wait to try everything else on the menu! Simply amazing. read more

Ko Japanese Dining - Tempura Set - Japanese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Superb Japanese dining imbued with peaceful ambience and attentive service near Dupont Circle

This place is brand new on second floor. Had low number of Yelp reviews but all had good things to say. So I thought I would give it a try and get a review in. We started with salmon and roe Onigiris. They were a substantial size with ok amount of stuff inside. Pretty standard good tasting. Kids favorite. Also tried minced beef katsu. Fried to perfection and not greasy. Katsu sauce was delicious. We ordered Sushi setB. The fish was fresh and exceptionally good quality and good size pieces. Not a fan of California rolls that came with.. typically side filler. Also ordered the grilled mackerel. Good size serving and was tasty. Ended with another kids favorite ice cream mochis. There are so many sushi places out there. I've been tired of eating at places mostly because their fish are usually tasteless. If you want something different and special come here. They don't offer fancy rolls or the stuff that you usually see on typical Japanese restaurants. Sushi is only small part of the menu (forgot to take menu picture See other reviewers photos of menu). There were many other different entrees to choose from. Just wish I went with more people so i could try more things. They offer Omakase and Kaiseki options. They also had a small cocktail menu. Overall price is fair and reflects its value. The decor is simple and serene. The staff was great and welcoming. The owner was the sweetest and came out and checked on us. Japanese family owned. Give them a try. Wishing them great success. read more

Located near the Dupont circle metro station. For a restaurant in DC, we are surprised that the price is reasonable and portion is generous. Comparing the price with similar Japanese restaurant in Rockville Pike, this place gets your money worth. For instance, the onigiri is $4.50 and Karaage is $13 which is the same price as at Rockville Pike's. At Ko's you got a big Godzilla size onigiri instead of one tiny one or tiny pieces of chicken bites. The cuisine is more of specialized in Japanese home cooked food. We are trying many of the fried items to see if the tempura kaiseki is worth a try. We feel that the tempura set is great with thin crispy batter and generous portion. They also have specials that they post in instagram. The service and ambience is more of family atmosphere and quiet. We come for early dinner and there are 1 or 2 tables other than us. The owner is very personable and easy to talk to. She comes to greet us and gives great food recommendations. read more

The location and interior of the restaurant are decent, but the food left a lot to be desired. First, the menu was very limited. They only offered dinner items even though we came in at 1pm. I had the chicken teriyaki, which was so salty that I had to keep sipping on my water. I was brought a soup spoon for the soup after requesting one, and the spoon had white flakes on it that fell off after I scratched it. My partner ordered the yakisoba. On the pictured menu online, the noodles come with eggs. However, when the food came out, there was no egg. The waitress said that they recently changed the menu item to not include egg, and she wasn't sure why that picture is used. Overall, the dishes were pretty disappointing. read more

I've found my new go to Japanese restaurant! AMAZING food (they ship specific ingredients in from Japan every week) that really made me feel like I was back in Kyoto. The owners are so lovely, and the ambiance is just so warm and welcoming. I am already planning my next visit! read more

Ko Japanese Dining - Tempura plate! You know it's legit when they offer salt for your tempura - Japanese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Authentic food with seasonal ingredients. Japanese owner and chefs. There is attention to detail in the dining service. Lovely experience! read more

Ko Japanese Dining - Fried Eggplant Cheese - Japanese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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