Mashiko Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar

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.

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!

Mashiko Japanese Restaurant has one goal that is more emphasized than many other Japanese restaurants - sustainability! If this is important to you, it would be extra-good restaurant for you.Located in downtown West Seattle, it is now under second round of ownership when the founder from 1994 sold the business to three long term employees in 2019. It's a modest size restaurant; reservations during the weekend are recommended. We went on a weekend, and it was quite busy. Our service was swift despite the crowds. We sat at sushi counter, ordering both sushi and kitchen items. No issues.The Food:Shiro Suke, $18.50 - 2 Stars Menu: Marbled king salmon, yuzu miso, kaiware, and gailonThis roll was bland. The king salmon did not look like king salmon. It has the color of white fish, almost albacore. Disappointed.Black Cod Kasuzuke, $17 - 5 StarsMenu: Grilled with traditional sake lees and miso marinadeHubby ate it before I took a picture. It was that good!Mashiko Sashimi Assortment, $80 - 4.5 StarsThe sushi chef asked if I was an adventurous eater. I said yes. Everything was excellent quality. It didn't stop me from eyeing the folks adjacent to me and what they had, which was different and also good. The wasabi is a T.I.N.Y. little dollop. (See photo) I didn't know they charge extra for more wasabi. Minus half a star. Real Wasabi, $9 - 1 StarI asked for more wasabi. I figured if you are giving me such a little dollop (see above), it shouldn't be a surprise that I will ask for more. She asked if I wanted real or ?? I said real since that's what came from the sashimi I ordered. To my surprise, the receipt has a $9 charge. I can genuinely say I have never been charged extra for wasabi before. If they want to pre-dress the sashimi as is the case for omakase, great. If not, they should provide enough wasabi. Sockeye Nigiri, $9 - 5 StarsThe sockeye is a thing of beauty. It's also a giant piece of salmon over the rice. For the price, I would easily take two more orders of this instead of the Shiro Suke roll. Seafood and Vegetable Tempura, $21 - 4 StarsFor the price, this is a pretty spendy tempura. Instead of only shrimp, they also have salmon. It also has more veggie varieties such as asparagus. Quality of the tempura is good, just more expensive than most.

Mashiko is a fantastic sustainable sushi restaurant that has unique options you won't find elsewhere. If you're looking for a break from the typical sushi fare this restaurant is a great choice. If you're looking for toro or other sushi that is considered unsustainable then you will want another restaurant. I really enjoyed the layout. Mashiko is a small restaurant but with clever uses of dividers it made the space feel more private for the individual tables. I thought I would feel crowded when I first looked in but instead I found myself feeling rather cozy. Our waitress took a little bit to warm up to us, but once we had been there for awhile and we had a few interactions she was lovely. She explained the menu and emphasized the specials since those are the ones that are the month's highlights. She frequently came by to check on us and we never went without. I made one mistake here - I offered to split the kinako mochi with my friend. I thought it sounded interesting. We just ate a lot so I reasoned I didn't need a full dessert. I was wrong. Interesting is not a word that cuts it. The kinako mochi is so delicious I forgot to pause to take a picture. I forget how amazing red bean paste is for a dessert. How sweet it is but not hideously sweet. The mochi gave a nice substance that allowed it to linger. It also wasn't super gummy - it was still chewy but it had a very pleasant mouthfeel. It is four pieces. I would have liked to have eaten the other two but noooo I had to share! The sushi is good. They gave larger cuts of both the nigiri and rolls than I have seen anywhere else. My friend loved it. He loved the extra thick slices. He felt it was a heartier meal and was in heaven. For him this was his favorite sushi restaurant. For me I didn't have the same experience since I found I couldn't eat like I usually do. I typically can put a roll piece entirely in my mouth. I couldn't here so I had to try to bite into the roll which in turn made the roll fall apart. It still was good but I wasn't getting the flavor immersion that the chef was intending. Park close to the restaurant and make reservations in advance! It is a small restaurant so you have a better chance of getting in if you do.

Looking at the menu, a tagline stood out that captures this restaurant's essence of food: "It's not scary, it's Japanese!" And I have to say that with my adventurous palate, Mashiko's had the most unique and interesting, yet delicious on all fronts, sashimi platter I've had in my entire life. We ordered:The black codMashiko Sashimi AssortmentShiro Suke rollThe Shiro Suke was such a great start to our meal. That marbled king salmon was so smooth and not very heavy, which served as a great appetizer. The star of the show was the Mashiko Sashimi Assortment. Even before ordering it, our waiter asked if we had any allergies and, get this, if we're scared to eat anything/if we were adventurous. That question peaked my interest and I knew I had to order this dish. Despite it costing a pretty penny, I don't regret anything. Our server was very polite and knowledgeable about all the components of the dish. Everything was so good, from the oysters to the shrimp head to the actual sashimi slices. For those who are willing to step outside their comfort zone a little bit (and it's really not that much), I would highly recommend this awesome platter. The only somewhat downside was that we had to wait quite a while for the black cod. It was great and tasty, but we had to basically wait about 40 min AFTER we finished our entrees, which we started to wonder where our food is at and if the kitchen forgot about our order. All in all, thank God that the W. Seattle bridge is finally open and that we don't need to make that horrendously long detour to get to drive to W. Seattle. That area has so many awesome gems and restaurants to try out, and Mashiko is deservingly on the top of the list (well, so far).

10 years later, long ago moved out of Seattle, but I recalled this as one of the best meals of my time here as a broke student, and wanted to give it another try as a grown up with income. It's changed and gone a lot more professional/ upscale, eg they have a drinks menu instead of "BYO sake", in general it's less hip/ edgy. I think the price has gone up some too, you're not getting out of here under $125pp if you drink alcohol.But honestly, for the quality of what you get, it's on par with omakase for which I've paid twice that in Vegas or the Bay Area. There were some very standard items -- seared miso black cod, a tuna nigiri, sashimi, a lovely sea scallop. But there were also things I've never met before, including herring nigiri topped with fried herring belly ("fish bacon"), white salmon, and the star of the night, miniature firefly squid (pictured). Service was sometimes a little slow, so our drinks did get empty and the night lasted well over 2 hours, but it was an outstanding meal nevertheless. Still on my list for future visits.

Fantastic omakase option for those interested in creative concoctions involving fish and other Japanese ingredients. Of the six types of omakase offered, I tried the TAIKEN-SURU omakase for 2. It was a deluxe 12 course set with each course involving 3-5 bites per person. Every course was creatively executed, with fresh ingredients, great mix of textures, and variety of flavors. My group of 4 did not have a single item we did not like. A few of our favorites were the tako (super tender) and geoduck rice. We did leave wishing there were a few more traditional, fresh fish dishes/sashimi. Aside from one course of nigiri, the 11 other courses felt more modern and creative rather than traditional edomae style omakase. All four of us left STUFFED after our 12 courses. Next time I come I will be trying the more "medium" sized omakase sets in the menu. Service was attentive and the restaurant looked well-staffed, allowing for a smooth and efficient experience. Street parking can be challenging at times, so plan accordingly.Overall fantastic restaurant for creative Japanese food!

Pretty disappointed to be honest. The fish was indeed fresh but it wasn't the best assortment. I was kind of forcing myself to finish it since it was kinda pricy. We also had to wait a long time before the waiter got to us. We were starving by the time the food was served but still didn't enjoy the food very much.

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