Izakaya Seki

My friend recommended we grab an early dinner and drinks at Izakaya Seki, and I’m super glad we went. This is definitely a high end Japanese restaurant, that has an authentic menu and vast array of sake options. The sashimi omasake was amazing, as was the mushrooms with garlic and butter. Honestly, everything that was had was delicious and we sampled a lot of the option from the menu. With the seating that we had, it wasn’t quite chef’s table seating - but certainly felt close to it because of our proximity to the kitchen and servers. This made the service great… There were no long waits between us placing orders and the food coming out… But with no compromises on the flavour and freshness. The restaurant space cover two floors, we were seated upstairs but the downstairs space looked equally spacious with lots of natural light.

Friend wanted to come here for his birthday, between the two of us we shared a total of seven small plates as recommended by the waitress - portions were about right, we left feeling satisfied bordering on full. I think we would have been fine with even one or two plates less. Anyways, starting with the good - thoughtful of the restaurant to provide hooks for coats/bags at bar seating, and I appreciated the waitress not charging us for a drink refill. The restaurant also served a complimentary dessert for my friend's birthday, which was easily the highlight of the meal in my opinion. The not so good - none of the dishes were particularly good. Taste was mostly one-dimensional, with one flavor overpowering the others. I found a lot of it overly greasy and salty, particularly the grilled wild onions and the dashi broth. Braised pork belly was a bit tough and dry, and fried rice completely lacked flavor. Tamagoyaki was too sweet and seemed overcooked/not fluffy. Udon noodles had no chew. Overall, pretty disappointing considering the price. But even at half price I don't think I would reorder any of these. Plating wasn't particularly attractive either, aside from the dessert, so I didn't bother taking any photos. In fact, I think I'm actually doing the restaurant a favor by only attaching a photo of the dessert (plum ice cream with a biscuit). As for service, it was fine. The sushi chef told my friend to take off his bag quite rudely and seemed to stare at us throughout our meal which made me uncomfortable. Could just be his personality based on his interactions with the other workers, but he was not pleasant.

Greeted with a very rude and unfriendly welcome by the host. We ordered Shashimi, chicken thigh skewer, udon with warm dashi and fried rice. Nothing great to write home about. The udon bowl with warm dashi was probably the best of the lot but have had better at other joints. The chicken skewer was raw and charred - looks like the chef forgot to rotate it while cooking. Overall, a bad experience.

Absolutely delicious meal in a cozy izakaya atmosphere. Highly recommend asking your server for recommendations. The menu has a good variety of food served similarly to tapas, and their sake collection is excellent. Our server, Bat ("like baseball," he said), pointed out a few of his favorite menu items and did not steer us wrong on our first time eating there! We ordered toro sashimi (real wasabi, what a treat!), grilled gindara black cod, fried snap peas, garlic and butter mushrooms, udon noodles in hot dashi, chicken karaage, an ume rice ball, and a salmon roe and yukari rice ball. Everything was plated beautifully and tasted excellent. I really liked the decor as well, lots of traditional Japanese elements including what I'm fairly certain is shou sugi ban wood paneling on the wall (gorgeous!!). All-in-all, I would come back again and again!

Very good food, slightly above average for Tokyo, but totally Tier 1 for America. The sea urchin was very fresh and sweet, and the yakitori was also very good. A bit overpriced (especially when you convert it into Japanese yen and find it is 10-15k yen). While, the service was a little unpleasant...I ordered soba noodles after being seated (7:30pm) and asked for the check at 8:20pm and was told that I would leave at 8:30pm, they just served my soba at 8:32, and even served the noodle of the table that arrived later than me BEFORE THAT. They insisted that since I ordered too much (is that a discrimination?) at once and didn't finish my uni (actually I wanted to eat with soba), they thought intervals should be set between different courses. They refused to provide a packaging cup for my soba (they claimed they didn't have one but they actually did) and refused to refund me. And they often kept me waiting while having this unpleasant communication with me, which directly resulted in me changing my next trip and paying for it. I would say that, if I had time, I would choose some Michelin one-star restaurants in DC at this price. If I have time and want to eat at an izakaya INDEED, I will order multiple times and only order 1-2 items each time. I don't need them to set a meal interval for me PASSIONATELY. Hope they consider cultural adaptation in the future while trying to serve authentic food.

Small restaurant with a cute downstairs room-a small area around the sushi bar-and a small intimate dining room upstairs. Fresh fish-large cuts and portions-delicious- The mushroom butter dish is amazing as is the eel. Everything was fresh and delicious-

Really great value Omakase with an assortment of different tempura and small dishes. Their hot udon soup was flavorful and warm for the winter months. Plum wine was light and sweet, served on ice.

A very nice Japanese restaurant. We made a reservations several days before our visit, and it had cancellation fee and also requirements for customers to show their vaccination record. The food was very good in general, and they served dishes very fast. I would recommend to order 2-3 dishes every time to keep the path more relaxing. It’s a bit pity that they don’t really have dessert menu except complimentary ice cream, but we enjoyed the ice cream anyway. Highly recommend!

The good: food was excellent. Especially the soba, mushrooms, black cod and kalbi. The skewers were hit and miss. Great saki and great vibes. Really made me miss Tokyo! The okay: honestly I was a little nervous about the service based on recent reviews. We had a reservation (booked weeks before) and after waiting at the door for several minutes we started poking our head around until someone noticed. They almost said our reservation time was wrong before realizing it wasn't, and had to find a spot for us in the almost full house. It was fine in the end, but a little annoying as they also rushed us to finish early to meet the 90min despite them causing us to wait at the beginning. I also had made sure to review the menu before arriving so we could order quickly as I know this is a tight meal timeline. I do want to come again as this food is really good Izakaya good, but I hope the service becomes less stressful.

Atmosphere: This restaurant is located in the Shaw/U street neighborhood. It is nestled between an apartment building and a row house. The entrance is easy to spot and it has nice Japanese inspired decor. Upon entering there is an option to head up a long flight of stairs to the bar or to the right were the kitchen and sushi bar. This is a small space so it can't really accommodate more than one party of 6 at a time. There is single seating at the bar and then seating of 2,4 & 6. Service: Our server was amazing and informative. It was only us for most of our dinner and he tended to all of our needs. I noticed towards the end of our meal a couple came in and the chef who did not acknowledge my partner and I at all greeted them immediately and also served them sashimi directly. Weird but ok. 8/10 Food: I was excited to try the grilled squid and the steak fried rice. Both were a bit underwhelming. We also ordered the chef selection of sashimi that included octopus that tasted extremely fishy. The Japanese omelette and grilled eel was also just ok. I mostly enjoyed the dessert. Mango ice cream. Overall this place is nice for drinks and small plates but I wouldn't say it's worth the price or another visit.

Our favorite place after 5 weeks in DC. The mushrooms are glorious, as is the mackeral (special). They fry the bones for you afterwards, making a sustainable and respectful snack. We also got the snap peas, salmon collar, and a bottle of champagne. The downstairs is a small place, bar seating only. Highly recommend

My friend recommended we grab an early dinner and drinks at Izakaya Seki, and I'm super glad we went. This is definitely a high end Japanese restaurant, that has an authentic menu and vast array of sake options. The sashimi omasake was amazing, as was the mushrooms with garlic and butter. Honestly, everything that was had was delicious and we sampled a lot of the option from the menu. With the seating that we had, it wasn't quite chef's table seating - but certainly felt close to it because of our proximity to the kitchen and servers. This made the service great... There were no long waits between us placing orders and the food coming out... But with no compromises on the flavour and freshness. The restaurant space cover two floors, we were seated upstairs but the downstairs space looked equally spacious with lots of natural light.

Favorite izakaya in DC. Tempura, karage, sashimi platter were fantastic. Sake was great. Really homy ambiance-- perfect for a cute, casual date. Service was great. Overall, definitely the place to go if you are craving great Japanese food and sake!

Great small izakaya in my neighborhood. Beautiful sashimi and great fried and other items in too!

Small restaurant near U street that is absolutely delicious! I would definitely recommend a reservation as this place gets booked quickly. We happened to get lucky for a walk in but I wouldn't risk it without calling first! The two floor restaurant has a sushi bar and kitchen counter on the first floor so you can watch the chefs cook and the second floor has more tables. They have a menu that remains unchanged with favorites but they change up another portion of the menu based on seasonal and fresh ingredients. This definitely means that you can go here all the time and never eat the same thing twice. Food was all beautifully seasoned and definitely brought me back to my travels in Japan. They also had a long list of Japanese drinks!

I live two blocks away from Izakaya Seki and finally made it for dinner the other week and wish I had gone sooner. It's very unassuming from the outside but is cozy and comfortable inside. I went with two friends and we sat upstairs. We had a really helpful waiter who walked us through the menu, pointed out some of the additional items (the handwritten menu through the QR code) and also let us know what they just got in fresh that day. He made great recommendations. I had some sake and my friends had white wine and we worked our way through a wonderful meal. We started with the uni and the toro and both were fresh and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. I think that some of the reviews here that say the fish wasn't fresh just haven't seen fish prepared in this way before because it was high quality. We then had the infamous mushrooms, the cod (cooked perfectly), the soft shell crab and three salads (cucumber kimchi, shishito peppers and eggplants). My favorites were the cod and the shishito peppers! We ended the meal with three rice balls and they were the perfect ending to fill us up. I had the plum, which I loved -- tart, sweet, warm, savory -- and my friends had the spicy cod and the salmon roe. I'd say it's a great place to go to with one other person because the portions are small but I will definitely be back again soon!

Very authentic Japanese food. We had an excellent dinner, our service was attentive and gave us great recommendations. I did not grab pics of the beef shortrib but was definitely the star of the show. Truly a great experience.

Izakaya Seki has been a place that has been on my to-go list for a while. The hodge podge of different flavors and type of dishes are pretty astounding because you have fresh fish in a carpaccio-type of dish all the way to crispy soft shell crab. I would say that the décor was lacking a bit and not quite what you would expect from a traditional Izakaya. If anything, the current décor is a bit bland or cold, and doesn't leave you feeling like you'd want to stay and drink/eat further. The restaurant itself is located in a very cute neighborhood so I'd think there is a lot of potential with the ambiance.

Finally tried this place after hearing a lot of great things. The food was very tasty - two members of our party got sushi and I had gotten the steak and rice. There definitely are pretty limited options for non fish eaters though.

This place was just not memorable in terms of flavor of any of the items. The food on the menu looked great but the overall depth when eating the dishes was fairly subpar. The udon was as thin as the soba and generally speaking the noodles were not that springy. Fish wasn't overly fresh tasting. Cute interior with good service.

I would come back for the cooked dishes, but would not return for any of the sashimi / scallops. I would not recommend the sashimi or raw scallop. The sashimi didn't taste fresh and the scallop wasn't as flavorful / sweet as I thought it would be. The cold soba noodles were excellent. Very simple sauce and noodles were chewy and tasty. The uni practically melted in your mouth. I would highly recommend. The beef tongue was soft and tasty. Would highly recommend as well. This was also our first time tasting beef tongue but we thought it was good. The skewers (3 for $9) were so juicy but it's just fatty pork so nothing too special about it. It is a solid dish though. The 3 vegetable dishes were good, but I thought the kimchi cucumber could have had a stronger pickled flavor.

Small space with excellent Japanese food. Sashimi was fresh, good variety, and with real fresh chopped wasabi. Nasu (eggplant) was delicious. Agedashi tofu done perfectly, with a nice dashi. Server was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Really enjoyed the evening! Only improvement- the Japanese decor and small space would have pointed me to more peaceful music, maybe Japanese, but not the aggressive rap they had on. It was odd.

A great neighborhood eat. The restaurant is nice and quiet. Everything we ate was delicious and they have a great range of hitachino beers on the menu. They also have some amazing specials. Don't forget to order the cold udon, mushrooms and the kalbi.

I wish I could be a regular here!!! I've rediscovered Izakaya Seki in search of soba noodles. It's so good I came twice in one week, and the host recognized me LOL It's very cozy and cute here. Highly making reservations online since they only seat 32 people (bar downstairs and tables upstairs). Very nice and helpful staff. Very quick service! I still loved the Uni (with quail egg) and Hokkaido Scallop Carpaccio as much as I did years ago. I enjoy getting the Obanzai (sets of cold veggies) especially the Potato Salad, Nasu Agebitashi, and Kimchi Cucumbers (3 for $16 is a good deal)! The Tomato Salad was not bad! Reminded me of bruschetta! I love the Ojiya Soba noodles cold with dipping sauce (SO AFFORDABLE) sooooo much. It's fresh and comforting... Also love the crispy, flavorful Tontoro. Skip the baby octopus karaage (very little and not too special for expensive price).

Menu's pretty limited and the dishes can either be a hit or miss. Prices are a bit high and portions're rather small. But the food's authentic and enjoyable, especially since there aren't that many izakaya in DC. ** 3 1/2 stars overall ** Kakuni ($16) - Slow Braised Pork Belly. This was delicious. It redeemed the other mediocre dishes I had prior to this. Uni with Quail Egg - Raw Sea Urchin. The urchins're so fresh! Best dish on the menu for me.

As it's our first time in DC, based on the reviews, decided to give this place a try. First off, it's situated in like a house, which was fine. Made reservations for 5:30pm, n was promptly seated. Then came the menu. Provided one physical menu for 3 of us + also d option to scan for the menu, which we did. First impression, for an Izakaya restaurant, d yakitori selections were v limited + d flavor of food is basically, soya sauce based. Do not taste a variety or even balance of flavors. Had sake sashimi & onigiri (plain + ume) too but missed taking pics. Thought our order was pretty simple but staff seemed confused about us ordering 2 x ume onigiri & 1 x plain (ie, just rice & nori) for our son. Kept coming back to check on it n d best part was, when it was served, no mention of whether it's plain or with ume?? Just there u go.. onigiri. A lady came back to check n seemed irritated with us?? that they were confused. Regardless, total check came up to $146 (tips included). Was kinda bumped with d lack of choices for yakitori that we didn't even order drinks. Zoomed out of there in 30mins!

Delicious food. Every dish we tried was fantastic. The udon had a flavorful light broth. The Kara-age was fried perfectly. The service was fast and attentive. The vibe was very reminiscent of actual restaurants we had visited while in Japan.

This small family owned Japanese joint is so good, but don't go here if you want ramen or sushi. Step outside what you know of Japanese cuisine to enjoy some delicious bbq eel, udon soup, a clear seafood broth with thin udon noodles that will warm your soul. The NYT recommends their mushrooms in butter and this simple dish sings, the mushrooms have a meaty quality. Their crab and corn croquettes are sure to be a crowd favorite, crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Their servers were so kind and friendly, I absolutely loved our visit here and cannot wait to come back.

Updating - still hovers between a 3.5-4 for me. The food is ok, but there really aren't any standouts and the meal ends up being pretty expensive if you want to try a few things. At this price point there are a number of other places I'd go instead. What we tried most recently, ranked from best to worst (again, the worst isn't bad by any means it's just not something I'd order again). fried softshell crab - crispy and delicious sashimi omakase (10 pieces) - decent tasting for the price kalbi - good flavor but hard to do kalbi wrong udon - nice dish with the cold dipping sauce pork cheek skewer - very fatty, full of flavor scallop carpaccio - ok but wasn't overly impressed by the scallop or flavor karaage - a fine version but they looked at me weird when I asked for kewpie grilled madai collar - good, but some parts are very fatty/greasy and heavy on the palate crab and corn croquettes - good texture but extremely creamy/heavy eel tamago - a pretty average omelette

Genuinely one of the best Izakayas I've been to outside of Japan. It is a cozy hole-in-the-wall setting which is ideal for everything from dates to hanging out with friends after work, and their food is fantastic. I have my favorites on their regular menu, but their charming, hand-drawn menu that changes every few months makes coming back exciting. Also, their beer is amazing. When you're there definitely get following: - shiso and steak fried rice - yakitori - plum rice balls

One of my favorite neighborhood restaurants. Small and intimate, this place is perfect for a date or a dinner catching up with friends. The food is amazing, I always like to choose from the handwritten specials list which have great sashimi and vegetables. The friendly staff is always happy to help guide your order as well. Highly recommend!

Izakaya Seki is an extremely nondescript setting-a small upstairs with fewer than 10 tables just off of U St. on a residential street. The ambiance is extremely minimalistic, with a semi-open kitchen and exposed metal piping. We had a 7:30 Christmas Eve reservation and were seated immediately-thankfully the restaurant wasn't busy. However, my friend and I had issues with the QR code for the menu and our server took 10 minutes to take our order. I did appreciate that once we ordered our food, it came out extremely quickly and my kudos to the kitchen for that. We ordered the Toro (raw fatty tuna belly) and the mushrooms, butter, and garlic (on the NY Times recommendation of the Top 25 dishes they couldn't stop talking about in 2022). The Toro was high-quality and delicious and worth $29-simple is sometimes the way to go and it was clearly the case here. Although the toro came with soy sauce, wasabi, some clear noodles and a couple of onions, it needed none of it to elevate it-it was fantastic as it was. It was appropriately fatty and I could taste the difference between the toro and ordinary tuna. The mushroom, garlic, and butter dish was extremely disappointing and I was shocked that the NY Times rated it one of the top 25 dishes nationwide they couldn't stop talking about. I have been to many restaurants this year in DC and it wouldn't even make my top 75. The dish was way too salty even for my friend who loves salt and it completely overshadowed the garlic and butter flavors, which were nice. The mushrooms themselves had good texture. I'm glad I tried Izakaya Seki and it is worth trying if you are in the U. St area and want somewhere quieter for dinner.

Izakaya Seki was a coveted place for my husband and I during our time living on U Street in downtown DC. We enjoyed many items on their ever-changing menu and found it to always be a unique dining experience. There are items that one may never see anywhere else - at least on this side of the ocean. So, on our last night while in town visiting, and spending the day on a food/drink tour before heading back to Texas, we made a reservation. I do highly recommend making a reservation in advance as their seating does fill up quickly. Luckily, we arrived soon after they opened and we were seated right away at their bar where we had a front-row view of the chefs busy preparing the night's dishes. Absolutely fascinating! With that said, our waiter was very attentive, explained the menu and specials, and offered his recommendations when we couldn't decide. He also took care to inform us of the intended way to eat the different dishes we ordered. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed everything... including their diverse saki selections! Because our food was prepared the instant we ordered them, they arrived hot and ready to eat within moments. I know we could have spent more time, but we were in and out within 30 mins or so (by no means did we feel rushed). It was a lovely dining experience and one we were happy to have considering how much Covid changed the dining landscape in the city. It should be mentioned that Izakaya Seki is for the adventurous eater. Yes, some items are familiar, but many are not - which is what makes this an experience. Also, know that many items feature and highlight raw seafood and fish. So, if you're looking for a typical sushi menu or seafood/fish is not your thing, this restaurant may not be the place for you. I recommend going in with an open mind and palette! Until we dine again, thank you so much Izakaya Seki for yet another wonderful time!

High praises for this Japanese izakaya! Situated one street behind the popular U street corridor, Izakaya Seki packs an umami punch for the taste buds. Our waiter was extremely helpful in explaining the different tapas style dishes - ranging from sashimi to fried fish collar. We went with a few of his favorites and some adventurous picks of our own. The garlic mushroom was a standout. Featured in NY Times magazine, mini shrooms soaked up the rich buttery flavor of the earthy garlic; layers of umami danced softly in my happy palette. Other highlights were the udon soup, crab and corn croquette, and hamachi Kama (grilled yellowtail collarbone). The hamachi Kama had a crispy hot exterior with delicate flakes of super moist, fresh hamachi. Don't forget to suck the fish bones for the most flavorful taste. And I can't NOT mention the broth of the udon soup. It was soothing, complex yet subtle broth that I will have dreams about until we meet again. My "medium" likes were the thick slices of fresh sashimi and barbecued whole eel. We finished a wonderful meal with 2 types of green tea ice cream- bitter and sweet tea notes was a refreshing way to end a beautiful meal. Truly a perfect evening that I will remember and can't wait to experience again!

I especially enjoyed the variety of vegetables. I am not so adventurous with raw fish but the tuna nuta with a delightful miso mustard sauce was a frontrunner. All of the vegetables were great, especially the asparagus and the mushrooms. A lot of dishes had little pickly garnishes that I loved. The chicken meatballs (tsukune) were light and very very delicious! Ambiance was very unusual, music was loud, ranging from punk to the beatles! Service was very nice and the server was very patient explaining the dishes. Price point was pretty nice too.

A bit disappointing due to limited items on the menu. Many dishes that we want are not there. Those available dishes are just average in quality but w/ a higher price tag. Service was attentative given it's a small place. Nothing special though.

I love izakaya restaurants and was really hoping to find a decent one in DC after having lived in SF for 9 years. Izakaya Seki has a decent ambiance and friendly staff, but unfortunately the food was disappointing. Out of everything we got, the only thing that I thought was truly good was the tako wasabi. My search for a decent izakaya restaurant in the DC area continues, unfortunately.

4.5 stars! I have been meaning to try izakaya seki for a while and was hesitant with the mixed reviews here but it was totally worth it!! The stars of the show were the uni and the scallop carpaccio. I'm not the biggest fan of uni but this was QUALITY and pretty good for the price! The scallops were crazy good I was obsessed with the the sauce they paired with it! These two are definitely specialty items. Some of the more affordable things on the menu were also very delicious! We got the cold soba that satisfied a craving I had been having for months and the obanzai side dishes were so good! I love that they have the special menu every week so you can come back and try new things (and the illustrations on it is v cute) I would skip the baby octopus karaage next time- I would say a little bland and the amount was not worth the price for me. Also be sure to reserve as it is a small space and I saw several parties turned away at the door while we were there.

Our first experience at Izakaya Seki was amazing which was why we came back for a second time but likely the last time. We came on my birthday and we had a different server from last time. From the start, she had an aloof and apathetic attitude. She sat us at the bar, and didn't explain the specials to us as thoroughly as the previous server we had. She took our order and gave us barely any time to confirm. She immediately walked away and in the seconds it registered that she said "Toro" (which was not what we ordered), she was gone. We had ordered the toro last time and it was ok but definitely not worth $30. When she came back, we told her ordered the "aji tataki" which is what we pointed to (and read out loud) in the first place. By this time, the toro was already served and she tried to explain to the chef that we "wanted to exchange it" and of course the chef refused. They kept insisting that it's our fault that "we changed our mind" when they didn't get our order right in the first place. With all the commotion that this was causing between the chef, waitress, and owner, my partner and I debated whether or not we should just eat and pay for what we didn't order. They eventually gave us the aji tataki but we already felt so unwelcome by this point because we even saw the chef point at us and said "take the menu away," and we thought we were getting kicked out. The food is good but the customer service definitely ruined the experience. As another reviewer mentioned, the service is un-Japanese. We will not be returning.

I don't write reviews, but I had to in this case. Suzuki has been less than warm to us on 2 occasions. The menu is adventurous for DC, and I love that. The, Agebitashi is off the hook. The tuna and uni are marginal Fried oysters and ebi were, Whoa!. BUT the lack of warmth. . I am out..

Really excellent traditional Japanese cuisine. Excellent sashimi, very fresh and reasonably priced for the quality/quantity. I also got the cold udon dipping noodles and the pickled plum onigiri, which I really enjoyed. The setting is nice too and service is friendly. I'll definitely be back.

Absolutely delicious food and a hidden gem in Shaw. I walked past it several times as it is situated among the row houses. The grilled squid is a little burnt at some sides. Skip the fried octopus which are very underwhelming. The ambience was really great though.

Hidden gem just off U street! It is a very small restaurant so reservations are necessary to avoid a long wait. This is not a fancy sushi place but an elevated izakaya which serves a variety of Japanese bar foods. Contrary to other reviews, our server was excellent and extremely attentive. The food comes out quite quickly so I recommend you order only a couple dishes at a time. We tried a little bit of everything off the menu - The "Omakase" platter was nothing really special, there are a lot of silver fish in there like snapper, mackerel, yellowtail. The scallops were very fresh. We tried two types of pork skewers (cheeks and intestines). They were both very fatty and rich and a nice contrast to the sashimi as a second course. My favorite dish of the night was the whole grilled squid, which came out in in a sizzling pan with buttery teriyaki sauce. I recommend you to try it if it is still on the specials menu!

We came from Bay Area to celebrate our son's graduation from Georgetown university. We selected this restaurant as our second day dinner. We all like Japanese food, this is a typical izakaya, like others we went a lot in Bay Area, similar to Tanto in Sunnyvale. I gave it 2 stars to the food. All foods are in fare quality. But I would give negative to service if I could. The lady with glasses guided us in with very cold face. We didn't mind at beginning. Later I tried to order rice balls, I asked her whether they have those kind of fries crispy rice balls. She showed very cold face and said this is not chinese restaurant, we don't have those chinese food. What is that? No chinese restaurant would sell rice balls. In anyway, we won't recommend this restaurant to any friends unless you won't care about the service but just food.

I had the BBQ eel which was fantastic. Very attentive and speedy service as well. It was a bit pricey but well worth it overall. It's a good place to dine solo or with one other person if you're looking for a more intimate experience. It's rather small inside so I am not sure about big groups.

My Japanese mother is a returning customer to this restaurant. I get it - it's pricey. Especially the sake. But honestly that goes for every other izakaya in the States. That being said, the food was good. I especially enjoyed the cream croquettes and hamachi kama. The server was attentive and my mom and I had a very pleasurable dining experience together. Would go back!

I picked this place to get my birthday dinner from because I've heard so much about it from other people. Online ordering was pretty simple but pickup was tough since parking was full in the street and it's a one way so it took a while to find a place. We couldn't decide what to get so we got a bunch of stuff to share, like 10-12 different things. My favorites were the katsu sandwich, dashi-maki tamago (w/barbecue eel), the grilled Hamachi, soft shell crab tempura, and the uni. The tamago with barbecue eel was my absolute favorite because the barbecue eel was slightly crispy and perfectly contrasted the fluffy egg. I spent a lot of time on the Hamachi. It was super flavorful and had a lot of meat on it but it was simple. I never usually get to have soft shells and it was lightly fried and perfectly crispy. Only bad thing is we were missing our skewers but it makes sense since we ordered so much. I would love to come back again and possibly eat in since everything would be a lot fresher.

This small hidden gem is in a row house near U St. Each time I've eaten at this restaurant, it has been an excellent and unique experience with attentive service and delicious Japanese food. You need to make a reservation as there are limited seats (and I'm glad to see that it's typically booked out in advance on weekends)! They switched the menu up the second time I went, so it was fun to try new dishes. Our server was very hands-on and could answer our many questions about the dishes. When I had an issue with a reservation, the manager was very kind and understanding, and I appreciated this greatly. Will be back for sure!

Felt like I was in NYC--food and setting. Small intimate setting in a two level row home. So reservations are a must. Pretty controlled -- truly Japanese. I recommend a later reservation so you are not stuck to the 90 min seating. Had a mix of specials and regular menu items. All very good. I think we ordered half the menu! This is not a place with a bar to hang out at before dinner nor one that wastes time on fancy cocktail drinks. So take advantage of the sake bottle menu.

If you're like me and you get utterly overwhelmed by the liveliness of U Street, head one block over to V Street and dine at the cozy and delicious Izakaya Seki! The staff was incredibly helpful as we ventured through this dining experience, and each dish was flavorful and light, even for a vegetarian like myself. We ordered a variety of dishes, but we got so into the food itself that I forgot to take a picture of said dishes, save the half eaten fried rice pictured below :/ however, if pictures did exist, they would paint a picture of a tasty meal. And the pictures would be true to the experience!

Food is very good, ambience is nice too, but service needs work. Extremely slow and seemed like they wanted me out as soon as I stepped in. Sorta ruined the experience for me.

Was a different and interesting dining experience! Didn't know what to order, so the waiter brought out a bunch of tapas to the table. I honestly dont the names of the dishes I ate, but everything tasted very good quality. I think the one dish that wowed me the most was the baby squids...I have never seen squids so tiny before!!! Felt bad eating it, but the flavor was meaty and it was tender. My cousin also ordered the beef tartare and beef tongue, both of which I never tried before. The beef tartare also had a raw egg in it, and after mixing it with the beef, gave it a creamy taste. After that meal, I learned that I really like beef tongue, b/c its essentially a SUPER tender steak. Very buttery and soft! Overall, I tried a bunch of new meats and seafood I never tried before, and it was a great experience! Make sure to make reservations!! Also, parking was a bit difficult. Theres some parking garages nearby for roughly $10-20, but it is very hard to find. They are sorr of hidden!

Highly anticipated visit to this gem. Heard some very good comments from fellow foodies. Tried the panko-fried oyster, toro, tuna, and Jidori grilled chicken. All cooked and prepared with great care and precision. Since it's an intimate space, the server made you feel like you're the only diner in the restaurant. Will return to try other dishes.

First time here on strong recommendation from a friend. All I can say is meh. Service was lacking any charm whatsoever, and every dish we had sounded promising on the menu only to taste, well, meh. And I've eaten plenty of Japanese food on both coasts of the US and in Japan. Echoing what several others have noted, the fish was particularly disappointing. Almost $30 for 6 small pieces of Toro. As soon as the first piece hit my tongue I wanted to send it back. Fresh is not how I would describe it. Setting is kind of cool, but food and service are simply not worth it, and certainly not deserving of the hype.

The food was absolutely exquisite. Three of us ordered several dishes and shared them all and were extremely pleased with everything. One loved the steak and rice the most, another loved the eggplant, and I loved the crab and cream croquettes. The service was excellent, the waiter explained what items were and provided recommendations and was very friendly. Looking forward to another visit.

I loved the environment; the service was top notch, particularly with the menu-scribing for us newbies. Everything recommended was even better than expected. This should be on everyone's list of DC to-try. [It appears all the less than 4-star reviews state that Izakaya wasn't "magic" or "amazing" as ascribed by their friends. Well, if you go into any place (even a strip club) expecting standards such as "magic" or "amazing" be prepared to be sorely disappointed]

I hate writing a bad review for a small business. But had to write it because my husband had a diarrhea from eating the food currently and the service is pretty bad. Food is fine. So that's where the two stars are coming from. Sake is double/ triple the retail price. All their sake half bottle is around $10-15 retail price but they sell for $28-40, same goes to all the other items. Sashimi is decent but again not really that fresh and does not worth the price tag. Our server unfortunately is pretty rude. I asked a question about the menu (how many pieces come with the sashimi omakase) she basically was annoyed by the question. And was again annoyed because we ordered the sake that she didn't tell us beforehand it is out of stock. Trying to get her attention to reorder she made a rude comment saying she saw us and basically asked us to chill. We have been to many Japanese restaurant including Izakaya in Japan and New York. This is NOT a Izakaya. It is a restaurant using the name of it and provide mediocre food with jacked up price. If you want an authentic Izakaya experience stay away from there.

This is one of the best Izakayas I've ever been to both in the States and in Japan. My recommendations would be to go for the classic Izakaya dishes like fish jaw instead of the straight sashimi (which you can get at other sushi-focused places in DC). Everything I've ever had has been solid but a few recommendations: Tuna Nuta Agadashi Tofu Any grilled fish Any veggies (eggplant is a fav) Soba Rice balls Ribs Yakitori Uni (if you like it)