Omakase, which translates to “I leave it up to you,” is more than just a meal. It’s an intimate culinary experience where diners are offered carefully curated, multicourse menus with some of the freshest seafood available.
Whether you’re looking for a high-end splurge with rare fish flown in from Tokyo or a more approachable, neighborhood-style tasting, the District has an omakase experience that’ll match your palate and budget.
Listed in no particular order, here are a few of the best chef-curated, seasonal omakase options in the nation’s capital.
Bar Japonais
1520 14th Street NW • $115 per person (+$85 with a sake and wine pairing)
Masaaki “Uchi” Uchino, the new executive chef of Bar Japonais, is among D.C.’s top sushi chefs. Uchino previously served as the executive chef of Sushi Nakazawa from 2018 to 2023, and with this new position at Bar Japonais, he is expanding the menu with a wider selection of sushi.
Most notably, his arrival also brings a new omakase experience with 15 courses of seasonal ingredients, such as spring sea bream, cherry blossom-steamed sushi, firefly squid and cherry salmon.
Sushi Nakazawa
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW • $190 per person at the sushi counter and $160 per person in the dining room
With one Michelin star, Sushi Nakazawa sits on a well-earned pedestal as one of the best sushi and omakase restaurants in the D.C. region.
Chef Daisuke Nakazawa’s eye for quality comes from a long career, having previously apprenticed at Sukiyabashi Jiro under Jiro Ono, who was featured in the 2011 documentary, “Jiro Dreams of Sushi.”
Omakase @ Barracks Row
522 8th Street SE • $180 per person
Since the restaurant’s opening in 2023, Yi “Ricky” Wang has been turning heads with his first stand-alone omakase restaurant, Omakase @ Barracks Row. Wang is a former student of both Daisuke Nakazawa and Masaaki “Uchi” Uchino, and previously worked at Minibar by José Andrés.
Since opening, Wang has earned one Michelin star at his Capitol Hill restaurant.
Sushi Taro
1503 17th Street NW • $275 per person for regular and $350 per person for premium (+$150 for a regular sake pairing or +$250 for a premium sake pairing)
Don’t let the price tag steer you away. While Sushi Taro may have the highest per person cost for their omakase experience, this intimate restaurant is renowned by those who are open to an adventurous menu. As stated by The Washington Post’s food critic Tom Sietsema, “You’re in good hands” when you’re at Sushi Taro.
For those who’d prefer something lower in price when compared to the omakase menu, there is a kaiseki menu that costs $135 per person with an optional $90 sake pairing.
The restaurant also offers takeout options for those willing to splurge on box sets with the optional addition of wagyu. The sukiyaki set costs $235 for two with the $90 option to add wagyu, while the kaiseki box set is $125 with a two-order minimum, and finally, the sashimi omakase plate is $250 “and up” for special occasions. These box sets require two days advance notice.
Dear Sushi at Love, Makoto
200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 150 • $42 per person for “omakase express” during lunch hours (+$40 for sake pairing) and $85 per person during dinner hours (+$40 for sake pairing)
Inside the Japanese food hall Love, Makoto, guests can find some of the best sushi in the city.
While offering the lowest-priced option on this list, it’s big on the wow factor. Because of this, it’s no surprise that Yelp named Dear Sushi as one of the best new restaurants of 2024, while Michelin gave it a nod by writing that it is “certainly a winner.”
Raw Omakase D.C.
1326 14th Street NW • $150 per person
On the third floor of Japanese restaurant Takara 14, Raw Omakase D.C. is home to an eight-seat counter with only two reservation spots available per evening, at 6 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.
With over 15 years of experience, Chef Johnny Yi is bringing his expertise to the omakase experience, with a background having worked for Nakazawa in D.C. and Masa Takayama in New York City.
This experience encompasses 18 courses with optional wine and sake pairings.
Nobu
2525 M Street NW • $200 per person
Japanese chef and restaurateur Nobu Matsuhisa opened his D.C. location in 2017. At the time, the arrival of this restaurant group got tons of buzz with the Washington Business Journal reporting that this “signals the city’s growing reputation as a food city.”
There are now over 50 locations of Nobu around the world, and Nobu is still going strong, while offering a multicourse omakase menu in the District that is worth vying for a reservation.
SHŌTŌ
1100 15th Street NW • $95 per person for signature and $155 per person for premium
When it opened in Downtown D.C. in 2022, SHŌTŌ managing partner Arman Naqi told Eater DC, “There’s no bad seat in the restaurant.”
The spacious, 155-seat contemporary Japanese izakaya is a favorite for its sushi, skewers, wagyu selection and massive Japanese whiskey collection.
If you’re in search of a multicourse feast with dishes hand-chosen by the executive chef, don’t shy away from the signature or premium omakase menu.
Perry’s
1811 Columbia Road NW • $75 per person for a nigiri chef tasting menu and $100 per person for a sashimi chef tasting menu
In a single word, Perry’s is known for one thing — excellence. The well-recognized executive chef behind the Adams Morgan eatery, Masako Morishita, won the James Beard’s Emerging Chef award in 2024, the Rising Culinary Star of the Year award from the RAMMYS in 2024 and Eater DC’s Chef of the Year award in 2023.
Morishita, a former Washington Commanders cheerleader, has dazzled in her position at Perry’s, topping several food critics’ lists, including The Washington Post and Washingtonian, leading one of the best restaurants in the city.
Two Nine
1218 31st Street NW, Suite B • $205 per person
While it’s the newest omakase option on this list, having opened just a few days ago, Two Nine is a restaurant worth keeping an eye on.
The restaurant is headed by former Sushi Taro alums Zach Ramos and Amy Phan, who later went on to open the pop-up Ama Ami. During its time, this eatery offered both takeout chirashi and also “homakase,” or in-home omakase tastings, which ranged from $120 to $205 per person, depending on the level.
With this new chirashi café and omakase counter in Georgetown, expect more beautifully presented raw fish that is for sure worth the splurge.
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