Nishino

A friend of ours recommended we try Nishino on our trip to Seattle and it was one of the best recommendations we've ever gotten! It's an unassuming somewhat hole in the wall restaurant, but the food was absolutely incredible. As soon as we arrived, we were seated promptly by smiling, friendly staff. The dining room was very clean, and decorated simply but beautifully.The ordering style is à la cart, where you actually right what quantity of which item you want on the menu. It was fun! To start off we got the shrimp dumplings, which were perfectly cooked and seasoned. We then got salmon tartare on crispy rice, which was literally probably the best thing my husband and I had on our entire trip in Seattle. It was so good! We then tried a few pieces of sushi (salmon and Hamachi) which were both delicious. We also had the black cod with miso, which had a perfectly buttery composition and flavored deliciously. We also had udon noodles with chicken, which war by far the best udon noodles I have ever had in my life. Lastly, we had the banana tempura for dessert, which is always a hit!

Nishino is a solid sushi restaurant in Madison Park area, but nothing compelling to return to. The ambiance reminded me of an older cruise ship style - muted tones, white linen table cloths, basic nonthreatening appearance. Any restaurant could be here. They had a small white board with specials written on it that they brought table to table. Felt a bit weird. My friend and I were the first customers of the night and they sat us against the wall. Not a problem. I noticed the table density was tight - it wasn't possible for the waiter to turn around between our table and the table next to ours without stepping out and then stepping back in. I thought no biggie, I bet this place will not be full by the time we leave so no worries. The next party of two they sat at this closest table. Not to either table against the same wall as the table we were against - despite that they were at a much more comfortable distance away and the one never was occupied while we were there. Nope, they sat this party of two right beside us and I felt like we were part of their conversation. I learned more about these strangers than I think they'd be comfortable with.Now Nishino isn't a basic sushi restaurant. They marinate their fish. They are quite heavy handed with their vinegar. I didn't mind it, but it was certainly noticeable. I ordered the shrimp tempura roll along with a variety of nigiri. The nigiri was solid. The shrimp tempura roll was more cucumber bits and rice than it was shrimp. I don't need a wide roll - I am fine with a narrow roll that tastes like the primary item versus being drowned by the others. The multitude of cucumber slivers also didn't hold up. They'd fall out of the roll the instant the seaweed wrapper was broken.The waitstaff was delightful. Very polite, very prompt. They are the reason I'm giving this three stars versus two. It's a solid restaurant but in a city with no end to sushi restaurants I can't see a reason to return.

Nishino is a beautiful restaurant with white table cloths that are refreshed after each patron. The nigiri was very good but the sushi rolls were terrible. Like the commercial, where the meat, I was left asking where is the fish in the sushi rolls. Also, for the price, I would expect excellent fish, however, it didn't seem fresh in the nigiri, I really couldn't find it in the sushi rolls. Cocktails are $18 and filled 2/3 with ice. Service was ok, no one anyone explained the specials, they just had a white erase board that they moved from table to table and when we were first seated it took at least 10 mins before someone even came over to take our drink orders. Unfortunately I won't be back.

UNBELIEVABLY GOOD! My wife and I basically over-ordered since everything on the menu was so tempting. We cleaned every plate and went for dessert too! Started with mushroom tempura which created an explosion of flavors with the dipping sauce mixed with fresh daikon radish. First course also included tuna tartare which we loved, flavor and beautiful presentation. We had fried oysters...holy mother of WOW! I've never had oysters like that. Had a bit of kampachi sashimi that was game changing in the sushi space, a Negi Toro roll on special that had a flavor profile that I have never experienced. I could have eaten 10 of those and still wanted more! Plus some yummy bokchoy to add some green to the mix.Banana tempura for dessert, practically licked the plate clean. A bottle of Mark Ryan the Dissident after a couple of really well made cocktails and we left Oh-So-Happy!This is a must try restaurant with delicious food, prompt and attentive service, reasonable(ish) prices. The total package. We'll be back!

Nishino serves good sushi, but it's expensive. There is better sushi in town (Sushi Kashiba for example), and lots that's not nearly as good. What Nishino used to be really good at (their dining room) is not something we've been doing since the pandemic started, and it seems little used, at least when we stopped by.So, as a "to-go" sushi place, the quality is generally there. Recently, we got mostly nigiri (maguro, shake, ebi, hamachi, unagi, ikura, and sabe) and rolls (salmon skin, California, and house special). The hamachi, unagi, maguro and sabe were all excellent, as was the salmon-skin roll. The California roll was disappointing (grocery store quality), and the house special roll wasn't special. But at $200 for a take-out meal for two (admittedly a big meal), it was pricey (not including a $30 tip) ... so, we'll pass on this next time. I had hoped for a nigiri package of 10 or so pieces, or even an omakase (is to-go omakase an oxymoron?), but the combination sushi offering (eight pieces nigiri and one tuna roll) at $40 is a lot to spend when you don't control which kinds of nigiri you get. And when you have to buy one item (2-piece nigiri) at a time, it adds up fast.So the quality was generally good (though not always), but in the end it was too pricey to want to go back anytime soon -- just not a good value.

My sister and I came to Nishinos for the first time. The food is absolutely delicious. I had a crispy chicken salad with cucumber rolls and my sister had the shrimp tempura. Our server was Yuichi and he was outstanding. Very informative and attentive to our needs. We highly recommend this place. The ambiance is also very sweet.Thank you, Yuichi, for making our evening so enjoyable.

One of my favorite Japanese food for classic, simple, traditional sushi and more. I call this place the Chanel suit of Japanese food in Seattle area. Everything is so nice here. There are times when you want the trendy and creative rolls but sometimes you just want classics. This place is it!

Real sushi - traditional, best quality and presentation. Can't get better sushi in Seattle. Service is excellent.

Sushi was fantastic. Sashimi chefs choice was really good, but be prepared for sticker shock. Yellowtail hamachi was literally so good. Highly recommend.Tempura oysters were not great. The tempura was too light to make the dish balanced- the oysters kept falling apart with the fry.Ambiance is definitely higher end- a great special occasion area (~100/person with apps drinks and sushi)Service was great too.

Great spot with a very warm feeling from the staff and who I would assume is the owner, sushi was fantastic and some of the best i have had. We dined fairly quick (our choice) and next time I would focus more time and slow down to enjoy it more.