Raw Omakase

Of course I had to visit another omakase restaurant in DC. This time it's @rawomakasedc which is connected to Takara 14. Raw Omakase is led by Chef John Yi. As you walk in you're led up the stairs and enter into Takara 14, but then you're lead up another staircase into a private dining room that seats 8. Opening 4 months ago, you are greeted with a nice music selection and an intimate setting for $150 which includes 18 courses. For the meal I started off with some soba noddles and then some fantastic pieces of sushi. The dining experience was amazing and it was great to meet new people. We were also given a personalized menu in order for us to take notes regarding our dining experience. Since I was celebrating my birthday, they presented me a candle!!! And to top it all off, all guests received a painted portrait of a fish at the end of dinner. If you're looking for an amazing omakase experience in DC, check out Raw Omakase DC located in DC!!! I can definitely see them getting a Michelin star soon. Below are some of my favorite pieces!!!Kinmedai - Golden Eye SnapperHotate - Scallop Fuji- SalmonSeared Salmon ToriChi Toro - TunaOtoro - Fatty Tuna Saba - Pacific Mackerel A5 WagyuUnagi#foodie #food #foodporn #sushi #sushilover #omakase #chilebougie #chilebougieeats #foodreview #chilebougietravels #foodiegram #cocktails #chiamakalkalu #blackfoodie #japan #foodcritic #japanesefood #dmv #dcfood #dcfoodie #tastemademedoit #EaterDC #dceats #dcfoodreview #dmvfoodreview #mdfoodie #marylandfoodie #rawomakaseDC #takara14

Location: On the 3rd floor, above Takara 14. FYI, it's all stairs and I did not see an elevator in the building. Another con is that the restrooms are only located on the 2nd floor. Reservations: Easy to make online via their website. They take a $150 deposit per person when you book which is applied to your final bill. Reservations are non-refundable. Seatings: Two a night at 6pm and 8:15pm for an 8 person sushi counter. We had the 8:15pm reservation and were seated about 15 min late - this seems to be a normal occurrence for the 2nd seating, based on other reviews. We were there for almost 3 hours.Drinks: You can order from the bar but they also offer an $85 drink pairing which includes both wine and sake. The drink pairing was great and went well with each course. The sommelier was very informative and enthusiastic! Food: 18 courses of amazing dishes! The sushi is fresh and delicious and the non sushi dishes were equally as tasty. Chef Johnny is friendly and engaging and the intimate atmosphere really made the experience feel special. I informed them we were celebrating my friend's birthday and they brought out a candle for her with dessert, which was a nice touch. I definitely recommend this place if you love sushi!

Good dinner but here are some critiques. Food and alcohol overall went well. $150 for omakase (must reserve online). Chef Johnny was engaging and explained every course, so it was a pleasure to sit at the bar. There are cheaper omakase in NY, but you won't get the same experience necessarily where the chef explains everything. Tweaks: I had an 8:15 PM reservation. I came at 8:17 and the host said someone would meet me at the stairs and take me up. I asked to wash my hands and I took a couple minutes. I came out and I was confused because another waiter said someone would take me up. What should have been said was that they were still cleaning up and would I mind waiting at the bar (which the other 7 people were doing, which I suspected but wasn't sure). If they said that they were running a little behind, I would be like, of course: take your time. But they only said someone would take me up, and when no one did, I was getting confused and disgruntled since we weren't seated until 8:30. And it was of a miscommunication issue, since I felt like I was getting fobbed off, not due to the actual wait time. The service was great from the main chef, the sous chef, and Janice (our sommelier). Great explanations and why certain drinks were chosen. But the another big issue was bill. I paid in advance for the omakase and I got hit with a 20% service fee. They should have included that in the regular price. I was only expecting to pay $85 for the alcohol pairing plus tax, not an extra 20%. I wished they charged $175 or $180 for the omakase and not charged a service fee, because I would be a lot happier and less blindsided. NY charges $90 for a similar amount of courses and no service fees. Overall, a good place for DC. But that service fee may kill me.

This issee how the menu evolves. It deservhands down the best sushi I've had in the Washington DC area. Without a doubt this is better than Nakazawa and others. I live in NYC but visit DC a lot, and this omakase was a treat that I just didn't expect to have in DC.Chef Johnny and Jennistar are just great hosts. We came as a group of 4, which is half the omakase room, for the 8:15pm seating, which is the time you want to come to get all the courses you can. We did the drinks pairing and that was 100% the right choice. We were provided with a gruner, chardonnay, champagne, light malbec (from France), and a few sakes. I had Dassai 23 in this pairing in addition to a great champagne. This truly was the best drinks pairing I've ever seen at an omakase, and for $85 additional, just such a deal! Jennistar just kept it coming, and was also the friendliest and kindest human. Love her!Hard to say I had a favorite piece, but you can never go wrong with O-Toro or Salmon Toro, both pieces were very good. I love uni and they had Uni straight in from Hokkaido. It was really quite good. Not a single piece is one I would have moved off the menu, potentially the snapper, but that's just a personal preference.I will continue to come back as this was just such an experience. I do wish it wasn't up 3 flights of stairs with two restaurants that are not as nice, but it is what it is. The food, service, and ambiance upstairs more than make up for it and I cannot wait to see how it evolves. It more than deserves a michelin star, and so I hope we see one there!

We booked for the 8:15 seating, which allots more courses for the meal. We started our seating 30min late, but boy was the meal worth it. I think we found our new favorite sushi spot in the DMV!The sushi counter seats 8 and everyone has a front row seat with Chef Johnny at the helm crafting each course. It was a fun couple of hours of both jokes and fish education from Chef Johnny. This is not your frou frou experience. It's very down to earth..homakase "rustic omakase" and was very well received by everyone.Usually for omakase, we have our favorite courses - really can't choose even our top 3 because every piece of fish was so tasty. You can taste the quality being used. Almost every course was nigiri style, which is appreciated. The courses contained some rare types of fish not normally seen. Every piece of fish was buttery fresh, sweet (when appropriate), and the flavor balances from Chef were perfect.Music is on point as well! Parking is a nightmare so arrive early to have time to look.We can't wait to be back for more. This is exactly the type of sushi spot we need more of in the area. Highly highly recommend.

Our raw omakase experience was absolutely incredible in every way. If you're even slightly considering giving this a try, stop thinking and just do it. This is not a meal. It's a dining experience. It's a food journey. Every single bite is part a story you need to read. Book your seats now.

I usually go to few restaurants, but their service and hospitality lift me speechless.