Perry’s Restaurant

Perry’s has been a fixture in Washington, D.C.’s Adams Morgan neighborhood for more than 40 years, long known for its breezy rooftop, lively drag brunches, and sushi. In 2023, the restaurant entered a new chapter when chef Masako Morishita took over the kitchen, reshaping the menu with her distinctive take on Japanese comfort food.

Morishita brings a deeply personal culinary perspective to Perry’s. She grew up in Kobe, Japan, above the small family restaurant her parents still run today. Her mother cooked in the tiny kitchen while her father managed a standing-room-only bar. Much of Morishita’s childhood was spent helping downstairs, folding dumplings, making dashi, and steaming rice.

“Even though I don't have a lot of restaurant experience, I have good taste buds because my mom trained me,” she says. “When I taste something, I immediately know we need to add five grams of this and two grams of that.”

Before arriving at Perry’s, Morishita built a reputation in Washington’s dining scene through her Otabe pop-ups and her work at Maxwell Park, the wine bar with locations in Shaw and Navy Yard. A former Washington Redskins cheerleader, she pivoted into the culinary world and quickly earned recognition, including a StarChefs Rising Star award.

At Perry’s, Morishita’s menu blends Japanese comfort food with playful cross-cultural touches. Signature dishes include carbonara made with toothsome Sanuki udon, crispy prosciutto, a sunny egg yolk, and a sauce enriched with kombu tea; clams steamed in a butter-laced miso broth; garlicky edamame dumplings dusted with parmesan; and a fried shrimp katsu burger.

Twice a month, Morishita also offers a traditional Japanese breakfast service, alongside dishes that push beyond convention, such as whipped cream and fruit sandwiches, togarashi-dusted tater tots, and Japanese-style egg salad sandwiches.

Morishita’s work has quickly brought renewed attention to Perry’s. In 2024, she won the James Beard Award for Emerging Chef of the Year and was also named Eater DC’s Chef of the Year while receiving the RAMMY Award for Rising Culinary Star of the Year.