Last Updated: January 2026
Image: Details.
Overview:
Located in that netherworld south of Dupont and north of West End, Umai Nori is worth a bit of a walk, even if it is just a bit farther and around the corner for whatever reason brought you to M Street. Packed into two floors, with a large bar on the ground floor and dine-in seating upstairs, they do great sushi with a specialty of temaki, the stuffed handrolls that look like little nori tacos.
The handrolls did create a bit of an early buzz. The fillings are creative combinations like eel, guacamole, and tobiko or kanpachi with truffle remoulade, chives, and sweet potato crisps. Beyond that are several pages of options with a full page of specialty rolls that incorporate many of the same ingredients of the temaki. Lunchtime bento boxes, grilled items, and more standard sushi options are also available. The boxes are stuffed with options. The specialty rolls resplendent in colors. Creative twists show up like shredded nori instead of a flat layer in simple roll.
Chef Sonny Lee is a veteran of the industry, who ran his own place before partnering with a few others to open a place in D.C. proper. It may be low-key, but it is a polished operation. In addition to a little positive early buzz (though no big outlet attention), they also (hopefully?) benefitted from a return-to-work push around the same time they opened in 2024. It is a very business casual kind of spot in more ways than one. D.C. has had taken in quite the haul of new sushi places. Umai Nori is deservedly listed among the recommended options.
Other Guidance: The main entrance is at street level, but there is no elevator to the second-floor dining area. GF can obviously do well, but there are also a surprisingly large number of vegan choices.
Summary:
Cuisine: Japanese
Neighborhood: Downtown
Address: 1147 20th St NW, Washington, DC 20036
Website: https://umainori.com/
Reservations: Opentable
Other Critics/Voices:
Washington Post: No coverage yet.
Washingtonian: No coverage yet.