Trump Hotel’s Sushi Restaurant Is Now Debuting This May

The new Sushi Nakazawa coming to the Trump International Hotel is projected to accommodate just under four dozen diners at a time — including the 10 people able to pull up a seat at the incoming restaurant’s dedicated sushi bar.

The omakase-style eatery, which shares much in common with its predecessor in New York City’s Greenwich Village, is still taking shape in the District. Co-founder Alessandro Borgognone famously rejected the idea of installing the latest Sushi Nakazawa in parcels previously allotted to celebrity chefs José Andrés’ and Geoffrey Zakarian, choosing instead to carve his prix fixe restaurant out of a vacant space facing the Internal Revenue Service building. The other big name restaurant in the host building, BLT Prime, resides in the lobby of the controversial hotel.

Borgognone created his critically acclaimed Japanese restaurant with Daisuke Nakazawa, one of the chefs featured in the cult movie Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

Cody Nason, general manager of Borgognone’s D.C. restaurant and an alum of Eleven Madison Park, says the dark woods and gold elements incorporated into the design of D.C.’s Sushi Nakazawa are in keeping with the decorative style of surrounding Trump hotel. The original Sushi Nakazawa features a black-and-white motif. Nason tells Eater the D.C. restaurant will feature 10 seats at the sushi bar, plus another 34 in the main dining room. Those will mostly be split between two and four-tops; there will be one six-top available by request. Nason also expects to have room in brightly lit display cases for around 1,500 sakes and wines.

Executive chef Masa Uchi, who helped open the flagship restaurant, says he’s on a mission to outshine his mentor. “Our goal is to get a much better reputation than in New York,” he tells Eater. “We are going to make the customers kings or queens.”

D.C.’s Sushi Nakazawa is now projected to open by mid-May.

Scroll down to look inside the emerging restaurant:

Warren Rojas/Eater DC

Warren Rojas/Eater DC

Warren Rojas/Eater DC

Warren Rojas/Eater DC

Warren Rojas/Eater DC

• The Most Anticipated Restaurants in D.C., Spring 2018 [EDC]
• Give the New Trump Hotel Restaurant a Chance, Says Nakazawa Co-Founder [EDC]
• Alessandro Borgognone Bites Back [EDC]
• The Trump Hotel in D.C. Is Getting a Sushi Restaurant [EDC]