Sushi Ogawa

It was the only sushi place opened at 4pm, so decided to give it a shot. Swing and a miss.

2 pieces that were really good but overall missing the mark significantly. Ambiance and service, less of a priority for me, but was pretty unpleasant.

Good: the hotate with yuzu and the shrimp was very fresh, tasty and well marinated. The acidic of the yuzu definitely brought out the taste of the hotate.

Bad: the tuna was fibrous and a little stale tasting, the unidentified white fish roll was very tasteless, ikura tasted like bland plastic with soy sauce.

Service: I was the only customer at 4pm and the server did a really poor job explaining the menu or the offerings. I flagged that there was a sharp piece of shell in my uni and there was no offer to feedback to the chef or resolve the problem. They also have a set 20% service charge.

Ambiance: normally places with less ideal ambiance surprise you with the best food but this was not one of them. The minute you walk in, it smells like a dirty wet market, the tablecloth and ambiance was aged and dingy, fruit flies everywhere for some reason.

If you are going to Ogawa, you are going because you are a sushi lover - maybe even aficionado. So you will appreciate a comparison to the other top sushi place in town, Nakazawa. They both offer genuinely excellent Omakase experiences but are very different. Ogawa is much more laid back. It has a low key dining room where the service is not exceptional, but you can order a la carte or order a smaller omakase offering. This is fine. There is nothing wrong with this experience. There is no stress and it's nice to have an Omakase experience in this price range. But it would be nice if the staff on this side of the restaurant knew a bit more about the fish that was being served. They really do not know anything... and sometimes this is frustrating.

Then there is the sushi bar. This is significantly more expensive, but also a much finer experience. At least in cost, this is fairly similar to Nakazawa, but the experience is much less formal. The room is warmer and cozier. The chef (Kevin) and his apprentice (Peter) are friendly and talkative, but only talkative if you want to engage with them, not in an intrusive way. On this side, the service is much more personal and intimate, necessarily. The quality of the fish was top notch, and the offerings were on par but different from Nakazawa's.

Ogawa did not have a wine list that I recall; but their sake list was good. The Ken Katsuyama sake was maybe $125 and outstanding. A splurge but it was for a special occasion. I feel as though a similar quality sake at Nakazawa would probably be marked up a bit more.

Overall, Ogawa is a wonderful sushi establishment. On par with Nakazaw, just different. Despite similar pricing at a base level, Nakazawa feels more like a special occasion restaurant and Ogawa feels like the type of place you could just swing by on a free evening. If you sit at the bar, talk with Kevin.

Cyndy's Bottom Line: ok sushi

*Reservations on TOCK for prepaid omakase or
Sushi A La Carte in dining room. $25.00 deposit non refundable
*Street parking if you are lucky otherwise use car service

This is what we ate/drank:
*Kirin beer and sake were complimentary since the $25.00 deposit is non refundable, kanpai! Mahalo.

*Shrimp tempura (2) pieces
The shrimp was cooked perfectly. The tempura batter was light and flat with no crispiness.

*Extra Special Sushi Assortment
30 Chef selection pieces of nigiri sushi; including salmon roe (ikura) and sea urchin (uni) with two rolls.
We enjoyed most of the sushi. The standouts were the hamachi, sake, and toro nigiri. Surprised to be served the knifejaw fish which is a fish that I normally do not have a desire to eat raw.

The dining room is comfortable except for
the black gnats flying around. Makes for an entertaining challenge of catching a gnat with your chopsticks.

A wonderful Omakase experience in Washington, D.C. Superbly fresh and meticulously prepared. Hats off to the staff who were so warm and welcoming. A small piece of Japan in the Nation's Capital.

Very serviceable if you're into great quality and hard to source fish. No frills and pricey, so expect that. I was very impressed by the generous portions. Definite return

Wow! What a fantastic experience. Sushi Ogawa is hands-down my favorite sushi in DC, and could definitely hold their own in comparison to top sushi restaurants across the country.

I visited about 30 minutes before closing, and while there was some discussion about whether we were too late to enter, they decided to seat my group of 3. There were no customers to be found, so I'm not sure what the concern was, but it worked out well for us.

As we were told we needed to eat/order quickly, we were a teeny bit rushed in deciding, but I honestly think there is no going wrong with this menu! The freshness of this fish was absolutely incredible, and everything we ordered was fantastic.

I would highly recommend the salmon nigiri and any of the grades of fatty tuna. Wow! Like, eye-rolling wow. Melt in your mouth heaven! The salmon and toro rolls were excellent, and I'm always excited by a California roll with real crab!

Definitely plan ahead if you have a group and are visiting during prime time! Reservations are easy through the restaurant's website. You can also order online for pickup or delivery through the restaurant directly.

I will absolutely be back the next time I'm in town, and I am already looking forward to trying the omakase.

Oh My God!!! The best sushi you will ever eat! You will pay the price for the quality... it is also the most expensive sushi you will ever eat. I was surprised that on our second visit the service slipped a bit... we had to ask for soy sauce and wasabi! I was also surprised to see a 20% tip included... I almost doubled it! Be warned. The sushi is so good these complaints are nothing! Worth every penny!

Great sushi and small dishes. The quality was good. I didn't feel too full with too much rice.
Will definitely recommend and go back to try again.

I've only been here once, and the good thing is that the sushi is normally twice as large as those that you have in normal sushi stores. That being said, the fish taste mediocre for the price that you pay, and by mediocre, I meant that it's not as fresh but at the same time it's not bad. It's just as if they cut the fish the day before and froze it overnight only to take it back out to serve the next day. There's not a lot to distinguish in taste between each piece of sashimi. Ultimately, the service and staff are really accommodating, and they bring out the food faster than expected.

Service is 8/10, and sushi is 6/10.

Loved this tons of food and fish was fresh the ambiance was a little flat but the food and saki made up for it... this is a must go!