Daikaya Reviews

Beyond great. One of the best ramen places in the US. Better than NY maybe better than LA... get the miso ramen and prepare to be amazed...

It was pretty amazing! Had the shio bowl with bamboo chutes and an egg added. Plenty of food ( couldn't finish it). Also if there is a wait, which there will be, I recommend sticking it out. I'm sure this doesn't happen all the time but we were told an hour wait and it was only 15 mins in the end (side note, the bar next door is great for a quick drink while you wait, we actually ended up going back for more drinks after ramen)

We got a seat at the bar which put us right in front of the action, which was kind of fun. Staff all super friendly.

Its pretty good stuff (Daikaya). I'm spoiled cause I've had ramen in Japan, but the portions are good, the veggies are fresh, and the service is friendly and helpful. It's mostly pork tho, so keep that in mind. The wait can be long, but only cause it's good. I'll be coming back.

Vegetarian and vegan friendly, prices were good and service was quick. Has a homey feel to it but they really do not like people hanging around to chat after finishing their meal

Ramen is okay not stellar, the service is not great if you have to wait you maybe disappointed

The ramen house is tiny but well worth the wait. (20 min for a couple on a Friday afternoon)
Full flavored broths, good textured ramen and tasty toppings. Drinks are a little spendy. Great service!

My first experience eating ramen and it was pretty good. The place seemed kinda small and tight and the menu isn't easy to read. Might be better for you to Google the menu to order your food off of.

Burned onions. Can't compete with any of the better options in NYC. Not even close. But this is DC and there isn't much else here. Only has a long wait because the space is tiny. Skip.

Who knew that Ramen Noodles would be upscale? Great lunch.

Came here on a Sunday afternoon around 3. The wait took 30 min for 2. This place is small so seating is limited. The ramen itself wasn't that great for the price. I had the mugi-miso ramen thinking it'd be less salty versus other soups but after eating halfway through it started to taste salty. The spicy miso ramen was pretty good. Also the chashu or roast pork is in slices they were okay as well. The soft boiled egg was probably the best thing out of the whole meal .

I devoured a bowl of Daikaya's delicious veggie ramen, repeatedly marveling that something so rich and savory could be meatless. The space is small and the atmosphere is a little hectic, with friendly wait staff bustling around and pop music playing at more of a bar volume than a restaurant volume -- I enjoyed the vibe, but heads up that it might be a bit much for a first date or a serious conversation. The kitchen area is open, and it's fun to watch the cooks rapidly assembling bowls of ramen. I've previously had a mixed experience at Izakaya, where the drink offerings were surprising and tasty but the food sometimes seemed too focused on novelty for novelty's sake, but I will definitely go back to Daikaya.

It's very cute but I prefer my places with more noodles and less style. However, if you are walking around dc, this may be the only ramen shop you find

Great food, drinks,decor, and attitude. I wish I lived around the corner so I could become a regular.

One of my favorite meals in recent memory. Especially recommend the egg custard.

There's usually a wait, but this place has wonderful broths for the soup and the noodle texture is perfect. One of the best ramen places I've been to.

Whoa this ramen was amazing. Usually not much of a fan and scoffed at 1.5 hr wait but man was it worth it! Ice cream dessert was unique and tasty too

Everything we had was at the recommendation of Jeremiah, and he absolutely exceeded our expectations. We had about 10 plates and they were all very creative and flavorful. The food was on point and the sake was the best I've ever had.

This was my first time at Daikaya and I will definitely go back. Food and sake was delicious

Easily the best ramen I've ever had. The place is small and cozy and the ramen is fresh and delicious.

If you want Ramen make sure to go to the first level. Small area, no reservations so be prepared. Ramen is great, recommend the spicy miso.

Excellent food and drink quality and helpful staff at the bar. Prices are on the high side, but worth it for the unique dishes such as the beef tongue and sous vide octopus. Note that this is the location up the stairs to the left of the ramen shop on the ground level.

When we got there, it was packed. They had a table for us, and 6 of us picked in a room in the back. The waiter answered all of my questions. We went to check off "eat real ramen" from my terminal son's bucket list. When the waiter heard that, he told the manager... Who have us the entire meal free! It was very unexpected! The food was astoundingly good!

Best Ramen in DC!!! The closest I've tasted that matches the Ramen in Tokyo Japan

A tiny little ramen shop but the noodles and broth are tasty. Be sure to get an egg with your ramen - it's the best part.

What's good? The Pork & Brussel Sprouts are unbelievably delicious. The specials of the day were extremely good. They have high quality Japanese whiskey. The service was great; servers at the bar were very nice. In my previous visit I had the avocado dish and it was very good.

Best Ramen you can find in DC. We need more seats as this place is always crowded!

Such a great small plate restaurant! The food is to die for and so unique! I moved away from DC a couple years ago and dream about this place. If you want a recommendation the rice balls and grilled avocado!

Beautiful interior, delicious and creative dishes, and excellent service. Be sure to save room for the soft serve dessert!

Best ramen I've had! No reservations and worth the wait!

These two places (ramen shop and upstairs bar/grill) are the kinds of places I hope to always know. I admit I had my first serious ramen here and fell in love (spice boooooooomb), it is still my standard for judging other ramen. The environment is fun, sharing the low table with strangers, or the high still at the counter, but especially the back room with friends.

Upstairs, I have only sat at the bar... and I will continue to only sit at the bar until they make me still elsewhere. The drinks are tasty (saki boooooooomb) and I have more photos of their beer and saki can labels than a person needs.

Thank you so much!

They do NOT take reservations- you always have to wait in line- they send you a text when your table is ready- and that usually takes about an hour. However, even with the wait, the ramen is worth it. All the broths are incredibly savory, the pork is seasoned and cooked perfectly, and their ramen egg is the definition of perfection. Hands down this is the best ramen in DC!

Went on New Years Eve and the service was still great and the food remarkable.

We went without a reservation and got a table for two within the hour. The atmosphere was very fun and the servers were attentive but let us have our own night without being intrusive. I eat a lot of ramen and I rarely have as excellent a broth as I did that night. To be a little gross, I felt like I could put it in a water bottle and just drink it straight. Overall a fantastic experience and I would recommend it to anyone.

I really wanted to enjoy this place but they screwed up my order twice. Then the waiter tried to blame the mistake on me. Later they said my card didn't work after "trying it several times", turns out he was swiping the side of my card without the magnetic strip.

I am literally sitting in the restaurant writing this review. The wait was pretty long and we were about to leave but a guy said, Even if it s two hours to wait... it s so worth it So we waited. Absolutely worth the wait! The food was honestly some of the best food I have eaten. Highly recommend this place.

Great place for Ramen and drinks. And a story to tell.

Best ramen in the area! That's some medicine food. I only eat and love the vegan option. Always fresh, can always feel the goodness working its magic through your body. Cool ambiance too, keep it moving and they play good hip hop ;) You cannot make a reservation but wait for a table and you'll see it's worth it.

it's delicious.
Everyone in the United States says it's delicious.

Ignore the ranking items. The food is very good. The prices are very bad. I do love me a good bowl of ramen-- and this one was one of the better ones I've found in the States-- but dropping $16 for an unaugmented soup bowl is, not to put too fine a point on it, bat-crap crazy. That's one third more than an equivalent dish would cost in downtown San Francisco, a place not known for its sensitivity to the bargain-minded customer.

I won't be returning soon. I like the food a lot; I just can't cost-justify it.

Expect to wait a while if in a group of two or more. Tasty ramen with generous portions

The ramen here is absolutely delicious!!! Since they don't take reservations you'll most likely have to wait a bit (30 mins to over an hour), but it is SO worth it! Put your name down and hang out at nearby place. The broth is legit and all of the flavors stand out and remain balanced. I can't wait to go back and try some other bases.

Great Ramen and a friendly atmosphere make a fun evening. This was our first time but we will be back.

Food didn't meet my expectations, but the atmosphere and waitress were welcoming. In case you aren't familiar with the restaurant, there are two separate doors. The door on the right side leads you to the 1st Floor where they sell ramen. The door on the left side leads you upstairs to the 2nd Floor of the restaurant where they sell non-ramen dishes.

I went upstairs, and it was a bit slow since they only had one waitress managing the whole floor and acting as the hostess, but she was welcoming. I decided to try their weekly special, Wagyu Burger and replaced the buns with ramen buns, and ordered the Miso Cheese Fries. The presentation of the burger and fries were amazing.

After reading about ramen burgers in LA, I had different expectations where I thought the ramen bun would be nice and firm, but this bun is floppy and soft. The egg was nice and yolky, but the wagyu was average at best, and the wagyu tasted a bit burnt and was cooked between medium well and well done. On the other hand, the fries were hot and crispy, and the sauce/seasoning was delicious. Would definitely recommend the miso cheese fries, but probably wouldn't order the Wagyu Burger or Ramen Burger.

However, I will definitely return to try their ramen, since I heard great things about it.

If you like old-fashioned Sapporo ramen, I highly recommend it.
In particular, Nishiyama noodles remind you of Sapporo.

Amazing noodles, I am not feeling so hot today and what I would do for a bowl of Daikaya ramem. The upstairs bar is pricey but worth the visit.

Ramem is really good! Wait time can get a little crazy but the food is worth it. Service was great, everything moves quickly so don't expect to have a long conversation after eating.

So fantastic. Especially during these cold winter months, a hot bowl of ramen really soothes the soul. The waitstaff is very nice and patient and will explain the whole process/flavor experience to you if it's your first visit. If you ask me, no matter which ramen you choose, make sure you order a poached egg to go in it. It really tops off the dish.

Cozy atmosphere with friendly staff. Food was super delicious! Would definitely recommend to anyone who is in the area.

I have been taking family and friends here for years, and after trying ramen in other cities across the US, I am convinced that Daikaya still has the best ramen I have ever had.

Note that the ramen is only downstairs, and reservations are only upstairs!
Fantastic vegan ramen in a high energy place. The tables are all like little bars so your seated with other people but it was still pretty private with the divider between the table. I would highly recommend this if you're a ramen lover!

One of the best ramen shops in the area. It's super popular, so you should definitely expect to have to wait for at least 10-20 minutes. The shop itself is super cute and has a wonderful vibe and is great for a nice, casual meal with some friends, especially during the winter. I managed to snag a seat at the bar, which gave me a first-person view of the cooking process -- it was a super fun experience and honestly fascinating to watch them prepare the ramen, as simple as the dish may be. All of their options are fantastic, but what really blew me away was how wonderful their vegetarian ramen was. I've tried several vegetarian ramens across the country, but this was definitely one of the best vegetable ramens that I've had. The broth and overall dish didn't lose any flavor from the removal of the meat, and the toppings were selected with care. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and will definitely be coming back here again.

Great customer service, and the good was pretty good. I just was expecting much more based on the reviews. I ordered the Spicy Miso Ramen.

Great ramen with a good drink selection. Perfectly located to grab a bit before or after events at the arena.

Food is fantastic but you have to get here early for lunch and dinner or you WILL have a wait. There is actually a line outside everyday at prime lunch and dinner hours but that lets you know its good

Downstairs ramen is excellent and I would definitely go back and recommend to friends.
Upstairs izakaya is ok but pricey. Would not go back.

The food was absolutely delicious. I got in the wait line via Yelp. So that by the time I arrived my wait was far less than usual.

Great! No japanese chef, but real japanese taste. Cool!

Tasty but it's not traditional ramen shop you would expect in Japan. Small menu and definitely too pricy for the food. It's a hip place for young people to hang out so it's not family friendly if you want to bring your little ones. We were disappointed at the quality of the ramen but their gyoza was excellent! I've had many gyoza and various different regional ramen in Japan but their gyoza was really good, We will not go back again for the ramen though.

I heard the line here can get pretty long but fortunately I did not encounter one when I came on a Monday for lunch. There are tables and shared counter tops to maximize space since it's a small restaurant. Also, the shared counter tops makes it faster for single parties to get seated.

The waitress was polite when she greeted me with a menu while pouring a glass of water. She explained the menu since it was my first time, however, she missed the specials and popular recommendations (luckily I eavesdropped on the family that was seated shortly after me).

I ordered the Shio Ramen which was pretty tasty, though a bit on the saltier side. The portion size was fair; ramen tends to be filling at first but that sensation can quickly diminish after a few hours. I was a little disappointed at the small amount of meat; my meal came with two thin slices of roast pork.

After having visited the Ramen Museum in Yokohama, Japan, where they serve hand-made ramen, it's hard to beat the quality of any other ramen in comparison. Also, it's a bold statement that a restaurant is making when the ramen is priced higher than the meals served at the historic ramen museum (700-900 yen or upwards of $8 minus toppings).

Best Japanese ramen I've had in US, extremely quick

The Izakaya upstairs has some interesting bites that combined foods that I wouldn t have thought about putting together, such as celery and raw octopus, grilled octopus and mashed potato, and brussel sprouts worth pork belly. Portions are tiny though, and you can easily rack up a bill.

Downstairs is mostly ramen. I got the miso ramen, and am not sure what the fuss is about this place. I ve had much better elsewhere, and the bowl was just way too salty.

I was guided by the 50-minute weighting, but I had to wait for exactly 2 hours, and the taste was really .. It wasn't really enough to wait for 2 hours. I think you should go with the feeling of eating ramen once in the United States ... I felt like I was eating too salty salt water.

Ambience and service are nice. Ordered ramen and soup isn t too great. Meat is good. Can try once. No chicken at this place. Parking is available on street. Place can be tagged as pricey.

So good! Particularly the shoyu; perfect mix of flavours. As most ramen places, the portions are sizeable.

My first time going. The food was really good. The wait time was an hour and a half. Good food though.

Great ramen place, a little packed (and thus hard to get in) during dinner hours, but come a little early or during the week and you'll be fine.

This is ramen for white people who have no clue what good ramen is. The noodles suck. The broth is just salty with no depth. The chashu is tiny and dry. Egg is nothing special. What is good about this place? The ramen scene in DC is a barren wasteland full of imitators and people just trying to cash in. There is no love in this bowl. No cohesive identity. Just a bunch of ingredients thrown together to imitate miso ramen. And you can taste it. I've had instant ramen thats tasted better for $3.

Best ramen in DC. Can t go wrong with the classic shoyu or miso ramen

The food is fantastic. But the wait times and lack of reservations hurt the rating. I have loved this place for years but lately I can t get in with less than a 90 minute wait. Given their lack of waiting area and no reservations or call ahead, I can t recommend this place anymore.

Excellent flavor and authentic atmosphere. The noodles are imported from Japan and deliver the taste you expect. The gyoza is a bit spicier than traditionally found in a Japanese restaurant, if you are sensitive to spice I would avoid it.