Milan WANG

I recently dined here, and the food is both visually stunning and mouthwatering. The 35 cm Jumbo Fried Shrimp is a real showstopper—crispy, golden, and uniquely presented. Each dish looks thoughtfully plated with fresh greens, vibrant garnishes, and appealing colors. The cozy lighting adds to the warm atmosphere, making the experience all the more memorable. Highly recommended if you’re craving both flavor and fantastic presentation!

Angeladevi Ayers

We were craving some authentic Japanese cuisine. Brought my sister who was visiting from TX and my daughter to Ko Japanese restaurant in DuPont Circle. It's literally less than 3 minutes walk from the Metro station. We ordered the Lychee martinis and hot green tea. For appetizers, we had edamame, fried tofu which came fried served in a delicious sauce. We used the sauce on our steamed rice afterwards! My sister and daughter had the potato croquettes which had minced beef in it. Not too much, just the right portion. For the main course, we had the grilled mackerel, minced beef katsu (cutlets), tempura, and the jumbo fried shrimp. Each dish was served with steamed rice and soup. The tempura was not like any other tempura and were not overly breaded. The shrimp was soooooo good and crispy! They did not stinge on the minced beef in the katsu. I kept joking that they were beef cakes . The mackerel was fresh and delicious. Finally we had the warm matcha chiffon cake that was topped with red beans and whip cream. I have never had anything that delicious! Note to all, Asian desserts are not too sweet so please know that when you order the cake. The staff were so friendly and knowledgeable. We were there for a late lunch and on a Saturday. We were seated immediately and were even graced by the Japanese chef and owner who checked in on us. I highly recommend this restaurant. It is not your usual Japanese restaurant in your neighborhood. This is the real deal and genuine experience and authentic Japanese food. Certain dishes may take a little longer because food preparation is an art form and you can tell from the presentation. Our dishes did not take long and food temperature was hot. We drove 2 hours and then took the Metro (13 stops). Yes, they are that good! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 Now it's time to walk the food off 😆. I'm the biggest in the group. You can trust me cos I love good food

+7

Bill Speiden

As authentic as dining in Tokyo. We went to Japan last year and have always wanted to find a place here that does authentic Japanese cuisine. This place went above and beyond that. Had the full kaiseki meal and it was amazing. The sushi is fresh and the tempura is not heavily battered just like traditional Japanese tempura. Everything was delicious. I will definitely come back again.

+4

Amanda Hu

Wonderful, authentic Japanese restaurant in the heart of DC. It’s on the second floor above a Thai restaurant. The space is quite large with a small bar as well. It’s clean and servers/managerial staff are very polite. The tempura here is absolutely authentic. I would come back just for this. Their sushi is also very fresh and tasty. Prices are very reasonable and I’ll be back to try more dishes here.

Tami

This is an authentic Japanese restaurant run by a Japanese chef. I had the jumbo fried shrimp, omakase salad and mochi ice cream. I was impressed by the quality and authenticity of the food. The jumbo fried fish with a wonderful homemade tarter sauce is a must try. It also came with a bunch of finely shredded cabbage, soup, rice and Japanese pickles. The salad was fresh and delicious!! I loved the dressing!! It’s a brand new restaurant and so clean. I was able to speak to many of the staff in Japanese! They were so friendly and attentive! I will be back soon!!

+1

Wilson Fujinaga

Cute place in DuPont w some niche Japanese dishes that were quite good. Pretty limited selection and lack of hot sake was a bit of a bummer, but what they did serve was quite delish and very filling.

Georgi B.

I really, really enjoyed this restaurant's food and service. The food was high quality, home made and delicious. 🙏🏽🙂‍↕️ The service was outstanding. Our waitress was so kind and attentive. I cannot say a bad thing about the experience. The only reason I am rating a 4/5 is because I think it is just a tad bit expensive. I would definitely return and recommend to anyone. 🥰☺️

Sonya Hu

Wonderful spot for outstanding and authentic Japanese food! I visited Ko Japanese Dining with a couple friends for a Saturday morning brunch after another friend told us it was the best Japanese food she ever had in DC. It absolutely lived up to the hype! It was pretty quiet when we arrived, so we had our pick of seats; we selected a spot next to a window where we could overlook the rest of Dupont. It was cozy and simple, and the food was outstanding. I got the grilled mackerel, which included two beautifully grilled fillets with a side of miso soup, rice, and diced radish. The fish was remarkably fresh and super tender, and it was super flavorful on its own but also paired well with the soy sauce and sides of radish or lemon. They offer two different types of mackerel (white and blue), and I ended up getting the saba / blue mackerel at the server's recommendation. My friends sampled their spicy salmon roll, shiromi fry (fried fish), and oyakodon, all of which were outstanding. The spicy salmon roll was simple but well-executed, with super fresh fish and a great kick of spice. The shiromi fry was perfect, with the super tender, flaky fish encased in an addictively crispy and slightly salty shell. The oyakodon was incredibly tender and flavorful, and it both looked and felt like pure comfort in a bowl. The menu is a smidge pricey, but the portions are really generous and the everything is crafted with precision and care.

YS J

TikTok: sunsyooniverse Overall rating 4.5/5 Finally found a Japanese restaurant in DC that's worth going to without feeling I overspent. It's run by a Japanese chef who knows how to do proper Japanese food. We were impressed by the karaage. First of all, the four pieces we got were HUGE, and it was tender and delicious. The batter wasn't too thick and it was fried very well. Some parts I tasted a bit burnt but it was very minimal. We also got cucumber salad with sesame oil + salt, and they give you a lot of quality sesame oil. But the cucumber salad is not actually worth getting in my opinion, even though it's refreshing. Then, we got chef's choice sashimi platter set A. Some tuna, salmon, and this fish called 'Thai' (?) was SO good. Very quality fish. The soup that came out with the sashimi was OK, not the best I've tasted. The rice was not the kind of rice I expected - it was more mushy than firm. Then, we got tamago rolls, which were soft and delicious, but tad too sweet for my taste. After, we got this matcha affogato, but it wasn't quite matcha affogato... disappointed in the amount of matcha in the ice cream. It was just vanilla ice cream. They should put thicker matcha to get that matcha flavor out of it. Overall, solid Japanese restaurant in DC and I would love to try their brunch menu soon.

+3

Y. X

Nice atmosphere and great service! We ordered Oyakodon and chicken katsudon. Oyakodon was horrible, the chicken is the worst I’ve ever had, not fresh at all, sorry but it really smelled like piss. I’m not even sure it’s chicken. Menu price is high considering it’s mostly regular common ingredients. Chicken Katsudon was delicious.