Daikaya Review

Great spicy ramen and all while enjoying great tunes like Baby got Back. Small place with great service and energy. Get there early

Japanese-inspired, not authentic. Extremely disappointed for highly reviewed place. We did try fried avocado and other recommended dishes from the server.

The beef tongue is amazing. Great service, wide selection of Japanese alcohol. The tuna poke tartare was good too.

Great place for a more in-and-out style ramen experience. There tends to be a wait, but they are also usually small during the week. While the Daikaya selection isn't large, but what's available isn't lacking. The menu could be called focused, as opposed to small, because what is on it is top-notch. I have yet to eat at the upstairs Izakaya, but I imagine if it's as good as the Daikaya portion, you couldn't go wrong with it.

Just fabulous food. Tasty and beautiful to behold. Lunch menu is a LOT smaller than dinner, but still a solid choice.

As a vegetarian, oftentimes ramen is not available - or when it is, it's either a watered down noodle soup or soy sauce heavy inedible mess. Daikaya challenges those assumptions with a vegan ramen that stands toe-to-toe with the traditional ramen options also available at this incredible izakaya (2nd floor) and ramen bar (1st floor). Would highly recommend to both vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike (but especially for vegetarians craving a REAL bowl of ramen).

My daughter and I are visiting from Pittsburgh and since she is vegetarian I thought this would be a good place to eat for both of us. The wait was a little long but I had a feeling it would be worth it. Was I ever Right. The Ramen is excellent. The Egg was perfect as you expect and Porkbelly special add-on was superb. I will be back on my next trip to DC.

The ramen is fantastic & the prices reasonable for DC. It's often packed & you'll be shoulder-to-shoulder with other patrons, but turnover tends to be pretty quick. Highly recommended if you are seeking Asian soup-like dishes but concerned that pho won't fulfill your appetite.

Been here several time and each time is amazing, menu limited but it a ramen shop so can't complain,. The service is always exceptional, the food is always good as if it made by a master chef of Japan , the atmosphere is good, it a small place but most ramen shops are, will recommend to friends and family

Really good ramen. Small, so it can be hard to get into.

Ramen downstairs is Hokkaido style, flavorful shoyu broth, pork, and all the fixins. Awesome pan seared dumplings as well. Izakaya upstairs has amazing skewers. Had the brussel sprouts, wings, thighs, sashimi and Japanese French toast!

The broth wasn't bad and the noodles were great, but felt something was missing. The Chasu could have been more soft and melting and there seemed to be too many bean sprouts in the spicy Miso Ramen, and overall there seemed to be something missing. The ground meat didn't really work with the ingredients either. Just my opinion!

Great ramen and really quick service. Pretty small inside

Spicy miso with an egg, pork belly, and extra noodles. BoomJack!

Good ramen but I've definitely had better. The noodles are amazing. The broths are not very rich in flavor.

One of the best ramen places in the DMV area must go

After seeing all the sights around the White House in the cold winter, I thought it would be nice to have a warm ramen restaurant. The staff was friendly and the food was delicious in a young and modern atmosphere. There was no weighting due to the lack of tourists due to the government shutdown system.

Awesome veggie ramen! Also love the music. Repeat visitor.

All menus are very salty. Not as good as it used to be.

Always a great time at the bar. Well curated bar program of whiskey, sake, fun international wines and cocktails. This is about drinking food- mostly small plates of really well executed grilled meats and veggies. Loved the pork and brussels with bonito. Saucing can be heavy. Music always on point!

Delicious and interesting small plates in a Japanese style. Very sleek and modern design. Friendly and helpful service. Can't wait to go back!

Great no-reservations, no-frills ramen place on the ground floor of a delicious Japanese restaurant. The selections and seating are limited, but the ramen is is high quality (amazing noodles) and delicious! Expect a wait due to the small space, but the seats turn over quickly. It's not a place where they let you linger.

Amazing ramen and the upstairs is a great atmosphere to wait for a table at.

Bad service left bad taste in our mouths even though ramen was good. Had a very strange experience with the rude hostess working on Sunday night 5/6/18 on the first floor ramen area. Basically the hostess chose to strictly and rudely enforce some seating set up instead of evaluating the situation and choosing to provide better customer service. I HOPE management reads this as it is a poor way to run a business.

We were sat at the bar by where the waiters picked up food and decided to move down one seat after a guy finished because it was tight and we felt encroach upon by the food pick up. Then a little after we ordered our food the hostess came over and told us "I am going to need you to move back over one seat". To which we explained why we moved over. She responded by saying that we cannot stay where we were because it would mess up her seating arrangement at the bar since she needed to keep her ones together. And she would not let us move to certain other seats. We later figured out that she wanted us stay seated in our waitress's assigned area which we completely understand and would have been fine with had she used a nice tone of voice and explained clearly. However we still thought her demands were strange seeing as how:
- if there were seats assigned for a one person party then why would she "need" to keep her ones together
- we were at the corner of the bar with 3 stools - so pretty easy to keep the 2 person and 1 person set up with the 3 seats
- we were clearly still in the same seating area that our waitress was serving based on the other seats she was checking on
- it was a small 34 seat area (so all customers were visible and it should be easy to make adjustments)
- it was close to closing (9:30pm and they close at 10pm)
- the restaurant was only about 2/3rds full
- customers were finishing up theirs meals and only 2 couples and 1 single person came in after us

In the end the seat she asked us to move from remained empty (in fact within 10 minutes all the customers at the bar were finished and had left). So we were rudely asked to move for no reason at all because by the time we got our food there were only 7 other people besides us in the 34 seat area.

It's a good place where the staff are super attentive. And the chicken bowl was good.

I would give the food 5 stars but had to take one away for the agonizingly slow pace of the service. (We were upstairs at Izakaya)

We came for a late dinner and drinks on a Friday, and I d understand slow service if it was packed, but there were several empty tables surrounding us.

That said: the cacio e pepe udon noodles should not be missed! We also particularly enjoyed the grilled octopus, fried garlic, pork belly with fermented soy, and both types of onigiri.
My least favorite was the BBQ oyster - the chashu tasted off to me.

The drinks were delicious and strong, but again took a very long time to come to the table. Overall, I d give them another try to fix the service issues because the food is worth it.

I was in DC 2 weeks ago visiting my sister and she recommended this place to me and let me tell you this place became my favorite meal of the weekend! Fast forward to today I m in DC again and my meal is just as good as the first time coming here. 10/10 Curb side pick up makes this a breeze and don t stress about parking because there was enough room to park 4 tractor trailers.

This place is extremely busy for a reason. Ordering extra noodles is excessive.

My friends and I love it here! A cozy location, but the food is well worth the wait! I always order the vegetable Ramen with the spicebomb on the side parentheses as seen in photo. Feeling thirsty try the citrus Jasmine green tea! It is light and refreshing and gives just the right amount of sweetness to get you through a spicy plate. Over the years this place has become more popular, so it's busy even when there isn't an event at the Capital One Arena. My recommendation is have at least one person get there early, has your name to the waitlist, then head to the bar upstairs, and wait for them to text you for your table.

Authentic Ramen in a trendy atmosphere. Ramen was very good but the restaurant is loud. It is small and difficult to get in since they don t take reservations. The food came out VERY fast. They also rest you be done in lease than 45 min. However, that wasn t a problem for us. The staff was super friendly. We got there at 2 pm and told an hour and 15 min wait but only waited 30 min.

Good combination vegetable ramen. They have spice bomb to increase the heat of the broth.

My man took me here to reward me for taking him to get a manicure. He loves it very much. Ramen was good but choice is limited. Never had cold ramen before and the taste was weird but not bad at all. We also ordered a bento box, came with grilled pork belly. Kind of fatty but pretty good.

Best Ramen I've had in the area and their gyoza was excellent as well.

Had the pork ramen. I was alone so sitting was easy but be warned if you need to seat two or more nausea the place is extremely small and very popular. The food was amazing and my service was great and fast so no complaints.

Fast service, and great quality food. The atmosphere is very indie, and plain. But maybe that s drawn from authenticity. Small menu; But enough to keep coming back. Great first trip.

The food is good but very pricy. My major complaint is the portion size. Be prepared to spend at least $50 per person.

Pretty authentic Japanese! Waits can be as long as 40 minutes. Check out the No Wait app to see how long the line is. Portions are generous and the broth fantastic

Love this place. By far the best ramen place in DC. :)

Very good noodles and tasty borth. Place is a bit crowded around lunch.

It's fast & delicious & they have oolong tea in a can!. Quick service yet the food tastes like Grandma cooked it!

Lived in Japan for 4 years and this is as close as you get to the real deal (ramen)!

I am not an expert on Ramen, but this was an excellent meal regardless. One of the best soups I've ever had. I would recommend this to anyone, a fan or not of Japanese food.

Walk in only. They will text you when your table is ready. Pretty good ramen. Get spicy one!

Incredible ramen! Small place, so expect to wait, but they get the food to you quickly! Great value - huge bowls as well.

Upstairs is now my favorite restaurant in DC. Downstairs is also dank but a he'll of a wait.

Fan of both the top and bottom floors. The five stars I give the bottom floor ramen bar. Absolute best ramen in DC. The broth is excellent quality, I highly recommend the shoyu. Bamboo shoots have a nice char that imparts a good umami follow own flavor. Noodles exactly the right texture. I really enjoy the ambiance. The only gripe is their pork quality good improve a little. The Izakaya I enjoy a lot, but I think some of their drinks are a little on the pricey side for what they are, especially prices on draft beer. To me a izakaya should be a more proletarian institution. Their yakitori is the closest thing I've been able to find to the real thing in the city though. I also really enjoy their rice balls. Four stars.

This is well worth the wait, tight and crowded little place but man is the ramen good. I was very satisfied and I eat at ramen places pretty regularly. The cocktails were very reasonably priced and delicious as well.

Hope to go back in the future

First time we ate up stairs restaurant The food is almost like Tapas style. Little dishes octopus, grill makerel, chicken liver grill on bamboo skewers....great food for drinking

Ramen is very good, but they don't take reservation so you might have to wait. Izakaya is alright but I have had better, it's also a bit pricy.

I loved the noodles and the pork belly. Dumplings were perfectly crisped on the edges. I had drinks upstairs before the meal and enjoyed the knowledgeable bartenders. The interior, both upstairs and down, is comfortable, friendly and inviting. The community table is nice but a little bit tight. Don't expect full service. You pour your own water. The most important thing is the food and they clearly know how to make fantastic ramen. I'll be back.

Was quickly seated for lunch and food came soon after

Really tasty, and they took care too accommodate the vegans and gluten free members of our party.

1F has a streamlined menu. They do a few dishes and they do them really really well. It's fun watching their assembly line in action if you can get a seat near the cooking area. We've been a few times and are never disappointed. Fantastic ramen, hardworking crew, and always a positive experience.

I am not a very big fan of ramen.But i really like the ramen here. Have tried almost all the ramens. They are all good. But waiting time is too long.

The pork belly and Brussels sprouts skewers is great.

Loved this place, great shio. Avocado-lime soft serve was crazy good. I tiny bit unnecessarily loud from good

Great, speedy ramen delivered with excellent service.

1F- no reservations. Not just a dining etiquette, a promise. I sat at the ramen bar and ordered the spicy miso ramen. It was well balanced and had a depth that is missing in lesser ramen shops and bars. I ordered with extra wakame and the server did not even blink, she knew her stuff.
The ramen is great, but that s not want this little shop did to earn a 5. The show you get (if you re paying attention) from the kitchen is fantastic, almost like a ballet. Okay, not that romantic, it s three chefs working their asses off, but in a very coordinated way. They have a simple line up. Chef #1 places the bowl and puts a scoop of flavor in the bowl, depending on the type of broth. Chef #2 fills that bowl with tasty broth from a giant pot. Then, the two get to whisking! Where is chef #3? Toppings of course. He s diligently making the toppings this whole time, keeping an eye out for the right time. Chef #2 throws the fresh ramen in the boiling water and there is a few seconds of peace while steam fills the kitchen and #1 and #2 exchange a quick word.
Then lighting fast the noodles come out (5-6 baskets at a time) and are put in their bowls, quickly followed by their toppings. A server comes along and delicately places the nori in the bowl, and the darlings are whisked off to be slurped up!
It was really fantastic to watch over and over again and felt really authentic.

Saw the line out the door when I talked passed here at lunchtime, so I made sure to come back around for dinner. The 7pm dinner wait time for a party of 2 was an hour, but I was a party of one #Thriving My waitress recommeneded the shio ramen and man she recommended well. I was getting reimbursed so I went a little hard (extra egg, meat, and veggies) and I was shocked with how good it was. Best ramen I've ever had!

After waiting for nearly 20 minutes, we have a table.
Ramen can add/subtract other materials according to individual needs, and the menu is detailed. I ordered a spicy ramen. the soup was rich, and the spicy was moderate.
Everyone's meal is quick, although need to line, but will be have a table soon.

Amazing authentic ramen. Vegetarian options tastes great. Cool place to visit and definitely worth it.

Best ramen. Get there early because there is always a line and a wait. Worth the wait though...

Don t go here if you are expecting an actual Izakaya experience. The menu is all weird fusion dishes... like Miso Mac and Cheese, Tako-Sliders.... things like that. Western food with a vanishingly thin exotic veneer. No traditional or authentic Izakaya dishes to speak of. A huge disappointment.

Delicious food. Ask your server for recommendations!

Food, staff, ambiance all top notch! All the staff were lovely but our server Shelby went above and beyond with her recommendations not only in the restaurant but things to do all over! Perfect example of all the hospitality we were receiving in DC! Definitely going back to Daikaya and hopefully we will cross paths with Shelby again :)

Service at the bar was attentive, even ordering us a bonus gratis bowl of brussel sprouts that were truly . Chicken skins, beef tongue and fried catfish were the favorites of the night. Wishing for cheaper sake (maru plz).

Aside from the really rich and tasty soup and perfectly cooked noodles, what makes this bowl of ramen phenomenal is what's done with the toppings. The bean sprouts, onions, minced pork, etc are sauteed/stir fried with a healthy dose of fire, which adds this super nice smoky, charred flavor that complements the rest of the bowl really nicely.

Authentic ramen made well and amazing broth. Must try adding the pork belly and a veggie spice ball.