Sakedokoro Makoto

The #1 authentic Japanese food experience. Amazing sushi and appetizers! The mussels are so plump and flavorful, quite possibly the best thing on the menu. Many of the other dishes come across as a little bland and lacking depth. The dessert is quite yummy

Really good Japanese food. I like how courses change based on what is available during the season. You need reservation, I made it about three days in advance. You have to put your credit card info when you make the reservation. The food itself was delicious. I didn’t know you could make veggies taste so delicious, yet so simple and elegant. We celebrated my boyfriend birthday and they gave us a mini tart cake with candle. At the time of reservation , they asked if there was an occasion.

It is a place where you can feel Japan while you are in the United States.Chef's arm is top notch.I was able to have a happy time.I highly recommend the Japanese cuisine of this restaurant with confidence. お父さんの時代からお世話なりました。 ありがとうございます。

Best food I’ve had in DC. A+ but with C- service. Slow. We got one dish then waited forever then a bunch at once. The waiters need to repeat the order back to the customer so they get it right. She wrote down 1 ice cream dessert instead of 2. 1 came out, we asked for another and then it took forever for the kitchen to make. The ice cream melted all over the place as we waited. Definitely some kitchen hold-ups. The mocktails wouldn’t feed a mouse. With all the crushed ice not much at all. Cups are way too small. No soy sauce, wasabi and ginger at the table or given until we asked twice. We ordered a block of tofu that could simply not be served with chopsticks and yet we had no spoon or cutlery with which to serve it (soft tofu that falls apart if you try to eat with chopsticks.) So we had to wait a while for that. Some service ineptitude but magnificent food!!! Yum!!!!

Makoto is an excellent complete dining experience. Be sure to schedule your reservation far in advance, OVER 4 months, and be ready to submit yourself to the chef. Makoto is a tiny traditional upscale Japanese restaurant. Don't come looking for crazy rolls filled with cream cheese and covered in some kind of hot sauce. The sushi here is melt in your mouth simple fish. Makoto is wonderful for intimate and romantic dining. There are very few tables and you find yourself leaning in towards your dining companion talking and marveling at the food as it is delivered to your table. If you order the tasting menu you open yourself up to as they describe it "food should be to fill the soul not the belly." Each course is small but expertly crafted, and delicious. Our meal here was special and truly one of a kind in a sea of many average restaurants.

tldr; most authentic Japanese experience in the DC area. Great service and great food. I visited Sakedokoro Makoto with my fiance for my birthday dinner. The price was around what was expected. +1 star. The waitress met us at the door and gave us slippers for the interior. She was extremely polite and reminded me very much of my eating experiences in Japan. +1 star. The ambiance was also extremely Japanese (wood everywhere) and very tightly squished. +1 star. But the chairs were extremely small and uncomfortable to sit on considering we sat there for maybe four hours. -1 star. Service overall was impeccable. +1 star. But the time between servings was between 30-45 minutes given that there were only two chefs and they were trying to sync all the guests up. -1 star. At the beginning of the meal, they provided some complementary sake, which my fiance said was some of the best liquor he'd ever tasted. +1 star. It's been a while since my visit so I may miss some dishes or place them out of order. Our first dish was a clam soup. The flavor was great, but there was sand in the soup... unacceptable given it's avoidable with good preparation. -1 star. Our second dish was a fish dish cooked to perfection with crispy skin and juicy flesh. +1 star. Our third dish was a sashimi platter that had extremely fresh and delicious slices of fish. +1 star. Our fourth dish was a soft shell tempura crab - not greasy or heavy at all! Came with a side of different salts which were fun to pair. +1 star. Our final entree was fois gras which was cooked so well none of that organ flavor remained. +1 star. As a special birthday surprise, they came out with a small apple tart which was absolutely delicious! +1 star. Total: 7 star.

Went there for our anniversary and Gene prepared everything right in front of us. It was the most amazing, fresh, delicate Japanese food I've ever had. I do plan on going back for this year's anniversary. Thank you so much!

The best Japanese meal I've had in DC. Every course was fantastic. A wonderful, intimate dining experience. Expensive, but highly worth it in my opinion of you can afford it.