Shōtō

Shoto has quickly become my favorite sushi spot in DC now. Everything we tried on their menu was an absolute delight. Definitely more pricey than I'd like for a day to day meal, but this hot restaurant is great for special occasions. The interior decor and aesthetic is such a dream. We ate so many great things, but I'd absolutely recommend the tacos, sushi, and tempura rock shrimp. Also I definitely recommend getting sake for pairing with your meal.

I've lived in the DMV area my whole life and consider myself a foodie--I have a running list of over 100 restaurants I've tried and loved. I also work at a fine dining restaurant in D.C., so I know what to expect when it comes to high-quality food and service. Japanese cuisine is one of my favorites, and Tachibana and Sushi Nakazawa are two of my go-to spots. But when people ask me about the most overrated restaurant I've been to, one place immediately comes to mind.A friend was visiting from Japan, and we decided to check out Shōtō after seeing all the rave reviews and Instagram reels. Unfortunately, it was a huge letdown. The food wasn't awful, but for the price and portion sizes, it was nowhere near worth it. We also ordered a $90 bottle of wine that tasted like it should've been $10--when we looked it up, it actually was.The atmosphere had potential, but it was so loud and cramped that we had to yell just to have a conversation. The staff was professional, and our photos made it look like we had a great time, but beyond the aesthetics, there was nothing special about the experience.Final verdict? Save your money. You're paying for the hype, not quality food.

I was underwhelmed at this restaurant, and I really wanted to like it. First off, I made a reservation almost a week in advance. In the reservation, I added a note that it was my birthday. To be fair, it was on me, but just to warn you folks, there is fine print on your reservation that says your dining seating is not guaranteed. So no matter what, you may be seated at a bar, even if you reserved for a special occasion. I was seated at the bar. No problem, but the communication was a bit off when I asked them for clarification. I'm human! Almost felt like I was causing a problem by asking them, and it felt defensive. This set off the dinner awkwardly & I no longer felt comfortable to ask any more questions. Second, I don't think they seen my note that it was my birthday, so it really is negligible if you add it on your reservation. Maybe, it's not the case for others, but it definitely was the case for me. They only realized until my cousin told them in the end to put it on one of their desserts. Not that it's important, but they started acting more warm once they knew. I would probably never come back because of the energy, and the food wasn't really a wow-factor for me. I felt super rushed as well. It was just me and one other person, and there was always someone hovering my shoulder to pick up my plate, every 10-15 minutes, even though I was clearly eating off of it. It could be staff policy? I also had a plate with food on it, and they picked up the plate without asking me.. So, it was okay, but not the best sushi I ever had. It's in the higher price range, so I was expecting the sushi & experience to be better. However, the setting is very nice and beautiful.

Had an amazing bday dinner. Great for date nights and special occasions if you're looking to splurge a little. Had 9 dishes, 2 drinks between 2 people and had to take the steak home. Each dish had all the tastes listed and you can taste the seafood. I am still having a hard time determining a favorite dish as they were all amazing. If I had to pick a least favorite it would be the chicken. It was super juicy but if you don't like a mushy/miso top, you might want to try their other dishes. The menu was quite large for a fancy place. Know that there's a dress code for this establishment.the service was super attentive and our waitress Amira was a pleasure!!Definitely make a reservation for Friday or Saturdays.

If you're looking for a super cool restaurant with super delicious sushi, shoto is your spot! The restaurant has a very vibey ambiance with plants covering the walls/ceiling, low lighting, cozy booths, & a DJ. On top of the ambiance, service was great as well. So many different people touched our table - usually a sign of good service - and the food pacing was excellent. Speaking of food, the sushi was absolutely delicious! We tried the sushi tacos (pictured), several rolls, & a couple sushi pieces. My favorite was the scallop sushi with shaved black truffle on top - yum!! For drinks, we stuck to the wine list, but I saw other tables getting cocktails & they looked pretty fun too. I definitely will be back the next time I'm in DC!Food: A+Drinks: A-Service: A-Ambiance: A+

The service was amazing! Our waitress was extremely attentive and checked on us pretty often. She guided us through the menu explaining its best to order everything at once because the team brings the menu items out in courses. We started with the crab ramen, which was pretty good. I think there could've been a stronger flavor with the broth. But it was very creative. Then we had the shrimp and pork dumplings which were really yummy.The scallops were delicious, they were big and cooked perfectly. The sauce was really unique in flavor, a little sour at first but overall good.The maki rolls were my favorite of the meal. The caviar toro and the yellowtail both stood out as my favorites. The yellowtail had a crunch that was super unique and salty which I loved. For my birthday the team brought out churros with my name which was such a nice personal touch. They were fluffy and airy and the filling was too good! I loved my time here and will definitely be back especially for the sushi!

I had an amazing birthday experience here. The ambiance was outstanding. We arrived a few minutes before our dinner reservation, but we were seated as soon as we arrived. It was pretty much a full house with both the bar and dining areas filled to capacity. The ordering process was a little strange and the manner in which our food was served was somewhat different. We ordered several dishes, which appeared to be brought out one-by-one. The vegetables were served before the protein and the appetizers after the actual meal. There did not appear to be an organized flow to the process. The portion sizes were a little small for four people, so we had to keep ordering more food to ensure that we were all full. We also had some champagne to celebrate. The restaurant is so dimly lit that it was not conducive to many photos and I also did not want to keep using the flash to draw attention. We ordered the Kane, Nasu and Sake tacos, Mikkusu and Mayoga salads, Gindara, shitake mushrooms and a variety of sushi. Everything was good for the most part, but the serving process was not. At the end of the meal, they brought a dessert to the table for my birthday, I am not sure if it was included or separate. The table shared the treat. The churros filled with caramel were outstanding. The server was nice and knowledgeable about the menu. However, I would prefer to come back for drinks and appetizers instead of a full meal because I prefer my meals more structured.

A nice place for special occasions! Make a reservation for sure to try this spot. We did the tasting menu which was good but not sure if it was completely worth the price. Food was tasty but not anything super special in my opinion but most people seem to love it. We did leave full which isn't something that can always be said from tasting menus- so that's a plus! Next time I would just order a couple individual items. The seared salmon was fantastic. As was the ceviche. Great service too!

The ambiance here is impeccable. Shoto is dark and sexy with tones of black and tan throughout. We were immediately and warmly greeted by the hostesses upon arriving. Our table was nestled against a wall with a beautiful backdrop of sake I believe. Very intimate and lively at the same time as we were also right next to the DJ booth.Our server got us started with drinks and eventually starters once we were ready.And here is the reason I deduct one star. The food and drinks were amazing. The atmosphere is one of the best for sure. Our server however fell off. It was quite a bit of time before we placed our entree orders. Like about 845-9pm and we sat down at 730. We had to let him know we wanted to order as we were starving. He just seemed off after initially starting out fun and attentive. We also had some issues trying to split our bill the way we wanted to due to the limit of four credit cards and we were a party of six. We had it all figured out - two people would pay double the bill evenly split by six. He said the system could only split evenly between the four cards only to find out later from the manager that wasn't correct. Big sigh as now it was too late to fix it as the bill was paid. To be fair there was some fault on our end with reconciling the bill, but that aside he misinformed us on how we could divide the charges and it all just became very complicated for our party. p.s. We also found out later from the manager that we could've used six credit cards.

I came here for my sister's birthday dinner on a Friday night. It was dimly lit and packed inside with a dj spinning some edm and top 40 house mixes. It was definitely giving me Miami vibes, mixed with Ibiza vibes, with a splash of NYC after work happy hour vibes. It was pretty lively, with the music on blast, that we found ourselves yelling to each other across the table. I ordered stirfry Japanese mushroom with mizuna and ponzu dressing salad, the black cod marinated in saikyo miso, shiitake mushroom with wafu butter and the spicy rock potatoes. The mushroom salad was really yummy and refreshing. The black cod was actually reallyyy good. Dare I say it was comparable to the miso cod at Nobu? The shiitake mushrooms were tasty and the spicy rock potatoes were just okay to me. My sister said they tasted like basic breakfast potatoes. I ordered the Mai San mocktail. It was soooo yummy and had a little bit of a tartness to it. I would definitely order it again and would like to try their other drinks. Overall, the service was great and the vibes were cool. I would definitely come back and sit at the bar next time.