Looking for a sushi fix in Logan Circle? A full-service sushi bar is now open for business inside the P Street Whole Foods, taking over the front space that used to be the cafe. Dubbed Izakaya: An Asian Diner, it’s clearly making an effort to distinguish its offerings from refrigerated supermarket sushi.
When I dropped by during a midweek lunch rush, there were no less than five white-jacketed chefs working behind the bar. The sushi offerings are pretty standard, with about a dozen classic rolls (California, spicy tuna, shrimp tempura, rainbow…) and assorted nigiri platters, but there’s also a full Japanese menu of salads, dumplings, tempura, rice bowls, and teriyaki platters.
No sake here, but the Asian diner is jumping on the fancy tea trend with “BouqueTEA” in flavors like peony and red star lily. It’s served in glass cups, so as the tea steeps, exotic flower buds bloom before your eyes. Fancy, and at $4 a cup, a bargain compared to the Park Hyatt’s chi-chi tea cellar.
Izakaya: An Asian Diner, 1440 P St., NW; 202-332-4300; Wholefoodsmarket.com.
