Sushi Kashiba

When the “King of Edomae Sushi” fails to live up to the crown With our tight schedule in Seattle, we had time for just one formal sit-down dinner. So our party of four decided on an omakase at one of Seattle’s sushi institutions - Sushi Kashiba. Chef-owner Shiro Kashiba, known locally as the “King of Edomae Sushi,” spent seven years apprenticed under legendary Tokyo sushi master Jiro Ono, of Jiro Dreams of Sushi fame. He was also one of the pioneers in bringing high-end, traditional Japanese sushi to the Pacific Northwest. With that pedigree, expectations were understandably high. Sadly, the evening got off to a rather confusing start, with three different waiting lines at reception. Even more puzzling, walk-ins appeared to be admitted while those with reservations waited. Weird logic! Inside, I was equally surprised. Instead of the intimate, serene sushi-ya I had imagined, the spacious restaurant has around 75 seats, with five sushi chefs working briskly behind a huge, elongated sushi bar. The atmosphere felt more like a busy mainstream restaurant than a traditional artisan sushi counter. Our US$165 omakase was, at best, acceptable by North American standards. The fried wild BC shrimp head accompanying the Botan Ebi was a nice touch, and the seafood chawanmushi was well executed. Unfortunately, the three otsumami appetizers were rather mediocre, with ordinary ingredients and little creativity. My biggest disappointment? Atlantic farmed salmon. In the Pacific Northwest, surrounded by some of the world's finest wild Pacific salmon, why serve Atlantic farmed salmon as neta? Even more surprising, apart from a tiny sliver of mirugai (geoduck), there was virtually no showcase of local seafood - no Pacific salmon ikura, no local uni and little sense of place. At US$165 pp, the omakase was roughly 40% more expensive than our consistently excellent and value-for-money GTA sushi-ya, such as Sushi Kaji and Ibushi. In my view, both offer more creative preparations, more exotic ingredients and a considerably more refined experience. The irony? The most memorable part of the meal wasn't the sushi. It was an ice-cold bottle of Mexican Coca-Cola made with real cane sugar! That pretty much says it all. Sushi Kashiba undoubtedly has an impressive history and a legendary name. Unfortunately, on this visit, I couldn't help feeling that quality and creativity have taken a back seat to volume and profitability. For us, the “King of Edomae Sushi” turned out to have a rather disappointing crown.

This was me and my wife’s first omakase experience, and we were absolutely blown away by every bite. I have never tasted such things. Huge sushi fan. Getting to try new things doesn’t happen often, but I got to try some fish I had never tried, and a few other flavors my palate never experienced. Service was fast and friendly and efficient. They let us know which things to try in which order. They certainly give you your moneys worth, as the dishes keep coming! The balance was so good. Nothing too heavy early on. Cannot wait to come back.

In one word...average (for a high end sushi joint). The fish is undeniably fresh and presentation is clean, but the flavor didn't live up to the local hype. The chef hides wasabi inside most of the Omakase. While they warn you upfront, it ultimately masks the flavor of the fish rather than elevating it. Coming from Austin, we're spoiled by spots like Uchi and Craft Omakase among a dozen others that masterfully use creative sauces and garnishes to bring out the flavor in every bite. This was good, but just not impressive for a price tag slightly higher than what we pay for superior Omakase back home. And we really thought we were going to get better Sushi being we were in a Seaport. Not true. On the bright side, the service was great, our server was incredibly helpful. Despite the World Cup rush, we managed to get same day seating in the cool outdoor courtyard in the Market District (with a little extra appreciation thrown to the front door staff). Good experience, but nothing exceptional. Save your money unless you live here and can't find better.

We had tried omakase before but such a pleasure to experience it from the sushi master himself. This place deserves the high reviews because this place really feels like 5 star in all aspects. All the staff were very courteous and pleasant from the moment we entered until we exited. The quality of the sushi is top notch. You really appreciate every bite and it’s an explosion of flavors in your mouth. I love that chef Kashiba shares some stories while he makes the sushi. We actually learned a lot from him - from proper pronunciation and the seafood’s origin. Very cool! This was one memorable dinner for us❤️