Sushi Taro

Sushi Taro is a lovely Japanese restaurant in DC with some special offerings that you cannot get in other sushi restaurants. Of particular note are their kaiseiki menu and the sushi tasting menu. Kaiseiki is a traditional Japanese multi-​course meal which includes both cooked plates as well as sushi and sashimi plates. Sushi Taro starts their kaiseiki with a glass of plum wine and ends with a desert choice. The seven courses in between are all artfully prepared and are beautifully presented. Sushi Taro also offers wagyu beef (similar to Kobe beef) and delicacies such as salt salmon jaw. Both the kaiseiki and sushi tasting meals are not to be rushed through so if you partake of either, you should plan to spend at least a couple of hours there.

What a fantastic Surf n Turf Kaiseki Tasting Menu! It’s not cheap, it’s priced at $ 180 a person and you have to reserve it in advance and is seven courses, but if you are a fan of Wagyu beef and lobster and have an empty stomach, then this is the tasting menu for you. There are other tasting menus and you can also order a la carte if you’re not in the mood for a tasting menu. This menu had so much food — let me repeat that — so much food! So, don’t eat anything for breakfast or lunch.
Big highlight of course was the Wagyu beef. It is A5 grade — the highest grade of USDA beef. The first two courses were small bites but tasted great — a tofu dish and soba noodles with Japanese fish. The first main dish was Wagyu carpaccio, It was an interesting dish — layered with soy sauce and served with wasabi. Next was the lobster sashimi– what a beautiful arrangement. Served with toro, tuna, salmon, mackerel and others. I never ate raw lobster before, but I was surprised how much I liked it. At this point I was getting full, but then the Wagyu and lobster shabu shabu came out. Wow, I couldn’t believe how much Wagyu beef was included. So rich and tender, it was heaven. Two monster lobster claws was included in the shabu shabu. The dipping sauces was pretty good. Next, we had to select six nigiri sushi, so we choose more salmon, toro and whitetail. The dessert was good, but couldn’t appreciate at this point.
The service was fantastic as well as the drinks. We ordered sake, but I also tried many Japanese beers that I haven’t see before. My favorite was the Yona Yona Ale — a pale ale but didn’t taste as hoppy as other Pale Ale’s in the States.
I highly recommend this place. It is probably the best sushi I’ve eaten and best place to eat Wagyu beef that’s not in a steakhouse. BLT Steak charges $ 175 for their Wagyu beef tasting which only give you two or three pieces for each cut of beef. For the same price, you can get this outstanding tasting menu.

Not particularly impressed. The line outside and the attitude of the haughty gentleman at the front suggests that this should, indeed, be the best sushi restaurant in DC. I was largely underwhelmed once I received my plate. Admittedly the ambiance is decent providing a nice view of 17^th street, however the sushi is… well sushi. It’s fresh and plentiful and reasonably priced but the selection isn’t great and the mixed drink menu is sparse (all of 3, options, though the waitress insisted there are 4 — I guess one isn’t listed). If you actually work in the area and have a taste for sushi then this may be the perfect after work spot for you. If you are like me, braving DC traffic from Alexandria to meet a friend, save your gas and your money because you would fare better in the burbs.

Lunch was great. I had smoked eel, sashimi, and tempura bento box. Great restaurant.

Had the traditional Kaiseki for husband’s 30^th birthday and made the reservation on opentable in advance, noting in the reservation that it was his birthday. When our group arrived, the hostess recognized us as the «birthday group» and cheerily asked if we brought cake. I was delighted to hear that, having had negative experiences bringing cake to various restaurants and being charged fees for it. The fengshui at this restaurant is great. There are NO bad seats in the house. great view of the busy street below, whether you are sitting in a booth or a group table or a couples table next to the window. There is bar seating and a hidden omakase sushi bar behind the main dining area for those who were smart enough to directly email the restaurant and ask for omakase a month in advance. They serve a variety of japanese food favorites but also a mix of more traditional and unique items that are not typically found at generic sushi houses in the US. The fish we had in our Kaiseki meal was so fresh and delicious, and every detail was impeccable and creative. The speed of service was reasonable and attentive. We had one member of our group that did not choose kaiseki and ordered a la carte, and the server took care to make sure that individual was served his dishes at the same time as we were served (to the best that was possible) to avoid awkward empty place settings while the rest of us ate. the ochi cha pudding dessert was delicious!
ambience was pleasing to the eye and food and service all get the thumbs up from me. we were treated well and with respect and consideration, which sadly, doesn’t happen a lot at even high end restaurants (cough cough, Kapnos, the worst).
for those seeking a more lively rowdy bustling dining experience, try a french bistro, because you won’t feel comfortable singing a loud happy birthday song when they bring you your dessert with a candle on it. just quietly and politely blow that candle out and savor the food. this place is for the quiet japanese crowd and dates (the kind that does not make loud obnoxious jokes rofl.)
i would recommend thoroughly reviewing the information provided on the website prior to making your reservation, because there are numerous options for meals (kaiseki, omakase, special dishes) that require advance warning or independent reservation (if you are doing open table, you won’t be able to make a reservation for the omakase bar, for example).
obviously, this is not a cheap eats place. be prepared to pay $ 100 a head as 20% gratuity is automatically added and sake can be as high as $ 700 a bottle!

We had the sushi tasting for a birthday. I made a reservation noting the birthday on OpenTable and wasn’t sure if they got it.
I kinda understand why other reviewers noted the unfriendly staff. I don’t think our server cracked a smile the entire time. I tried smiling at her, saying, ‘thank you’ and smiling but — nothing. I almost played a game by myself to see if I could get her to smile but it was a #fail.
I’m glad we tried the sushi tasting since there were dishes I normally wouldn’t try. It was a nice touch the birthday boy got a candle with their signature dessert pudding. I loved their caramel mochi ice-​cream that had generous amounts of mochi in it.
Next time, I’ll probably just order a la carte or come here for happy hour.

They have a generous happy hour. It runs from 530 to 700. On this Tuesday you needed to be here by 5 pm to assure one of the 11 happy hour bar seats. The outside of the restaurant doesn’t look like much. But what company it keeps. Komi and Little Serow are a stones throw away. Go inside this one and ascend a flight of stairs that takes you to another place. You pass a squid figurine that speaks to you of treasures from the sea. And this restaurant delivers. Everything we ate was of the highest quality, and very fresh. We tried the salmon, tuna, yellowtail, octopus, shrimp, and tempura soft shell crab. All were wonderful. And this happy hour is real. No bait and switch. Most of the drinks, and menu items are included. Indulge, and at half price, you can enjoy sushi of the highest level without breaking the bank.

Craving for sushi so got myself a reservation. Even though the reviews are good, I still keep my expectations at bay.
Ordered a la carte even though I was tempted to go for sushi omakase but thought it may be too much food. Got a few pieces of special sushi and toro roll. Very fresh and yummy. Also tried the squid ink soft shell crab tempura… Quite good and apparently a very popular dish. Finished off with green tea ice team with mochi. Great dinner and very reasonably priced (by NYC standards).

Sushi could be super great here, but our party never found out. Apparently you need a reservation for lunch (???) when there are 8 diners in the whole restaurant. Can’t find «Reservations Recommended for Lunch» anywhere on their website, front door, etc.
Host asked us to leave. Pretty funny stuff.

The Omakase Counter is like it’s own miniature high end restaurant within Sushi Taro. A curtain separates this section from the rest of the restaurant and features a six stool counter at a sushi bar presided over by Chef Nobu Yamazaki and a second chef. The Omakase Counter is limited to two parties per night (seating is at 7:30pm) and the seats are not turned — so it is almost akin to having a private dining experience with an extremely talented chef. There are not even any waiters; you are exclusively cared for by the chefs throughout the evening.
The experience itself was extremely cool. The meal commenced with a series of four small cold dishes. The second dish was particularly surprising in that it featured a whimsical Alinea-​esque presentation that I was totally not expecting. A tray with several small bites including what looked like a slice of corn-​on-​the-​cob, but the «cob» was actually edible (made of crab). I won’t give away the other surprises, but it was such a fun course, if not the most delicious of the evening (which would be an incredible soft shell crab tempura with squid ink batter and green tea salt).
The second portion of the meal was the most educational and quite an experience. The Chef sets up an array of boxes containing all the fresh seafood in house that particular day and it was quite an impressive selection! Seafood is flown in daily from around the world and is top quality. Some items are actually still alive and cooked moments later — as fresh as possible! After the Chef presents and explains each item, you are able to choose which items you would like for sashimi. As a couple that has only fairly recently become interested in Omakase and high end sushi (and therefore not yet very knowledgeable), we requested that the Chef pick for us and he happily obliged (as well as eagerly answered all of our questions — he was a joy to interact with throughout the evening and greatly enhanced the experience). When my wife mentioned that she used to be a very finicky eater — especially with seafood — and in the past couple of years had become quite adventurous, Chef brought out some rare items the restaurant had and served us Mudskipper. We also consumed other items we had not had before, such as a eating a whole crab (not a soft shell crab, but tiny one with a hard shell — pinchers and all; I was a bit apprehensive at first but it ended up having a similar texture to chewing on a mouthful of only very slightly popped popcorn kernels).
The third portion of the meal involved a couple of hot dishes, including the star of the night, A5 Japanese Wagyu cooked on a hot rock topped with Santa Barbara Uni. About the best surf-​in-​turf one can envision. Some of the presentations were really cool, such as crab meat cooked tableside over coals sitting inside a giant crab shell (the crab itself had been alive earlier that evening).
The final round of savories involved sushi. Again the boxes of fresh seafood are presented and one can choose items or (as we did) turn control over to the Chef. The sushi rice was fantastic and the highlight of this course was a side-​by-​side of Santa Barbara Uni and Uni from Japan; I slightly preferred the Japanese Uni, but both were amazing. The only item we found unpleasant was served during this course; in no way a fault of the Chef or an inferior quality fish, but we learned that Boston Mackerel is too oily and strong tasting for our palates.
At the conclusion of savories hot tea is delivered and one has the choice of any dessert on the menu. Dessert was fine, but nothing special — especially after all the amazing previous courses. The one intimidating factor is that the price is unknown until the conclusion of the meal (it depends on how many items are consumed during the sashimi and sushi rounds of the meal and how expensive those items are). The meal starts at $ 140 per/​person and the website states the average is $ 160; while waiting for the bill I have to admit I was rather nervous — we must have consumed approximately 18 total courses and had several items that I know are costly (three courses with uni, a generous portion of toro, three slices each of A5 Wagyu, and the whole Mudskipper came to mind). The final damage turned out to be $ 175, which I felt was well worth it for a near private dining experience and such high end ingredients. This was definitely the best Omakase experience I have enjoyed to date and is a fraction of the cost of other upper echelon venues such as Masa and Urasawa.

Heavily recommended if you’re working in the city. If you want happy hour prices (½ off majority of the sushi, nagari, and sake) then you’d have to stand in line outside of the restaurant before it opens at 5:30p.m. You will get seated at the bar area, which consists of roughly 10 seats.
The sushi is extremely fresh. The rainbow and soft-​soft shell crab rolls are my favorite if you’re getting sushi, and the eel and tamago for nigari.
Unilocal has this place as a 4 dollar sign spot, but if you’re coming during happy hour then it’s more a $$ — $$$ spot.

Everyone raves about how delicious the sushi is here and we agree. But it’s pricey unless you go during the amazing happy hour deal. Which we did. But still paid full price. :/
The happy hour prices are at the bar only, but the bar only has maybe 8 seats. People take their time eating so you either have to wait in line for a long time for a seat or pay full price. Especially annoying were the little kids allowed to sit at the bar. So I guess you have to get there right when happy hour starts or just before to get a seat. Or wait an hour. It felt like a bait and switch.
So we sat in the main dining area (ironically, my seat and half the table was situated in the bar! So I could see the happy hour specials but not have them!)
Our server was one of the most unfriendliest I’ve ever had. She didn’t once even crack a smile. Her demeanor was abrupt. Overall, while the food was delicious and the atmosphere very nice, we didn’t feel welcomed or appreciated as customers. And we don’t need a lot! Just a little bit of friendliness goes a long way. I’m pretty sure we won’t go back.

Came here on a Saturday night around 9 PM, and while there was no table seating available, there was ample seating for 2 at the bar.
Best sushi I’ve had in the DC area so far. I got the Omakase which was an assortment of their seasonal fish. The salmon was on point — buttery and flavorful. The fatty tuna roll was amazing and of course I saved the fatty tuna sushi for last, which just melted in my mouth.
The Maryland crab roll was filled with fresh crab and a pretty large portion.
As for appetizers, the oysters are absolutely amazing. If you’ve never had Japanese oysters, this is a must try. The miso cod and jumbo prawn tempura are good too, especially for those that prefer cooked dishes.
Will be back for the oysters and sushi!

Came here on a dinner date this past weekend and was very pleased with my selection! Sushi Taro is hands down the best and freshest sushi I’ve had, second only to Tachibana.
Pros:
–Accepts reservations (I called ahead, around 6PM #lastminuteprobz, and we were seated just around 9:30 PM on a Saturday– it was bustling)
–Our server brought us warm washcloths before we ordered. Such a nice touch!
–The house sake was delicious
–THE SUSHI = SO FRESH
–The attention to detail here is fantastic. I loved the mini porcelain trays for resting chopsticks on. It’s the little things.
–Our server was very attentive and gave us our space to converse but checked on us quite frequently. It was the perfect balance, which is very hard to achieve in my customer-​service-​focused (read: obsessed) eyes.
Cons:
–The seaweed salad wasn’t what we were expecting and I would’ve liked more of the dressing; it was still tasty though
–It’s a little tricky to find this place; my date and I actually walked way past before we realized we had missed it. It’s right by a CVS and there is a tiny narrow doorway before you walk upstairs. Google Maps was helpful in this instance!
I whole-​stomachly recommend Sushi Taro and will be returning in the very near future!

I loved everything about Sushi Taro. Fast service, great lunch prices, incredibly fresh fish — what a great place to visit.
I had the lunch bento, and picked sushi as my choice compartment. Everything came out quickly, and every bite was fresh and delicious. I even ate the bowl of white rice — it’s such a stunning difference with properly cooked rice, compared to grainy, mushy, or watery rice at a substandard place. For a little over $ 13 (the sushi selection adds .25 to the $ 12.95 bento), this is a really excellent lunch deal. Visit them often, they’re very worth it!

Wow, I had one of my favorite meals in DC here at Sushi Taro. This ended up being «First Dinner» because a we were walking, we saw a line of people. I asked one person «What is this line for?» and he responded «It’s for a restaurant called Little Serow. They don’t take reservations but it’s an amazing authentic Thai place.» This got my attention, so we ended up waiting in line for Little Serow, put our name down for dinner, and ended up going over to Sushi Taro because we still really wanted to try the sushi here. But still also eat at Little Serow. So yes, two dinners in one evening LOL.
Anyway, we ordered the sashimi omakase platter to split between the two of us. Every single piece of fish was delectable, fresh, and amazinggggggg. There was not a single piece of sashimi that I didn’t like! I also ordered some uni (because I LOVE uni so much) and it was so fresh and delicious. I’m so glad we ordered it.
This was a perfect little appetizer to our upcoming dinner at Little Serow. Sashimi doesn’t fill you up to the point where you’re about to burst or feel sick (unless you go to an AYCE place, which this place definitely is not) so this was seriously worth coming for our First Dinner. I would highly recommend if you’re in the DC area and if you’re in the mood for some really legit, fresh sushi. You can even have this AND Little Serow if you want!

4.5 stars.
My friends and I participated in the 2016 Restaurant Week dinner menu, which included tuna & beef tartare, angus beef sukiyaki, various nigiri, half order of salmon & avocado roll, and homemade black sesame mochi ice cream (among other choices).
My favorite course was the sukiyaki. It was a little different from the traditional way as it omitted the yam noodles, but the angus beef was so tender. The broth with the egg-​yolk for the dipping sauce were so harmonized with the beef, and I am salivating just thinking about this dish now. Shabu shabu used to be my favorite Japanese beef-​dish but now I am sold on the sukiyaki.
I tasted my friend’s black cod and thought the miso base was on the saltier side, which overpowered the cod (with a salty seared skin). But the presentation was beautiful.
The tuna and beef tartare were served with wasabi and an addictive caramelized base that tasted like reduced soy sauce with honey and something else. I wanted a spoon to just mop this up, but I behaved myself.
The nigiri and the roll were not as impressive. Unfortunately, the rice in the roll was overdone and for some strange reason, the kitchen swapped one of the nigiri without telling us. We specifically opted for the Japanese 5 which included mackerel but we got yellow tail instead.
The black sesame mochi ice cream was a perfect ending to the meal. It wasn’t too sweet and the kitchen made it not too doughy so it was a great palette cleanse.
Outstanding staff, despite our reservation being at 9 pm.
I highly recommend coming here for Restaurant Week as you get a great representation of the quality of the food without too much of a strain in your wallet!

Japanese cuisine is my favorite cuisine, so I had high hopes for Sushi Taro. Decided to go with the tasting menu to enjoy the full experience… but I left pretty disappointed. The food wasn’t bad, but it was definitely not worth the price.
+ Pretty good sashimi! but costly upgrade at $ 20
If I could do this all over, I’d probably choose the omakase experience. Although I don’t know if I’m willing to spend that kind of money here again. I know they have a happy hour here, might be a good time to try this place out again.
There are tons of good japanese restaurants in the DMV, this place is expensive and overrated. Save your money :)

I don’t think its possible to find a lunch special around better than Sushi Taro’s. The bento box for $ 13 is unreal and a great opportunity to taste what the restaurant has to offer. On top of that, the restaurant offers complimentary green tea. Oh how I’ve missed the days of complimentary green; this was a friendly reminder of the bliss it brings.
The bento box starts off with a bowl of miso soup, small but refreshing nonetheless. The box itself comes with your main choice a top a bed of salad (with a lemon to lightly dress it), shrimp and vegetable tempura, rice and five pieces of sashimi. I went with the fried chicken, which came with a few pieces of crispy, white meat. I wasn’t crazy about the chicken itself but dipping it in soy sauce made it really tasty. The shrimp and vegetable tempura were super fresh and light, crazy good.
What stood out for me the most though was the sashimi. Typically, when lunch specials include sashimi, its a throwaway because it comes with only a thin piece or two atop a bed of rice. Here, you get thick, high-​quality pieces of fish on their own, no rice to make them seem more plentiful or mask their usual mediocrity. I got 3 fresh, beautiful pieces of salmon and 2 of tuna. As the menu describes them, they really are «fine cuts» of sashimi.

Believe the hype– it is literally melt in your mouth sushi– I didn’t even have to chew on the fish!
Came here for lunch without a reservation but luckily there were two seats at the bar. Ordered the sushi Mori set which came with 1 simple tuna roll (6 pieces) and 6 pieces of various melt in your mouth nigiris. Also ordered the a la carte pokemon roll and spicy scallop roll– so in total– 18 pieces of sushi each (yes we can eat a lot) that made for a super satisfying and filling lunch!
So glad we got in and definitely want to come back to try their omakase tasting menu. They also have a traditional New Years tasting menu for $ 200-​ish/​person right now!
Make a reservation first especially during the holidays!

I treated my fiancé and I to a nice dinner at Sushi Taro. Definitely the most I’ve ever spent on any one sushi meal, but it was totally worth it! We did the Sushi Tasting menu ($ 80 per person) and I got reservations for it a month or so in advance.
The Sushi Tasting was AMAZING! It’s a great deal for some very fresh sushi. Quite the variety and pleasantly decent quantity as well! They do have a wine pairing option, but since we’d gone wine tasting earlier that day, we were good on wine. My fiancé ordered a Kirin beer.
Here is what we received (roughly):
–Course 1: Zensai (seasonal assortment)
–Course 2: Sashimi (fine cuts of sashimi assortment) — This included the delicious oh toro and some salmon. I was very impressed! The sashimi was very fresh and just melted in our mouths.
–Course 3: 1^st sushi (3 pieces) — Spotted Parrot Snapper, Young Sardine, Arctic Char
–Course 4: 2^nd sushi (3 pieces) — Yellowtail, Tuna, Grand Fish
–Course 5: Soup — Matsutake mushroom dobin-​mushi. I really enjoyed that soup!
–Course 6: Yakiimono — grilled Spanish mackerel marinated citrus soy
–Course 7: 3^rd sushi (3 pieces) — Pike Mackerel, Fish Eggs from Alaska, and Snapper
–Course 8: Final Sushi. We were able to choose our sushi for this course and we went with: Oh Toro, Salmon (sake), and Scallop (hotate).
–Dessert: I ordered the Black Sesame Ice Cream. I wasn’t a huge fan, but I’m glad I tried it! My fiancé ordered a chocolate-​type dessert.
They also served tea as a palate-​cleanser after the meal.
What an amazing experience!
The place is classy, but not too presumptuous. There doesn’t seem to be a dress code. I saw people wearing jeans and business casual outfits alike.
It’s located near Dupont Circle (about a 10-​minute walk from the metro).
Oh so good! Sushi Taro is my favorite sushi restaurant in DC. There are plenty of others for me to try, but Sushi Taro sets a high bar!

I am so glad I was able to try this place. My hubby and I had a date night here and I’m so glad he picked this restaurant. The restaurant was romantic yet laid back enough for a perfect date night.
My hubby and I went with the sashimi tasting menu for two. The tasting without the pairing is $ 80. We ordered the premium sashimi. The premium sashimi is an extra 20 $ per a person. Thus, it’s 100 $ per a person. It’s worth the money. You actually get a great variety of food for the price.
The course tasting changes every month. For the month of October 2015, they offered a great starter. The starter was a persimmon bowl of fresh sashimi and pomegranate seeds. The persimmon bowl is edible so don’t be afraid to eat it after you eat the contents of what’s in the bowl.
Order the green tea. It’s steaming hot and loaded with great authentic flavor.
I really enjoyed the variety of sushi options. The fish is super fresh. This place is what sushi should be. This is the real deal, not the Americanized version of «sushi» you find in restaurants these days.

Still on the hunt for mind blowing sushi in DC.
The majority of our party of 8 got the sushi tasting. You definitely get a good quantity value with this set. No one left hungry whatsoever. The quality left something to be desired though. I found some of the «fatty tuna» slices to be very chewy and stringy, with very little fat content. The Maine uni was creamy, but didn’t have much flavor. The wooden box steamed fish was overcooked and tough to chew.
I found myself actually enjoying the fish I don’t typically prefer, such as the mackerel and the snapper. Further, the black sesame ice cream was a solid ending to seal the deal.
Service was wonderful, though. It can be difficult managing 8 tastings, each with different add-​ons. Our server make sure that each person knew what was on the plate in front of them, and she did so with incredible patience that I know I certainly do not have.

Très bon sushis mais service tellement lent que plusieurs clients ont quitt.
Yes i do speak French.