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!

We stopped by Hiya Izakaya at Love, Makoto for happy hour, and overall, it was a pretty good deal…read more The happy hour food menu is on the smaller side, but everything was reasonably priced. My favorites were the eggplant skewers and the spicy tuna bites. Both were flavorful and definitely worth ordering. The drinks were probably the best part of happy hour. They were strong, tasty, and only $8, which felt like a great deal. I'm not sure I would feel the same way about the drinks at full price, but for happy hour, I can't complain. Our server was attentive, answered all of our questions, and our food came out pretty quickly. Hiya is also a cute little space, although it's one of several restaurants within the Love, Makoto complex. The restaurant itself has a pretty floral theme, but the open layout and surrounding restaurants give it more of a mall food court feel. It doesn't necessarily make for a bad experience, but it does take away a little from the intimate atmosphere. Overall, I'd definitely come back for happy hour.

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

It is so hard to give this a rating because the food is good but the service is bad and I would not…read morego back! I do NOT recommend for dine in but the food was yummy so maybe opt for takeout...We had a reservation and upon checking in they offered bartop instead of a table unless we wanted to wait which isn't a huge deal so we waited and got sat at a table after a short wait. Then someone was sat after us (next table over) and got greeted, waters, and placed orders before we were so much as greeted. After less than an hour (most of which involved waiting to be greeted and served) we were handed the check and essentially nudged out while still eating our food. They seemed to want to close early. The drinks also didn't match their descriptions, missing key ingredients that were listed. We were barely tended to or checked on at all. We also had a bug buzzing around us that eventually flew into my drink. The staff was very nice but overall the service and quality did not match the cost at all.

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.

Bring back the OG veggies - if it ain't broke don't fix it…read more Great severs as always.

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!

Japanese Pizza here is fire! I recently got news that they will be shutting down. I'm really sad…read more.. not sure why such an amazing concept would shut down. Maybe DC is going through it with the economy. Maybe it's the lack of foot traffic. Whatever it is, restaurants in DC don't seem to survive. I hope one day they bring back Tonari - would do great in Virginia. For now, I say my good bye, and this 5 star review is my love letter to this place. Goodbye Tonari :(

We wanted to check out this place for a while. And since we were planning to go to the Wizard game,…read morethis was the perfect spot. We were seated on the second floor, with a nice, dark ambiance. Seatings have decent space between each table. We started with the mentaiko pasta, which was really good. Unfortunately, the portion is a little smaller than we anticipated. We also shared the hot honey and mentaiko pizza. It was pretty good as well, I like the hot honey one more based on my personal preference. And it felt like it had a little more flavor than the mentaiko one. Overall, we enjoyed our dinner but had higher expectations. Definitely recommend checking out this spot.