Shiki Japanese Restaurant Reviews

4 of us ate at this terrific restaurant tonight! Lucky to find this family owned gem. A true find here in Seattle. The fish is the very best we have had since arriving here and I can assure you, we will be back! All ingredients were the very best including the warm sake. I don’t want to sound like I’m selling this place but I have to try and express how good this place is. It’s got to be the best Japanese restaurant we have ever had and that is saying something! We have traveled extensively and know food quality well. Just go! You will thank me!!!!

I eat sushi weekly as I am on business travel. If you want a traditional sushi mean (NOT rolls with mayo) this is the place to go. Ken is one of the if not the best chefs in the USA. Just tell him omakase

We thoroughly enjoyed the sushi here while visiting Seattle. We live in a land-locked state so fresh fish is not easy to come by. The sushi here was so well prepared and delicious! We've had sushi in many places, including in Europe, and would count this among the best.

What a find, I've gone by Shiki's countless times and I'm so glad I finally made it inside. This is a hole in the wall, and once you're inside you'll feel just like you've stepped into a traditional Japanese restaurant, the little neighborhood places you find in every city in the country. The sushi chef, Ken-san, has been working his magic for almost 20 yrs. And what marvelous sushi he makes! Nigiri and sushi were all superb. Gyozo was also delicious, and the tempura veggies were perfect. And do notice all the Mariner memorabilia-Seattle was one of the first major league teams to go all-in on Japanese players and they found a home away from home at little Shiki. So, don't wait as long as I did before trying out this special place.

Please go to this place , it is great low key and Ken the sushi DR is a master with the fishes . GO GO GO

Unlike many Japanese restaurants that have sprouted up over the years, Shiki is actually run by a Japanese family. As such, they take pride in their prompt service and homey (perhaps a bit too dated?) atmosphere. However, it is the Sushi and Sashimi that keeps me coming back. Wow! No doubt the best and freshest in Seattle. Cuts are also very thick. They even offer blowfish seasonally. When looking for the best fish - not necessarily the fanciest rolls - then try Shiki!

There are many types of fresh nigiri, but not many different rolls. There was only california, washington, shrimp tempura, and spider. The environment was quiet and not crowded on a Saturday night. Service was great.

Shiki is a low-key restaurant with excellent food and service. Everything tasted great — appetizers, sashimi, sushi. Their sushi is not fancy with lots of extra stuff added in; it’s simply authentic and delicious. Everything we tried was excellent, but I highly recommend the Washington roll and the Toro sashimi. Yum. The only thing that could have been better was the temperature of the edamame was cooler than I would have preferred, but it was still tasty.

This has to be one of if not the best Sushi in the country. Ken-san is not only a master but a Sushi God! Ken-san is one of 5 maybe 6 Licensed Fugu Chefs in the US, so yes he is a Sushi God. I love Toro (fatty tuna) and his Toro is like butter. Do yourself a favor and come for a visit, the food is so good it'll make you moan, seriously. It's family run, great friendly atmosphere and come see the master at work. If you're here around November to Jan/Feb experiance Fugu, it's wonderful

We ate here for dinner once, and lunch three times. All of our experiences have been very good. The sushi is outstanding. We particularly like the Maguro - it tasted like it slept in the ocean the night before! We also had the Special Bento Box for lunch, and that was a little more of an adventure, but the flavors and the food were outstanding. Good value also. We will be back again!

This was a random find while cruising around Seattle. There's a sushi bar where you can sit and eat and watch the sushi master at work or tables for 2 or more. Place was full when we arrived and the atmosphere was great. Staff were nice and helpful and the food was fantastic.

Look no further! This little restaurant has an amazing variety of sushi and other meals. TRY Tthe flight of sake - a sampling of 3 sakes that are served with a card describing each delicious variety. We ordered many different rolls for our party of 6 & ALL WERE carefully prepared, beautifully presented and indescribably delicious! 4 stars for flavor & very reasonable prices -- and we will be back! Oh, also, there is some free parking 1/2 block from the restaurant in a tiny lot.

I always return to this small, unassuming Sushi restaurant when in Seattle. The food is genuine and sometimes exotic, the sushi is the best I have had in Seattle. Service is friendly and they have use of a parking lot after 6. This is not sophisticated like Nobu, but the Sushi is better.

me and my partner are sushi lovers and we went out for dinner at this restaurant as it was close to our hotel, we didn't think the fish was very fresh and we were also disappointed with the other dishes we ordered: teriyaki chicken and tempura so I wouldn't recommend this place

We were staying in a hotel across the street and this was a recommendation from the bartender. Family and I made our way over and were greeted by the owner/chef. Once seated the adventure began. The chef trained was trained in Japan. The food was fresh, fresh, fresh. He of course had the usual selection and on the special were several versions of uni available. I'm not partial to the texture of uni so I skipped that and went for the aji. This was a great recommendation and if you are in the area of lower Queen Anne Hill I highly recommend this spot you will not be disappointed.

We have eaten here about 4 times now, and each time we sat at the suchi counter. My husband is fluent in Japanese and everytime we try to strike up a converstion with the sushi chef/owner he just grumbles one or two word responses and then ignores us. We have been there when it was busy and when only one other table was there, and same thing....grumble. The food is really good, and fresh, and i quess that is why you would eat there, right?

The food at this small niche restaurant was fine. The owner-chef was the real McCoy, hardly spoke any English, and gave close and individual attention to his dishes, in full view of the diners. However, I stopped patronizing him because one of the senior waitresses -- I believe it was his wife -- was so down at the mouth, non-responsive, and not customer-friendly, to the point of spoiling the visit. Sometimes there were other, more friendly wait staff, but I was not going to go in with the hope that this was the night that sour waitress was not there. I wish it were not the case, as it is okay otherwise and conveniently located. Now I go to Obasan on Mercer Street, just a few steps away. It is wonderful. Service is so important to the ambience, as important as the food! I wish owners would take note.

Nothing fancy. Just good simple sushi. It’s comfortable, fast service. Friendly ambiance. Sashimi was fresh which is like the most important thing! If you’re around Queen Anne / Seattle Center - and you love Sushi well of course check it out! Would we go back? Yes!

I found this by chance after walking from Kerry Park. A nice restaurant and family-run - it is popular with locals and along the main road plus the cute neighborhood with a great view of Seattle. The owner is very nice and the chef is great too. You can see them making the dishes and food is fresh + quick.

This restaurant looks poor from outside but inside is warm and family like. The food is not exciting but is OK. They entertain local customers and their serving is very generous. However, it lacks a bit of delicacy for example, imbalance between rice and thickness of sashimi on sushi. I will not make special trip to this restaurant but have no problem to come back for casual dinner when I am around in this area, by myself or with close friend.

I had a nice long review written but then the Internet flaked and Tripadvisor's website design lost it all. So I'll just say that it's good sushi and side dishes, good value for money, nice atmosphere, attentive service, and you should eat here rather than the more pretentious places right on Mercer. Get one of the teriyaki meals if you're hungry; even the small one comes with miso soup, side salad, side order tempura shrimp and vegetables as well as good teriyaki over rice.

Really good, fresh, relaxed, family sushi restaurant open 7 days a week. Reliable and satisfying.

While the building itself is not that exciting or even really nice for that matter, the food was good and the staff was very nice. Good variety of sushi as well as tempura, noodles, etc. The sushi was very fresh and they can even do blowfish, but you have to request in advance. Great find.

Shiki serves a limited menu of Japanese food. Service is friendly and every attempt is made to please but we were not impressed with the meal. Stick to the Udon soups and the food will be fine. Anything else is just disappointing. We've had better rolls in too many other Japanese restaurants. The fish just did not seem fresh or of the highest quality.

My husband & I ordered 3 rolls: Washington Roll, Spider Roll & Unagi Roll. All excellent but the ugani rolls are always our #1 favorites. Small family owned place with outstanding & fresh sushi. We will be back again as we loved our 1st time experience here - Mike & Jenn

Shiki is a no-frills sushi restaurant that also seems like you’re in a local shop in japan. The fish is fresh and they also offer a couple of cooked dishes like udon and teriyaki. They also have beer and a good selection of sake on the menu.

We had read good reviews of this sushi restaurant, and could not have been more disappointed. The tempura was doughy, not crisp. The cooked salmon was fishy tasting and way overcooked. The sashimi was fishy, as well, with the raw salmon almost white & with the skin on each piece. California rolls tasted like mayonnaise and surimi (fake crab). The $22 sukiyaki was overly salty and with way fewer ingredients than I've had at other Japanese establishments. The waitress forgot one dish that was part of our entree until we asked for it twice, and it then came out when everyone else was finished. We'll never go again. The place was almost empty on a Friday night, so I think its reputation has declined because of the poor food and service.

You have to click zoom several times to finally see this restaurant in Google Maps. We want japanese food and this is the closest in a rainy day. We almost missed it- located in a quiet part of Queen Anne. If this is all about the outside "curb appeal" well, this place would lose hands down. You would think it's not even open or not even a restaurant for that matter. We were greeted by the lady of the house, another waitress seated us immediately. There weren't many people, two in the sushi bar, and two other tables occupied. The place is small- few tables. We asked, the owners/couple are Japanese and the man behind the counter is a sushi chef. He's an older guy, and by the time another couple and a guy came in to be seated at the bar, he had his hands full. He reminds me of Jiro. We had the jelly fish, yellowtail with daikon soup, sashimi plate, and 12 pieces nigiri. All are superb. Wanted to try several more items but was just so full. I am not a sushi roll fan, so this kind of japanese food is my thing. Been to Japan several times and the menu has more typical Japanese meal. Seafood is fresh, huge portions of fish in nigiri. Had the green tea mochi to cap it all off. I was just floored by the whole experience since I wasn't expecting much considering the outside of the restaurant. A traditional japanese restaurant in Seattle.

This place doesn't look very inviting from outside, but they offer very fresh seafood. I saw many autographs of famous Japanese people in Seattle such as baseball players, so I assume this is one of the best Japanese restaurants here. Sushi was good, but rice was a little too sour to my taste. I should have had sashimi instead. Other dishes such as chicken katsu was just O.K. It's too bad that they have to charge for hot green tea which wasn't that good. The chef looked very friendly.

Let me be very short: whenever I'm in Seattle and I want sashimi, this is the place I go to. Non surpassed, best ever, always. Tip: try the shrimp, I didn't... :) Tip2: the chef is a Fugu master!

I love Shiki! Can't believe I"ve never reviewed it. I've been taking it for granted. We used to eat lunch here regularly when they were open for lunch. But the sushi bar is the real treat, with Chef Ken. He introduced us to jellyfish, which was great! So we got sushi takeout, which was excellent, but I miss asking Chef what he recommends, and just the flow of the sushi bar. I can't wait til we can sit there again, but in the meantime, more takeout!

I had the Washington Roll, Shrimp Tempura Roll, California Roll. Each roll the best I've had in a long time. I'll be coming back, especially since it is so conveniently located near where I live (Queen Anne). For those who live outside of Queen Anne neighborhood, multiple bus lines come within 2 or 3 blocks of Shiki. So go there! The online photos of the food are accurate, and even photo of the sushi chef is the real person! *** Advice from local: If you're going to arrive within 30 mins or closer to the advertised closing time, you may be refused service (sushi counter take awhile to close). ***

We stayed at the Mediterranean Inn just down the block from Shiki. There are lots of sushi options in the city, but we loved this one for its delicious food, casual & sincere atmosphere and close proximity to our hotel.

Last night in Seattle and it’s a Friday night. My husband and I wanted a quiet place away from the crowds. This little gem was just what we were in the mood for. The sushi was very tasty and the chef was a very sweet man.

We only had carry out and ordered it when the restaurant was about to close - when I walked in, I was greeted with a two very friendly people. The atmosphere was perfect for a small Japanese restaurant. We ordered a California Roll and Shrimp Tempura Roll - both absolutely delicious and price - very reasonable. We would definitely go back

I took my sister to this restaurant, because she is a Sushi connoisseur. She travels a lot, and wherever she goes, she searches for the best Sushi. I was delighted to hear her say that her meal at Shiki was her best Sushi experience ever! That is high praise. She and our friends agreed that it was incredible! They tried things they'd never eaten before (they all talked about the Jellyfish), and loved everything. To top it all off, we were treated like royalty. This family owned and run restaurant provides a wonderful personal touch. I have to add that I'm not much of a sushi fan myself, but their menu had plenty of things to please me. I chose Salmon Teriyaki, and it couldn't have been better. I can't wait to go there again!

Enjoyed a pre-opera meal here and was impressed with the quality of the food. Husband and I ordered sashimi dinners, which came with excellent miso soup, a typical sushi bar salad and a side of rice. The sashimi platter included some unique preparations. The fish was very high quality and the sake samplers we ordered made a perfect accompaniment. Prices were reasonable for the quality and portions.

We had to order take-out, as our young children were asleep in the hotel around the corner. This was some of the best sushi rolls I had ever had. Everything was so fresh and had a unique taste to it. The restaurant itself is small and without frills. The focus is on the food. To top it off, I wound up forgetting my credit card, and the owner/chef, to whom I had mentioned that we were staying in the nearby hotel, came by after the restaurant closed to drop it off. Amazing. The owner there is apparently renowned in Japan for becoming a master chef at a young age — read the newspaper article on the wall when you go.

I agree with a previous reviewer. You could miss this place if you blink. We did not even think it was open. It is listed as the best sushi in the area, I hope not. While not bad, it really was not good, I ordered the sushi appetizer and a salad. The salad was the standard, However, I have never had a bad one. The sushi appetizer was just the right size. However, it was nothing special. The service was excellent. The restrooms were sparkling clean. The price was reasonable. The menu is a bit limited. I would not refuse to come back. I just would not choose to return.