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A piece of dark-red fish on some rice on a black lacquer platter.
The Spanish bluefin tuna nigiri at Takai By Kashiba is aged for 12 days and marinated with soy sauce.
Suzi Pratt/Eater Seattle

14 Destinations for Sensational Sushi in the Seattle Area

Seattle’s sushi masters use top-notch technique to celebrate the region’s bountiful seafood

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The Spanish bluefin tuna nigiri at Takai By Kashiba is aged for 12 days and marinated with soy sauce.
|Suzi Pratt/Eater Seattle

One of Seattle’s highlights is the abundance of fresh seafood, something that comes in handy for the city’s plentiful sushi restaurants. Shiro Kashiba — who, at 81 years old, still shapes nigiri atSushi Kashiba at Pike Place Market— introduced Seattle to Edomae-style sushi over fifty years ago. Since then, sushi has become a mainstay of the city's dining scene, with sushi rolls, nigiri, and sashimi now available at sushi bars, izakayas, and kaiseki restaurants across the city. Chefs likeSushi Kappo Tamura’s Taichi Kitamura have since developed close relationships with local fishermen, learning how to source the most sustainable and most delicious ingredients from the nearby ocean.

Most recently, a nontraditional, Californian sushi restaurant (which received a Michelin star for its Montecito location) opened downtown, whileKashiba’s star apprentice got his own Bellevue omakase restaurant,進一步豐富該地區的壽司。

The following list features some of the most memorable sushi in Seattle. Eater Seattle maintains的板塊r list of Japanese restaurants with more diverse menus(which often also include sushi).

As usual, this list is not ranked; it’s organized geographically. Know of a spot that should be on our radar? Send us a tip by emailing seattle@eater.com.

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SanKai

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Star sushi chef Ryuichi Nakano opened up this Edmonds spot downtown in 2019, and it has quickly gained a loyal following. It’s now offering a wide variety of well-crafted rolls, nigiri, and sashimi for pickup throughonline preorders, or onsite dining (both indoors and outdoors). Nagano also offers omakase nigiri and sashimi platters. There’s to-go beer, sake, Japanese whiskey, and wine available as well.

Toyoda Sushi

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Lake City’s best kept secret is this casual, family-owned sushi restaurant. Besides its reliable menu of specialty rolls and sashimi, Toyoda also serves an incredibly satisfying plate of seared hamachi tuna that shouldn’t be missed. Toyoda offers takeout only Thursday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Orders can be texted to (206) 383-8182 before 1 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Accepted forms of payment are cash, check, Zelle, and Venmo. The restaurant is hoping to reopen for dine-in this year.

A collection of sashimi, showing yellowtail, roe, and sliced cucumber
Toyoda sushi is a popular Lake City spot.
Toyoda Sushi/Facebook

Kisaku Sushi

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Hidden in Tangletown is one of the best neighborhood restaurants in Seattle. There’s a short list of signature rolls (the Green Lake Roll with salmon, asparagus, and flying fish egg is a highlight), as well as excellent sashimi and nigiri. Kisaku also offers two separate tasting menus which incorporate ingredients from other cuisines — like a raw hamachi dish oranges and Thai chilis. It offers a takeout-only lunch and takeout and dine-in for dinner.

A signature sushi roll at Tangletown, with a green vegetable sprouting out from each piece.
Kisaku is a Tangletown favorite.
Kisaku [Official Photo]

Sushi Kappo Tamura

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Renowned chef Taichi Kitamura (a 2018 James Beard Award semifinalist) provides a wide variety of fantastic meal options at his Eastlake destination restaurant. It has a full sushi menu, as well as a nigiri omakase, which includes 12 pieces of seasonal selections and brunch on the weekends. Sushi Kappo Tamura sources its seafood from Pacific Northwest producers like Taylor Shellfish and Skagit River Ranch and has a rooftop garden that provides produce for some of its dishes. Of all the sushi chefs in Seattle, Kitamura may know the most about local fish, providing a sushi experience that couldn’t be replicated in any other part of the country.

Nishino

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This lovely, upscale restaurant has been thrilling Madison Park diners since 1995. Small plates, sashimi, and exclusive omakase dinners all get rave reviews and make regulars out of neighbors and destination diners alike. Though the menu is focused on traditional Japanese fare, there are also creative dishes on the menu like “new style sashimi” made with seared shiromi, arugula, and olive oil and toro tartare with white sturgeon caviar.

Taneda

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This nine-seat sushi counter tucked away inside Capitol Hill’s Broadway Alley has an array of offerings besides seafood for its artful multi-course omakase menu, but master chef Hideaki Taneda’s Edomae-style sushi preparations are the main event. Each seasonal dish is lovingly crafted and presented like mini gifts, a one-of-a-kind experience in a city with plenty of competition. Reservations are normally booked out at least a month in advance; your best shot at snagging a seat is regularly checking therestaurant’s websiteto get a reservation as soon as new spots open up, or adding yourself to the waitlist and hoping someone cancels.

I Love Sushi on Lake Bellevue

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I Love Sushi’s Bellevue location’s dining room offers stunning views of Lake Bellevue. It also serves some of the best sushi in the Seattle area, with team trained by Jun Takai, one of Shiro Kashiba’s star apprentices who’s opening his own spot in Bellevue sometime this summer. The lunch menu offers fairly affordable ($20-$30 range) full meals with sushi, miso soup, and green salads, while the dinner menu offers $49.50 kaiseki platters with seasonal fish and various omakase nigiri and sashimi options. Though Edomae-style sushi is the focus here, you can also get your fix of American-style sushi, like spicy tuna and deep-fried crunchy rolls.

Shiro's

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雖然名義上的明星廚師Shiro Kashiba了down from his post here years ago, the venerable Belltown sushi spot remains an excellent sushi destination. Besides the a la carte menu, there’s the option of ordering a takeout “spring platter,” loaded with some of the best spring fish from Tokyo’s Toyosu Market for $150 (orders have to be put in 24 hours in advance) or a dine-in omakase. The restaurant also serves popular crispy rice sushi burgers made with fried rice patties sandwiching ingredients like smoked salmon, tempura shrimp, tofu, and fried chicken with vegetables and sauce.

Umi Sake House

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This late-night Belltown destination for sushi, sake, and Japanese whisky offers an impressive list of nigiri and sushi rolls — which include traditional Japanese versions as well as creative American-style specialty rolls like the Dragonfly, made with tempura shrimp, yellowtail, grilled shishito peppers and ghost pepper aioli. Omakase, (starting at $50 per person) is also an option.

Sushi Kashiba

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Diners have long flocked to the upscale Pike Place restaurant to watch master sushi chef Shiro Kashiba at work, with seats at the bar among the most coveted. Its meticulous attention to detail remains a big draw, as does chef Kashiba, who is credited for bringing edomae-style sushi to Seattle and has opened some of the city’s best-respected sushi restaurants, including the self-titled Shiro’s Sushi Restaurant in Belltown. First-timers should choose the omakase option and embrace each seasonal offering, although Kashiba’s popular black cod off the a la carte menu is also stellar.

Mashiko

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Sustainable sushi is at the core of this West Seattle spot. Although founding chef Hajime Satostepped away from the restaurant in 2019, he left it in good hands, with a staff that carries on the ethos of carefully sourced fish with an emphasis on traceability and responsible farming practices. The seasonal menu offers a top-notch selection of sushi, sashimi, and nigiri with sometimes unconventional offerings like boar.

Sushi by Scratch Restaurants: Seattle

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Sushi By Scratch Restaurants, whose California location received a Michelin star, now has a location in downtown Seattle. Reservations are currently all sold out, but more are released on the first of every month at 10 a.m. The restaurant serves a $165 17-course omakase experience, a price point that’s lower than some other omakase around town. Six of these courses are uniquely Californian takes on nigiri from owner Phillip Frankland Lee, a white chef from Los Angeles, including a hamachi nigiri brushed with sweet corn pudding and topped with sourdough bread crumbs. The other 10 courses are unique to the Seattle location and will incorporate local ingredients like geoduck, king salmon, and Dungeness crab.

Ltd Edition Sushi

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這(國會山壽司櫃台,自由進出ned during the pandemic focused on kaiseki-style takeout boxes, offers an exquisite omakase experience ($120 when seated at a table and $140 at the sushi counter). It also offers a $48 sake pairing. Seattle Times food critic Bethany Jean Clement recently described Chef Keiji Tsukasaki’s sushi as “incredible,” and said that the otoro made her cry because of how good it is.

Takai by Kashiba

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Takai By Kashiba is a new Bellevue sushi restaurant led by chef Jun Takai, a star apprentice of Seattle sushi godfather Shiro Kashiba. The Kashiba family says its focus is now helping others continue the sushi legacy that Shiro Kashiba started in Seattle. Takai offers a 22-course omakase ($150 at a table, $180 at the sushi counter), with 17 sushi courses and five kaiseki-style dishes from the kitchen. Harman Thabel, the former director of hospitality for the two-Michelin-starred Narisawa restaurant in Tokyo, supplies a daily-changing wine and sake pairing, a tea pairing for those who don’t want to drink alcohol, and trains the dining room staff in omotenashi — a style of Japanese service where everyone works together to represent the chef and restaurant, putting aside their individuality in service a greater goal.

SanKai

Star sushi chef Ryuichi Nakano opened up this Edmonds spot downtown in 2019, and it has quickly gained a loyal following. It’s now offering a wide variety of well-crafted rolls, nigiri, and sashimi for pickup throughonline preorders, or onsite dining (both indoors and outdoors). Nagano also offers omakase nigiri and sashimi platters. There’s to-go beer, sake, Japanese whiskey, and wine available as well.

Toyoda Sushi

Lake City’s best kept secret is this casual, family-owned sushi restaurant. Besides its reliable menu of specialty rolls and sashimi, Toyoda also serves an incredibly satisfying plate of seared hamachi tuna that shouldn’t be missed. Toyoda offers takeout only Thursday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Orders can be texted to (206) 383-8182 before 1 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Accepted forms of payment are cash, check, Zelle, and Venmo. The restaurant is hoping to reopen for dine-in this year.

A collection of sashimi, showing yellowtail, roe, and sliced cucumber
Toyoda sushi is a popular Lake City spot.
Toyoda Sushi/Facebook

Kisaku Sushi

Hidden in Tangletown is one of the best neighborhood restaurants in Seattle. There’s a short list of signature rolls (the Green Lake Roll with salmon, asparagus, and flying fish egg is a highlight), as well as excellent sashimi and nigiri. Kisaku also offers two separate tasting menus which incorporate ingredients from other cuisines — like a raw hamachi dish oranges and Thai chilis. It offers a takeout-only lunch and takeout and dine-in for dinner.

A signature sushi roll at Tangletown, with a green vegetable sprouting out from each piece.
Kisaku is a Tangletown favorite.
Kisaku [Official Photo]

Sushi Kappo Tamura

Renowned chef Taichi Kitamura (a 2018 James Beard Award semifinalist) provides a wide variety of fantastic meal options at his Eastlake destination restaurant. It has a full sushi menu, as well as a nigiri omakase, which includes 12 pieces of seasonal selections and brunch on the weekends. Sushi Kappo Tamura sources its seafood from Pacific Northwest producers like Taylor Shellfish and Skagit River Ranch and has a rooftop garden that provides produce for some of its dishes. Of all the sushi chefs in Seattle, Kitamura may know the most about local fish, providing a sushi experience that couldn’t be replicated in any other part of the country.

Nishino

This lovely, upscale restaurant has been thrilling Madison Park diners since 1995. Small plates, sashimi, and exclusive omakase dinners all get rave reviews and make regulars out of neighbors and destination diners alike. Though the menu is focused on traditional Japanese fare, there are also creative dishes on the menu like “new style sashimi” made with seared shiromi, arugula, and olive oil and toro tartare with white sturgeon caviar.

Taneda

This nine-seat sushi counter tucked away inside Capitol Hill’s Broadway Alley has an array of offerings besides seafood for its artful multi-course omakase menu, but master chef Hideaki Taneda’s Edomae-style sushi preparations are the main event. Each seasonal dish is lovingly crafted and presented like mini gifts, a one-of-a-kind experience in a city with plenty of competition. Reservations are normally booked out at least a month in advance; your best shot at snagging a seat is regularly checking therestaurant’s websiteto get a reservation as soon as new spots open up, or adding yourself to the waitlist and hoping someone cancels.

I Love Sushi on Lake Bellevue

I Love Sushi’s Bellevue location’s dining room offers stunning views of Lake Bellevue. It also serves some of the best sushi in the Seattle area, with team trained by Jun Takai, one of Shiro Kashiba’s star apprentices who’s opening his own spot in Bellevue sometime this summer. The lunch menu offers fairly affordable ($20-$30 range) full meals with sushi, miso soup, and green salads, while the dinner menu offers $49.50 kaiseki platters with seasonal fish and various omakase nigiri and sashimi options. Though Edomae-style sushi is the focus here, you can also get your fix of American-style sushi, like spicy tuna and deep-fried crunchy rolls.

Shiro's

雖然名義上的明星廚師Shiro Kashiba了down from his post here years ago, the venerable Belltown sushi spot remains an excellent sushi destination. Besides the a la carte menu, there’s the option of ordering a takeout “spring platter,” loaded with some of the best spring fish from Tokyo’s Toyosu Market for $150 (orders have to be put in 24 hours in advance) or a dine-in omakase. The restaurant also serves popular crispy rice sushi burgers made with fried rice patties sandwiching ingredients like smoked salmon, tempura shrimp, tofu, and fried chicken with vegetables and sauce.

Umi Sake House

This late-night Belltown destination for sushi, sake, and Japanese whisky offers an impressive list of nigiri and sushi rolls — which include traditional Japanese versions as well as creative American-style specialty rolls like the Dragonfly, made with tempura shrimp, yellowtail, grilled shishito peppers and ghost pepper aioli. Omakase, (starting at $50 per person) is also an option.

Sushi Kashiba

Diners have long flocked to the upscale Pike Place restaurant to watch master sushi chef Shiro Kashiba at work, with seats at the bar among the most coveted. Its meticulous attention to detail remains a big draw, as does chef Kashiba, who is credited for bringing edomae-style sushi to Seattle and has opened some of the city’s best-respected sushi restaurants, including the self-titled Shiro’s Sushi Restaurant in Belltown. First-timers should choose the omakase option and embrace each seasonal offering, although Kashiba’s popular black cod off the a la carte menu is also stellar.

Mashiko

Sustainable sushi is at the core of this West Seattle spot. Although founding chef Hajime Satostepped away from the restaurant in 2019, he left it in good hands, with a staff that carries on the ethos of carefully sourced fish with an emphasis on traceability and responsible farming practices. The seasonal menu offers a top-notch selection of sushi, sashimi, and nigiri with sometimes unconventional offerings like boar.

Sushi by Scratch Restaurants: Seattle

Sushi By Scratch Restaurants, whose California location received a Michelin star, now has a location in downtown Seattle. Reservations are currently all sold out, but more are released on the first of every month at 10 a.m. The restaurant serves a $165 17-course omakase experience, a price point that’s lower than some other omakase around town. Six of these courses are uniquely Californian takes on nigiri from owner Phillip Frankland Lee, a white chef from Los Angeles, including a hamachi nigiri brushed with sweet corn pudding and topped with sourdough bread crumbs. The other 10 courses are unique to the Seattle location and will incorporate local ingredients like geoduck, king salmon, and Dungeness crab.

Ltd Edition Sushi

這(國會山壽司櫃台,自由進出ned during the pandemic focused on kaiseki-style takeout boxes, offers an exquisite omakase experience ($120 when seated at a table and $140 at the sushi counter). It also offers a $48 sake pairing. Seattle Times food critic Bethany Jean Clement recently described Chef Keiji Tsukasaki’s sushi as “incredible,” and said that the otoro made her cry because of how good it is.

Takai by Kashiba

Takai By Kashiba is a new Bellevue sushi restaurant led by chef Jun Takai, a star apprentice of Seattle sushi godfather Shiro Kashiba. The Kashiba family says its focus is now helping others continue the sushi legacy that Shiro Kashiba started in Seattle. Takai offers a 22-course omakase ($150 at a table, $180 at the sushi counter), with 17 sushi courses and five kaiseki-style dishes from the kitchen. Harman Thabel, the former director of hospitality for the two-Michelin-starred Narisawa restaurant in Tokyo, supplies a daily-changing wine and sake pairing, a tea pairing for those who don’t want to drink alcohol, and trains the dining room staff in omotenashi — a style of Japanese service where everyone works together to represent the chef and restaurant, putting aside their individuality in service a greater goal.

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