From Joseph, the skilled bartender, to the amazing dishes we ate, it was everything I could have wanted in an Izakaya experience. This is not a sushi place. This is a small, intimate, Upscale bar, with Drinks prices to match. The yakitori tasted so good. We were lucky enough that torikawa, grilled chicken skins, were on the specials. Why don't more places sell chicken skin? The chilled Cucumber was my unexpected favorite. Crunchy garlic and chilli threads with crunchy Japanese cucumber is something I want more of now. The smashed pee-wee potatoes had a wonderful beefy flavor. My one downside is the portion size of the chicken kara-age was a bit disappointing for the price; the small bowl was mostly tasty bits of deep fried skin, with about two chunks of actual chicken meat . It tasted great but was not what I expected for the price. Over all, I had such a great meal here I want to go back and try lunch or brunch.
The vegetarian ramen bowl was perfect. Daikaya is a small space. I loved the people; the hostess, waiter and cooks! I was sitting at the lunch counter and in the middle of all the action. The scraping of the steel pan on the grill over huge open flames, loud rap music and orders shouted by the waiters transported me to somewhere else. As I was leaving, the waiter told me in half English and half some other language (but I understood him), he said "remember, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." He was delightful. Wish I had had more time, but I was rushing. I'll definitely be back.
Best Ramen on the East Coast! Can’t wait to go back. Impressive kitchen, fun staff, lines out the door but short wait and totally worth it. If you are in DC you must make a point to go there. We were driving from Richmond to Philly and spent an extra hour and a half detour just to go there!
Get there, put in your name and explore while you wait...the wait is worth it. Great food, fast friendly service and a killer playlist. A new favorite in the city especially on these cold days! We did veggie with spice bomb and it was incredible, thanks guys!
Incredible ambience, eclectic music, friendly staff and awesome food. It is a great place to decompress with great sake.
This wa such a refreshing dining experience! Every bite was innovative and absolutely delicious. The waitress, Mary, couldn't have been more well informed and helpful in selecting some fantastic plates. She even brought us a celebratory glass of champagne. So unexpected but so thoughtful. You just don't fine this kind of creativity and amazing service anymore and we delighted in every minute!
Daikaya is one of my favorite ramen spots in the country! Hands down the best in DC! It's must try for anyone that loves ramen! ��
Friendly service. Bustling atmosphere. Fun tunes. Most importantly, the best vegan ramen I’ve tried. Back soon!
I get the vegetarian ramen everytime and it's always amazing, with extra seaweed and the vegan spice bomb
Was our last night in DC, and what a fantastic choice for dinner. Left full and happy and our server suggested what to get and was spot on. Great ramen and having butter and corn as a topping was perfect. Our little one enjoyed her side of noodles. Definitely would go back!
Service was quick.
Ramen was delicious!
Sitting at the bar demystified how it can be prepared so quickly.
I would’ve like even 1 more noodle option but the noodles were chewy and cooked perfectly.
My proteins were cold when they arrived so I had to submerge them in broth to get hot.
Service size was perfect, I finished my bowl without feeling stuffed but course saved the rest if I wasn’t as hungry.
Edit: to clarify I was upstairs. On the second floor. That part requires a reservation.
The food was FANTASTIC. Absolutely good. Would 100% come back. The server was super friendly. She was super patient with us.
This place is definitely the best place to go to Japanese food. This place and their other restaurants that are connected together. The chicken was breaded nicely, the sauce was sweet but not overbearing, and the lemon really brought it together. It was so good I almost forgot to take a picture.
I literally have nothing negative to say. It was beyond my expectations.
Came in for lunch around noon, surprisingly not busy! Service is relatively quick for how busy it gets. Ramen is cooked well with a rich smoky broth and noodles cooked to be firm. Only downside is they do not give a lot of meat with the order, I'd recommend paying a little extra to garnish with an egg.
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I went here for Restaurant Week today and had a great experience! I had the Kaki Fry, Braised Eggplant, Udon, Cream Stew, and Zenzai. The food was wonderful. The oysters were served with a delicious egg salad on top. The eggplant was in a delicious soy broth. The udon noodles were wonderful, and the fried tofu soaked in all the broth. The cream stew was rich and a great mix of sweet and savory. The zenzai wasn't very sweet, and I liked the earthiness of it. My only criticism is that the mochi in it wasn't very good - I've had much better mochi (texture and flavor wise). I went with two other people and so was able to sample all the other dishes as well. The croquettes were a little plain - I think the filling could have used some more salt or some kind of seasoning. The sweet potato was delicious, but no different than when I make it at home - I wonder if something could have been done to make it feel more unique. Everyone loved the curry and thought it was a wonderful comfort dish. The taiyaki (fish shaped pancake filled with red bean paste) was also very good - I've never had one deep fried before, but it certainly didn't hurt the flavor. We agreed that it reminded us of funnel cakes at a fair, which is definitely not normally the case with taiyaki, but it was still delicious!
I'm excited to come back and try the regular menu after trying these dishes, and it was incredible value to get 5 full courses for $40. Portions were generous, and I really appreciated how cohesive the theme was. The waitress wasn't as informed about the food, but I think that's understandable with a completely original menu for Restaurant Week. The decorations inside are beautiful, and I appreciated that we could carry on a conversation - a lot of restaurants are too loud to even talk to the people around you. Overall, a great experience, and I think I picked the right things on the menu.
Daikaya was a great overall experience. The food was fantastic. The pizza was insanely good. We also had several appetizers and drinks.
Good for quick ramen fix but definitely a different experience since it is bar-style! I enjoyed the food, though it was a skimp on the pork slices, they supplement with ground meat.
Great pork based ramen with quick service. A huge portion which is very filling. Walk in usually has 30min wait, do take reservation if possible
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My wife and I stopped in for dinner. They have a few booths, but most of the restaurant has communal seating which means you are sitting at a table with other people. I realize this is typical Japanese style seating for a Ramen shop, but I’m not a fan of not only sitting next to people I don’t know but also across from people I don’t know. That’s just my preference. With that said, I don’t have any other complaints about this place and the Ramen is so good, I’ll sit with other people and eat if I have to. I ordered the Shoyu Ramen and extra noodles and it was excellent. I normally end up with a lot of broth left after eating the noodles, so having the extra noodles was nice since I just dropped them in after I was done with the noodles that came with the Ramen. My wife ordered the super spicy Shoyu Ramen and said it was great and actually a good spice level for her. It was much more spicy than most other ramen shops. One thing I noticed and appreciated was the temperature of the Ramen was perfect. I’ve been to some places where it was so hot you needed to wait 15 minutes before eating it. The server was really nice and had a pleasant personality. We also each ordered a Sapporo. The total bill came to $79 and that included an automatic 20% tip. I didn’t have a problem with the automatic tip since the food and service was really good. You have the option of letting them know you don’t want to pay a 20% tip and they will allow you to give the tip you want. I recommend this Ramen shop and we will go back again if in the area.
Keep in mind they don’t take reservations. We did not have to wait for a seat at 7:00pm on a Monday evening but I bet it’s different on weekends.
We found this place by accident and we're so glad we did! The Ramen was delicious (I had the vegan option!). The portions were huge. We could not finish the whole bowl. And the price was great for a downtown restaurant. Will definitely go back!
Kind staff let people shelter in the restaurant during a storm. Even though it meant people were standing in the aisles. Good display of humanity.
Ramen was tasty. Noodles were bouncy. I would definitely get the fried gyozas again.
The super spicy ramen had real kick. Not inedible kick. But it is not for novices.
The store was pretty small. It was my first time trying japanese noodle. The soup was pretty good but HOT spicy I liked Takoyaki though.
Don’t get me wrong, this place was good but for the long wait and craziness at the door I was definitely expecting more. The Spicy Miso was tasty and all but I’ve had better. I probably wouldn’t go again tbh. Too long of a wait and for a bowl of ramen I can find somewhere else.
A friend recommended the Shoyu ramen. It didn't disappoint. The flavor was complex and exquisite. My friend adds pork belly, I added extra veggies. It may be the best I've ever had. I also tried the Shio and it was good, but more typical and not near as good as the Shoyu.
The Ramen was good. We tried 2 + 2 appetizers. It felt like the waiter (and waitress because we had 2) just disappeared simultaneously and right after our food was served. Empty restaurant at 2pm but waited over 20 minutes for napkins and second order of drinks. Their spicy Ramen will humble you like a Mike Tyson punch.
THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST VEGGIE RAMEN I EVER HAD!!!🥹🌱 The broth is very flavorful, the topping are all well-seasoned and stir-fried. I appreciate the vegan spicy bomb option. And the server is very helpful by suggesting me getting the onsen egg instead of the nitamago as a better vegetarian option.
And if you’re a big fan of spicy soup, you should really try their super spicy shoyu ramen while it’s still available! It’s super flavorful and burning spicy at the same time! My hubby was covered with sweat and happy tears after finishing his bowl lol!
The ramen house can be packed at dinner time, try to make it slightly before the busy time if you can to catch a seat especially if you have a bigger party.
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