Sushi Ogawa

The best omakase in DC. We have been here several times and they never disappoint. For $80 you get great starter spread then sashimi, box of 9 pieces of sushi, soup, and dessert. The fish was very fresh and of great quality, no smell and all were soft and buttery. My favorite was the shrimp which was sweet, moist, and packed with flavor. The attention to detail was noticable. For instance, the wasabi was real gratted wasabi and the miso soup had actual seafood in it. If you want fancy fusion dishes or sushi that look like mythical creatures, then this is not for you. If, however, you want delicious simplicity, you must go here.

*First, a couple tips: CALL and make reservations for the "sushi bar." Booking online via OpenTable is for the dining room only, which is like being at a different restaurant. Little-to-no ambiance and a completely different dining experience. There are other places for a la carte sushi. The Ogawa experience is "omakase" (chef's tasting menu) at the sushi bar.*

We first visited Sushi Ogawa just a few days after it opened, and have since been back a half a dozen times.

Having never visited Sushi Capital, we figured that it would be worth jumping in with both feet with the "omakase" tasting menu from the sushi bar. Simply put, it was phenomenal!!!

The two sushi chef's were friendly, inviting and despite limited english, carefully explained the various courses and types of fish that we were enjoying. Serving the meal one-bite-at-a-time ensured the freshest possible tastes and a delightfully leisurely pace.

I also must note the wonderful service, despite a few opening week hiccups. The main example being the welcoming and warm manager's attentive service and our professional and humorous server who had to deal with an extremely noisy group of foul-mouthed sorority girls who were holding court in the not-so-private dining area (they must have mistaken the rice paper walls and sling door for heavy duty soundproofing). Advice around saki selection was informative and much appreciated.

We are so thrilled to have Sushi Ogawa in our neighborhood and will certainly continue to make it a regular spot for special event meals and when devoted sushi fans come to town to try the omakase experience.

Omakaze is by far the way to go. Everything was prepared perfectly but some of the flavors were not to my personal liking. However, I appreciated the opportunities to experience new flavors and textures and that by far made it well worth the time and money. The staff was five stars too!