O-Ku - DC

“I had the absolute pleasure of dining at O-ku last night for my birthday celebration! I dined with a party of 8 and our server Sophie was a gracious and informative guide for the evening. She took great care of us and really made us all feel welcomed from the moment she came to the table. Our entire group truly wanted for nothing and felt that she did an excellent job! Service aside- the food was outstanding! Being that we were a large group, we got to try many different dishes. My favorites were the duck, the sticky ribs, rock shrimp and toro tartare! Not to mention that the drinks were also excellent, super well balanced and flavorful. Belle, the assistant general manager also really went out of her way to make my birthday special which I sincerely appreciated! I had gone into the evening expecting to be wowed and they truly exceeded my already high expectations. Looking forward to dining again soon- many thanks to the awesome team there!”

“Only come here if you want the best sushi you have ever experienced along with top notch service. Came here with my husband for my birthday and now I never want to dine anywhere else. Every morsel was exquisite. They elevate sushi (and frankly service) to a whole new level. Highly recommend!”

“We had a great meal at O-Ku in DC recently. We covered a lot of ground: apps, nigiri, temaki, and robata. Everything was excellent. The robata is definitely elevated compared to your typical spot. All the skewers were great, but the duck was easily the standout of the night. On the sushi side, we went with all of the special nigiri and the chef’s choice option (not omakase). The flavor combinations were spot on, though I will say the pieces were a little smaller than I usually like, but as a result we were able to enjoy more. For the handrolls, the yellowtail was the winner, but I’d probably skip the crab next time and try something else. To drink, we had a classic Niigata sake (Bride of the Fox) that was perfectly balanced and delicious. The staff was super friendly and the whole vibe of the restaurant was great. Highly recommend if you're looking for high-end sushi in the city.”

“Atmosphere is relatively quiet with some background music that fills the void while chatting. The service here was impeccable, took care of me and explained things well. I tried several different sushi rolls (4 rolls all together) and it felt like I was eating at an Omakase without the price of an Omakase. They do have an Omakase experience here as well, might have to try it next time. Definitely worth the stop.”

“Visiting from out of town and found this was the closest restaurant highly rated for sushi/sashimi in the area. To start the good to great: arrived with no reservations on a busy night but was seated quickly at the sushi bar so I could watch the chefs. My server was great and attentive recommending the Sugar & Spice which was exactly as described and great passion fruit flavor. The not so good: I ordered the mixed Morikaze chefs choice on sushi and sashimi. Portions were good and the fish was fresh. I'm not a huge fan of Magiro or Sake, due to their wide spread popularity, but both were fine but nothing special as part of chef's choice. My real issue was with the sushi rice which is the key component of nigiri. It was overly sweet, cold, and too al dente for my taste ruining the nigiri experience. For the prices I would expect higher quality but then again this restaurant is about turn over and lots of tables so I understand why it was poor. I did not try any of the other items.”