Authentic Sushi
in Washington D.C..

The DC outpost of Chef Daisuke Nakazawa's celebrated New York omakase house occupies an elegant counter inside the Waldorf Astoria, where head chef Masaaki 'Uchi' Uchino — a Fukuoka native — presents twenty precisely seasoned pieces of wild-fish nigiri. A Michelin one-star since opening, it is arguably the most formally Japanese sushi experience in the capital.

Chef-owner Minoru Ogawa is a second-generation sushi master from Tokyo's Nippori district, where his family has operated a sushi restaurant for over 50 years. At this intimate Connecticut Avenue counter he presents edomae-style omakase using fish imported directly from Toyosu Market in Tokyo.

Washington DC's most storied Japanese restaurant, Sushi Taro has held a Michelin star under the Yamazaki family since a landmark 2008 transformation. Chef-owner Nobu Yamazaki draws on his Niigata roots to serve pristine edomae nigiri and multi-course kaiseki at the intimate Dupont Circle counter.

Opened in February 2026 in the former Bar Japonais space, Katsumi is the latest showcase for Masaaki 'Uchi' Uchino — the Fukuoka-born chef who held a Michelin star for four consecutive years at Sushi Nakazawa DC. He leads a bold menu of fresh sushi, sashimi, and Japanese small plates alongside a limited nightly omakase course.

Chef-owner Kaz Okochi trained in Osaka before refining his skills under Japanese mentors at Sushiko DC, then opened Kaz Sushi Bistro in 1999 with a personal philosophy he calls 'freestyle Japanese cuisine.' Located just five blocks from the White House, the restaurant blends traditional Japanese technique with Western and global ingredients in ways that remain distinctly Japanese at the core.

Kiyomi is Masaaki 'Uchi' Uchino's standalone omakase counter, opened April 2026 at the Taicoon Building at 1895 L Street NW. The Fukuoka native and former Michelin-starred Sushi Nakazawa DC head chef offers a $40 lunch omakase and $120–$200 dinner courses at a 16-seat counter.

Internationally renowned Japanese chef Makoto Okuwa — who launched his US career at DC's own Sushi Taro — returns to Washington with Love, Makoto, a culinary complex featuring four distinct Japanese concepts: Dear Sushi (omakase), Beloved BBQ (A5 wagyu yakiniku), Hiya Izakaya (robata grill and whisky highballs), and Love on the Run (casual Japanese fast-casual).

Executive Chef Masako Morishita — born in Kobe, Japan, from a family that has run a tachinomi standing bar for nearly a century — became the first Japanese-born woman to helm Perry's kitchen and earned a 2024 James Beard Foundation Emerging Chef Award nomination. Her Japanese culinary identity elevates this beloved Adams Morgan institution's sushi bar and seasonal menu.

Chef-owner Yoshi Ota was born in Hokkaido and trained at the ANA Intercontinental Hotel in Tokyo before running his own restaurant in Ginza for over a decade. At Sushi Gaku, which opened in Georgetown in May 2025, he brings four decades of traditional Japanese sushi craft to an intimate basement counter on Wisconsin Avenue.

Founded in 1969 and now owned by Tokyo-born Daisuke Utagawa (who purchased it in 1988 after Japanese culinary training), Sushiko is the DC area's longest-running sushi restaurant. Located in Chevy Chase, MD, it serves a creative contemporary Japanese menu that spans fresh nigiri and sashimi to inventive rolls and seasonal specials.

Founded in 1982 in Arlington by Japanese master sushi chef and owner Eiji Yahashi, Tachibana is one of the oldest continuously Japanese-owned Japanese restaurants in the DC metro area. Relocated to McLean in 1996, it remains a multigenerational family-run institution praised by Northern Virginia Magazine as 'precious' for its genuine Japanese ownership and cooking.