“SHOTO is Opening this Week!” Peek Inside

15th and L Street, NW photo by Donna “Soft opening…not to public yet, so great to see this.”

From a press release:

“SHOTO is slated to open its doors this week at the new Midtown Center development (1100 15th St NW) located in the heart of downtown Washington, DC.

SHOTO will serve a contemporary and sophisticated twist on the traditional Japanese izakaya style of informal dining.

photo by Rey Lopez

After dominating the international scene in cities such as London, New York, Miami, Dubai, and Hong Kong, SHOTO will be the first of Arjun Waney’s many brands to be launching in Washington DC, and will be led by founder and managing martner Arman Naqi, who grew up in the area.

photo by Rey Lopez

Menu Highlights:

Dinner –
Omakase menu – An extensive selection of dishes chosen by executive chefs Kwang
and Conti, offered at $95/person for signature, and $155 for premium
[to start] SHOTO tacos (unique and delicate, homemade potato chip shell with avocado)
Maguro tuna akami with yuzu chili miso, white sesame and kizami nori
Sake salmon with wasabi mayo, ikura and micro mizuna
[cold dishes] Maguro no tataki seared tuna with ao nori, chili wafu and ponzu
[signature entrees] Kinoko no kama’ meshi rice hot pot with wild mushrooms, Japanese vegetables and fresh shaved truffle
[robata seafood] Sake no teriyaki kyuri zoe salmon with teriyaki sauce and pickled shishito
[robata skewers] Hotate no ume shiso yaki grilled scallops with shiso and plum butter
[robata meat] Babekyupokuribu’ katsuo bbq glazed pork ribs with garlic chips and
scallions
[robata vegetables] Shitake to wafu bata shiitake mushroom with wafu butter
[waygu selection] Premium Japanese A5 wagyu
[special sushi] O toro caviar fatty tuna with kizami wasabi and caviar
[special sushi] Hotate toryufu seared Hokkaido scallop with brown butter and fresh
shaved truffle

Dessert –
Yuzu cheesecake black sesame crumble with strawberry gel

photo by Rey Lopez

Cocktail –
Tona Manhattan with Suntory toki whisky infused walnut and pumpkin seeds, cold brew
coffee, umeshu, sweet vermouth, bitters
Diaburo with mezcal, sake, lime, passion fruit, ginger beer
Rei mizuna vanilla vodka, sake, passion fruit, yuzu, lime, sparkling sake
Suika martini 16 Roku gin, watermelon, yuzu, Aperol

Wine and Spirits –
Extensive selection of sake and Japanese whiskey (including rare labels), premium
wines, and beer

photo by Rey Lopez

Design: Designed by Noriyoshi Muramatsu of the award-winning, Tokyo-based Studio Glitt (www.glitt.jp), the 5,000 square-foot space will feature 155 seats, including a bar and lounge area, robata grill, sushi island counter, several private dining rooms and an intimate landscaped terrace facing L Street, NW. The private dining room has space for 45, with the option to separate with a partition for different seating arrangements.

Notable design elements include:

Installation of precious lava stone (pumice) from a volcano in Japan, suspended from the
ceiling. Was installed painstakingly by hand, with each rock strung one by one.
Traditional Japanese basket-weave ceiling
Wall of custom-made ceramic green tile – hand molded in Bali on live bamboo.
Exterior door pull – Tree branch foraged from a forest outside of Tokyo, carried by hand
to design foundry in England, and cast in bronze

Coming Soon: Following closely behind the opening of SHOTO (situated next door), the group will debut a hybrid concept in Spring/Summer 2022—AKEDO (meaning ‘THE ARCADE’)–a chef-driven, fast-casual Japanese street food restaurant by day, which transforms into a high-end nightlife concept by night.
Additionally, SHOTO will debut lunch service and Sunday dinner service in Spring 2022.

Address: 1100 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20005

Hours of Operation:
Monday-Thursday: 5:00 PM to 10:30 PM
Friday and Saturday: 5:00 PM to 11:30 PM
Sunday: Closed
Phone Number: (202) 796-0011

Key Players: SHOTO is a joint venture from globally renowned restaurateur and venture capitalist Arjun Waney (ZUMA, ROKA, COYA, La Petite Maison [LPM], The Arts Club), partner Tunu Puri and their protégé and managing partner Arman Naqi.

Helming the kitchen is executive chef Alessio Conti – originally from Lake Como, Italy his most recent post was as executive chef at AMAN Resorts overseeing their high-end Japanese concept NAMA. Prior to that, he has worked at many of Waney’s restaurants around the world including ZUMA in Rome and London, ll Barreto, Aurelia and Kyubi (tucked away within the Members only Arts Club London).

Leading the sushi program is executive sushi chef Kwang Kim, a New York transplant who previously worked for Masaharu Morimoto (Morimoto), Masayoshi “Masa” Takayama (Masa/Bar Masa), and Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa (Nobu). Most recently, Kim served as the U.S. corporate executive sushi chef for Waney’s ZUMA brand.”