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

There’s great Vietnamese, omakase, Peruvian and even bagels. —

Melissa Clark, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024 Maki classes start at $150 per person, plus tax and gratuity, and include the multi-course omakase experience. —

Brittany Anas, The Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2024 More than two dozen upscale omakase bars have sprung up from downtown to the South Bay over the past decade or so. —

Claire Wang, NBC News, 30 Sep. 2023 The 20-course omakase is priced at $190, with wine pairings at additional cost. —

Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2023 Uchi is known for taking a new and innovative spin on Japanese cuisine, along with offering seasonal omakase. —

Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2024 The omakase offering changes according to the seasons and is dictated by the premium ingredients available, including Kobe beef and the highest grade uni shipped in directly from Japan. —

Claudia De Brito, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Nov. 2023 Last month, a bar and bakery opened, and next week an omakase sushi bar will debut at Market and 14th Streets. —

Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Sep. 2023 The establishment marks a shift in omakase dining, bringing new levels of sophistication to the London dining scene as a whole. —

Jordi Lippe-McGraw, Forbes, 16 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'omakase.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of omakase was in 1967

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