Kamonegi Reviews

Kamonegi is a gem! And while it is only about 6 months old.. I anticipate that It will become one of Seattle’s most popular restaurants. One think that makes Kamonegi so SPECIAL are the SOBA noodles… and the fact that chef and artisan soba maker Mutsuko Soma makes them from scratch… handmade makes the experience even more special. The menu features the Buckwheat noodles as well as other tempura, and Japanese dishes. The food it fresh, delicious and can be an adventure. The restaurant is small and I recommend making reservations to snag a table. The small bar area and ‘kitchen counter” have seating where you can watch the magic happen. All the staff are friendly and helpful when ordering. The upbeat music (soul and Motown when I was there) just added a wonderful, fun vibe to the experience. I would definitely recommend Kamonegi! It will be popular!! I can’t wait to go back!

My wife and I made reservations for a Thursday evening in December. Like many people we enjoyed getting out and eating in after the pandemic. The staff was friendly and we were seated promptly. The little restaurant was packed and our two top table in the corner felt cramped and too close to others. I'm fully vaccinated as were all the diners by WA State mandates. That did not make me feel any better about being crushed into a small table. On the bright side the food was very nice. I really enjoyed the "uni bomb" and Duck Soba noodles! The service was very good and our dining needs were met. Be aware that a mandatory 20% service charge is added to your bill regardless of your party size. I'd recommend visiting at a non peak time of the day.

Came here with my sons who are big ramen and soba fans. We had a delicious dinner with shrimp tempura, uni, and fantastic soba noodles. Best I have had. Our waitress was great and very knowledgeable. If I am ever back in Seattle I’ll be back to Kamonegi.

The last time I was in this building, it was called "Art of the Table" and it was excellent. They moved on somewhere up/down the block but my daughter said, this is a fantastic new place, only problem, we have to be there by 4:30 to get a table! So, we had a small & early lunch. When we arrived at 4:35, we were not the first, but soon realized we were part of a large group of "Get here or don't show up!" Each and every dish was fantastic, both in flavor, harmony and pairing w/ the drink of choice, first hot saké, then cold and finally beer! Our server was very knowledgeable, the food fantastic and the best was the ability to say directly to the chef as we left... Arigatou gozaimasu!

This was a fun and delicious night out in down to earth Fremont. Kamonegi is a tiny, but not intimate, Japanese restaurant serving interesting and tasty dishes. The "oh so casual cool" diners represented the most prevalent Seattle demographic: young, financially motivated, and sure of their knowledge in everything and anything. We did not: old, socially motivated, and unsure of our knowledge in everything and anything, except what was important thirty years ago. We laughed out loud. They did not, but conversation about all their accomplishments reverberated throughout the tiny space. Thankfully, the staff was warm, friendly, and knew how to laugh. Steven was our primary server, and he was very patient with our ignorance. The menu is extensive, but we knew about nothing listed and went along with what Steven suggested. Everything was delicious, with fantastic taste sensations. Sadly, both my inexperience and carpal tunnel pain made the use of chopsticks very difficult with the fantastic Soba noodles, and my favorite, the coffee salmon tartare. That dish was orgasmic! I was frustrated all with the chopsticks all night, but towards the end of our meal, I stared at the all knowing diners around me and realized they were using the chopsticks like a bulldozer, just shoving the noodles into their mouths, but looking cool while they shoved. I can do that! (except maybe for the cool part). The sake was great too, especially the one called "Olive." Kamonegi is a great Seattle restaurant.

After reading about this place online I was excited to try it. Parking in this area is difficult and the restaurant was tucked in a side street with a couple other shops. There were seats in every corner it seemed since the shop was so small. The soba itself tasted exactly the same no matter what type of broth it was in. The broth didn't vary enough in taste across the varieties offered. It tasted like a sweet shoyu without much differentiation i.e. the duck didn't taste much like duck at all. The hype gave me unrealistic expectations for this place.

While exploring Seattle on a surprisingly hot day, we stumbled upon Kamonegi in Ballard after a longer-than-expected walk—without a reservation and honestly not expecting much. But what an absolute gem this place turned out to be! From the moment we walked in, the hospitality was impeccable. Matt, our host, greeted us warmly and seated us at the open kitchen bar. We were expecting a standard Japanese sushi bar, but this was something far more unique and memorable. Matt took the time to walk us through the menu, offering excellent recommendations tailored to both my vegetarian diet and my husband’s love for seafood. The Addictive King Oyster Mushrooms were exactly that—addictive! The Eggplant Tempura was perfectly crispy, and the Battu Bukkake Soba Noodles, served chilled, were incredibly refreshing and beautifully balanced with the hot dishes. We couldn’t resist dessert and were blown away by the creativity and flavors—Canary Lemon Anise and Peach Lemon Verbena Sorbets, followed by a surprise treat: a light, fluffy Japanese soufflé-style cheesecake. Just divine. The drinks were equally thoughtful. I chose sake (which I don’t usually drink) and was pleasantly surprised by how well it paired with the food. My husband had the Salted Yuzu Tonic, which was light, citrusy, and perfect for the weather. The service throughout was faultless, and the banter with the staff added such a warm, personal touch—it felt like dining with old friends. If you’re in Seattle and want something beyond the typical dining experience, Kamonegi is an absolute must. We’ll definitely be back!

Loved my dinner here. Uber quaint restaurant (maybe 30 seats in the house) and very attentive staff. Started with the fois gras tofu which was absolutely incredible, a must have. Had the dipping noodles with the mushroom broth - insane depth of flavor in the broth and the perfect chew in the noodle. I also liked that they bring the water they cook the noodles in at the end to convert the broth into an after dinner drink (of sorts). Will absolutely be back.

Nice setting in a quiet neighborhood. Service was very good and friendly. Custom curated sake got us off to a good start. Every dish exceeded expectations. Next time we stop here, we'll need to check out the Hannyatou Bar next door! Great work Kamonegi!!

Takeout during COVID-19. We two had dinner. One of us is from Japan, and the other spent several years there. FOOD: 4.0. We had ramen and three sides. The RAMEN was EXCELLENT. Of the sides, we really enjoyed only one of them. - 4.5: Tan Tan Ramen Home Boil Set for 2. We were skeptical that a take-out ramen could be good, and this was a pleasant surprise. The final steps are done at home and are easy - cooking the noodles and combining the ingredients. Eggs and pork especially exceeded expectations. - 4.0: side of Salmon Nabazuke. Very good. - 2.5: side of Osaka Brussels Sprouts. Texture firm and fine. The taste didn't appeal to either of us. - 3.0: side of Duck Fat Eggplant. ok. SERVICE: 4.5. Process of ordering and picking up was very easy. The COVID-19 takeout seems quite popular. When we did our pickup, there was a steady stream of customers who were also arriving to pickup orders.

This was a DELICIOUS dining experience! With the great help and patience of our waitress, our group of 4 tried about half of the items on the menu, and they were all so delicious! Thanks for a great evening!

My boyfriend loves noodle joints, so we had to come here. It was a unique dining experience with lots of interesting dishes. We both got soba (duh).

Came to Kamonegi with my girlfriend and her brother on a Saturday night. The restaurant has an “efficient” / “cozy” layout in traditional Japanese style, and the three of us sat at a counter facing out the window. The soba noodles (their specialty) are hand made and my broth was rich and delicious. We all had a great meal and will definitely come back soon!

The draw here is house-made soba and very good it is. My partner had the kamonegi soba--kamo meaning "duck" and negi meaning "Japanese large green onion" aka leek. It was very good, although one piece of duck should have been trimmed of gristle. I had the matsutake (pine mushroom) soba, which was very good, but I should have added a sous vide egg, since I was quite hungry. The salad of haricot verts, bosc pear, carrots, pine nuts, with a sesame tofu dressing was unusual and delicious, as was the amuse bouche of kabocha soup. The anago (sea eel) tempura could have been a bit crispier, but was tasty dipped in a curry salt. For dessert I had green tea ice cream with charcoal mochi (in flat strips) and a black sesame tuille. I enjoyed this not too sweet dessert, but it may not be to everyone's liking. It was a cold night and we were seated next to the window, so were cold at first. But the space heater behind us plus the hot soba (also available cold) warmed us up. I look forward to returning and exploring more of the menu. However, I should warn that servings are small, so if you're hungry, it may be on the somewhat expensive side to fill up.

We really loved it! The space is tiny but cute and it is clearly popular with the locals (always a good sign). We all ordered hot noodles (you can get hot mixed with the broth or cold with sauce on the side). Everything was delicious.

This is a small restaurant with good service. The waiter was very customer focused which is not typical for many other Japanese restaurants. We are familiar with restaurants that make fresh soba on premise and while this is nice but there’s nothing out of the ordinary about it. We found the soba at this place ok however, found their other dishes such as tempura and appetizers rather tempting. We plan to visit them again.

I was super excited to eat here after hearing about all the reviews. Part of our party of 5 arrived at the 4:00 opening on a very hot day. This has to be the only restaurant in town still requiring vax cards….why? They seated us but told us when we asked, we could not order appetizers until our 4:30 reservation time. Day was unbelievably hot and this teeni-tiny restaurant had no A/C, just fans blowing everywhere. We were sitting in an absolute sweat shop, the most uncomfortable experience ever. As hot as it was, they don’t have ice for the water, only room-temp. As per reviews, tried the fois gras tofu appetizer and thought it was terrible, texture of jello pudding, just threw a little fois gras and tofu in a blender. Iberico pork was super chewy, but tasty. Tempura and duck meatballs were very good. We all ordered soba and found the Kamonegi Seiro and Morel mushroom very good. One had the Ikura soba and it was terrible, overly fishy, loaded with fish eggs and almost inedible. I have had way better soba/ramen served at a much more comfortable venue. Not worth the $500 for 5 people.

Soba and tempura are staples of most Japanese restaurants, but few manage to wow with these dishes as Kamonegi can. We started with foie gras tofu because I'm a big fan of both (but never together before). It was delicious and I give bonus points just for the daring. Chawanmushi was good but not exceptional. The eggplant tempura was a revelation. We ended with kamonegi soba served hot and it was rich and decadent. The menu is limited but has enough variety to satisfy most. Service was excellent. The space is funky due to its odd shape, but improved over when it was Art of the Table.

The descriptors I'd use to describe Kamonegi are delicious, peaceful and pleasant! I came on a Saturday early and was able to get a seat at the counter looking into the kitchen. On one side a chef tossed various items in boiling oil to create tempura and closer in, another patiently grated daikon for sauces. The meal started with a complimentary shot glass full of a milky orange liquid that turned out to be a pureed carrot soup in a dashi broth--savory and sweet. I forebore the foie gras tofu for a tempura broccolini dish and was rewarded with a very generous serving of light, crispy broccolini spears plated next to a puddle of garlicky aioli. For my soba I chose the duck broth version, offered seiro style (cold, with a warm, rich, concentrated broth in which to dip them before slurping them up. The flavors were warm and the sauce had both a strong duck flavor and the essence of leeks. After, warm soba yu (the water used to boil the soba) was provided to use in diluting the broth so I could drink it up. Service was quick, friendly, informative and unobtrusive. Really a fine place!

We ordered a number of menu items to try their range of cooking and soba noodles. Started with the albacore crudo, eggplant tempura and the duck meatballs & soft egg. We then moved on to order three soba - a Kamonegi (hot broth with duck meat ball and duck breast), a cold soba with poached egg and a tsukemen - cold soba with hot garlic clam broth. The good - duck meatballs & soft egg and the eggplant tempura were very good. Nice texture and seasoning just right. Albacore crudo was just average - the squash was too sweet and rather coy to the taste of the crudo. On to the soba, the kamonegi was good - very tasty broth, perfectly seared duck breast and gorgeous soba - light, springy... The tsukemen was also excellent. Again, great soba and nicely done broth. Cold soba with poached egg - meh... Nothing to write home about. Little to no taste. Portion is small and the price is quite expensive. Decent apps will set you back about $ 15 per item. Soba is priced @ about $20 each. Basically about 4-5 slurps and you are done! Can't say that it is an ethereal experience despite the good reviews elsewhere. BTW - really small restaurant. Tables are very close to each other and you can hear people conversation as if they were talking to you

You have to plan carefully to eat at this place. Reservations are a must, and to make them costs $10 per person, which is non-refundable, but gets subtracted from your total bill. The food is beautiful, imaginative, delicious, and sometimes wonderfully surprising. Many dishes are either vegetarian, or can be altered to be vegetarian. The chef's choices, beyond her basics, are usually delightfully seasonal. The star is her soba noodles, handmade in the traditional Japanese way, and delicious. Her tempura is also exceptional. Everything is prepared with care, and the service is excellent. The place is small, and can be cramped and noisy, so not a great place for children. But superb for adults.

After the rather restrictive set of rules on what to do and not to do when coming to Kamonegi, I was happy to see that – when they are not too busy – you actually can get seconds! Staff were super friendly and attentive. Both soba and tempura were delicious, the pickles could have used a little more acid. Overall pretty good soba. Compared to some fancy soba places in Japan, I would give it 3/5. But, alas, we are in Seattle and so one has to remain realistic. Note: During winter the space gets quite cold. I like that Kamonegi sends you an SMS reminding you to dress warm. But geez was it cold inside.

The soba noodles at this quaint Japanese restaurant in Wallingford are fantastic. The service is very good. The food is exceptional. The space is small. We had the shishito peppers, shrimpcado bukkake (cold soba noodles with shrimp and avocado), kinoko soba (soba noodles with mushrooms in warm broth), the yuzu cheesecake and the hojicha (green tea) panna cotta. All of these dishes were fresh and well prepared. Parking was easy.

All around excellent food experience! Authentic Japanese with interesting and delicious menu options. Highly recommend the cream of morrel soba..layers and layers of flavor. Staff was exceptionally friendly and not intimidating for those unfamiliar with how to order/eat Japanese food. Definitely make a reservation- it is small and booked!

We live in the neighborhood and love Japanese food, so decided to test this place out. It is a very intimate space (small) so reservations for dinner are highly recommended, and won’t work for large groups. The restaurant is super cute, and the servers were great. The soba is awesome! I got the clam in garlic sauce and my husband got the mushrooms. Both were great, but the clam was fantastic. The soba noodles are hand made and absolutely perfect. We also had some wonderful tempura, and some really good sake. I had the raindrop dessert which was nice and light, and reminded us so much of desserts we had in Japan. I noticed some reviewers didn’t feel the portions were large enough, but we were happy with them. You’re paying for world class soba, so portions aren’t akin to Claim Jumpers.

Love the tempura and the soba! Probably among the best I have ever had. Soba goes for $20 but you don't really get that much food.

Resturant is small (seating). They take reservations but it really is first in line. Service starts at 4:00 p.m. The food was good (not great) with limited alcohol options. We ate at Japanese, Thialandese, Chinese, Vietnamese and Italian during our visit. I would rate this at number 3, based on flavor, portion and price.

Known for its excellent handcrafted soba, I found the tempura and other dishes also laudatory. The soba was nice and chewy, with excellent buckwheat flavor. The tempura was light and feathery, like my family used to make with their "secrets". The rest of the meal was composed of imaginative variations on Japanese classics. The tofu dish was a stand out and like no other I have eaten. All this in an intimate feeling setting, with fellow food lovers sitting next to each other. All this contributed to a quiet atmosphere, with easy conversation possible (and unlike noisier crowded restaurants). The place had a neighborhood feel to it. If not clear we loved this place and made tentative plans on returning with other friends who appreciate well crafted Japanese food. Wonderful.

We’d heard about this place and decided to give it a try. Parking is a challenge, we ended up 3 blocks away. We had reservations because the place is small, cozy, and quite popular. We still had to wait. THe staff was nice keeping us informed about our table. It was warm outside. And warmer inside. Fortunately we were near the door. We started with a broccolini tempura. Very light but flavorful tempura. For the main dish, the mushroom and shrimpcado soba. They was really tasty, the noodles were in the right place between firm and too soft. And the broth was fantastic. The app won’t let me click to rate but I give 4/5/4 for service/food/value

I saw Chef Soma’s interview on Eater and knew I had to come here. Being that my husband works for an airline & I happened to have a Saturday off, we decided to fly up to Seattle just to eat here. ADVICE: Make a reservation or you will wait 1-2.5 hours for a table. The restaurant is small. If you’re going on a whim arrive at 4 when the doors open and maybe you’ll be lucky. The shishito peppers with anchovy aioli are so good we ordered a second plate. The tofu foie gras is another must have as well as the uni shisho bomb (which was my favorite), along with the duck meatballs and spud vide egg. These were all on the happy hour snacks/appetizer menu from 4-6, they don’t start serving the handmade Soba until 5. The Soba lived up to exactly what I was hoping for. You can tell that a lot of time, effort, and passion go through bro making not just the soba noodles, but the broth as well. I suggest that you try the soup before adding their special seasoning to your bowl. We both had the Kamonegi Soba with duck breast and sous vide egg. For dessert we went with the duck fat mochi paired with a port....absolutely delicious. We planning on returning again on the near future.

For as good as food can be, service can really ruin an experience. Initially she was very pleasant when explaining the menu. BUT - She brought the soba before clearing the table of our apps thus leaving us to try to help her juggle dirty dishes. She brought the dessert menu in the middle of our dinner.

The restaurant is very small, and it’s easier to get a reservation if you eat early. They make their own soba, and serve it in a variety of both traditional and creative preparations. If you like uni, the shiso-uni bombs are a must.

I must give props to Kamonegi - their food is AMAZING. We ordered a good variety of dishes from their menu, and enjoyed every single dish. Their seared beef slices were absolutely delicious (my personal fav), the flavour combination with the sour and crunchy marinated seaweed and creamy mushrooms paired perfectly with the beef. Their fried sea eel was very fresh and simple, and went well with the seasoning salt they provided. The bone marrow I could have done without, as it turned out to be mashed potatoes (?) with a barely noticeable flavour of marrow. The duck soba we ordered had an amazing broth, but the duck itself was slightly gamey, and scarce. I really enjoyed when they brought out the starch water in the end to dilute the broth for drinking - it was delicious. However, our total bill came out to $90 for two, with the portions being so small I was still a bit hungry. Definitely on the more expensive side, but I’d definitely trying the experience at least once.

Having read rave reviews of our local (Seattle) Soba sensation, Kamonegi, I knew we needed to be in line before they opened to get seated right away, and sure enough, the line started early, but we made it in time. Kamonegi's accolades (BTW, in Japanese, "Kamo" = duck, "negi" = onions of any type, but most commonly, green onions) stem from it's handmade soba noodles. To get right down to it, having traveled extensively on business and pleasure in Japan, the soba disappointed. Perhaps the "A" team doesn't work weekends (we went on a Saturday). The soba had a bland taste and texture, as did the Tsuyu (broth). We did try the signature Kamonegi Soba, and sure enough, it had sliced duck breast (which was disappointingly chewy), geens (leeks I think?), and a tasty Duck Tsukune (by any other name, a meatball). The duck did add an interesting flavor to the Tsuyu, but even cheap stand-up soba shops in Japan have better soba, and I've had better at other Japanese restaurants in the Greater Seattle area (and I suspect they used packaged soba!). What saved the day and made it worth a repeat visit were the apps and snacks, almost all of which are available on the HH (Happy Hour) menu, which is available throughout the limited seating in the restaurant. The Foie Gras Tofu was unique and fun, the Tempura Shiso Leaves topped with Uni was creative and good, they have excellent Tsukemono. The only apps/snack item not on the HH menu was Chawanmushi, one of my favorites, and an acid test of the kitchen's skill, as it should be soft yet firm, silky, but not watery. We decided to give it a try as the server said "Matsutake is in season, and it has Matsutake". First, he was totally wring, it is way too early for Matsutake (which are foraged here in WA state), and second, the Chawanmushi was so flavorless and "chewy" that I took one bite and set it aside. Big disappointment, and costly. But, all the other apps/snack were great, and nicely presented. Kamonegi has a couple of decent beers on tap and a brief by curated selection of Nihonshu (Sake), to include one of my favorites for the price, Dassai 50. So-so Soba, fabulous apps and snacks, still worth a visit.

My wife and I are visiting from Boston. We decided to try this restaurant based on the stellar reviews and also to see our friend Tomo who works in the kitchen. This is without a doubt one of the best meals we've ever eaten (and probably the best Japanese restaurant in the U.S. that we've been to ever). Also, shout out to our waiter for being attentive and providing excellent service. I'm blown away by how beautiful all the dishes looked and the exceptional taste. If I were to somehow die tonight and this is my last meal, I would die a happy man!!