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

Craft Omakase In a world of omakases where style can sometimes overwhelm substance, Craft Omakase takes a restrained (though elegant) approach that centers the fish not the flash. —Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025

Here, guests can enjoy afternoon tea in the all-day lobby lounge, stillness in the spa’s flotation pod, omakase at restaurant Mizue (one of five places to eat), or work with a Capella Culturist to explore art districts like Taze-Neihu and Huashan 1914 Creative Park. —Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 28 July 2025

Available on both the omakase and a la carte menus is daily changing, fresh sashimi including Toro, Akami, Hamachi, Salmon and Saba. —Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025

An efficient public transportation system whisks visitors from an 18th-century neighborhood built by a Sardinian king to a riverfront restaurant serving the city’s first omakase, but green (and blue) spaces are never far; the city’s beating heart is its beautiful namesake lake. —Anna Haines, AFAR Media, 23 July 2025

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

Rhymes for omakase

• aldolase
• alleyways
• amylase
• anaphase
• anhydrase
• anyways
• arginase
• cabarets
• carriageways
• castaways
• catalase
• cellulase