OroNami, the kosher sushi lounge and bar that brought late-night dining to Washington DC’s Foggy Bottom neighborhood, has permanently closed. The restaurant had been operating at its Pennsylvania Avenue location since opening in mid-2025, becoming a standout in the DC kosher scene for its elevated menu, craft cocktail program, and extended evening hours.
What OroNami Brought to DC
When OroNami opened, it filled a genuine gap in the DC kosher dining landscape. It was the only kosher restaurant in the city offering dinner service past 9 PM, a rarity that made it the go-to option for kosher diners with evening events, late work schedules, or anyone who simply wanted a proper sit-down meal after 8 o’clock. Until then, Char Bar had been the sole full-service kosher option in DC, closing nightly at 8 PM.
The restaurant positioned itself as DC’s first kosher luxe lounge, and the beverage program backed that claim up. Craft cocktails, curated Japanese whiskies including the Yamazaki Highball, and thoughtfully made mocktails gave OroNami a bar identity that most kosher restaurants never attempt. It operated under the Vaad HaRabanim of Greater Washington and served a pareve menu, making it accessible to a wide range of kosher diners.
Situated near George Washington University in Foggy Bottom, the restaurant also catered to the student population, with plans for student specials and flexible hours as the academic year ramped up. For a city that has long struggled to retain kosher dining options, OroNami represented a genuine step forward in the quality and variety of what was available.
A Short Run
OroNami operated for less than a year. The reason for the closure has not been publicly announced. As YeahThatsKosher has covered, the broader restaurant environment has been difficult for independent kosher restaurants, which face higher fixed costs and shorter operating windows than their non-kosher counterparts. Whether those pressures played a role here is not known.
For kosher diners in the DC area, the closure narrows an already limited field. Char Bar and Oh Mama Grill DC remain among the active full-service options in the city.
OroNami was located at 2512 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037. It operated under the hashgacha of the Vaad HaRabanim of Greater Washington. It is now permanently closed.
Looking for kosher restaurants near you? Download the KosherNearMe app at YeahThatsKosher.com/app.
Add Comment