mashiko japanese restaurant & sushi bar

don't go.... mashiko makes the effort to cater to japanese tastes--but the cooks behind the counter aren't japanese and it shows. the rice is a little overcooked and packed down too hard in the sushi rolls. the salad i ate felt like the chef had thrown everything in the kitchen on the plate...avocado, crab, soba, sesame seeds, wasabi, aonori, edamame, and lettuce to top it off. i have nothing against creativity---but this had no vision, and no concept whatsoever. the total bill? $66. definitely not worth the price. go if you like the atmosphere but don't expect authentic japanese food.

i missed the second seattle food blog get-together, but was really excited to attend the third one-hosted by kate and tara from accidental hedonist . they chose the location of mashiko in west seattle for a japanese omakase meal. in attendance were: accid

i rarely do online reviews unless it’s super good or super bad. we were there for omakase and it was super bad! the food was not fresh! the taste is not up to bar. not sure why all positive reviews 4+ stars. the worse omakase we ever experienced. will not be back again! go somewhere else.

my partner and i seldom dine here because of the prices but this time last week we decided to go on a special date. the service and food were wonderful as usual. approximately 6 hours after dinner we woke up with food poisoning which wrecked us for a good two days. when my partner called to let them know, as you should, the person that answered would not just take his word for it. she argued a little bit that we could not prove that it was them. this conversation is what changed our minds about mashiko. how unprofessional to not take food poisoning seriously and my partners words.

this was our favorite sushi restaurant in town until one visit, seated at the sushi bar, the chef refused to use a separate knife to cut my sushi after i explained i have a food allergy to raw salmon. i had never had a problem at past visits - so i am not sure what the difference was. but, the result was i was sick with a sore throat and gastrointestinal distress for over 48 hours after. this is the restaurant where my husband proposed to me and it sadly is now off our list of dining choices. i would not think using a separate knife would be that huge of an effort to keep a repeat customer from becoming ill. especially given we have never spent less than $100 on a single dinner there. i tried to contact them afterward, privately, about the incident and never received any reply.

during a recent visit to seattle we met an old friend and a new friend for dinner at mashiko. we had made a reservation, but quickly discovered how busy the restaurant was when we could not be seated on arrival. we visited the bar across the road for a half an hour to chat; which wasn't so bad in our circumstances, but could have been quite annoying. when we returned, we were seated and comped a drink for our trouble, which was nice. to make things easy, we ordered one of the tasting menus consisting of a mix of sashimi, nigiri, and other very yummy things. the food was delicious, although we all found the deep-fried shrimp head a bit too challenging for our tastes: we are more used to throwing that part away. the prices were ever-so-slightly on the high side of what i would expect. the service was friendly and efficient, despite how busy they were. to their credit, the staff did not rush us as we talked and talked. we were the last to leave that night and we are looking forward to visiting again.

great fresh sushi and other japanese delights. great japanese drink specials with features sake and beer that your will not find anywhere else. check out the urchin on the half shell

this is by far one of the best  sushi places i ever been to. the seafood is really fresh and they have a big selection of rolls, and they have a few sake selections, which is really nice. the only bad thing/good thing about this place is that you must make reservations, they will not serve you without one. you must try it, you will regret it if you don't try it.

mashiko has an amazing concept (unique and sustainable with a hint of sarcasm) which usually delivers quite nicely.  if i want sashimi, i go to mashiko.  you aren't necessarily going to get your favorite cut of fish every time you go, but you can feel comfortable in the fact that you aren't contributing to destroying the ecosystem through overfishing.  if you splurge on the sergey's sashimi sampler, you'll be impressed by the variety, and may find a few new favorites.  the tako is the best i've had.  i personally haven't been as impressed with their rolls or cooked dishes, but there's plenty to still explore.

mashiko faces street-side so good luck finding parking there in the busy lane. you'll have a better chance in the back lot where parking is free after a certain hour. it might be fitting for a late night sushi craving. we walked around to the front where the neon namesake light greeted us and upon entering, saw just how busy the whole restaurant was. there were several sarcastic little signs near the entrance and by the counter as well as cheeky buttons for the taking. though we didn't have a reservation, something cleared up soon at the counter so we were swiftly seated to watch the chefs at work. the perk of looking like a tourist (since we were out of town) was that having a camera for the food shots wasn't out of the ordinary. throughout the night, the service was excellent despite the bustle of every seat being full all the time. we never felt rushed and knowing that our dishes would come from a marine enthusiast with attention to s

sushi mashiko almost didn't happen for me. when i called to make a reservation, i - as usually is the courtesy - told the restaurant that i would be ordering the omakase. the response? "have you eaten with us before sir? because if not, we recommend trying out the medium level omakase". immediately two thoughts went through my mind:  1) i guess the sushi legend isn't as popular as i thought 2) what in the world is on the main omakase menu? though it actually took some convincing, i ended up booking the main omakase. but upon showing up to mashiko, it became pretty apparent why the warning exists; the menu is about as far from traditional as you can get, as are the sushi chefs - and those chefs freely admit both.  the concept of the food  is sustainablely sourced fish from the region; that alone makes mashiko different from other high-end sushi restaurants from across the country. while the others might charge a significant amount for traditional omakase featuring nigiri, mashiko prepares dishes that are borne out of the tapas style. i lost a bit of the thread, but if i had less than 10 appetizer size plates, i would be surprised.  witness for instance the kumamoto oysters to the right, the uni tofu above or the octopus below - sure it's not traditional sushi, but they don't pretend to be. the sushi chef was more than obliged to tell me that people from new york are often shocked (read: upset) to get the omakase at find it to not be strictly 20 pieces of nigiri. i smiled politely, despite the fact that i freely was expecting only nigiri when i made the reservation. there was nigiri at the end, and it was delicious - but this is an omakase that all types of foodies can enjoy.  the atmopshere   is fun and inviting - but would you expect anything less from a restaurant with a web address of "www.sushiwhore.com"? i went on a wednesday night at 9:15, and to it's credit, the restaurant was still packed. the servers and staff were helpful, although be forewarned - i found t

from a 10 to a 2. what happened to this place? my brother took me to dinner here a week ago for my birthday. you walk in and there is a sarcastic sign about their seating policy. then, you are not greeted, instead slammed with, do you have reservations. the food was the worst that i have had in a lomg time. metropolitioan market has better sushi and their menunis sterile of information. you are not allowed to know what may be in the bento box and if you really like japenese cusine, this is no longer the place.....very sad.

hajime sato serves seafood that is as local, seasonal, and fished with caring environmental practice as possible. he’s a fan of weathervanes and also supports farmed scallops, as they’re filter feeders and easy to grow. (wild scallops are often dredged, which can destroy the sea floor.) like me, he wonders why so many america

good intentions. sustainable seafood is served here. it has to get props for that.

it's a smaller place and it can be difficult to get a seat sometimes. nothing wrong with moseying up to the bar to grab some eats. you actually get great service if you do.

i like the idea and fish is fresh and tasty. depending on what happens, service can be a bit spotty. to enjoy mashiko, it has to be another one of those nights where you take it slow.

haven't had a bad experience yet. i'm very surprised to hear all these negative experiences. my husband and i tried mashiko about a month ago for the first time on a recommendation and went back again this week because we enjoyed it so much. i recommend sitting at the sushi bar. the chefs are very knowledgeable and will answer any questions you have. we've had friendly service both times. the sushi has been delicious and unique. we like to get the umi. it's a little pricey at $60 but fills two. my only complaint is they seem to always forget our saki in the microwave. but our sushi chef apologized and gave us complementary servings of a fine saki the first time this happened.