Washington, DC
For Japanese in Washington, the local food press points to Perry's Restaurant, Love, Makoto, and Rakuya. Picks from Washingtonian, updated July 2026.
Editor’s picks
Press picks, until locals rank their own Top 5s. Sourced from the local food press. As seen in Washingtonian. Updated July 2026.
Perry's Restaurant · Adams Morgan
Washingtonian 2025 readers' #1 Japanese. The Adams Morgan sushi institution and drag-brunch fixture.
Love, Makoto · Judiciary Square
Washingtonian 2025 readers' #2 Japanese. The downtown Japanese food hall anchoring Judiciary Square.
Rakuya · Dupont Circle
Washingtonian 2025 readers' #3 Japanese. The Dupont Circle Japanese kitchen alongside sibling Raku in Cathedral Heights and Bethesda.
Izakaya Seki · U Street
A two-story Japanese rowhouse pub run by a father-daughter team, built on simple, precise small plates: a fluffy unagi omelet, grilled Hokkaido sardine, and a mushroom dish in butter and garlic the New York Times named one of its favorite dishes of 2022. Word-of-mouth built this one over neighbors and blog posts rather than marketing.
DAIKAYA · Penn Quarter
A Sapporo-style ramen shop downstairs, springy Hokkaido-made noodles in soulful stocks, with a slinkier upstairs izakaya pouring Japanese whiskey alongside plates like Wagyu donburi and okonomiyaki-style pork. Two distinct experiences stacked in one building depending on the mood, from the group behind several downtown noodle spots.
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