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    Nobu Washington D.C

    3.6 (635 reviews)
    Closed 5:00 pm - 9:30 PM

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    Lola A.

    I always wondered if Nobu was over hyped, but I can honestly say I completely understand the hype. Just starting with the oysters on the Tanoshi (Happy) Hour menu, I felt like their was a party in my mouth with the baked ones, wow! The raw ones were nice and fresh and I thought it was cool it came with other toppings besides cocktails sauce, vinegar, etc. I am not sure why there are available for a short period of time but I'm hoping they change their mind about this and keep this on the menu for longer. Below are the food items we got. Though everything was good, I'd go the A5 Wagyu route over the beef tenderloin of course, dumplings over tacos, and if you could only pick one dessert, I'd go with buttermilk donuts especially because it does come with a really good vanilla bean ice cream. - Yellowtail jalapeño - Seared salmon karashi su miso - Fresh oysters with Nobu sauces - Baked oysters creamy spicy - Black cod butter lettuce - Crispy rice spicy tuna - Spicy shrimp garlic - Beef tenderloin toban yaki - Wagyu tacos - Wagyu dumplings - Japanese A5 Wagyu - Buttermilk donuts - Mochi ice cream Excellent service as well and has a nice dim atmosphere inside.

    AYCE Sunday brunch- 7/26/2026- veggies
    Eddie K.

    The Sunday AYCE brunch is such a good deal. For $80 a person, you get to enjoy lots of their popular food items. Their sushi selection is fantastic with lots of salmon, tuna, kanpachi nigiri and various rolls. They also have Strip loin (ask for a fork and knife), salmon, their famous Black cod, rock shrimp, cocktail shrimp, noodles, miso soup, and some veggies (Bok Choy, potatoes, brussel sprouts). One of my favorites were the baby spinach salad with yuzu truffle dressing. It was so good. I stuffed myself with lots of sushi, black cod, miso soup, rock shrimp, cucumber salad, strip loin and finally their desserts. I really liked their raspberry panna cotta and chocolate mousse. I had to get seconds! The decor is very nice and they do offer valet parking for $27, but since it was a Sunday, there was plenty of free street parking nearby. Can't believe it's taken me this long to dine at Nobu. I love the Nobu 57 location in NYC and the Vegas locations. Service was fantastic as well.

    House Special Roll
    Ren H.

    We were greeted with friendly staff and service was great too. A nice and large restaurant. We sat at the sushi bar and got their Lychee & Elderflower Martini which was delicious. We shared their Black Cod Butter Lettuce which had great flavor and was crispy. The Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna didn't have a lot of flavor to it. Then the Salmon Nigiri, House Special, and Shrimp Tempura were all good. A good sushi spot with some great drinks and friendly staff.

    Baby Corn Honey Truffle
    Amar K.

    Nobu is one of those restaurants where you come, enjoy the ambiance and dine on some of the best Japanese sashimi the dc area has to offer. This was my first time here and I can tell you I enjoyed every dish that was served

    Oliver C.

    After watching the Nobu documentary and being a huge fan of sushi and Japanese cuisine, I was thrilled to find out one or their locations was only a few bocks away from my hotel. After convincing a coworker who doesn't eat fish to join me to try Nobu, we walked a few blocks in 98F weather and made it to Nobu in Washington, DC The ambience is elegant and modern, dark and moody, dimly lit by those fancy skinny LED lamps all fancy restaurants use nowadays. All staff is dressed in black from head to try trying to give an air of elegance and sophistication. The staff was friendly and made some recommendations on the menu. I was tempted by the omakese, but we didn't have long to dine and I wasn't hungry enough to order the sushi selection. I went with à la carte this time. I was very excited to try their food, however I must say I left quite disappointed. I don't know if I ordered the wrong thing, or what, but I usually judge a sushi place by their most basic dish: the humble nigiri. I ordered two tako nigiri at $8 or $9 dollars a piece (twice as much than I usually get at my local sushi joint in Japantown, for example) and a toro maki roll for $19-$20. Top top it off, I got a lychee grapefruit yuzu drink. As soon as the food arrived, I knew I was going to need more food. The portions were not only small (look at the thin and tiny slice of octopus on the nigiri! and the maki roll had 6 humble slices) , but it was completely unremarkable in every way. I know what you are gonna say: "duh, octopus is tasteless, it's more about texture" and I'll agree partly with you, but the toro was completely forgettable. No marbling or that rich, butteriness you'd expect from a high quality fatty tuna piece. Sure the fish was fresh, but nothing I couldn't have gotten at any other sushi restaurant for much cheaper and way bigger portions. I ordered more food as the first round would be maybe an appetizer, when I was expecting it to be my whole meal. I ordered the Japanese eel nigiri ( which the server promptly corrected me: "it's called Unagi". I obviously know it's called unagi, but their menu calls out the fish by the English name. Anyway, the server really recommended the jalapeño yellowtail, so I got a maki roll of that with higher hopes this time. I was equally disappointed. No spark, no distinguishing characteristics and I could not even taste the hint of jalapeño. I don't need sugary sauces and overly complicated Americanized toppings on my sushi, the fish was tasty, but nothing special unfortunately. I guess the only saving grace was the real wasabi served instead of horse radish with food coloring paste. My coworker ordered some baby corn in spicy oyster sauce as an appetizer which was very unbalanced. The dates was sweet. It nearly tasted like a dessert. Even after squirting the whole lime provided and drenching it in chilli crisp, it was at best average and uninspired. The best dish was the beef tenderloin marinated in sake and grilled with mushrooms and asparagus. It was tender and flavorful and very well balanced. I could taste the sake and char from the grill and the enoki mushrooms and asparagus were a brilliant compliment. Odd that in a sushi restaurant, the beef was the best dish of the night. For dessert I ordered a lychee strawberry panna cotta with ice cream and fresh strawberries which was delicious and playful. My coworker ordered a stuffed chocolate cream puff which was ok. For the price, and all the hype, unfortunately that's exactly what this experience was. Overpriced hype. I'll guess I'll go to some of the Michelin star sushi restaurants a few blocks away instead next time

    Steak , butter lettuce cod, fried rock shrimp
    Shanan F.

    We went for the Sunday AYCE brunch for a birthday celebration. The restaurant was large and they had plenty of food until closing at 3pm. All of the sushi was excellent. I particularly enjoyed the sliced steak, rock shrimp, and butter lettuce cod. The baby spinach truffle salad was excellent. The desserts were refreshing, light and tasty, not too rich. The main server was average but the assistant was good. Overall, I will be back.

    Entrance
    Jong K.

    Service 100% Food quality 100% You can tell by sushi rice! It was sooooo delic and we are coming back every 4-5 months wife said.

    Chandra M.

    If you're a sushi lover like I am, the brunch at Nobu Washington D.C. is absolutely worth experiencing. The selection was fresh, abundant, and beautifully presented, with plenty of options to satisfy every palate. Whether you want hot, cooked items or traditional sushi, the all you can eat brunch buffet had plenty of options. The atmosphere strikes the perfect balance of upscale and inviting, making it an excellent spot to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or any special occasion. We celebrated my daughters graduation. If you're looking for a memorable brunch with exceptional sushi and a luxurious dining experience, Nobu delivers.

    King Crab tempura
    Nneka M.

    We celebrated a lovely birthday dinner here.. The service was attentive and knowledgeable regarding the menu and the specials, and the ambiance was grown and sophisticated. Dining here is an upscale experience, but I'll admit that ordering food for delivery via third party is also quite delectable. The presentation of their food is also a work of culinary art. Overall, I recommend Nobu for dinner, especially for a special occasion.

    Cynthia F.

    I've been seeing Nobu's brunch go around on TikTok and was able to snag a reservation for my husbands bday! They offer a selection of nigiri, salads, maki, sides, hot foods, and desserts for their brunch. Drinks are not included. My favs were the torched salmon nigiri and the steak carving station with a truffle teriyaki. I wish there was more variety in their sushi selection because it was mostly tuna and salmon. Unfortunately their famous crispy rice with tuna was overhyped. Not sure if they sit for too long on the brunch buffet but they did not taste that fresh! Staff was super attentive, no complaints there. Overall we enjoyed our meal but felt like it wasn't quite worth the money or drive.

    Tanny D.

    Did the unlimited brunch here and I actually really enjoyed it! It is definitely expensive but depending on how much you eat, you can easily get your moneys worth. They were constantly putting out new food and it all felt fresh. I was able to enjoy the crispy rice tuna dish and the miso cod which are two of their popular dishes. They had plenty of non-sushi items too and dessert. The service could have been a bit better but I know our server probably had a lot of tables. I think I would go back!

    Margarita
    Stacey P.

    I love Nobu and have reached a point when I see one I haven't been I must go. I was immensely delighted to discover I was within walking distance of a Nobu when I was vacationing in DC. My best friend I visited twice - once for lunch and once for dinner. The lunch was impromptu as we passed by and saw a sign advertising they had lunch, so we went in, were seated at the sushi bar, was provided a lunch menu, and rotating servers checked in with us throughout the meal. It was lightly attended with few diners in the restaurant but everything was prompt and the sushi was very tasty! Dinner had been planned two weeks in advance with reservations made on-line. We were seated within minutes of entering and placed at a table that could seat four, which seemed a bit much. Not sure how that happened unless they just didn't have that many two top tables. When we entered it wasn't that busy with a wide variety of diners - a mother with her four young children sat near us, a group of co-workers celebrating a recent success, a young couple who moved to the furthest table from anyone in the restaurant, and a group of friends were about it. Voices easily carried through the space and some tables were more mindful of that fact than others. If only every table had been as courteous as those four children. We opted to order the omakase from our polite and attentive waitress. Every dish was amazing with immaculate presentation. Nobu is Japanese Peruvian fusion and I love the melody of flavors and textures. Nobu is just fantastic. The drinks also were wonderful and tasted exactly as they did when we were in Miami, so the formula was on point. The ambiance was a bit basic compared to other Nobus. It was a louder restaurant with more group tables and wider open spaces. Nothing was bad and nothing was exceptional in that regard. And I guess that may have surprised me the most because there was nothing about this Nobu that made it standout from the others. Every other Nobu to date has "their" touch that makes them a bit different from a unique cocktail to a particular architectural feature. This one was the first I could say was generic Nobu, and that's not a bad thing to be!

    Panna cotta
    Se C.

    Came on a Sunday to try Nobu's AYCE brunch after seeing social media posts hyping it up. I made a reservation through opentable at least 3 weeks in advance and waited less than a minute after arriving to get seated. It was my first time coming to Nobu and I didn't realize it was so big inside. It was also quite modern with wooden and Zen touches. There are enough seating for at least 100+ people. It was very busy and the restaurant was full. The food was constantly getting replenished and I knew the food was fresh. 3 to 4 sushi chefs were making nigiri's nonstop. The rice was a bit undercooked and dry. Probably from making such a large portion all at once. The chefs were not very friendly and looked annoyed whenever the sushi serving ran out. The staff didn't replace the dishes promptly when it was empty leading to congestion in the line. There were a few hot food options including Salmon, beef, pork, chicken, and cod. Very basic salad, miso soup, brussel sprouts, potatoes and broccolinis. Miso soup was one of the worst I've ever tasted. It tasted more like shoyu broth (soy sauce broth), than miso. The dessert section was pretty good with the strawberry, raspberry panna cotta taking the spotlight. I think overall, for the price of $80 a person, this is not worth it. You are paying for the Nobu experience, but if Nobu Matsuhisa were to dine here, he would be utterly disappointed by the lack of quality and taste. Street parking available on Sundays for free.

    Lychee martini

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    9 months ago

    Great place. Very calming and chill. Would recommend to anyone. Prices vary and can be affordable

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    8 months ago

    Loved it. Who doesn't?? Thanks dinner was enjoyable went on a quiet Sunday evening left satisfied and tipsy what more could I ask for :-)

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    Page 2 of 16

    Nobu Washington D.C Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Nobu Washington D.C

    Is Nobu's happy hour only in the bar?

    Yes

    I'm vegetarian. Can I add tofu to the vegetables over rice? Your menu looks like it's lacking in any type of protein for vegetarians.

    For a group of 7 does anyone have a suggestion of best items to share for the table or "must try dishes"?

    Everything at Nobu is technically meant to share family style. Their cold dishes are perfect for sharing and I highly recommend their yellowtail jalapeño and the white fish Tiradito!

    Is there outdoor seating?

    No - didn't see any

    Is there valet parking and, if not, where's best to park nearby?

    There is valet parking available as well as street parking nearby.

    What's the age limit?

    We had our 12 year old with us.

    Does the miso soup have fish sauce?

    View All 9 Questions

    Love Makoto - Hand rolls

    Love Makoto

    4.5(576 reviews)
    2.2 mi
    $$$$

    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.

    Photos
    Love Makoto - Pick up area

    Pick up area

    Love Makoto - Omakase Express Lunch came with these 5 sushi. Otoro, hamachi; bluefin tina, salmon, snapper.

    Omakase Express Lunch came with these 5 sushi. Otoro, hamachi; bluefin tina, salmon, snapper.

    Love Makoto - Emperor butterfly mocktail

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    Emperor butterfly mocktail

    Ko Japanese Dining

    Ko Japanese Dining

    4.5(73 reviews)
    0.6 miDupont Circle

    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 had a solid dinner at Ko and ordered the Katsudon Set. I had the pork cutlet which was…read more simmered in a sweet broth and topped with fluffy egg over steamed rice. It came with miso soup. Service was great and the restaurant itself was very lovely. The portion was huge and I was stuffed when I left. I really appreciated the presentation of the meal. I ended up repeating the order for takeout a few weeks later. I would definitely return in the cooler months and reorder the Katsudon Set as it seems like it would be a comforting meal in colder weather.

    Photos
    Ko Japanese Dining - The dining room can seat two, four, six, eight...you name it.

    The dining room can seat two, four, six, eight...you name it.

    Ko Japanese Dining - Beef Sukiyaki

    Beef Sukiyaki

    Ko Japanese Dining - Delicious chilled sake

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    Delicious chilled sake

    Sushi Nakazawa

    Sushi Nakazawa

    4.4(534 reviews)
    1.6 miFederal Triangle
    $$$$

    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.

    Photos
    Sushi Nakazawa
    Sushi Nakazawa - ? Black Skipjacks

    ? Black Skipjacks

    Sushi Nakazawa - Kama Toro (cheek)

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    Kama Toro (cheek)

    Izakaya Seki - Sashimi platter

    Izakaya Seki

    4.0(526 reviews)
    1.7 mi
    $$$

    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?

    Photos
    Izakaya Seki - Interior

    Interior

    Izakaya Seki - Salmon Roe and Yukari Riceball in Nori

    Salmon Roe and Yukari Riceball in Nori

    Izakaya Seki - Tempura Special, sake

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    Tempura Special, sake

    Kyojin DC

    Kyojin DC

    4.4(331 reviews)
    0.7 miGeorgetown

    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.

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    Kyojin DC - Inside the restaurant

    Inside the restaurant

    Kyojin DC - Lobster Volcano

    Lobster Volcano

    Kyojin DC - Kamikaze Roll@ Kyojin!

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    Kamikaze Roll@ Kyojin!

    Sakaki Izakaya

    Sakaki Izakaya

    4.4(324 reviews)
    2.7 miClarendon

    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!

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    Sakaki Izakaya
    Sakaki Izakaya
    Sakaki Izakaya

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    Nobu Washington D.C - japanese - Updated September 2026

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