Zeppelin

The portions are extremely small, especially for the amount of money you pay.
Jul 3rd, 2023

I made a reservation at this place on Thursday evening. I had an 8:15 reservation and I got there early. I waited at the hostess stand and no one said anything to me. I watched as staff walked past me and looked at me. I watched the guy who eventually told me where my table was walk past me a couple of minutes earlier. When I finally got seated I waited for about 10 minutes and I never was helped by a waitress. I observed waitresses on their phones laughing with each other and no one came to my table to assist me. Ive never had such terrible service.
Jul 2nd, 2023

Jun 24th, 2023

(Translated by Google) Ordered takeaway, didn't put chopsticks, soy sauce was enough for a couple of sushi... (Original) , ,
Jun 23rd, 2023

I've been seeing posts from their Instagram page for a long time and now I can finally say I've tried Zeppelin. IN SHORT, the sushi here is great, along with my entire dine-in experience. IN DETAIL: I ordered nigiri sushi + the Buta Bara Pork Belly Skewers + hot sake + the Matcha Crepe Cake (per my very kind waitress' recommendation), and then an order of Seaweed Salad + Gyu Donburi (Beef, Rice, & Egg) Bowl to go. Yes, that's a lot. However, the sushi orders come with 2 pieces per order, as do the skewers. So, dine-in experience altogether, it wasn't at all overwhelming. The to-go orders, naturally, were for trying later. SUSHI: Now, a short, sweet, and blunt rave: all the sushi I ordered was delicious. Everything tasted wonderful, was presented beautifully (see pictures), and had a joyous texture with each bite. They were all good. Personal suggestion: use chopsticks, not a fork. Layer a piece of ginger on top of your sushi, and place a sliver of wasabi on top, then dip the sushi into soy sauce and layer your bite. It's delicious. Sushi ordered: - The Kampachi (Amberjack) nigiri - Sake (Salmon) nigiri - Unagi (Freshwater Eel) nigiri BUTA BARA SKEWERS The Buta Bara Pork Belly skewers were equally delicious. They're simple at 2 pieces of bite-sized fatty pork belly, and seasoned with salt and pepper, with an added lemon slice for zest if you like. SAKE: The sake was delicious, though I don't drink often. Ordering hot sake with my sushi is a personal enjoyment, so I'll happily recommend it. TO-GO ORDERS My to-go orders were slightly underwhelming, however: - The Seaweed Salad was satisfying. It's a small appetizer, and also comes with a lemon slice for added zest. - The Gyu Donburi (Beef) Bowl was good, but lacking in flavor. It could have used a bit more spices, in my opinion, especially salt, and even at least a hint of spicy kick. It had none, and after adding my own hot sauce, found that the dish was only then improved. That is entirely my personal opinion, of course. MATCHA CREPE CAKE Finally, the waitress-recommended Matcha Crepe Cake was not too sweet, just tasty enough to be satisfying as a post-sushi dessert. It was presented prettily, just like the rest of my dine-in meal. Next time, I'd like to try their Strawberry Cheesecake, though... their Instagram pictures make you salivate over it. INTERIOR/EXTERIOR The place is lovely. There is the sushi bar upstairs, which I didn't visit, and a bar downstairs open until midnight, usually, but as late as 2:30am. There are outdoor patios adjacent to both sides of the restaurant, and both are covered and well-decorated for the atmosphere. I arrived around 6pm on a Friday and luckily enjoyed a sparse, quiet meal before a big dinner rush out on the patio. The bar inside was a bit rowdier, however. The single, shared bathroom, though moodily lit, could have used a bit more cleaning, especially given its location next to the bar. FINALLY Overall, my experience at Zeppelin was very pleasant, aided by a very friendly waiter--I believe her name is Ning? She was very kind and helpful. The establishment has a lovely outdoor area in a neighborhood feel (it is located at the corner of 9th St NW and Q St NW, east of Logan Circle). *Parking is nearby neighborhood parking. I lucked out and found a limitless free zone beginning at 6pm on Friday in front of a school on Q St a block up. Keep an eye out for that spot. And that's all, I think. Zeppelin was enjoyable and I'd be happy to go again. I haven't mentioned pricing because sushi joints do tend to be a splurge anyway, so be prepared to spend a bit of money. Treat this place like a celebratory occasion and enjoy their atmosphere and sushi. For full disclosure, if I hadn't ordered additional to-go items, my bill for the 6 pieces of nigiri, plus the skewers and dessert and sake, would have been $59, excluding tip. RYRY RECOMMENDED? Aside from the slightly underwhelming Gyu Donburi Bowl, Zeppelin was very good, and gets 4.5 stars out of me Parking: *Parking is nearby neighborhood parking. I lucked out and found a limitless free zone beginning at 6pm on Friday in front of a school on Q St a block up. Keep an eye out for that spot.
Jul 1st, 2023