Leaving your menu decisions up to the chef is typically a good call. It’s the reason a patron goes to visit a restaurant in the first place — the chef knows the techniques and right combinations of what it takes to make a successful meal. Omakase is that exact idea in practice. It’s a Japanese phrase that translates to “I’ll leave it to you,” meaning the entire meal is up to the chef’s discretion. It’s the food equivalent of “no thoughts, just vibes.” It’s fun to sit down and have no idea what’s coming, letting respective sushi masters take visitors through a culinary cruise of all different kinds of tastes and flavors. And it just so happens that there are a lot of delicious DC omakase experiences around town. These six spots are our favorites.
Dear Sushi
Capital Crossing
Dear Sushi is Chef Makoto Okuwa’s love letter to sushi. Throughout a handful of different plates, chef walks patrons through new and old-school interpretations of sushi classics, all of which have something unique and interesting about them. Partner that alongside a stunning interior, some of the friendliest staff I’ve experienced in DC and plenty of equally tasty a la carte options, and Dear Sushi is a place you’ll find yourself writing love letters to as well.
200 Massachusetts Ave NW Suite 150
Sushi by Bou
L’enfant Plaza
Omakase, but party — that’s kind of the vibe at Sushi by Bou, which sits atop the citizenM Washington DC Capitol hotel. Bou offers two different experiences: 12 courses for $60 or 17 for $100, all done in an hour. The drinks pair really well with each piece, but the surprise standout is the mochi, which was so delicious that I seriously considered ordering another round. Oh, and the views are tremendous.
Kiyomi
Downtown
Located inside the expansive Square food hall, Kiyomi is a tasty 11-seat sushi counter that specializes in the best of the best cuts. Chef Masaaki “Uchi” Uchino is certainly, well, cut out for those slices of sushi, as he earned a Michelin star at Sushi Nakazawa and brings that expertise downtown. It’s also a great midday spot if you’re looking to make a big splash with your boss, preferably on the company’s dime.
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Barracks Row
Chef Yi “Ricky” Wang is one of the many who passed through the walls of Sushi Nakazawa before launching a series of pop-ups that would lead into the (straightforwardly named) Omakase @ Barracks Row. Chef draws on a number of East Coast elements — Spanish mackerel from the Carolinas, Boston surf calm and Maine uni sauce, to name a few — and fuses them with traditional Japanese techniques and preparations across the 21-course omakase experience.
Sushi Nakazawa
Downtown
Chef Daisuke Nakazawa’s (who you may know from his apprenticeship at Sukiyabashi Jiro — yes, that Jiro) omakase experience is a can’t-miss if you’re obsessed with following the Jiro coaching tree, so to speak. Minimalist and elegant, the interior features dark wood and gold details that heighten the magic happening at the counter during the course of the staggeringly impressive 20-course menu. Sure, your meal may last a few hours, but why would you want to go anywhere else when you can watch art unfold right before your eyes?
Sushi Taro
Dupont Circle
Sushi Taro’s approach to omakase is a little different. While it is a tasting menu, it’s not fully omakase. You will be offered four to six small dishes, followed by seasonal takes on both sashimi and sushi. After the chef presents these fish offerings, you get to choose what you’d like to eat. All of it is delicious, so you can’t go wrong.
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