Two Nine

From the flavor profiles to the ambiance to the mise en place, the experience that comes from dining at Two Nine, with Chef Zach and Amy is truly out of this world. Everything was carefully and well thought out. Chef Zach and Amy didn’t just host an out of this world dinner experience, but they got to know a little about each of the guests. 5 total at the pop up location. Intimate, intentional and delicious. I will always recommend anyone going to DC to stop by and dine with Chef Zach and Amy at Two Nine.

TwoNine Omakase blew me away. Tucked inside a food court, this spot serves up mind-blowing Japanese cuisine that you'd never expect. Chef Zach and Amy are culinary magicians, crafting every bite with insane skill. The service is warm, the food is next-level, and they're about to open a new spot that's going to be incredible. Trust me, you need to try this place.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

We enjoyed a 17-course omakase with Chef Zach. Reservation was straightforward on opentable. We started off with a few appetizers including local sources vegetables and dishes with Hawaiian influence like (not your average) lomi salmon. We had a gorgeous sashimi plate and then began our nigiri courses and ended with special white plum as dessert. My husband also opted for sake pairing. We thoroughly enjoyed the meal and the atmosphere. Since it's a pop up, the meal was very intimate and it was a 'barrier free' experience where we witnessed chef Zach's actions up close and personal. We got to learn more about chef Zach, his vision, his background and roots, the pottery, the sake, the fish, the rice etc. Chef Zach is very down to earth, very cool and friendly. Every bit (including the salt, the garnish) of our meal has a story behind it which we love! The highlights were: 1) the sushi rice. It was special, the taste, the texture, the temperature, everything was on point. 2) the hint of Hawaiian culture and taste. We love Hawaiian food and culture. We got married in Hawaii and served Japanese/Hawaiian reception dinner menu at our wedding so this bit feels very close and dear to our hearts 3) the thoughtfulness in preparing each of our fish (cure or not, how to cure? How long? How to cut the fish etc.) 4) the vibe and experience itself. You will need to go try it and see for yourself. We can't wait to go back to the popup and hopefully the permanent location will open soon enough! Thank you for a great evening, Chef Zach 🙏🍣

Went to two nine for the omakase experience with my husband and my friend. The counter is small and doesn't accommodate more than 4 people. So the dinner was very intimate and we talked to the chef while he was preparing our food. The food was fresh and delicious. On first glance, omakase is an expensive experience. But once you get there, the omakase price feels like a bargain. For almost 2 hours, the 3 of us were served by 4 people. The food was delicious and imported from all over the world. It was definitely a treat for us but it was worth every penny.

Very unique progressive omakase. Good progression of fresh seasonal fish, including a number of very uncommon courses. Looking forward to the permanent new restaurant!

best omakase in the area

Good pop-up omakase bar inside a food hall (?) on Grace Street. The ambiance wasn't the best, but my friend and I enjoyed our experience this past weekend watching Chef Zach create and shape our dinner right in front of our eyes. The base omakase starts at 180pp and we also got the extra uni nigiris (three different types of uni at different tiers) for an additional 50pp. It was hard to remember everything we ordered since there was no menu (would recommend having a slip of paper of all the offerings if possible) so I'll highlight several of my favorites from our omakase experience. I enjoyed the small plates of appetizers we first started with, especially the raw octopus. The flavor profile of each plate was different compared to one another, all full of flavor in subtle and umami-filled ways. I also thoroughly enjoyed the chawanmushi, which had a nice dashi broth and made with black soy beans (sorry, can't remember the woah! ingredient) that was very delicious. The egg was very soft and fluffy, and I wish I had more of it. We had six pieces of sashimi (bluefin tuna, hirame and madai) along with several nigiris (mostly fish that I've never head of) with varying styles -- some more traditional with just rice, a bit of wasabi, topped with lightly braised fish, and others have mild toppings to it like sea salt, lemon juice, Hawaiian chili peppers, scallions, etc. Most of the fish were imported from Hokkaido! My favorite nigiris had to be the New Zealand salmon belly (got to be the best salmon I've had), crab topped with mustard created from dashi and the head of a crab (very "sea fresh sweet" and creamy). We also had some soup (made of sake) with some fish in between that was very good. The flavor was very mellow with a strong sake flavor initially, but as I continued to sip more of it, I was able to enjoy the depth of the soup which had bits of fermented rice after taste. The chutoro nigiri was so good -- buttery and melted in your mouth, but still enough for you to chew and enjoy (so a good middle group between regular tuna and otoro). The gizzard shad we had was pickled and it was SALTY but in a good, flavorful way. Lastly, we enjoyed a negitoro hand roll (so good and so creamy) which was made using otoro and red sea urchin from Hokkaido (so good). At this point, my friend and I were sold as Chef Zach showed us three other selections of unis he had in stock and we didn't hesitate to get the additional unis. The hirayama sea urchin was so creamy and sweet. The purple sea urchin was creamier than the last two and was a bit stickier. The last sea urchin we ate was apparently the most pricy one (usually sold 32pp) because it has no preservatives. The thicc texture melted in my mouth instantly and it was gone pretty soon. I wish I could savor it a bit more, haha. I like uni, but not sure it was worth an additional 50pp for three bites. We ended the night with some aromatic Kyoto hojicha which was very fragrant and roasty. It had the perfect water/tea ratio. We also had some Japanese castella topped with Kona coffee cream, which was a tasty end to our meal. While we had a great experience and the food were all phenomenal, I am giving Two Nine a 4/5 because we were not full even with the additional unis on top of the omakase experience. Overall, I'm glad we got to try it and we're excited to see Two Nine move to a brick and mortar hopefully soon!

Been following Zach and Amy since their pop-ups at Mess Hall (the first event we went to was a whole tuna cutting!!), and we've been lucky to experience a Homakase hosted by them. All I can say is I'm one of the pickiest sushi/sashimi lovers around; I've eaten at sushi places all over the US and Japan and I dream of their bowls. Yes the price point is high especially for takeout style, but the quality, freshness, variety, and care that they put into their bowls and desserts is unmatched. You can't get sashimi/chirashi bowls like this anywhere else in the DMV area. They're beautiful to look at and delicious to eat! Gluttony is my favorite bowl because it has some of my favorite sashimis: tuna, ikura (salmon roe), uni (sea urchin), scallops, and an extra seasonal item - I believe this time it was monkfish liver which I liked. The tamago is wonderfully prepared, only slightly savory with a dollop of umami (soy?) radish. The puff de nata - omg. It was like an egg tart crossed with melon pan (a Japanese sweet bun that's slightly crispy), and a creme puff. Not too sweet, not too heavy, but a really nice finish to the meal. The great thing about this Grace Street location is the ability to sit down and eat instead of takeout only at Mess Hall. It's on my list to try their omakase offering. I can't wait to see everything they do and for the permanent spot to open up in spring 2024. Pre-order online! Follow them on Instagram for info about the specials and desserts and drinks available that week.

Small pop up as they build out their new store! It's actually in a food hall so there's only a small counter of maybe 5 seats but since it is a food hall there's seating a little ways away as well. The staff was so friendly and they actually surprised us with free scoop of like hagaan Daz ice cream and a candle for his birthday! They offer custom hand drawn cards too! The fish was super fresh and tasty and comparable to some places in New York (but not one of the top tier ones) I especially loved their tuna and Ikura which is seasoned! The rice is seasoned as well but not like regular sushi rice so it was still a bit on the plainer side. I also got to try their snapper bone broth which was really light and tasted not fishy but more mushroomy.

So worth the value here!!! Highly recommend coming for their lunch special. The 5 nigiri comes with a drink, soup, and onigiri for only $30! The staff is such a joy. They're super friendly and it's amazing watching them craft these masterpieces. You can tell that they put a lot of care into these bowls. I really enjoyed the Gluttony!!! Amazing cuts so fresh and delicious.

Cute pop up space on grace with delicious fresh fish. I cannot wait until the permanent space opens.

two nine is a pop up by ama ami, which will be opening up as a permanent store later this year. they offer a variety of chirashi and nigiri options with some special menu items as well, and japanese snacks/desserts. on fridays and saturdays they have a $27 lunch special for their mini chirashi and $25 nigiri (pictured below). they mostly operate take out, japanese canteen style. would love if they served bentos in the future! the staff is friendly and i'm looking forward to their growth.

Two Nine is a restaurant by Chefs Zach and Amy, an omakase and cafe concept nestled in G-town. Their 31st location is currently closed for construction, so you can find them at their temporary pop-up off of Grace Street that features other eateries. Their menu offers various chirashi options: +Tokujo - a premium set +Salmon - Ora King from New Zealand +Gluttony - includes toro, hotate, uni, ikura, and a 'seasonal surprise' +Bukkake - with toro, uni, and ikura +Bara - a classic set +and, Tekka - with bluefin fatty and lean tuna We tried the Bukkake, that included toro, uni, and ikura the set was aesthetically pleasing, well-presented, and fresh! Keep a lookout on their social medias, as they're pretty good with updates; I'd love to return to try out their lunch special, as they feature items like saikyo yaki salmon. Staff were friendly and efficient. Make sure you place orders online for a takeaway. Limited restricted parking available in the area. +chirashi sets +order ahead online +features lunch specials +limited restricted street parking available

Wow! What a magical experience. Chef Zach prepared an amazing 15+ course Hawaiian Sushi dinner for us with a custom sake pairing. Some of the very best sushi I've ever had and every flavor, fish, dish, and decoration in Two Nine has a story and history. Each dish is presented beautifully with great attention to detail. Chef lead us on a masterful tour of Japan (and Hawaii and the world) as we sampled appetizer, soup, nigiri, sashimi, and dessert courses! Standouts for us were the 3 different cuts and preparation styles of amberjack, fatty tuna sashimi, fresh roe dishes, and exquisite sake pairing.