Nobody hands you a menu at Himitsu. That’s the first thing to know, and also sort of the whole thing.
The restaurant sits on a nondescript stretch of Kennedy Street NW in Petworth — a neighborhood that still surprises people who think DC’s interesting food stops at Columbia Heights. Himitsu is a small, spare room with maybe thirty seats, exposed brick, low light, and a bar that actually functions as a bar. It opened in 2017, earned a Michelin star not long after, and has operated with the same mild indifference to its own reputation ever since. The staff will not upsell you. The room will not dazzle you. The food will, but it takes a minute to get there.
Here’s the first reason to go: the tasting menu format doesn’t feel like a hostage situation. You have some say. There are dietary accommodations. The courses come at a reasonable pace. It runs around $95 to $115 per person depending on the season and what chef Kevin Tien is working with, plus drinks. That’s not cheap, but for the level of cooking you’re getting in this city, it’s actually on the restrained end of the spectrum.
Second reason: the cooking itself is specific in a way that’s genuinely hard to describe without sounding like you’re overselling it. Tien draws on Vietnamese influences, but lightly — it’s more texture and restraint than any kind of fusion banner. A single perfect bite of something cured sits next to something bright and acidic. A broth arrives and you realize halfway through it that you’ve stopped talking. The menu rotates seasonally, so there’s no point naming dishes that may no longer exist, but the vegetable-forward courses consistently outperform the protein ones, which is a sentence you don’t get to write about many DC tasting menus.
Third reason: the bar program is better than the restaurant’s reputation suggests. The cocktails are considered without being fussy. If you’re not doing the full tasting experience, the bar offers a shorter path in. A few à la carte bites, a couple of drinks — still worth the trip up to Petworth, still a notch above most things happening in a twelve-block radius.
The reservation situation is the predictable hitch. Himitsu books up. Tables move fast on whatever platform they’re using this month, and walk-ins at the bar are possible but inconsistent. Plan two to three weeks out if you want to guarantee a seat. It’s annoying, but the kind of annoying that reminds you a place has actual regulars rather than a marketing department.
Petworth itself is worth a few extra minutes before or after. Walk down Georgia Avenue. There are good spots opening up around Himitsu’s orbit, the kind of neighborhood shift that happens slowly and then all at once. Kennedy Street NW is still quiet enough that you’ll find parking without losing your mind, which is a small miracle in this city and should not be overlooked.
Go on a Tuesday. Order whatever they put in front of you. Try not to explain the concept too hard to whoever you bring.
