One of the best meals I’ve had since moving to DC. I recommend asking the server to choose a couple dishes for you. And if you’re still not sure, definitely get the scallop carpaccio and Japanese sweet potato. This place reminds me so much of my dining experience in Japan. Great find!
I so wanted to love Izakaya SEKI but our experience fell short of the magic we expected.Upon arriving at the restaurant we noticed right away the signature red lantern was missing from the front; a minor detail but as it turns out a sign of things to come.We were greeted rather rudely by a gentleman who immediately made us feel bad for the 8:15p reservation we made (because other times weren’t available). We asked to be seated at the bar and they obliged. We perused the menu but decided to ask our server for suggestions instead. She was sweet, charming, knowledgeable, and attentive in a very traditional Japanese way.We ordered 7 very interesting dishes ranging from grilled short ribs to fried fish bones. The sashimi was amazing but everything else lacked creativity and nothing was plated in a manner suggesting a quality DC eatery. Overall, these 7 interesting dishes and two glasses of wine cost $175 before a substantial tip. Not too pricey but definitely not cheap.Is it worth the money? Right now it’s not. I may give it another shot but I’ll navigate the menu myself; after looking at it again this morning it appears our lovely server may have been a little too experimental. We missed out on some yummy looking stuff.
Emailed them with a request, owner called back almost immediately! Got some food to go and they were QUICK!! Amazing accommodation, phenomenal service, cute restaurant. Bento boxes are incredible. So tasty. My special treat spot. ?
Its deffo a meal to remember. We sat downstairs at the 'bar' overlooking the kitchen. As foodies this was our preference. i believe upstairs is standard table layout. The food was freshly prepared and presented with love. Lots of people working the kitchen. Service was very informative, attentive and professional. It was probably our mistake to order all the dishes on arrival because our food arrived in very quick succession. It was after we had finished dining that the owner 'Seki' engaged with us. He was in the kitchen throughout constantly scanning to ensure we were enjoying our meal. Its not cheap to eat here. 150 dollars for not a huge amount of food but the quality indisputable. My wife and I didnt feel comfortable in the surrounding area. Its probably fine for the younger crowd but we did feel intimidated. The restaurant is quite away from the centre.
Their food and service used to be a lot better years ago. I used to go there quite often and over time, they slowly diminished in service, taste, and quality of ingredients. Such a shame...I thought that I could expect a Japanese place to maintain a greater dedication to improvement, but alas they did the opposite just like many places in this city, they start good to great and end more on the bad side which is where they are heading.
Pros:Croquettes were fantastic, crispy and creamy.Food arrived very quickly after ordering.Fried baby octopus was seasoned and battered very well.With the exception of 1-2 dishes, the rest of them were quite clearly better than the fare you'll find in most Japanese restaurants. There's been some thought to the dishes and it shows, even if I didn't always find it to be my thing.Cons:One of the most disappointing unagi dishes I've had in my life, considering the price point. We got 3 small squares of unagi and the texture was nothing special. I've had better at cheaper places.Udon with warm dashi was not bad, interesting choice of noodles, but ultimately nothing to write home about.Fried rice was too salty and had too much shiso.Service was quite bad. They didn't refill our waters once until the end when I gave up and asked them for it, they seemed constantly in a rush. They even started wiping down our table while I was still eating, I'm pretty sure I got some bits of food flung at me from that. When we left, there was no acknowledgement, no greeting, the staff just kinda stared at us leave, which is really uncommon especially for a Japanese restaurant. While this seems like nitpicking, for a restaurant at this price point, service of this level is kinda unheard of.In general, the food is good, though the high prices offset that, but then the service is very much subpar for the price.
Cozy. Has classic Japanese おつまみ (otsumami, small plate for mainly drinking occasion). I am so glad that they maintained everything Japanese way - My boyfriend (European) asked for burger, mayonnaise for dipping grilled squid and vanilla flavoured ice cream and they got non of these, which is amazing!!!
Perfect atmosphere, nice Sake selections, even better food, and attentive service. The Mustard Tuna special on 1/14 was one of the best dishes I’ve ever had - full stop. Will be back, will bring friends!
Amazing food! And amazing service! Efrain was so friendly and he recommended outstanding food!
Decent Japanese food, not American Japanese food, which is great. However, the Japanese owner/manager had an attitude the entire evening when we were there. She didn't greet any table with a smile, I guess Covid treated the industry poorly. We ordered a rice ball to go after we finished our meal, she simply threw it on the table. It's kind of sad because Japanese culture takes pride in service and politeness. Maybe it was a bad day for her, I don't know, I wish I knew.