Ko Japanese Dining

Delicious meal with friends, all of whom were Japanese and gave the place the stamp of approval! Waiter was very nice and gave some great recs. Love supporting Asian owned businesses. Tempura was light and fluffy, not oily at all like too many restaurants do. Grilled fish was light and flavorful which was all enjoyed. Yakisoba was also not oily and a good deal especially during happy hour. The potato croquettes also excellent. Restaurant was empty for a weeknight, which was good for us, but I hope that others don't sleep on this place!

My friend and i came in for the first time tonight and had an amazing experience. Everything we tried felt like so much care and effort was put into curating every dish. It was our first time and we weren't that hungry, so we tried some small plates but will be back! Ambiance: the restaurant has nice minimal dining room. It's not too big at all so it also feels super cozy. We came in on a Saturday night and the entire dining room was full 10/10Customer service : we had a nice server but the star was the owner who made sure to go to every table. He visited our table more than once throughout our meal. He gave recommendations and was super nice. I couldn't believe the restaurant has i my been opened for about 6 months. Wow! 10/10Food: we must come back because i don't think we ordered enough food. An instagram post recommended the karaage, so we ordered that and it was our favorite food item of the evening. 10/10We also ordered the yakitamago, which was slightly sweet and had an overall great texture. It almost melts in your mouth. 9/10Spicy tuna roll was solid. I think they're more know for their sashimi, which we learned is hand cut to order. 8/10Drinks: i ordered a plum wine sprits and we also ordered sake which paired very well with our food. 8/10Dessert: we ordered the matcha affogato. Love the idea of this dish. I can't wait to try it at home. The dish was good, but i wish there was a bit more matcha. 8.5/10Overall: we had such a great dining experience here, and we cannot wait to come back! 9.1/10

We were craving some authentic Japanese cuisine. Brought my sister who was visiting from TX and my daughter to Ko Japanese restaurant in DuPont Circle. It's literally less than 3 minutes walk from the Metro station.We ordered the Lychee martinis and hot green tea. For appetizers, we had edamame, fried tofu which came fried served in a delicious sauce. We used the sauce on our steamed rice afterwards! My sister and daughter had the potato croquettes which had minced beef in it. Not too much, just the right portion.For the main course, we had the grilled mackerel, minced beef katsu (cutlets), tempura, and the jumbo fried shrimp. Each dish was served with steamed rice and soup. The tempura was not like any other tempura and were not overly breaded. The shrimp was soooooo good and crispy! They did not stinge on the minced beef in the katsu. I kept joking that they were beef cakes . The mackerel was fresh and delicious.Finally we had the warm matcha chiffon cake that was topped with red beans and whip cream. I have never had anything that delicious! Note to all, Asian desserts are not too sweet so please know that when you order the cake.The staff were so friendly and knowledgeable. We were there for a late lunch and on a Saturday. We were seated immediately and were even graced by the Japanese chef and owner who checked in on us.I highly recommend this restaurant. It is not your usual Japanese restaurant in your neighborhood. This is the real deal and genuine experience and authentic Japanese food. Certain dishes may take a little longer because food preparation is an art form and you can tell from the presentation.Our dishes did not take long and food temperature was hot. We drove 2 hours and then took the Metro (13 stops). Yes, they are that good! Now it's time to walk the food off .I'm the biggest in the group. You can trust me cos I love good food.

My friend and I wanted Japanese food for her birthday dinner so we decided to venture into DC to give Ko Japanese Dining a try. The interior is pretty simple with not a lot of flair. When we were here last Wednesday around 6:30 PM, maybe half of the tables were full, so you may not need a reservation for a la carte. We got started with a couple appetizers and ordered an entree each.CHAWANMUSHI (STEAMED EGG) - 9The chawanmushi came in a petite cup, topped with a couple pieces of shiitake (?), okra pieces, imitation crab and a couple others I forgot. The steamed egg had a more solid texture and the flavor was pretty good. Not my favorite chawanmushi, but it was pleasant.KARAAGE (FRIED CHICKEN) (HH) - 7The HH portion is huge. We got four fat pieces of karaage which was battered and fried well with the mayo dipping sauce on the side. The chicken thigh itself was juicy and flavorful. We enjoyed the little side salad on the side that goes with it. Overall, super solid for the price and the chicken was so tasty.GRILLED FISH (HOKKE MACKEREL) - 29The grilled fish came with a small bowl of fluffy white rice and miso soup (this one had a lot of stuff in it other than tofu, miso and seaweed). The fish has all the bones on it, but you can peel off the top fried layer to remove most of the bones. The hokke was very flavorful and salted well, and as described by our server, definitely on the fishier side. I enjoyed the fish, but I don't think I would get it again because it wasn't anything too out of the ordinary.MATCHA AFFOGATOBecause it was my friend's birthday, they gave us two matcha affogatos on the house. Very nice of them! The vanilla ice cream was good, but the splashes of matcha was hardened by the time we ate it, and it felt like we were eating a hardened bark-like texture for the matcha. It also didn't have a strong matcha flavor, either. Either way, free dessert is always a win!My friend got the TENDON which she loved. She said she doesn't see this entree too often in the Japanese restaurants in the area, so she'd come back again for it. If I come back, I'd like to try it!

This is a great place for traditional Japanese food! We started with an order of Karrage that was delicious. We incorrectly thought it would be a small order, but it was not. It was very good and we enjoyed, but we couldn't eat it all if we wanted to eat dinner. I would order it again if we had two more people to share it with.Our waitress was great and knew the menu well. We were asking so many questions and she handled them with grace and style. Because of our waitress' recommendations, my wife ordered the Grilled Fish-Hokke Mackerel instead of the Saba Mackerel based on their discussion of the two types. My wife grew up eating mackerel and loves it, if it's done right. Ko definitely did it right. She was so pleased with how it turned out and was grateful for the recommendation. I really wanted noodles. They have two great looking options and by accident I got see both. Our waitress made suggestions between the yakisoba and the yakiudon. I decided on the yakisoba and based on the photo of the yakisoba decided I would add an order of chicken teriyaki because the noodles appeared to come with sauce and noodles. Somehow during our discussions, lines were crossed and an order of yakiudon noodles came out. They looked good, but my first reaction was these are for another table. It wasn't until the meal was over that I found out it was a mistake. I tell you that so I can tell you the staff handled it so smoothly you didn't know it was a mistake until later and our lovely waitress apologized. The chicken teriyaki was amazing! It is different than your typical Americanized teriyaki in that it was definitely not sweet. It had so much flavor and not overrun with sweetness, which I really appreciated.Other notes. The dressings used on the salads and the shaved cabbage were amazing as well. The owners were present and happily checking on diners to make sure their experience was up to their expectations. During one of those conversations we found out they've only been open for 4 months, but it didn't show in how they handled everything.Overall, we loved our meal and the service at Ko. We will gladly come back when we're in town for our next visit.

Very delicious and authentic Japanese food! The Sogayaki set was delicious and savory. It was a little too salty, but paired well with the rice. However, they don't give too much rice and I soon ran out and was left to eat the pork by itself. They charge $3 for extra rice. The place itself is very spacious. It is located on the 2nd floor and is all stairs. The staff is very nice and gave very good recommendations. I really appreciate that they add more to the miso soup! Mine had soft potatoes in it, which was perfect for the cold winter weather.

A great Japanese restaurant in DC!! The atmosphere was a bit fancy, so dress up a bit when you come. Service was fine. The food was very tasty for the most part. The only thing I disliked was the miso soup, which tasted like it had cooking alcohol in it... which is not how miso soup should be made. I was very disappointed with that. My favorite dish was the agedashitofu, which we got as a starter. It was SO GOOD. Would definitely come again!

Great food and exceptional service! I haven't had any better tempura in any other restaurant in USA. Highly recommended!

We came here for the first time today for lunch, and we already look forward to our next visit! We enjoyed their tempura dish, which had just the right amount of light and flaky texture, and their perfectly crispy chicken katsu. The dipping sauces complimented the chicken and the salad balanced it well.We also loved the yellowtail collar, which was the most generous serving size of yellowtail collar I have ever enjoyed! For dessert, we shared an affogato which was vanilla ice cream finished with matcha instead of espresso. The phone did not eat the collar or dessert first, so you'll just have to order them yourself!Accessibility note: there are several sets of stairs leading up to the restaurant, as well as to the restrooms.

I recently discovered a truly authentic Japanese restaurant in DuPont. I've been walking by it since it opened this summer, but I only managed to try it out tonight. It's probably one of the best Japanese restaurants in the DMV.The Japanese owner is incredibly friendly and welcoming. It's rare to find a Japanese owned restaurant these days.The food was delicious. We ordered the Japanese fried chicken appetizer, the steamed egg appetizer (which was incredibly smooth!), pork cutlet and egg, and ginger pork. All of the dishes were excellent, and you can taste the quality and the difference.The restaurant itself has a modern Japanese style vibe. If you've been to Japan before, it's very similar to what you'd expect to see in a mom and pops Japanese restaurant.We'll definitely be coming back for more!