Bar Japonais
Restaurant · Logan Circle ·
Japanese-French fusion izakaya with skewers, sushi, and Champagne
Japanese-French fusion izakaya with skewers, sushi, and Champagne
"A sushi-centric lounge that replaced Estadio in 2024 on 14th Street NW, this spot is currently closed for improvements according to signage on its papered-up door, and it is run by the same team behind popular dumpling parlor Bar Chinois in D.C. and Arlington." - Tierney Plumb
"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
"In Logan Circle I saw Bar Japonais bringing big Halloween energy today, with employees dressed as a knight, a mime, McLovin from Superbad, a wolf, and Little Red Riding Hood." - Tierney Plumb
"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