Love, Makoto Opens Today! (and this is only phase one, phase two opening this summer)

photo by Mike Fuentes Photography

From a press release:

“The sushi omakase, Japanese grill omakase and izakaya—three separate full-service concepts—will be joined by a fast-casual food hall later this year

Internationally renowned Japanese chef and restaurateur Makoto Okuwa, who kicked off his American culinary career as a sushi chef at DC’s beloved Sushi Taro, returns to Washington with the opening of Love, Makoto, a culinary love letter addressed to the city that welcomed him so long ago. Okuwa has partnered with Chef David Deshaies and Restaurateur Eric Eden—the homegrown restaurant team behind Unconventional Diner and L’Ardente—to bring about an ambitious Japanese culinary collection unlike any other. Located at 200 Massachusetts Ave. NW, the 20,000-square-foot space is adjacent to L’Ardente, with the sister restaurants sharing the entire first floor of the Capitol Crossing development in DC’s newly minted East End neighborhood.

“I’m so excited to return to Washington, D.C., to show this city where I have been since we parted, and how those journeys have informed my perspective as a chef,” says Okuwa. “With so many ways to experience Love, Makoto, we hope our diners return again and again—always finding something new to love.”

CONCEPTS

The Japanese culinary collection will open in two phases.

Phase one, set to open May 2, will encompass the collection’s three full-service concepts: Dear Sushi, which offers a chef-selected tasting menu that will share the best of Japanese sushi traditions while showcasing some of the fun tricks Chef Makoto and his team have learned along the way. Down a long, crimson hall that evokes the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto, diners will find Beloved BBQ, a Japanese steakhouse where diners can grill their own American-raised beef or Japanese Wagyu. Beyond that is Hiya Izakaya, a sleek and modern bar that pays homage to Japan’s storied nightlife, complete with whisky highballs and savory skewers.

Phase two, expected to open this summer, will be a fast-casual food hall that serves Chef Makoto’s takes on Japanese favorites, including soba, udon, ramen, salads, maki rolls, Japanese curry, dumplings and sweets. There will also be a Japanese bakery opening early to sell donuts, coffee and bubble tea to nearby residents, office workers and travelers.

Unlike other food halls, the company behind Love, Makoto will be the sole proprietor, ensuring that every experience—from a full sushi omakase dinner in the restaurant to grab-and-go soba from the food hall—has Chef Makoto’s stamp of approval.

FOOD

Phase One of this Japanese culinary collection consists of three full-service dining and drinking spaces:

Dear Sushi is an omakase experience that celebrates both traditional and envelope-pushing takes on sushi. The omakase starts with seasonal snacks, moves into several sushi courses that showcase both traditional and Chef Makoto’s modern takes, then ends with a dessert. Beyond the omakase menu, diners can order optional upgrades and add-ons to enhance the experience.
Beloved BBQ is a high-end yakiniku (Japanese steakhouse) with smokeless grills at the center of each table where diners can grill their own Japanese Wagyu and American-raised beef. Yakiniku omakase includes several side plates, either Japanese or American beef, and a dessert. As with sushi, diners can order optional upgrades and add-ons to enhance the experience.
Hiya Izakaya, a high-energy Japanese bar with whisky highballs and other inspired cocktails plus sake, beer, wine. Japanese bar foods on offer include skewers and bites prepared over a robata grill.

photo by Mike Fuentes Photography

DRINKS

Director of Beverage Micah Wilder worked with Hunter Douglas and Ian White, the bar leads at sister restaurants L’Ardente and Unconventional Diner (respectively), to design distinct cocktail menus for each full-service concept. Dear Sushi’s cocktail menu leans into the light brightness of beautifully clean sushi by using acidity, delicate ingredients and culinary elements like open-air fermented vegetables. The Beloved BBQ cocktail menu embraces the room’s sexy vibe and umami-rich dishes, with such options as a Sakura Negroni, a Kinoko Manhattan accented by Cowboy Yamahai sake, and a shio koji-infused Old Fashioned. Hiya Izakaya skews bubbly and refreshing, harnessing the buzz of late-night Tokyo by offering an extensive highball menu—including proper Whisky Highballs, the cornerstone of Japanese cocktail culture—served in frosty mugs. Each menu sources ingredients from other cities that are not normally seen in DC, such as Kyoho grapes and a Japanese citrus called kabosu. Thoughtfully curated sakes, spirits, wines and beers will also be available across the concepts.

photo by Mike Fuentes Photography

DESIGN

Designed by David Dworkind and Guillaume Menard of MRDK in Montreal, the three distinct spaces of Dear Sushi, Beloved BBQ and Hiya Izakaya are connected by a long, bright red hallway designed as an abstraction of the iconic Fushimi Inari Taisha gates in Kyoto.

When entering the space from Massachusetts Avenue NW, guests will first encounter Dear Sushi, where warm woods, friendly blues and natural linen screens soften the space. Overhead, a series of wooden fins and strip lights wrap around the bulkhead to create a lantern effect.
Down the hall at Beloved BBQ, the light airiness of Dear Sushi gives way to darker materials, creating a more dramatic and sexy space that envelops diners with hues of soft black, deep green and elegant gold.
The final full-service concept along the hallway, Hiya Izakaya, features an eye-catching rounded bar that jutsinto the heart of the space. Both the bar and the open kitchen bring imbibers into the action of mixologists shaking cocktails and charcoal masters grilling skewers. A mix of wood, copper and concrete were chosen for their ability to form a patina over time, growing more beautiful as they age and respecting the Japanese tradition of wabi-sabi, or finding beauty in the imperfections of nature.”