Love, Makoto
Japanese restaurant · Downtown
200 Massachusetts Ave NW Suite 150, Washington, DC 20001
Highlights
Omakase sushi, Japanese grill, izakaya, and food hall.
Omakase sushi, Japanese grill, izakaya, and food hall.
"While DC’s East End can still feel a little soulless, Hiya Izakaya in the sprawling Japanese food hall Love, Makoto is worth going out of your way for. Head to the back of the hall to find Hiya Izakaya in a cozy nook, where you can sip Japanese whisky and eat robata grilled skewers and ramen. You can’t go wrong with any of the three bowls on the menu, but it’s the tantanmen ramen with ground beef in a pork and chicken broth that we wake up longing for on cold, lonely nights. The ramen is enough on its own, but a chicken thigh skewer or a dragon roll never hurt anybody." - Madeline Weinfield
"The Japanese food hall’s classy sushi restaurant centers around omakase tastings ($85). Dinner starts with bite-sized seasonal snacks, and sushi courses showcase fish in both “old school” and “new school” preparations. Bluefin, for example, arrives with a touch of soy and wasabi in the more traditional version, and “burnt” miso and foie gras in a modern interpretation. Diners can order optional upgrades like prized cuts of tuna, caviar, and wagyu. The restaurant recently introduced a generously portioned lunch omakase express option for $42." - Tierney Plumb
"This Japanese food hall is offering picnic packs for two (a Rainbow Roll, kale soba salad, two rainbow vanilla doughnuts, and two yuzu lemonades) for $45, with a Party Pack version for $65 that swaps lemonades for Makoto margaritas or Chika Sake Cups; orders can be placed in person at Love on the Run or via the restaurant’s website, and delivery is available through Uber Eats and DoorDash. Proceeds from any heart‑shaped rainbow vanilla doughnuts sold during June will go to The Trevor Project." - Emily Venezky
"This Japanese-influenced food hall offers a variety of options under one roof, ranging from yakitori and sushi to quick-service udon and a more traditional izakaya. Overseeing it all is celebrity chef Makoto Okuwa." - Missy Frederick
"This collection of Japanese spots is serving up plenty of cherry blossom specials, like cherry blossom doughnuts at fast-casual Love on the Run and a Sakurambo Cherry semifreddo to end the an omakase at Dear Sushi. If you’re planning to cuddle up under the cherry blossoms, you can order the Hanami Picnic for two (named after the Japanese spring pastime of relaxing and viewing the blossoms) with 16 pieces of sushi, seaweed salad, two bottles of Ramune, and two cherry blossom doughnuts ($55). Hiya Izakaya is also transforming into a cherry blossom-filled pop-up with a special drinks menu on March 20, including a cherry blossom infused lager, a strawberry rhubarb highball, and a gin-filled raspberry spritz." - Vinciane Ngomsi
