The former Popeyes on 14th Street NW in Logan Circle is being converted into a sushi restaurant called Hando-Medo that will focus on the hand roll (temaki) style of sushi. It’s from Chef/Owner Jin K. Oh who also owns Sushi Jin Next Door locations in Silver Spring, Maryland and Woodbridge, Virginia.

“It started out as a small mom-and-pop restaurant in Maryland,” says general manager Kevin Choe. “Jin Oh has been working in sushi for 20 years now.” He adds that Hando-Medo is the first new restaurant in a series of openings they have planned for 2017. “We’re excited to introduce this new style of Japanese dining, the first hand roll bar.”

Choe says that most people focus on the fish when it comes to sushi, but Hando-Medo cares just as much about its rice and its “freshly-harvested” seaweed. The best hand rolls feature nori that snaps. 

To pair with the hand rolls and other dishes from the kitchen, there will be a list of sake and other beverages. 

When Hando-Medo opens in June or July, it will have three sushi bars that seat 25 people each for a total of 75 seats. They will also have a 12-seat patio for warmer weather months. 

It joins Teak Wood and Baan Thai on the block, which also serve sushi.

Hando-Medo, 1315 14th St. NW