Ko Japanese Dining — Restaurant in Washington

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...

Wonderful spot for outstanding and authentic Japanese food! I visited Ko Japanese Dining with a couple friends for a Saturday morning brunch after another friend told us it was the best Japanese food she ever had in DC. It absolutely lived up to the hype! It was pretty quiet when we arrived, so we had our pick of seats; we selected a spot next to a window where we could overlook the rest of Dupont. It was cozy and simple, and the food was outstanding.

I got the grilled mackerel, which included two beautifully grilled fillets with a side of miso soup, rice, and diced radish. The fish was remarkably fresh and super tender, and it was super flavorful on its own but also paired well with the soy sauce and sides of radish or lemon. They offer two different types of mackerel (white and blue), and I ended up getting the saba / blue mackerel at the server's recommendation. My friends sampled their spicy salmon roll, shiromi fry (fried fish), and oyakodon, all of which were outstanding. The spicy salmon roll was simple but well-executed, with super fresh fish and a great kick of spice. The shiromi fry was perfect, with the super tender, flaky fish encased in an addictively crispy and slightly salty shell. The oyakodon was incredibly tender and flavorful, and it both looked and felt like pure comfort in a bowl. The menu is a smidge pricey, but the portions are really generous and the everything is crafted with...

TikTok: sunsyooniverse Overall rating 4.5/5 Finally found a Japanese restaurant in DC that's worth going to without feeling I overspent. It's run by a Japanese chef who knows how to do proper Japanese food. We were impressed by the karaage. First of all, the four pieces we got were HUGE, and it was tender and delicious. The batter wasn't too thick and it was fried very well. Some parts I tasted a bit burnt but it was very minimal. We also got cucumber salad with sesame oil + salt, and they give you a lot of quality sesame oil. But the cucumber salad is not actually worth getting in my opinion, even though it's refreshing. Then, we got chef's choice sashimi platter set A. Some tuna, salmon, and this fish called 'Thai' (?) was SO good. Very quality fish. The soup that came out with the sashimi was OK, not the best I've tasted. The rice was not the kind of rice I expected - it was more mushy than firm. Then, we got tamago rolls, which were soft and delicious, but tad too sweet for my taste. After, we got this matcha affogato, but it wasn't quite matcha affogato... disappointed in the amount of matcha in the ice cream. It was just vanilla ice cream. They should put thicker matcha to get that matcha flavor out of it. Overall, solid Japanese restaurant in DC and I would love to try their...