The Room
Daikaya opened on 6th Street in Penn Quarter in 2013 — a two-floor Japanese concept with a serious ramen counter on the ground floor and a chef-driven izakaya upstairs. The format is intentionally vertical: the ramen-counter ground floor handles the working-lunch crowd; the upstairs izakaya runs the dinner programme.
Eater DC has held Daikaya on its top-Japanese-restaurant rankings every year of operation. The Sapporo-style ramen programme is one of America's most-disciplined.
The Food
The Sapporo-style ramen — three rotating bowls, Sapporo-style alkaline noodles, broths slow-cooked in-house — runs the ground-floor counter. The upstairs izakaya runs yakitori, the seasonal-rotating Japanese small plates, the rice-and-curry programme.
Sake programme is one of DC's deepest. Cocktail bench is Japanese-spice-led. Service is informed and warm.
Best Occasion Fit
Solo Dining: The ramen counter at Daikaya is one of DC's most-reliable casual solo-dining seats.
First Date: The izakaya upstairs at Daikaya is one of Penn Quarter's most-reliable casual first-date seats.
Birthday: Birthdays at Daikaya's izakaya are warm, izakaya-led, late-night-friendly affairs the room handles with twelve years of practice.