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Assorted nigiri including King Salmon with caviar at Ogawa Sushi & Kappo in Philadelphia on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. Ogawa Sushi & Kappo is located at 310 Market Street in Center City.
Assorted nigiri including King Salmon with caviar at Ogawa Sushi & Kappo in Philadelphia on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. Ogawa Sushi & Kappo is located at 310 Market Street in Center City.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer

Ogawa Sushi & Kappo

Center CityJapanese, Sushi$$$$

Led by young but skilled head chef Carlos Wills, the $200 omakase experience at Ogawa is top-notch, offering 23 ever-changing courses of raw and rare delicacies served in a traditional, minimalist style. This includes food cooked (like the Wagyu torched before your eyes until it glistens with fat) and otherwise (i.e. the pristinely cut sashimi plate and nigiri draped over vinegar-tanged rice). The younger sibling of a sushi and kappo mainstay in D.C., this Old City spot represents a down-to-earth Philly rebuke to the obnoxious “bromakase” cliché: relaxed, convivial and full of colorful surprises in the form of seasonal catches from Tokyo Bay.

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The Inquirer aims to represent the geographic, cultural, and culinary diversity of the region in its coverage. Inquirer staffers and contributors do not accept free or comped meals — all meals are paid for by the Inquirer. All dining recommendations are made solely by the Inquirer editorial staffers and contributors based on their reporting and expertise, without input from advertisers or outside interests.