Sushi Ogawa 鮨小川

We went to Sushi Ogawa to celebrate my husband’s birthday. Since he loves sushi and the restaurant came highly recommended by a friend, we had high expectations.

Unfortunately, the experience didn’t live up to them. We ended leaving after the two appetizer plates. We were seated at the far side of the bar tucked away in a corner. While this wasn’t ideal, it wasn’t something that had bothered us. We had originally thought that there were going to be two chefs but when the meal began, the chef did not serve us one dish nor introduce any of the dishes to us. The host that had sat at the bar served us everything. There were no explanations about the food, and when we addressed this with the chef, his response was that that the other chef had called out sick and that the host/waiter was his assistant.

To summarize:
• Our seating was poorly positioned at the end of the bar, our view was obstructed by a blow torch, we couldn’t see the chef preparing or plating the food. The table was also cluttered with various items.
• The dishes were served by a host/waiter, not the chef. While the chef referred to the waiter as his assistant, I’ve never experienced an omakase where an assistant handles the service.
• No explanations about the dishes were provided.
• The chef would simply push the dishes toward the waiter with a gesture to serve us, which felt unprofessional.
• Even after we politely shared our concerns, the chef didn’t respond with any apology.

I don’t know much about the chef’s background or how proud he is of his craft, but I believe it’s important to first master the fundamentals of good customer service. However we did get a full refund.

I hope he can learn to accept feedback with an open mind, regulate his emotions, and reflect on his actions. I sincerely hope that my feedback helps him grow and contributes to the success of the restaurant.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 2

Service: 1

Went during lunch time. No other tables. Service was quick and nice. Food was great

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Sushi Assortment

Sushi Ogawa is a phenomenal Sushi experience to try in DC. Reservations required/strongly encouraged. The variety of fish and offerings was fantastic and the freshness of the sushi was impeccable. The restaurant itself is unassuming in more of a residential area, and inside is very cozy (seating for maybe 20 people max, no music playing). You have a choice to order the Omakase set meal in advance ($240+ per person) and dine in front of chef, or order a la carte at a table which is what we did which range in price from about $50 to $175 per dish. They offer a variety of a la carte options and sizes (4 course, 6 course, premium etc) which usually serve 1-2 people. Great selection of sake as well. Highly encouraged Sushi Ogawa; it is among the best sushi in DC in my opinion (Nakazawa, Nasime etc)…we will be back!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Sashimi Course, Miso Soup, Sushi Assortment, Sushi, Sashimi, Artic Char, Wasabi, Salmon Sampler Platter

An exquisite experience. Try it, you won't be disappointed.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The omakase was delicious, pricey but it is to be expected with these tasting menus. One annoyance was picking one bottle of sake, the waitress went back to get it, saw that they were out, recommended another similar slightly more expensive one, went to get it, and came back with a third different bottle because they didn’t have the second one that she recommended, which at that point was almost twice the price of the original bottle. Considering we were only two tables in the restaurant I’d have expected more thoroughness from the service or comping the difference in price. Also I think they snuck in a service fee on top of adding a tip line item which resulted in unintentionally tipping 40+ % tip

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 3

Had the best sushi experience of my life here recently. My best friend and I went for the sushi bar experience, and Itamae/Chef Ken and the staff made it a truly awesome dinner.

Approximately, 25 courses, and every single one was delicious (especially the oyster starter and the kinki).

Highly recommend for anyone that wants a special sushi dinner/experience!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The omakase experience here was, and I cannot stress this enough: *transcendental*. Everyone on staff was delightful and knowledgeable, but that pales in comparison to the food. Sublime is an understatement. Words won't do it justice. If you have the opportunity, I hope you have the same experience we did.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

No one does an omakase better than Sushi Ogawa. Other places have popped up but there’s a reason they have been in business for over a decade. Freshest fish I’ve ever had and you know it’s fresh because they will show you the fish you are eating lol. Hospitality is off the charts and they will use ingredients you can’t find anywhere else. Chef Jin your restaurant has stolen my heart and my stomach

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Exceptional and authentic, with some of the finest sushi I’ve had anywhere in the world. Individual attention and absolutely the highest grade of fish possible make this a must for true sushi connoisseurs in the area.

If anything, I must say that the only low points are some of the meat courses of the omakase. Wagyu just couldn’t hold a candle to the fish and felt uninteresting by comparison! There is one piece of the largest omakase offering which contains wagyu, foie gras, and caviar - and just seems unreasonably indulgent. Sometimes there is such a thing.

Cost is high but the quality is right there to match. If anything, we left feeling stuffed to the gills and that’s not that common with omakase so the portioning was really generous and lovely. Would have loved to see more dessert options and integrations around something cold and savory at the end but that may or may not be traditional. Just some culinary feedback based on the menu.

If you’ve got the means, you shouldn’t be disappointed here.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Absolutely flawless omakase experience from start to finish. I liked it even better than Sushi Nakazawa. The staff were warm and made us feel very comfortable, the courses had a great variety and impeccable ingredients, the amount of food was perfect... really just outstanding all around.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great food - one of the best sushi place on east coast! But be careful of overcharging, make sure to double check the bill.

The sake we ordered ($70) was initially labeled as $100 (which was odd because it had the same name of the sake which was on the menu), and the prepaid portion from online reservation (~$50) was not reflected.

I would visit again but beware of shady business practice. But again, the food was fantastic so I may forgive them.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 2

Top notch. Pricey but worth it.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Had a recent celebration Omakase here, and the food, presentation, and overall experience was amazing! Would definitely come back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Ordered takeout sushi set of 75 USD, very fresh and nice variety of fish. Packed and displayed nicely. Highly recommend.

Food: 5

I don't eat sushi, but they have wagyu. That is okay

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Spam Musubi