BOMB!!!! no pictures on this post bc i devoured the food. kept it simple on the take-out and got the tuna w mayo onigiri, seaweed salad is simple but the texture & flavor is delicious, and miso soup. all delicious, would order again (very soon)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish
Jo aisen
It’s a cute and warm place! I love their ochatsuke and nigiri! Especially recommend the Mentaiko Special nigiri! It’s grilled to perfection, imbued with the smoky aroma. For the ochatsuke, I had unagi topping with green tea broth. It tastes really good. Agedashi tofu is not bad, but a little salty. Chicken karaage is delicious!Overall. It’s good and cheap, definitely worth to try!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Agedashi Tofu
Todd Bello
whole party must be there to be seated, so I stood outside for 20 minutes catching Poké
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Boldly You Roll
Mark Morgan
Everything was tasty!
Mark J.
Onibaba does every onigiri so well! The place is so cutely decorated and cozy. Every onigiri was delicious and the variety was great. It's delicious to have ingredients that are freshly cooked rolled into an onigiri. The biggest highlight for me was definitely the yaki onigiri, meaning grilled. The cheese paired so well with the rice, and there is hardly any place that does this so we got another order. We split about 6 onigiri and ochazuke; I was full and content with the size and flavors! When coming here, might be best to expect a wait on a weekend or an evening for dinner! They do not take reservations. Large party seating ie more than 4 people might be hard. Would definitely come back.
EFFIN EVAN
how it should be!
Victor S.
Small restaurant, tight seating, but luckily we were seated quickly. Service was great and she was attentive. Food was good, a bit pricey, but the rice bowl was a good portion and was filling. I won't come back to the area just for this place, but was a good one time try. If my friends wanted to visit, I wouldn't reject!
Daniel Esporma
Ordered pickup/takeout, was instructed to wait outside for 12 minutes. Food arrived 40 minutes later while we waited in 43 degree weather with no update.A fight broke out between two patrons in the doorway over a parking dispute. The waitstaff did nothing to quell or deescalate the fight, they just held the door open and allowed the aggressor to wait outside for his table.When we received our food, we received 3 of the 4 onigiris ordered and all the food was cold.As a half-Japanese person, I would recommend would-be patrons pick up food at Uwajimaya; it’s warmer and fairly priced. Onibaba is overhyped food court food served by poor waitstaff.Kid-friendliness: Did not break up a shouting fight, not a great place for kids.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Justin Avellar
Really cute little place! Come early or expect a 30+ min wait—there aren’t a lot of tables. The onigiri were delicious and original and the pork belly don was very flavorful. We will definitely come back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Edamame, Oyako Don, Fish, Uni Sea Urchin and Mackerel, Oyako Ochazuke
Chavisa Woods
Very overpriced for what it is. It’s a tiny space. It’s clean but cold. Long wait outside.Basic flavors. I had creasy curry with almost no spice over basic fried chicken It was okay. Not at all worth $25!!!. Seems very trendy right now. Not sure why m.
Interesting Japanese food establishment. Specialized in ochasuke and onigiri. We had the day's special ochasuke with raw octopus pieces. It was good. We sometimes have ochasuke at home, so we wanted to try it at restaurant. They put some veggie, seaweed, shiso leave and wasabi with the octopus. Tasted wonderful. The dashi was good. The onigiri were also good and fresh. The yaki onigiri is crusty on the outside, I saved half to eat with the dashi soup. Overal it's interesting.They only open for 2 hrs for lunch on Saturday when we went.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Janet Phan
I love the delicious homemade Japanese comfort food Onibaba offers! Feels like eating in your own living room. A warm and welcoming staff. Definitely worth the wait since they don’t take reservations.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oyako Ochazuke
Kyle Freed
Food was delicious and I was difficult (asked for tofu served without bonito flakes… they remade it and I was grateful)Vegetarian options: They’re few but great
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yvonne Lai
I miss the old
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Robert B.
This is another one of those places I really don't want to write a review for, but fairness demands that I do... Once upon a time there were some enterprising restauranteurs who opened a small Japanese restaurant in the Japantown section of Seattle's International District. It was called 'Tsukushinbo', but I called it 'The-Restaurant-With-No-Name' because it was operating incognito - no signage outside to let you know what it was The restaurant was a big hit, and one of Seattle's hardest tables to get. It operated quite successfully for several years, and then.... The owners decided to switch gears and do a somewhat different Japanese restaurant, so out with Tsukushinbo and its sushi bar, and in with 'Onibaba', a casual eatery with a rather limited, casual menu. Most people (like me) would've told them 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'. Was this a crazy thing to do? It appears these folks were crazy like foxes... THE ROSES: First and foremost, the food - it is uniformly excellent! Their specialty is onigiri, and I've never had better (and I've eaten it in Japan!). Other dishes like their ochazuke are excellent as well. I'm personally partial to the Curry Udon; it's the best I've ever had. Portions are right-sized and the prices are reasonable. Service is always efficient and very pleasant. THE THORNS: As other Yelpers have noted, the dining space is a bit small, so waits for a table are common. Parking can be tricky, but there are pay lots nearby. Thanks to a shamefully inept city government, the area is overrun with vagrants and addicts; be aware of your surroundings, especially at night, and don't leave anything visible in your car if you drive and park. Menu is a little limited, but everything they offer is done extremely well. NEITER ROSE NOR THORN: Onibaba is still 'The Restaurant with No Name'. There is STILL no signage outside. If you're not familiar with the area finding this place may be a challenge, but that's part of the fun, isn't it? SOUNDS LIKE YOU REALLY LIKE THIS PLACE; WHY DIDN'T YOU WANT TO WRITE THIS REVIEW? It's hard enough to get in! The last thing I want is to have even more people crowding me out! Still, I can't be greedy and as a Yelp Elite, I figure I have an obligation to share great restaurants with my fellow Yelpers. THE VERDICT: Onibaba is a true hidden gem in Seattle's Chinatown, it's well worth the effort to find and worth the wait for a table! Highest recommendation!
BOMB!!!! no pictures on this post bc i devoured the food. kept it simple on the take-out and got the tuna w mayo onigiri, seaweed salad is simple but the texture & flavor is delicious, and miso soup. all delicious, would order again (very soon)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish
It’s a cute and warm place! I love their ochatsuke and nigiri! Especially recommend the Mentaiko Special nigiri! It’s grilled to perfection, imbued with the smoky aroma. For the ochatsuke, I had unagi topping with green tea broth. It tastes really good. Agedashi tofu is not bad, but a little salty. Chicken karaage is delicious!Overall. It’s good and cheap, definitely worth to try!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Agedashi Tofu
whole party must be there to be seated, so I stood outside for 20 minutes catching Poké
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Boldly You Roll
Everything was tasty!
Onibaba does every onigiri so well! The place is so cutely decorated and cozy. Every onigiri was delicious and the variety was great. It's delicious to have ingredients that are freshly cooked rolled into an onigiri. The biggest highlight for me was definitely the yaki onigiri, meaning grilled. The cheese paired so well with the rice, and there is hardly any place that does this so we got another order. We split about 6 onigiri and ochazuke; I was full and content with the size and flavors! When coming here, might be best to expect a wait on a weekend or an evening for dinner! They do not take reservations. Large party seating ie more than 4 people might be hard. Would definitely come back.
how it should be!
Small restaurant, tight seating, but luckily we were seated quickly. Service was great and she was attentive. Food was good, a bit pricey, but the rice bowl was a good portion and was filling. I won't come back to the area just for this place, but was a good one time try. If my friends wanted to visit, I wouldn't reject!
Ordered pickup/takeout, was instructed to wait outside for 12 minutes. Food arrived 40 minutes later while we waited in 43 degree weather with no update.A fight broke out between two patrons in the doorway over a parking dispute. The waitstaff did nothing to quell or deescalate the fight, they just held the door open and allowed the aggressor to wait outside for his table.When we received our food, we received 3 of the 4 onigiris ordered and all the food was cold.As a half-Japanese person, I would recommend would-be patrons pick up food at Uwajimaya; it’s warmer and fairly priced. Onibaba is overhyped food court food served by poor waitstaff.Kid-friendliness: Did not break up a shouting fight, not a great place for kids.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Really cute little place! Come early or expect a 30+ min wait—there aren’t a lot of tables. The onigiri were delicious and original and the pork belly don was very flavorful. We will definitely come back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Edamame, Oyako Don, Fish, Uni Sea Urchin and Mackerel, Oyako Ochazuke
Very overpriced for what it is. It’s a tiny space. It’s clean but cold. Long wait outside.Basic flavors. I had creasy curry with almost no spice over basic fried chicken It was okay. Not at all worth $25!!!. Seems very trendy right now. Not sure why m.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
Interesting Japanese food establishment. Specialized in ochasuke and onigiri. We had the day's special ochasuke with raw octopus pieces. It was good. We sometimes have ochasuke at home, so we wanted to try it at restaurant. They put some veggie, seaweed, shiso leave and wasabi with the octopus. Tasted wonderful. The dashi was good. The onigiri were also good and fresh. The yaki onigiri is crusty on the outside, I saved half to eat with the dashi soup. Overal it's interesting.They only open for 2 hrs for lunch on Saturday when we went.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I love the delicious homemade Japanese comfort food Onibaba offers! Feels like eating in your own living room. A warm and welcoming staff. Definitely worth the wait since they don’t take reservations.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oyako Ochazuke
Food was delicious and I was difficult (asked for tofu served without bonito flakes… they remade it and I was grateful)Vegetarian options: They’re few but great
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
I miss the old
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
This is another one of those places I really don't want to write a review for, but fairness demands that I do... Once upon a time there were some enterprising restauranteurs who opened a small Japanese restaurant in the Japantown section of Seattle's International District. It was called 'Tsukushinbo', but I called it 'The-Restaurant-With-No-Name' because it was operating incognito - no signage outside to let you know what it was The restaurant was a big hit, and one of Seattle's hardest tables to get. It operated quite successfully for several years, and then.... The owners decided to switch gears and do a somewhat different Japanese restaurant, so out with Tsukushinbo and its sushi bar, and in with 'Onibaba', a casual eatery with a rather limited, casual menu. Most people (like me) would've told them 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'. Was this a crazy thing to do? It appears these folks were crazy like foxes... THE ROSES: First and foremost, the food - it is uniformly excellent! Their specialty is onigiri, and I've never had better (and I've eaten it in Japan!). Other dishes like their ochazuke are excellent as well. I'm personally partial to the Curry Udon; it's the best I've ever had. Portions are right-sized and the prices are reasonable. Service is always efficient and very pleasant. THE THORNS: As other Yelpers have noted, the dining space is a bit small, so waits for a table are common. Parking can be tricky, but there are pay lots nearby. Thanks to a shamefully inept city government, the area is overrun with vagrants and addicts; be aware of your surroundings, especially at night, and don't leave anything visible in your car if you drive and park. Menu is a little limited, but everything they offer is done extremely well. NEITER ROSE NOR THORN: Onibaba is still 'The Restaurant with No Name'. There is STILL no signage outside. If you're not familiar with the area finding this place may be a challenge, but that's part of the fun, isn't it? SOUNDS LIKE YOU REALLY LIKE THIS PLACE; WHY DIDN'T YOU WANT TO WRITE THIS REVIEW? It's hard enough to get in! The last thing I want is to have even more people crowding me out! Still, I can't be greedy and as a Yelp Elite, I figure I have an obligation to share great restaurants with my fellow Yelpers. THE VERDICT: Onibaba is a true hidden gem in Seattle's Chinatown, it's well worth the effort to find and worth the wait for a table! Highest recommendation!