Overrated. and Dirty.I was really excited to bring my out of town guests to try Mashiko, but was greatly disappointed.This restaurant seemed to have a fruit fly/bug problem when we dined on a Friday night in March, as we had multiple bugs in both our drinks and sushi throughout the meal. The staff didn't seem surprised that there were bugs - and also comp'd only half the sushi dish after it was sent back. Horrific to still have to pay $25 for food with buggo's.Sushi itself was fine at best - but there are FAR better options in the Seattle area that are more fresh and authentic with better service and vibe for the same price point.Furthermore, I sent a note on my experience to the restaurant first via their contact form on their website and then through social media as we never got a response on our experience, and never got a response. It's been 1.5 weeks. Not impressed and will not be coming back.*EDIT to provide additional context to the response*- We were a table of 4, not a table of 6. You must have our table confused with another.- Plural/multiple dishes were not comp'd. You may have us confused with another table. Only 50% of of the roll dish got comp'd on our bill. and it was definitely not 90% eaten.- And no, we were not looking to have our entire bill comp'd. That's silly. Having the roll comp'd would have been the right thing. And just being heard from the feedback sent is all my guests and I were looking for.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Michael A.
Amazing sushi -- and sustainable! The only downside is the server with the Coke-bottle glasses, easily the most annoying server I have encountered in my many years of dining. He was like something out of an episode of _Curb Your Enthusiasm_. If you have the misfortune of getting him, make it clear at the outset that you want to enjoy your meal in peace and will not tolerate his clueless pestering.
Jeff
We had the Midori omakase. Great that there are more vegetarian and vegan options these days, but this outing fell short of expectations. The sushi fell apart and the spacing between courses was way too long.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
M T.
This is an honest and disappointing review. I will post pictures of our omakase as others have posted and let you know it's all pretty much similar food. The other bad reviews are on point as with this review, as I shared a very near identical experience of this restaurant with other reviewers who rated low on this establishment. The Meal: we went with the second most expensive omakase they had on the menu. They have several options with the highest one a three day advance notice. We didn't give that notice. The omakase was not good! I could have went to any other fine establishments and had a better meal. The first course was so bland. It needed both salt and acidity. The scallops and pickled daikon suck! I am thinking sushi land would have been way better. Look our waiter was like he'll put in a hint for the apps we want but, it didn't come out as such. No worries, as long as the food is good. Oh boy, it was not. I'm so mad I chose this place for our Valentine's Day dinner (since I am traveling right now, we needed to celebrate early). Second course was better but very little food was given. Red beats had acidity and the monk fish liver seemed fresh. Unfortunately very little was given. Third course was the sashimi platter. The waiter said no need for soy source everything has been seasoned! F that, it needed soy sauce!!!!!! The best thing on there was the deep fried shrimp heads. None of the fish seem of premium quality. The waiter kept asking what was our favorite and I couldn't answer him without being insulting and sounding rude or a snob. But he made a snarky remark (just as others have mentioned about the service). The correct answer is all of it! Is what he told us to say in a crude and condescending demeanor. I really didn't want to tip him the 18%. But since I've been in the service industry I know so I try to be nice always. Stellar service in my book I give 20% or more. This was ok service. The restaurant was not packed. Fourth course was the nigiri pieces and they were all right. Again same line was used and I am thinking GAWD Dayum they are cheap! Saving on soy sauce!!!! The fish was fresh but yet very low quality. It needed soy sauce so the msg can mask how poor the quality is. They gave us mackerel on the sushi platter and then the damn same mackerel as a nigiri. Not even one piece of fatty tuna or salmon. Dude I make better sushi nigiri at home. This was sad. The fifth course was the worst. We didn't finish it and we were hungry!!!! They gave us a soup that was inedible and had a very sour taste and a lot of daikon. The after taste was horrendous. Tiny morsels of fish in the soup. Yet the worst part was the carrots that were still raw!!!! Wtf!!! I had maybe two or three spoons and I said no. The last course was two desserts. One super bitter and nasty tasting because you know desserts should be bitter right? NO!!! And some kind of crème brûlée that was runny!!! The flavor was ok but it was runny!!! The service was ok. My wife was mad I had tipped 18%. The room was cold and our hot tea kept cooling off instantly. Again I know how hard it is to etch a living as a server especially when you need to tip the sushi chef and kitchen and hostess. Overall if you can just avoid this disaster of sushi place and go to Shiros or Sushi Kaiba or Minamoto. It's like the sushi chefs weren't properly trained or they hate their customers. Even Genki sushi would have been better! SAVE yourself the MONEY and DISAPPOINTMENT!!! I spent about nearly 300 dollars. Don't make the same mistake I did. But you don't have to take my word for it, go ahead and try if you dare! I ended up eating left over dim sum from the night before and that was more enjoyable.
Hakan Uras
The Omakase was wonderful. A bit pricey, but definitely worth it.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Carson L.
Truly memorable omakase experience! Every course was something new that was thoughtfully explained.
Autumn Katz
Great date night for an experience meal. It’s best to do omakase style! Sitting at the bar is so fun. We love the wine and sake selection as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Wasabi, Omakase Plate, Sushi-Ya for Two
Dmitriy Ansolis
Had the Oiwai tasting menu, which is over $100 per person. I've been to a number of similarly priced Seattle sushi restaurants and always had a great experience, but this place was very disappointing. Almost all of the sashimi and nigiri was dry, bland, and flavorless. It honestly tasted no better than grocery store sushi. The appetizers at the start were quite good, but the soup at the end was way under-salted and had no flavor whatsoever.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
E S.
Excellent sushi and have tried lots of new things here. But the service is so slow, especially at the tables! Like maybe some of the slowest service I have ever received, not just once, consistently so.
James
So good! Everything was complex and surprising and rewarding. That comes at a price. If you want cheap sushi, go to Costco.For extra $$ you can get real wasabi, rather than horseradish paste and food coloring. We tried it, and it IS different. A similar kick, but more flavorful and without the chemical aftertaste.Things that I want to experience again: BLACK COD KASUZUKE, SCALLOP ON SNOWSHOES, and the wonderful miso soup.Our server was gracious and a pro.Next time, I might go for an Omakase experience - they offer a variety of chef's choice tasting menus.
Sustainable sushi is delicious sushi! We had some good tips from our server when he noticed we are obsessed with scallops. Overall just a good vibe place, would recommend booking ahead
Herakles Li
Experienced my first omakase dinner here! I chose the Taiken-Suru for 12 courses of adventurous eating.Highlights of the meal include sake poached oysters, trout sashimi, a whole fried ling cod collar, monkfish liver, uni served straight from the spiky shell, maitake mushroom and fish soup in a tea pot. Really every single dish was delicious and well composed.I also really appreciated how they all came with some vegetables and that they were all done really well too. The pickled onions and radish were superb.The chefs also took care to share the sourcing of every dish they served us and it was great to hear about all the local fish and shellfish they used.Service was stellar and overall we were very impressed by the whole experience. Highly recommend if you are craving fresh seafood and creative dishes and well worth the drive even if you live far from west Seattle!Vegetarian options: They have a vegetarian omakase.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
David Granadier
I've had a couple different omakase meals here and I have to say I've left a little disappointed and worse, hungry both times. I'm impressed by the quality of preparation and the service is nice. However, for the price you pay here and compared to similarly priced fine sushi restaurants, I expect a bit more. For example, the last time the nigiri was all leaner fish and we had hoped for a fattier, more flavorful cut. All that said, still a perfectly good place to take out of towners and impress them.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Erin M.
Hot-Take: California foodies are different from Washington foodies? I'm reading reviews from Yelpers from different cities, and there seems to be a contrast on the opinion of this place. Maybe it's the lack of diversity in the PNW, but I thought this place was a bit overhyped on Yelp, Reddit, and Google Reviews. It was interesting, to say the least, that my partner and I were the only Asians dining in this Japanese restaurant. As others have mentioned on the reviews, the vibe is just plain weird here. I can't explain it, other than, it didn't feel warm or inviting. We had reservations for bar seating, and I just felt like we were being watched like a hawk by the staff and slightlyyy rushed. The food also took a long time to come out - 3 hours from start to finish with long breaks in between dishes. And this was also the first time I've eaten omakase at a Japanese restaurant where none of the sushi chefs were Japanese. Not a huge deal to me, but it definitely affected the vibe. We ordered the Oiwai option for two which was $210. With gratuity and sake to share, it came out to $300 for two people. The portions were good - we left feeling satisfied. The omakase did not really blow us away nor did it feel authentic. I feel like we've had better for the same price in LA and SD. My favorite part of the omakase was the scallop nigiri, raw shrimp, and the washoku style soup at the end. That soup was very unique and tasty. The sashimi platter was great, but didn't blow us away. The fish is good quality. I also like that the fish is sustainable. The sashimi selection was alright, maybe a little on the cheaper side in terms of types of fish/cuts. I'm thankful and glad I was able to try this place. It just didn't scratch that omakase itch for me.
Miko B.
Just dined at Mashiko and went all in with the Taiken-suru experience. It's definitely a journey for the bold - 12 courses spread over 3+ hours and boy, was it an adventure! Loved how they played with seasonal ingredients, and while it's got a modern twist, every dish was a hit in our group of 4. Heads up, it leans more towards the creative side than traditional sashimi. But if you're up for an immersive dining experience, and got some time on a weeknight, give them a ring and book it. Just remember to check your parking options!
Overrated. and Dirty.I was really excited to bring my out of town guests to try Mashiko, but was greatly disappointed.This restaurant seemed to have a fruit fly/bug problem when we dined on a Friday night in March, as we had multiple bugs in both our drinks and sushi throughout the meal. The staff didn't seem surprised that there were bugs - and also comp'd only half the sushi dish after it was sent back. Horrific to still have to pay $25 for food with buggo's.Sushi itself was fine at best - but there are FAR better options in the Seattle area that are more fresh and authentic with better service and vibe for the same price point.Furthermore, I sent a note on my experience to the restaurant first via their contact form on their website and then through social media as we never got a response on our experience, and never got a response. It's been 1.5 weeks. Not impressed and will not be coming back.*EDIT to provide additional context to the response*- We were a table of 4, not a table of 6. You must have our table confused with another.- Plural/multiple dishes were not comp'd. You may have us confused with another table. Only 50% of of the roll dish got comp'd on our bill. and it was definitely not 90% eaten.- And no, we were not looking to have our entire bill comp'd. That's silly. Having the roll comp'd would have been the right thing. And just being heard from the feedback sent is all my guests and I were looking for.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Amazing sushi -- and sustainable! The only downside is the server with the Coke-bottle glasses, easily the most annoying server I have encountered in my many years of dining. He was like something out of an episode of _Curb Your Enthusiasm_. If you have the misfortune of getting him, make it clear at the outset that you want to enjoy your meal in peace and will not tolerate his clueless pestering.
We had the Midori omakase. Great that there are more vegetarian and vegan options these days, but this outing fell short of expectations. The sushi fell apart and the spacing between courses was way too long.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
This is an honest and disappointing review. I will post pictures of our omakase as others have posted and let you know it's all pretty much similar food. The other bad reviews are on point as with this review, as I shared a very near identical experience of this restaurant with other reviewers who rated low on this establishment. The Meal: we went with the second most expensive omakase they had on the menu. They have several options with the highest one a three day advance notice. We didn't give that notice. The omakase was not good! I could have went to any other fine establishments and had a better meal. The first course was so bland. It needed both salt and acidity. The scallops and pickled daikon suck! I am thinking sushi land would have been way better. Look our waiter was like he'll put in a hint for the apps we want but, it didn't come out as such. No worries, as long as the food is good. Oh boy, it was not. I'm so mad I chose this place for our Valentine's Day dinner (since I am traveling right now, we needed to celebrate early). Second course was better but very little food was given. Red beats had acidity and the monk fish liver seemed fresh. Unfortunately very little was given. Third course was the sashimi platter. The waiter said no need for soy source everything has been seasoned! F that, it needed soy sauce!!!!!! The best thing on there was the deep fried shrimp heads. None of the fish seem of premium quality. The waiter kept asking what was our favorite and I couldn't answer him without being insulting and sounding rude or a snob. But he made a snarky remark (just as others have mentioned about the service). The correct answer is all of it! Is what he told us to say in a crude and condescending demeanor. I really didn't want to tip him the 18%. But since I've been in the service industry I know so I try to be nice always. Stellar service in my book I give 20% or more. This was ok service. The restaurant was not packed. Fourth course was the nigiri pieces and they were all right. Again same line was used and I am thinking GAWD Dayum they are cheap! Saving on soy sauce!!!! The fish was fresh but yet very low quality. It needed soy sauce so the msg can mask how poor the quality is. They gave us mackerel on the sushi platter and then the damn same mackerel as a nigiri. Not even one piece of fatty tuna or salmon. Dude I make better sushi nigiri at home. This was sad. The fifth course was the worst. We didn't finish it and we were hungry!!!! They gave us a soup that was inedible and had a very sour taste and a lot of daikon. The after taste was horrendous. Tiny morsels of fish in the soup. Yet the worst part was the carrots that were still raw!!!! Wtf!!! I had maybe two or three spoons and I said no. The last course was two desserts. One super bitter and nasty tasting because you know desserts should be bitter right? NO!!! And some kind of crème brûlée that was runny!!! The flavor was ok but it was runny!!! The service was ok. My wife was mad I had tipped 18%. The room was cold and our hot tea kept cooling off instantly. Again I know how hard it is to etch a living as a server especially when you need to tip the sushi chef and kitchen and hostess. Overall if you can just avoid this disaster of sushi place and go to Shiros or Sushi Kaiba or Minamoto. It's like the sushi chefs weren't properly trained or they hate their customers. Even Genki sushi would have been better! SAVE yourself the MONEY and DISAPPOINTMENT!!! I spent about nearly 300 dollars. Don't make the same mistake I did. But you don't have to take my word for it, go ahead and try if you dare! I ended up eating left over dim sum from the night before and that was more enjoyable.
The Omakase was wonderful. A bit pricey, but definitely worth it.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Truly memorable omakase experience! Every course was something new that was thoughtfully explained.
Great date night for an experience meal. It’s best to do omakase style! Sitting at the bar is so fun. We love the wine and sake selection as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Wasabi, Omakase Plate, Sushi-Ya for Two
Had the Oiwai tasting menu, which is over $100 per person. I've been to a number of similarly priced Seattle sushi restaurants and always had a great experience, but this place was very disappointing. Almost all of the sashimi and nigiri was dry, bland, and flavorless. It honestly tasted no better than grocery store sushi. The appetizers at the start were quite good, but the soup at the end was way under-salted and had no flavor whatsoever.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Excellent sushi and have tried lots of new things here. But the service is so slow, especially at the tables! Like maybe some of the slowest service I have ever received, not just once, consistently so.
So good! Everything was complex and surprising and rewarding. That comes at a price. If you want cheap sushi, go to Costco.For extra $$ you can get real wasabi, rather than horseradish paste and food coloring. We tried it, and it IS different. A similar kick, but more flavorful and without the chemical aftertaste.Things that I want to experience again: BLACK COD KASUZUKE, SCALLOP ON SNOWSHOES, and the wonderful miso soup.Our server was gracious and a pro.Next time, I might go for an Omakase experience - they offer a variety of chef's choice tasting menus.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Sustainable sushi is delicious sushi! We had some good tips from our server when he noticed we are obsessed with scallops. Overall just a good vibe place, would recommend booking ahead
Experienced my first omakase dinner here! I chose the Taiken-Suru for 12 courses of adventurous eating.Highlights of the meal include sake poached oysters, trout sashimi, a whole fried ling cod collar, monkfish liver, uni served straight from the spiky shell, maitake mushroom and fish soup in a tea pot. Really every single dish was delicious and well composed.I also really appreciated how they all came with some vegetables and that they were all done really well too. The pickled onions and radish were superb.The chefs also took care to share the sourcing of every dish they served us and it was great to hear about all the local fish and shellfish they used.Service was stellar and overall we were very impressed by the whole experience. Highly recommend if you are craving fresh seafood and creative dishes and well worth the drive even if you live far from west Seattle!Vegetarian options: They have a vegetarian omakase.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I've had a couple different omakase meals here and I have to say I've left a little disappointed and worse, hungry both times. I'm impressed by the quality of preparation and the service is nice. However, for the price you pay here and compared to similarly priced fine sushi restaurants, I expect a bit more. For example, the last time the nigiri was all leaner fish and we had hoped for a fattier, more flavorful cut. All that said, still a perfectly good place to take out of towners and impress them.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Hot-Take: California foodies are different from Washington foodies? I'm reading reviews from Yelpers from different cities, and there seems to be a contrast on the opinion of this place. Maybe it's the lack of diversity in the PNW, but I thought this place was a bit overhyped on Yelp, Reddit, and Google Reviews. It was interesting, to say the least, that my partner and I were the only Asians dining in this Japanese restaurant. As others have mentioned on the reviews, the vibe is just plain weird here. I can't explain it, other than, it didn't feel warm or inviting. We had reservations for bar seating, and I just felt like we were being watched like a hawk by the staff and slightlyyy rushed. The food also took a long time to come out - 3 hours from start to finish with long breaks in between dishes. And this was also the first time I've eaten omakase at a Japanese restaurant where none of the sushi chefs were Japanese. Not a huge deal to me, but it definitely affected the vibe. We ordered the Oiwai option for two which was $210. With gratuity and sake to share, it came out to $300 for two people. The portions were good - we left feeling satisfied. The omakase did not really blow us away nor did it feel authentic. I feel like we've had better for the same price in LA and SD. My favorite part of the omakase was the scallop nigiri, raw shrimp, and the washoku style soup at the end. That soup was very unique and tasty. The sashimi platter was great, but didn't blow us away. The fish is good quality. I also like that the fish is sustainable. The sashimi selection was alright, maybe a little on the cheaper side in terms of types of fish/cuts. I'm thankful and glad I was able to try this place. It just didn't scratch that omakase itch for me.
Just dined at Mashiko and went all in with the Taiken-suru experience. It's definitely a journey for the bold - 12 courses spread over 3+ hours and boy, was it an adventure! Loved how they played with seasonal ingredients, and while it's got a modern twist, every dish was a hit in our group of 4. Heads up, it leans more towards the creative side than traditional sashimi. But if you're up for an immersive dining experience, and got some time on a weeknight, give them a ring and book it. Just remember to check your parking options!