wa’z

This was a unique restaurant. Each month and season, the restaurant prepared a different menu. So it's challenging to rate the dishes, as I have only been here during november. It's an Omakase experience (chef's choice of 9 courses). The chef watches you interact with each dishes, you can say its an art show and all the attention is on you. The vibe was calm and cozy. Definitely a spot for intimate date to make an impression. Its a challenge to describe how and the difference between each dishes as they are too different from one another to compare. The most memorable experience that I can remember was the alcohol infused persimmons with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I would recommend for a first time experience of omakase!

Chef Hiro, native of Kyoto, artfully blends exquisite ingredients from Japan with local PNW seasonal specialties to bring kaiseki cuisine to the next level. Seattlelites should count ourselves extremely lucky to have such a fine establishment here where ~12 customers can sit at the counter and enjoy watching Chef Hiro and his team meticulously craft each delicate kaiseki course served on beautiful Japanese serve-ware. Having had many kaiseki cuisine across Japan and other Asian countries, Wa'z is definitely among the best. Price wise, it's comparable to other high-end multi-courses omakase / seasonal set menu restaurants in the area, but the ability to chat across the table with chef Hiro and his incredibly professional team is priceless!

My friend and I wanted to try an omakase experience during his visit. Instead, we decided to give Kaiseki a try since we've been to a few of the famous ones around Seattle already. Going in, we had no idea what to expect.We arrived fairly early and were seated at the counter (which is highly recommended). The setting was very intimate and you can see the chefs working hard to prepare all the courses. When the first course came out, it looked seemingly normal but after the first bite, we knew we'd be in for a treat the rest of the night. There were too many dishes to describe but my favorite of the bunches were the dry aged bluefin tuna, A5 wagyu, mochi tofu, and the assorted appetizer. The tofu was especially interesting since it had the fixings of an agedashi tofu but had the texture of mochi, which was amazing. The bluefin tuna was melt in your mouth fatty and tasted extremely fresh. The hand roll, which was a pairing of the bluefin tuna and uni, was delicious as well and very, very fresh.We expected the food to be good but what amazed me more was the staff. They all played a role and made the experience feel more intimate and immersed. They described each dish and even chatted it up from time to time. This elevated the experience and made it one I will definitely remember.I would recommend this place to anyone wanting high scale Japanese food but want a change from the many omakase options around Seattle. Make sure to arrive early to get a good seat at the counter and be prepared to have an amazing 2 hour experience.

Summary: Wonderful experience and delicious food, but has less "wow" factor compared to similar tastings I've had in the area! This was my first time trying kaiseki! I loved the combination of raw and cooked food. It wasn't too hard booking a seat here, which I appreciated, and the ambiance is very comfortable and cozy. The service is top notch, and I really loved learning about each dish as it was served. The food itself was very tasty, though it's hard to not compare it to all the omakase's and tasting menus in the area! I think all the ingredients were fresh and well made, though for the price of about $220 per person after tax and tip, I feel like I was a bit less wowed by the dishes. I'm not sure if it's because I had many of these before -- for example, some of the soup dishes were delicious but were a staple at my home growing up, so it felt a bit less special. Either way, I would recommend this to try at least once, especially if you haven't had kaiseki before and enjoy Japanese food. Thank you Wa'z for a great meal!

Had such an amazing experience here at Wa'z that I couldn't NOT write a review (apologies for the double negative, but not really).This place is reservation-only, and you can book online on their site (they use OpenTable). Times are usually either 6pm or 8pm - the reason being is that Wa'z does kaiseki style, which means they bring out each dish out one at a time. So, this is not only a meal, but a culinary experience.I got to experience their summer menu in June. Speaking of which, they rotate their menus every month or so - I want to say the first Tuesday of each month. The kaiseki was WONDERFUL, and here are some highlights:- Uni starter - oh-so-creamy! Even if you aren't a fan of sea urchin, I think you will still enjoy this;- Shrimp ball in broth - sorry forgot the actual name of the dish, but it's literally a shrimp ball in broth. An extremely fancy version of the shrimp ball you get at dim sum that is dipped in a clear dashi broth;- Salmon sashimi - tasted clean and not the 'mainstream' salmon usually on the oilier side - also mad respect that they use actual wasabi root for the wasabi;- Nigiri sushi - definitely can taste the freshness and has that 'clean' aftertaste. Also comes with a demo where one of the staff comes around with a large chunk of tuna to explain its origin and how it is prepared;- Ochazuke with wagyu - this was GOOOOOD! The ochazuke I had while living in Japan did not come with land protein, so the wagyu was definitely a pleasant surprise and the aesthetic is on point;- Jasmine ice cream - impressive! Strong jasmine tea flavor, which is always a plus with desserts (ice cream, sorbet, boba, cake, etc.). This also came with chunks of yuzu, a citrus fruit that is indigenous in Japan.This is not your everyday meal, so it ain't cheap! But, it's one of those YOLO experiences that you should try out at least once (or twice or five) in life.

Went here for my birthday last Friday! Every dish was amazing my favorite was the king Mackerel and chef was nice,gave me flowers and a birthday dessert

Came here for a birthday celebration for my husband and overall it was a pleasant kaiseki dinner experience. We had the July menu. Love: Intimate feeling. Open kitchen concept so you can see them prepare and plate the food. We sat at the counter so we were up close. Everything was beautifully presented and the theme of the Tanabata was a super nice touch along with the birthday display which was thoughtful. Reservations needed to dine here. They have two dinner times, 5pm and 8pm. We went to the 5pm one. Seating - The counter is cozy. Would be a pro or a con to watch the plate. I felt like some of the dishes had more of some stuff than the others (not completely equal) and I found myself fixating on that a bit while they plated. Food - portions were small but they did the job and by the end of the meal we were perfectly satisfied. Out of the July menu, I loved almost all of the dishes. The seasonal sashimi was my least favorite but mainly because I don't think I am a fan of that type of fish. Tasted similar to sea bream but they called it a grunt fish? The wagyu was also not my favorite, a bit to chewy for my liking and there was too much miso sauce that over powered the flavor of the meat. Tuna nigiri was perfection. I honestly could have eaten an entire platter of nigiri. So good - they have definitely perfected the dry aged method. They change their menu every month and the July menu was $175 pperson.

I had my first Kaiseiki dinner experience at Wa'z in Seattle. @wazseattle Kaiseiki dinner is an elaborate, multicourse dinner originating in Japan. Often reflecting the seasons, the dinner features an array of delicately prepared dishes with seasonal ingredients. It was an incredible experience, with each course carefully curated and featuring seasonal ingredients. The special new year's theme featured foods traditionally consumed during this time of year. My dessert came with a board reading "Happy Birthday," and I was given a beautiful flower bouquet as well. It was the thoughtfulness that went into the dinner that made it truly special, and I'm grateful for the wonderful evening!

A unique Japanese restaurant experience where Chef cooks in front of you and you get to hear story about every dish, it's history and preparation. Excellent peaceful ambience. Worth going for a milestone birthday or anniversary, since it's pricey for overall all package but will get memories for life. One of best wines ever ! Took Premium Top shelf Sake flight of 2oz of 3 Sake - Dassai, Gangi Sakirei, and Sunshen - absolutely outstanding ! The chef changes the menu - the fill course meal every month. Reservation is a must since o Lu limited number of guests are allowed for the special experience. Closed on Sunday & Monday. Top quality ingredients, seafood, meat, outstanding taste and very classic presentation. Took the menu picture of August and every dish that I cherished. Sushi, sashimi and Wagyu beef were simply made with perfection !! Chilled sweet corn soup with king crab was purely delicious. Barley tea icecream was the good ending of a lavish evening.

I have had this spot bookmarked for a couple of years now, so I could not have been more excited to have my first kaiseki experience and taste the set menu for March!After 9 courses, I was pretty satisfied, and definitely felt that the meal was worth the price. My favorites were the first course, which was a deep fried sesame tofu with sea urchin and wasabi. The texture of the tofu was similar to mochi. I also really enjoyed the fourth course, which was the dry aged blue fin tuna nigiri. The chirashi sushi course with the A5 Miyazaki Wagyu was delicious as well. Overall, it was difficult for me to let any food on my plates go to waste as everything tasted so delicious. In general, I would recommend reserving a spot at the counter if you can. It is a wonderful experience getting to see each dish being prepared. Also, this restaurant does have a 30 min grace period for any parties running late to the reservation. Luckily everyone that had a reservation for my time slot arrived punctually, and did not have to wait long before food started to be served.