Sakerum

New review in 2020: I’m so sad Sakerum is closed. It is my favorite Japanese restaurant, even though there are several more expensive ones. Can anyone tell me where the owner/chef goes? Will they still be in the DMV area. Hope they open another restaurant and keep some of the most popular dishes. 🙏 Review from 2019. So tasty!! My after work pleasure place.

Amazing atmosphere and attentive staff. The sushi however was a bit of a miss. The wasabe was dried out making it impossible to handle. The Toro and "quick seared/smoked" salmon were amazing though and for me saved an otherwise underwhelming food experience. We will give it another try and check out the upstairs because it has a great vibe.

Sakerum is a Japanese restaurant that specializes in izakaya and sushi. The dimmed lighting made the environment more intimate. The walls by the entrance were black with a colorful, floral handpainted mural. After checking in with the hostess, we were seated at a four top by the entrance. Our server fixed the issue with our wobbly tables. Since they didn't have hot sake, we shared a bottle of Kikusui Perfect Snow Unfiltered Sake. In addition to cold sake, I got a hot tea, which was a Stash Decaf Earl Grey with Honey. For hot dishes, we ordered Yakitori, Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Skewers, Sliced Grilled Short Ribs, and Brussels Sprouts. We couldn't really tell the difference between Yakitori and Teriyaki Glazed Chicken due to the similar flavors. I liked how the meat was tender and quite flavorful. The Sliced Grilled Short Ribs were sliced, placed onto of sushi rice, and finished with a chimichurri salsa drizzle. I liked the way the short ribs were presented but wish the meat was more rare. The Brussel Sprouts were sauteed with red onion, garlic, and lime in a sweet and savory brown sauce. For the cold dishes, we shared Chirashi. The dish consisted of a bowl of sushi rice topped with diced salmon, tuna, and yellowtail, uni, ikura, quail egg, seaweed salad, fresh wasabi, and pickled ginger. I liked the chef's selection of fish and how fresh the fish was. For rolls, we shared the Osaka Kanikama Roll, California Roll, Yellowtail and Scallion Roll, and Kumo Roll. The Osaka Kanikama Roll consisted of shrimp tempura and avocado, topped with cucumber, crab, scallions, rice cracker, tobiko, unagi sauce, and kewpie aioli. It was delicious. The California Roll consisted of crab, avocado, and cucumber wrapped in seaweed and sushi rice, and finished with sesame seeds. It was classic and good. The Yellowtail and Scallion Roll consisted of yellowtail and scallion wrapped in sushi rice and seaweed. The Kumo Roll consisted of fried soft shell crab, micro green, seaweed salad, and avocado, wrapped in sushi rice and seaweed, dusted with ichimi pepper, and served in goma creamy sesame dressing, unagi sauce and spicy sauce. Before ordering the Kumo Roll, we asked the server if it was spicy and he said no. When we received it, one of us tried it and thought it was way too spicy for us. We brought it up to our server and asked if we could get it remade without the spicy ingredients. The remade version was much better but I didn't understand why shichimi torgarashi was still sprinkled on it.

[2018] Update: The sushi at this place still holds up, and it's hot spot for a great dinner date. But, after intensely going through many, many restaurants in DC, I took off a star because 5 star should be reserved for the elite (Taro, Mini, Kobo). I still very much like this restaurant for its swanky-champagne-sip-blazer atmosphere and great sushi though. [2017] Pros: what might be the best quality sushi in all of DC, you can not go wrong with perfect pieces of nigiri sushi. Half price sake Sundays, and good appetizers only add to the deliciousness. Friendly service also deserves a nod. [2017] Cons: with such high quality sushi, expect a price point to match. Dim hip lighting isn't the standard when it comes to the normally zen practice of perfect sushi eating. [2017] Bottom line: if you are not going to the chef's table at sushi taro, you should be coming here for sushi.

Love going here on Sunday evenings to their rooftop for good happy hour deals ($5 special menu), so I'm so excited they are part of Seated now! Their rooftop is great to hang out in winter or summer, the roof panels can move so that it is exposed on nice days. Sunday's are also half off all bottles of sake which is a fantastic deal. The food is great and service is also great! However, they are currently undergoing bar menu transition with a new bar manager and they are out of stock on many of their items on the drinks menu, so keep that in mind.

Went there to celebrate my birthday, the place is excellent both for food or for a more party mood on the bar upstairs. The sushi was really delicious (as were the cocktails and the wine)! We were really pleased by the overall quantity and quality of the menu options and its price. The service was excellent and polite. Stefanos, the owner, was himself involved, showing a genuine hospitality and personal interest to keep us pleased. Our friends and guests really loved the place and had a great time. Would definitely recommend it for such occasions!