In a city drowning in over-rated celebrity chef haunts and restaurant group new openings, this place is it! Ignore the noise. Bring your taste buds and be ready for maximum enjoyment. It’s perfect!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alex A
Great Japanese neighborhood spot. Good sushi but think of the cuisine as a Japanese neighborhood bar rather than a sushi restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Eric Noriega
It's a great experience. If you love japanese food, this is the place to go for sushi, sashimi ,and various japanese dishes. It's very driven by ingredients and what's available. The downstairs definitely has that izakaya feel. The upstairs is more of a table restaurant experience. It doesn't need to be expensive, but it won't be cheap. Totally worth it.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Christopher Ewell
We had a phenomenal and very interesting dinner here! Highly recommend. And the service was very lovely. Our waitress had lots of great recommendations. Loved the variety of sake as well!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Benjamin Allen
Tucked away on V Street, Izakaya Seki doesn’t announce itself with flash or fanfare. It doesn’t need to. You walk in, and you’re hit with that warm, lived-in intimacy that says: this place is here for the people who care. No gimmicks, no forced fusion bullshit. Just a father and daughter running a kitchen that respects tradition while refusing to fossilize it.
The food is precise, unpretentious, and deeply satisfying in the way only Japanese drinking food can be. Grilled mackerel, still smoky from the binchōtan, crisp on the outside and bleeding with rich, oily flavor inside—it demands sake, not polite conversation. The sashimi is cut with the confidence of someone who knows their knife is an extension of their hand. Even something as simple as the fried chicken feels elevated without ever losing that essential, greasy joy.
It’s the kind of place you come to be. To drink, to laugh too loud, to eat food that makes you feel like the world outside can wait. In a city obsessed with shiny new openings and over-conceptualized menus, Izakaya Seki doesn’t bother trying to impress. It doesn’t have to. It’s comfortable in its skin, and if you’re smart, you’ll slide into that comfort too.
Izakaya Seki isn’t just a restaurant. It’s proof that hospitality doesn’t have to be loud to be profound. It’s a room full of good smells, clean flavors, and the kind of honesty that’s increasingly rare. A reminder that sometimes the best nights are the ones that feel a little like coming home.
Would you like me to punch it up with some sharper Bourdain-style bite—more grit, more critique of DC’s food scene—or keep this balance of warmth and edge?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
M K
Delicious Japanese spot, highly recommend the cod and the pork cheek skewers
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Donte Harris
I’ve frequently come for the evening wine bar experience, and while the majority of the staff is wonderful, there is one person in particular who makes the experience dreadful. Dismissive, rude, and unwelcoming. I was celebrating with my partner for our anniversary and came with a few friends. My reception from the start truly made me feel unwanted as a guest. I see from other reviews this is not an isolated experience.
The pork cutlet sandwich we received was also undercooked.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Meredith Adams
There are so many great restaurants out there but Izakaya Seki truly stands out! The service is timely and helpful. The food is delicious. This is one of my boyfriend’s favorite Japanese restaurants around town. And he’s been to Japan twice. Highly recommend the squid, the chicken meatballs, and the udon but you really can’t go wrong with anything they’re whipping up. Definitely recommend making a reservation.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
AO D
Underwhelming and overrated.. and that’s all I have to say about this place, after just getting back from Japan..
Been here a couple times. Good sake and drinks. Weird ass food. Great time. Chill vibe.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
andrew roberts
This is in my neighbourhood and I do visit occasionally, as I find the food to be authentic. Whilst I find the wait staff v pleasant and helpful, sadly the same can’t be said about the lady who seems to own the place. The general frostiness bordering on extreme rudeness I do not find ok and has in the past prevented me from going more often. This latest time I was with a friend from out of town who arrived before me, and by the time I got to her 10min later was still rather taken about by the poor attitude she received on arrival, and which I was subjected to moments later. Not an enjoyable dining experience, and likely my last time visiting.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Ryan Barrett
Get the tuna nuta
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jon Gaide
Excellent dishes: tuna nuta, black cod, asparagus, spinach Wouldn't order again: soft shell crab, eggplant Overall, though, a good experience with quick service and friendly staff!
In a city drowning in over-rated celebrity chef haunts and restaurant group new openings, this place is it! Ignore the noise. Bring your taste buds and be ready for maximum enjoyment. It’s perfect!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great Japanese neighborhood spot. Good sushi but think of the cuisine as a Japanese neighborhood bar rather than a sushi restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
It's a great experience. If you love japanese food, this is the place to go for sushi, sashimi ,and various japanese dishes. It's very driven by ingredients and what's available. The downstairs definitely has that izakaya feel. The upstairs is more of a table restaurant experience. It doesn't need to be expensive, but it won't be cheap. Totally worth it.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had a phenomenal and very interesting dinner here! Highly recommend. And the service was very lovely. Our waitress had lots of great recommendations. Loved the variety of sake as well!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tucked away on V Street, Izakaya Seki doesn’t announce itself with flash or fanfare. It doesn’t need to. You walk in, and you’re hit with that warm, lived-in intimacy that says: this place is here for the people who care. No gimmicks, no forced fusion bullshit. Just a father and daughter running a kitchen that respects tradition while refusing to fossilize it.
The food is precise, unpretentious, and deeply satisfying in the way only Japanese drinking food can be. Grilled mackerel, still smoky from the binchōtan, crisp on the outside and bleeding with rich, oily flavor inside—it demands sake, not polite conversation. The sashimi is cut with the confidence of someone who knows their knife is an extension of their hand. Even something as simple as the fried chicken feels elevated without ever losing that essential, greasy joy.
It’s the kind of place you come to be. To drink, to laugh too loud, to eat food that makes you feel like the world outside can wait. In a city obsessed with shiny new openings and over-conceptualized menus, Izakaya Seki doesn’t bother trying to impress. It doesn’t have to. It’s comfortable in its skin, and if you’re smart, you’ll slide into that comfort too.
Izakaya Seki isn’t just a restaurant. It’s proof that hospitality doesn’t have to be loud to be profound. It’s a room full of good smells, clean flavors, and the kind of honesty that’s increasingly rare. A reminder that sometimes the best nights are the ones that feel a little like coming home.
Would you like me to punch it up with some sharper Bourdain-style bite—more grit, more critique of DC’s food scene—or keep this balance of warmth and edge?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious Japanese spot, highly recommend the cod and the pork cheek skewers
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I’ve frequently come for the evening wine bar experience, and while the majority of the staff is wonderful, there is one person in particular who makes the experience dreadful. Dismissive, rude, and unwelcoming. I was celebrating with my partner for our anniversary and came with a few friends. My reception from the start truly made me feel unwanted as a guest. I see from other reviews this is not an isolated experience.
The pork cutlet sandwich we received was also undercooked.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
There are so many great restaurants out there but Izakaya Seki truly stands out! The service is timely and helpful. The food is delicious. This is one of my boyfriend’s favorite Japanese restaurants around town. And he’s been to Japan twice. Highly recommend the squid, the chicken meatballs, and the udon but you really can’t go wrong with anything they’re whipping up. Definitely recommend making a reservation.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Underwhelming and overrated.. and that’s all I have to say about this place, after just getting back from Japan..
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
My favorite dish was whole grilled squid
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Perfection. Just wonderful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Been here a couple times. Good sake and drinks. Weird ass food. Great time. Chill vibe.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is in my neighbourhood and I do visit occasionally, as I find the food to be authentic. Whilst I find the wait staff v pleasant and helpful, sadly the same can’t be said about the lady who seems to own the place. The general frostiness bordering on extreme rudeness I do not find ok and has in the past prevented me from going more often. This latest time I was with a friend from out of town who arrived before me, and by the time I got to her 10min later was still rather taken about by the poor attitude she received on arrival, and which I was subjected to moments later. Not an enjoyable dining experience, and likely my last time visiting.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Get the tuna nuta
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent dishes: tuna nuta, black cod, asparagus, spinach
Wouldn't order again: soft shell crab, eggplant
Overall, though, a good experience with quick service and friendly staff!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
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