Bar Japonais
Restaurant · Logan Circle
1520 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20005
Highlights
Japanese French fusion with Omakase, skewers, and cocktails
Japanese French fusion with Omakase, skewers, and cocktails
"Owners invited Uchino to take over their sushi program in February, and he used the opportunity to expand sushi beyond the bar: he’s pressed bartenders to experiment with sake and soju cocktails and has trained waitstaff to connect more deeply with diners by telling the stories behind each course. Beyond showing where cuts come from at the counter, he has servers explain provenance — “from where the fish is from in Japan” — and the legends of how certain dishes were first served to monarchs hundreds of years ago, turning the greater dining room into an educational extension of the omakase experience." - Emily Venezky
"Bar Japonais’s newly named executive chef and Sushi Nakazawa alum Masaaki “Uchi” Uchino unleashes a 15-course omakase menu on Thursday, March 6. Along with adding more sushi into the fold, his inaugural omakase menu pays homage to the season with spring sea bream, cherry blossom-steamed sushi, firefly squid, and cherry salmon. The offerings will also be available a la carte." - Vinciane Ngomsi
"The party-starting group behind Bar Chinois doubled down in D.C. this June with a Japanese-meets-French izakaya. On July 19, it added happy hour (Tuesday to Sunday) from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Pull up to the polished bar for $5-$9 food deals on skewers, sashimi, and salads, plus $5-$6 wines and cocktails like a Japanese melon highball or Anjin margarita." - Tierney Plumb
"The D.C. hospitality hitmakers behind Bar Chinois, Mt. Vernon Triangle’s high-energy hangout for Frenchified cocktails and dumplings since 2021, dip into Japanese cuisine with the debut of a stylish izakaya at the foot of Logan Circle. Bar Japonais breathes new life into the old Estadio — the Spanish stalwart that closed last year after a long 14th Street NW run — following a full-scale renovation and modern makeover. For the team’s swanky sophomore project in the same Northwest quadrant, executive chef Lucas Irwin flexes his Japanese cooking skills with a menu full of yakitori, sushi rolls, fried katsu, okonomiyaki (savory pancakes), and more. Complex cocktails at the bar join a list of all-French wines and Champagnes." - Tierney Plumb
"Vibey Bar Chinois’ hotly anticipated D.C. sibling is nearly ready to roll at the foot of Logan Circle. Meet the menu at Bar Japonais, a new self-styled izakaya injecting fresh neo-fusion flair into the former Estadio space." - Evan Caplan
