omakase

1 of 2

adverb or adjective

oma·​ka·​se ˌō-mə-ˈkä-(ˌ)sā 

: according to the chef's choice

While Chef Hori's omakase menu will vary, there will always be a selection of hot and cold dishes.

—Loretta Ruggiero

When money's no object, order omakase and trust Tojo to prepare your meal …

—Mia Stainsby

This is the height of omakase dining, in which chefs prepare a daily tasting menu according to seasonal ingredients from fugu fish to citrus.

—Merrill Lee Girardeau

omakase

2 of 2

noun

plural omakases

: a series of small servings or courses (as of sushi) offered at a fixed price and whose selection is left to the chef's discretion

… for one of the most pristine omakases in town, book a seat at the sushi bar when legendary head sushi chef Yoshio Ono is working.

—Katie Chang

I was halfway through this year's premier food offering at the festival: a 17-course sushi omakase inside an air-conditioned tent complete with sake pairings.

—Jenn Harris

What's a pizza omakase, you ask? … Aside from the unique opportunity to dine on some truly one-of-a-kind dishes, key highlights of the changing menu here include a showcase of unusual, small-batch ingredients and processes.

—Don Mendoza

Examples of omakase in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Just an overdue recalibration of what constitutes luxury versus excess; omakase counters are thriving, after all. —Caroline Hatchett, Robb Report, 3 Nov. 2024

As Debussy plays in the background, Da Bussy himself pulls up a stool at the omakase counter, where Daniel asks if the Talamasca can protect him. —Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 16 June 2024

Round out your fine-dining circuit with an omakase experience at Sakaba, inside The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor’s Gulch where Japanese wagyu sprinkled with green tea salt sizzles on petite stones and sushi rolls like spicy tuna come spiced with green chili. —Brittany Anas, The Denver Post, 30 Oct. 2024

And in a nod toward L.A.’s green-forward tendencies, the restaurant will also offer a vegetarian omakase focused on Japanese flora. —Tori Latham, Robb Report, 17 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adverb or adjective

from attributive use of omakase entry 2

Noun

borrowed from Japanese, literally, "leaving (a decision, choice, etc.) to someone else," from o-, honorific prefix + makase "leaving (something) to another," derivative of makaseru "to entrust, leave to"

First Known Use

Adverb Or Adjective

1969, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1967, in the meaning defined above