Sushi Taro, Washington DC

I've heard of Sushi Taro for a while, but never got a chance to try because we don't eat a lot of sushi/sashimi.  We also tried to make it there for their last ramen special of 2011 but couldn't get a table.  So this time when they had the first tonkotsu ramen special of 2012, I made reservation right away for two!

We drove to Sushi Taro about 5 minutes before reservation time, but luckily we found a street parking spot right away for 2 hour free, so we definitely had a good start compared to our last attempt to the joint.  Sushi Taro has a small entrance off the 17th street, you could easily miss the sign if you're not paying close attention.

street entrance

good reviews and ratings everywhere!

The restaurant is small, but has great ambiance.  We got a table next to the window and were promptly waited on for drinks and menu.  Of course we were also offered the ramen special for $14.95 and we quickly ordered two ramen specials and some hot tea to keep ourselves warm in the mean while.

lunch menu

We were unaware of what's included in the ramen special, so we were pleasantly surprised with the two little side dishes that were served.  They were both really good!  The pumpkin salad was made with shreded pumpkin and other vegetables and an egg type dressing, it was delicious!  The other one was some type of marinated vegetable root, it was palate cleansing and yummy as well.

delicious pumpkin salad

vegetable root side dish

So we chatted and munched on the side dishes while the ramen was being prepared.  Then the steaming goodness came to our table!  The ramen was comparable to Ippudo in New York since it had excellent pork broth (definitely made from scratch).  The toppings were generous and it even came with a small bowl of rice.  The topping that day was buta kakuni which was braised pork belly, there were about 3 generous pieces, pure deliciousness.  We even put some of the pork on top of the rice to make pork rice special.  The egg with running yolk was cooked just right and the red ginger tasted awesome with the slow cooked pork broth.  On the other hand, the noodle itself was just okay,... it was the thin kind and lacked chewiness like authentic ramen.  But hey, I'm not really complaining since everything else was excellent!

tonkosu ramen

Sushi Taro has rave reviews on yelp and everywhere else and I definitely see why.  Their dining area is small but cozy and the food is great.  I do wish they have a parking lot instead of street parking, but that would be asking too much for DC area.  I'd definitely go back and eat their ramen again!

FoodiePop's rating on ramen special: 4.2/5 (added +0.5 for the small dishes!)

Sushi Taro
1503 17th St NW
Washington, DC 20036