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In today’s review… we’ll cover a low-key, yet well located, Japanese sushi bar and restaurant, hidden in an upstairs space off of 14th St NW near Logan Circle that’s a good space to get away from the crowds and snack on the tuna tartare.

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The Ratings

Our simple & honest checklist covers a restaurant’s key ingredients:
Ambiance, Service, and Food.

6.5/10

When you spot Ammathar Thai Cuisine, look to its right and there will be the door that takes you upstairs to Takara 14. As you walk up the stairs, you’ll be sitting one floor above the street level. The restaurant’s glass windows are outlined with fake pink cherry blossoms, giving the restaurant a cute Japanese-DC aesthetic. Even though the restaurant has a sushi bar, it is relatively small, so be prepared to dine at a table (which is also a good thing given the restaurant’s layout with the sushi bar near the entrance/stairs).

7/10

Waitstaff were nice, polite, and quick to get our orders, serve us our food, and refill our drinks. Yet, perhaps we shouldn’t have come around on Halloween weekend because while some of the waiters’ costumes were in good taste and matched the restaurant’s theme… well, one in particular was quite odd: a scantily clad bunny — definitely not appropriate & good thing she wasn’t our waitress throughout the night.

7/10

Finding a delicious sushi restaurant in DC is difficult, especially one that doesn’t set you back hundreds of dollars for a special Omakase treat. Whereas Takara 14 does offer some more affordable Omakase selections (such as the 8-piece nigiri tasting for $50), we don’t necessarily recommend it because the fish’s quality is not that remarkable. It’s fine, but not worth splurging on the nigiri or sashimi. We’d recommend you focus on ordering small plates and rolls that fill you up and satisfy your sushi craving. For instance, we tried a variation of their nigiris from the Akami, Hamachi, and Salmon. These were fine, but pretty standard in taste. The Eel Roll, Yellowtail Scallion Roll, and Peridot House Roll were all up to par and enjoyable. What threw us for a loop though was the Tuna Tartare. Wow — now that was a pleasant surprise and we highly recommend you do not forgo this dish on your visit. The tuna’s distinct and delicious flavor brought by the honey gochujang, granny smith apples, and quail egg is simply phenomenal (and yes, we will be trying to replicate this one at home). To top it off, the seaweed tempura is a crunchy delight that we haven’t seen in many restaurants — a great alternative to crackers typically served with tartares and pokés.

Reservation & Menu: