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An avocado-wrapped roll at Shōtō neatly stacks salmon, tuna, and hamachi.
Rey Lopez for Shōtō

Where to Find Standout Sushi Around D.C.

No matter the budget or taste, D.C. has a sushi experience to match

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An avocado-wrapped roll at Shōtō neatly stacks salmon, tuna, and hamachi.
| Rey Lopez for Shōtō

D.C. has long had a respectable mix of neighborhood sushi restaurants, affordable roll stops, and higher-end, special occasion places offering omakase menus.

This map runs the gamut from O.G. spots like decades-old Kaz Sushi Bistro (finish with green tea tiramisu) to newer arrivals like Takara 14 and Shōtō in D.C. For unexpected places to find stellar sushi, go here.

Don’t see a personal favorite on the list? Sound off in the comments or shoot us an email (dc@eater.com).

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Hinata Sushi Carry Out

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This cozy, family-run carryout in Bethesda is a local favorite for made-to-order rolls and fresh sashimi at an affordable price point. Call ahead or shop for grocery items from Japan while waiting for takeout orders.

Perry's Restaurant

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This Adams Morgan stalwart for reliable raw fish got a big boost with rising Japanese chef Masako Morishita now at the helm. Choose from a long a la carte lineup of two-piece nigiri or sashimi and six-piece maki rolls. Creative dishes under her watch include dashi-cured egg yolk nestled atop grilled avocado with shiso chimichurri.

Sushi Keiko

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Glover Park’s tried-and-true place (Joe Biden was a regular here while he lived nearby in the Vice President’s residence) for raw fish is known for its Butterfly Roll, a generous lineup of shrimp tempura, crabmeat, and eel topped with spicy mayo. The flounder carpaccio with truffle vinaigrette sauce is another hit. Wash down offerings with hard-to-find Japanese beers like Orion. Plus, owner Ferry Huang also runs Onkei at Western Market with more small plates, sushi, Japanese sake, and wines on offer.

Shibuya Eatery

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Sushi is but one speciality for this restaurant from Darren Norris, formerly of Kushi and Perry’s. Along with rolls, sashimi, and nigiri, the menu brings together ramen, meats grilled over binchotan charcoal that reaches temps of 975 degrees, and parade of small plates. Well-equipped bento boxes are $20 or $30.

A variety of items from Shibuya.
A temari sushi box set from Shibuya
Deb Lindsey/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Kotobuki

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Many people flock to this affordable sushi restaurant in the Palisades that sticks to basic nigiri and maki. There are no monstrous dragon rolls at Kotobuki. Instead, find items like kamameshi (vegetables and meat serve in an iron kettle) accompanied by sashimi and small dishes.

Various dishes from Kotobuki
Kotobuki is closed on Mondays.
Kotobuki [official]

Zeppelin

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Late-night karaoke is back at this Shaw hangout with a table reservation. Pick out some seafood shumai dumplings or hamachi carpaccio to pair with the bar’s colorful maki rolls and simple sashimi bites. Remember to get cocktails, too, like a shareable quart of the Zephyr, with vodka, Pimms, pandan, cucumber, ginger, lime, and bubbles. Chef Minoru Ogawa, whose father and brother are master sushi chefs in Japan, also has a showy namesake restaurant in Adams Morgan.

Large platter with several pieces of various nigiri
Sushi platter from Zeppelin
Zeppelin [Photo: Facebook]

Sushi Taro

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Tucked above a CVS in Dupont, Sushi Taro is a pull-out-all-the-stops kind of a restaurant. The omakase counter tasting starts at $250 per person ($350 on Saturdays) with regular menu items including A5 wagyu beef and lobster. For more affordable options, there is a daily a la carte menu and special sushi lunch dishes.

A sampler box from Sushi Taro
A sampler box from Sushi Taro.
Joseph Victor Stefanchik for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Union Market district’s sleek Japanese spot satisfies with traditional sashimi and sushi feasts, as well as small plates like Korean-style wings with Maytag-yuzu blue cheese, meats and fish cooked over a robata grill, and sake. O-Ku has (heated) rooftop seating, too.

Takara 14

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Situated one floor above Ammathar Thai in Logan Circle, this pandemic-era arrival serves superb sushi and nigiri in a cheery space covered in florals. A section of hot and cold small plates joins an array of creative rolls and affordable omakase from a Nakazawa alum.

SHŌTŌ Washington DC

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At Midtown Center’s showy Japanese izakaya, executive sushi chef Kwang Kim (also of Morimoto and Nobu fame) works with seafood vendors at Japan’s renowned Toyosu Market to fly in amberjack, A5 wagyu, fatty O toro tuna, mackerel, uni (sea urchin), amberjack, scallops, and even tamago (egg). Omakase menus starting at $95 per person join a la carte options.

Shōtō’s sushi counter offers diners a direct vantage point to watch the meticulous knife work on delicacies flown in from Japan.
Rey Lopez for Shōtō

Nama Sushi Bar & Restaurant (Multiple locations)

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Chefs selections of nigiri and sashimi go for $40 and $50, respectively, at restaurateur Michael Schlow’s foray into sushi. Maryland crab makes several appearances in maki rolls, and vegetarian nigiri (spicy eggplant, shiitake) are not to be missed. It’s also worth deviating from sushi for small plates like pork gyoza in a velvety soy-truffle broth. Schlow recently flipped Tico on 14th Street NW into Nama Ko, an ambitious Japanese restaurant and sushi bar with dozens of nigiri and sashimi options like Kumamoto oysters and monkfish liver.

Sushi from Nama
Sushi from Nama
Nama [official]

Kaz Sushi Bistro

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One of the city's sushi pioneers, Kaz Sushi Bistro serves omakase, chef's choice selections, lunch specials, and more. Despite being open for more than 20 years downtown, chef Kaz Okochi still shakes things up on the menu. Try the sea bass napoleon with cilantro, peanuts, and fried wonton skin.

Kaz Okochi, owner and chef at Kaz Sushi Bistro in Washington, DC.
Kaz Okochi is one of the pioneers on D.C.’s sushi scene.
Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Sticky Rice

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This punky, party-ready sushi dive turns stuffy dining on its head with a gong that rings with every order of a sake bomb, creative rolls with fillings like tempura-fried sweet potato, and buckets of tater tots. For those not into the super-fresh fish, the menu includes lots of vegan options.

nori-wrapped sushi roll filled with veggies on a white plate
A vegan sushi roll at Sticky Rice
Sticky Rice/Facebook

Dear Sushi at Love, Makoto

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Open since May, the Japanese food hall’s sleek sushi restaurant centers around omakase tastings ($75). Dinner starts with bite-sized seasonal snacks, and sushi courses showcase fish in both “old school” and “new school” preparations. Bluefin, for example, arrives with a touch of soy and wasabi in the more traditional version, and “burnt” miso and foie gras in a modern interpretation. Diners can order optional upgrades like prized cuts of otoro tuna, caviar, and wagyu.

Bluefin and hamachi at Dear Sushi. 
Mike Fuentes Photography

Sushi Gakyu

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The streets near the White House are lined with tourist traps: Sushi Gakyu is not one. On a menu that offers pristine fish and intricate rolls, find lobster rolls, spot prawn nigiri, and even rare fugu, or blowfish.

Sushi from Sushi Gakyu
Sushi from Sushi Gakyu
Sushi Gakyu [official]

Sushi Nakazawa

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The Michelin-rated NYC import offers a 20-course nigiri-sushi omakase that stuns in the expert hands of “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” chef Masaaki Uchino. There’s no dinner menu, which leaves more time to linger over an impressive list of Japanese whiskey and sake. The most coveted seats are at the 10-seat sushi bar that offers the best view of the action.

Yume Sushi

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Bangkok-born chef Saran Kannasute fulfilled his dream of opening his first restaurant on the outskirts of Arlington in 2018. Holding court behind a sleek sushi counter framed with a graffiti-splashed geisha mural, he’s not afraid to play with offbeat flavors like lavender-smoked salmon, monkfish liver, and uni with torched wagyu. The team just expanded across state lines with the July opening of sushi stunner Kyojin in Georgetown’s old L2 Lounge.

Fat Fish Rolls & Twists

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Acclaimed sushi chef Lucas Irwin, who’s worked for the likes of Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto and Hawai’i legend Alan Wong, recently took the the reins of fast-casual Fat Fish on the Wharf. He rolls out its sushi program with playful combos like a “Spicy Tuna B.L.T.” with spicy tuna, bacon, lettuce, cucumber, yum-yum sauce, and sliced tomato topping. Some rolls get the torched treatment, and he’s also barrel-aging soy sauce with rosemary.

The Maui roll tops tuna and asparagus with snapper, spiralized beets, and poke sauce.
Life Expressed Online

Takumi draws raves from the suburban set for dishes like seared scallop with yuzu and a delicate chirashi bowl. Don't be turned off by the unassuming strip mall location and neon signage. Chef Jay Yu is a veteran of Kaz Sushi Bistro who worked his way up from a start at Safeway.

Chirashi plus seared scallop negiri
Sushi from Takumi in Falls Church
Missy Frederick/Eater DC

Sushi Hachi

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At this Barracks Row sushi spot, pieces of fish dwarf the rice portions for nigiri. Owner Steve Yoon is also behind Arlington’s Sushi Rock.

AKO by KENAKI

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This sushi counter at the Roost food hall is from brother-sister duo Ken and Aki Ballogdajan (the former spent several years at Raku). Look for elaborate rolls like the White Tiger, with seared scallop, salmon, eel, granny smith apple, avocado, puffed rice, and sauce. Customers at Shelter beer hall can order sushi via QR code.

A plate of sushi rolls from Ako by Kenaki
A plate of sushi rolls from Ako by Kenaki
Stacey Windsor/For the Roost

Hinata Sushi Carry Out

This cozy, family-run carryout in Bethesda is a local favorite for made-to-order rolls and fresh sashimi at an affordable price point. Call ahead or shop for grocery items from Japan while waiting for takeout orders.

Perry's Restaurant

This Adams Morgan stalwart for reliable raw fish got a big boost with rising Japanese chef Masako Morishita now at the helm. Choose from a long a la carte lineup of two-piece nigiri or sashimi and six-piece maki rolls. Creative dishes under her watch include dashi-cured egg yolk nestled atop grilled avocado with shiso chimichurri.

Sushi Keiko

Glover Park’s tried-and-true place (Joe Biden was a regular here while he lived nearby in the Vice President’s residence) for raw fish is known for its Butterfly Roll, a generous lineup of shrimp tempura, crabmeat, and eel topped with spicy mayo. The flounder carpaccio with truffle vinaigrette sauce is another hit. Wash down offerings with hard-to-find Japanese beers like Orion. Plus, owner Ferry Huang also runs Onkei at Western Market with more small plates, sushi, Japanese sake, and wines on offer.

Shibuya Eatery

Sushi is but one speciality for this restaurant from Darren Norris, formerly of Kushi and Perry’s. Along with rolls, sashimi, and nigiri, the menu brings together ramen, meats grilled over binchotan charcoal that reaches temps of 975 degrees, and parade of small plates. Well-equipped bento boxes are $20 or $30.

A variety of items from Shibuya.
A temari sushi box set from Shibuya
Deb Lindsey/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Kotobuki

Many people flock to this affordable sushi restaurant in the Palisades that sticks to basic nigiri and maki. There are no monstrous dragon rolls at Kotobuki. Instead, find items like kamameshi (vegetables and meat serve in an iron kettle) accompanied by sashimi and small dishes.

Various dishes from Kotobuki
Kotobuki is closed on Mondays.
Kotobuki [official]

Zeppelin

Late-night karaoke is back at this Shaw hangout with a table reservation. Pick out some seafood shumai dumplings or hamachi carpaccio to pair with the bar’s colorful maki rolls and simple sashimi bites. Remember to get cocktails, too, like a shareable quart of the Zephyr, with vodka, Pimms, pandan, cucumber, ginger, lime, and bubbles. Chef Minoru Ogawa, whose father and brother are master sushi chefs in Japan, also has a showy namesake restaurant in Adams Morgan.

Large platter with several pieces of various nigiri
Sushi platter from Zeppelin
Zeppelin [Photo: Facebook]

Sushi Taro

Tucked above a CVS in Dupont, Sushi Taro is a pull-out-all-the-stops kind of a restaurant. The omakase counter tasting starts at $250 per person ($350 on Saturdays) with regular menu items including A5 wagyu beef and lobster. For more affordable options, there is a daily a la carte menu and special sushi lunch dishes.

A sampler box from Sushi Taro
A sampler box from Sushi Taro.
Joseph Victor Stefanchik for The Washington Post via Getty Images

O-Ku

Union Market district’s sleek Japanese spot satisfies with traditional sashimi and sushi feasts, as well as small plates like Korean-style wings with Maytag-yuzu blue cheese, meats and fish cooked over a robata grill, and sake. O-Ku has (heated) rooftop seating, too.

Takara 14

Situated one floor above Ammathar Thai in Logan Circle, this pandemic-era arrival serves superb sushi and nigiri in a cheery space covered in florals. A section of hot and cold small plates joins an array of creative rolls and affordable omakase from a Nakazawa alum.

SHŌTŌ Washington DC

At Midtown Center’s showy Japanese izakaya, executive sushi chef Kwang Kim (also of Morimoto and Nobu fame) works with seafood vendors at Japan’s renowned Toyosu Market to fly in amberjack, A5 wagyu, fatty O toro tuna, mackerel, uni (sea urchin), amberjack, scallops, and even tamago (egg). Omakase menus starting at $95 per person join a la carte options.

Shōtō’s sushi counter offers diners a direct vantage point to watch the meticulous knife work on delicacies flown in from Japan.
Rey Lopez for Shōtō

Nama Sushi Bar & Restaurant (Multiple locations)

Chefs selections of nigiri and sashimi go for $40 and $50, respectively, at restaurateur Michael Schlow’s foray into sushi. Maryland crab makes several appearances in maki rolls, and vegetarian nigiri (spicy eggplant, shiitake) are not to be missed. It’s also worth deviating from sushi for small plates like pork gyoza in a velvety soy-truffle broth. Schlow recently flipped Tico on 14th Street NW into Nama Ko, an ambitious Japanese restaurant and sushi bar with dozens of nigiri and sashimi options like Kumamoto oysters and monkfish liver.

Sushi from Nama
Sushi from Nama
Nama [official]

Kaz Sushi Bistro

One of the city's sushi pioneers, Kaz Sushi Bistro serves omakase, chef's choice selections, lunch specials, and more. Despite being open for more than 20 years downtown, chef Kaz Okochi still shakes things up on the menu. Try the sea bass napoleon with cilantro, peanuts, and fried wonton skin.

Kaz Okochi, owner and chef at Kaz Sushi Bistro in Washington, DC.
Kaz Okochi is one of the pioneers on D.C.’s sushi scene.
Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Sticky Rice

This punky, party-ready sushi dive turns stuffy dining on its head with a gong that rings with every order of a sake bomb, creative rolls with fillings like tempura-fried sweet potato, and buckets of tater tots. For those not into the super-fresh fish, the menu includes lots of vegan options.

nori-wrapped sushi roll filled with veggies on a white plate
A vegan sushi roll at Sticky Rice
Sticky Rice/Facebook

Dear Sushi at Love, Makoto

Open since May, the Japanese food hall’s sleek sushi restaurant centers around omakase tastings ($75). Dinner starts with bite-sized seasonal snacks, and sushi courses showcase fish in both “old school” and “new school” preparations. Bluefin, for example, arrives with a touch of soy and wasabi in the more traditional version, and “burnt” miso and foie gras in a modern interpretation. Diners can order optional upgrades like prized cuts of otoro tuna, caviar, and wagyu.

Bluefin and hamachi at Dear Sushi. 
Mike Fuentes Photography

Sushi Gakyu

The streets near the White House are lined with tourist traps: Sushi Gakyu is not one. On a menu that offers pristine fish and intricate rolls, find lobster rolls, spot prawn nigiri, and even rare fugu, or blowfish.

Sushi from Sushi Gakyu
Sushi from Sushi Gakyu
Sushi Gakyu [official]

Related Maps

Sushi Nakazawa

The Michelin-rated NYC import offers a 20-course nigiri-sushi omakase that stuns in the expert hands of “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” chef Masaaki Uchino. There’s no dinner menu, which leaves more time to linger over an impressive list of Japanese whiskey and sake. The most coveted seats are at the 10-seat sushi bar that offers the best view of the action.

Yume Sushi

Bangkok-born chef Saran Kannasute fulfilled his dream of opening his first restaurant on the outskirts of Arlington in 2018. Holding court behind a sleek sushi counter framed with a graffiti-splashed geisha mural, he’s not afraid to play with offbeat flavors like lavender-smoked salmon, monkfish liver, and uni with torched wagyu. The team just expanded across state lines with the July opening of sushi stunner Kyojin in Georgetown’s old L2 Lounge.

Fat Fish Rolls & Twists

Acclaimed sushi chef Lucas Irwin, who’s worked for the likes of Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto and Hawai’i legend Alan Wong, recently took the the reins of fast-casual Fat Fish on the Wharf. He rolls out its sushi program with playful combos like a “Spicy Tuna B.L.T.” with spicy tuna, bacon, lettuce, cucumber, yum-yum sauce, and sliced tomato topping. Some rolls get the torched treatment, and he’s also barrel-aging soy sauce with rosemary.

The Maui roll tops tuna and asparagus with snapper, spiralized beets, and poke sauce.
Life Expressed Online

Takumi

Takumi draws raves from the suburban set for dishes like seared scallop with yuzu and a delicate chirashi bowl. Don't be turned off by the unassuming strip mall location and neon signage. Chef Jay Yu is a veteran of Kaz Sushi Bistro who worked his way up from a start at Safeway.

Chirashi plus seared scallop negiri
Sushi from Takumi in Falls Church
Missy Frederick/Eater DC

Sushi Hachi

At this Barracks Row sushi spot, pieces of fish dwarf the rice portions for nigiri. Owner Steve Yoon is also behind Arlington’s Sushi Rock.

AKO by KENAKI

This sushi counter at the Roost food hall is from brother-sister duo Ken and Aki Ballogdajan (the former spent several years at Raku). Look for elaborate rolls like the White Tiger, with seared scallop, salmon, eel, granny smith apple, avocado, puffed rice, and sauce. Customers at Shelter beer hall can order sushi via QR code.

A plate of sushi rolls from Ako by Kenaki
A plate of sushi rolls from Ako by Kenaki
Stacey Windsor/For the Roost

Related Maps