Wa'z Seattle Reviews

Although their monthly menus are supposedly different, we found after checking their website for a number of months after dining that they were understandably quite similar. Nonetheless, we would expect the same high quality offerings on every menu. The dining experience, even for Seattle which has become overrated, was indeed excellent but not a cheap date. The fixed menu at $175 per person became substantially more costly after adding the recommended sake pairings. However, as you can see from the photos which we have chosen to post, that the sake selections were particularly memorable. Enjoy!

We were very excited to have dinner at Wa’z because our son took his girlfriend there for their anniversary and said it was amazing. The food was fabulous! Every plate felt like a piece of art. Chef, and his team, was friendly and polite, as you would expect from a Japanese restaurant. We shared a Saki tasting, which was plenty for the two of us, and we loved the beautiful saki cups. Each one was so unique. Our only criticism is that the meal felt really rushed. We were seated at 8pm, served 10 courses and were done by 9.30! We sat at the chef’s counter, and everyone was served each dish at the same time, so it wasn’t just that we were eating fast. It was an expensive evening, so I would have liked to linger. On the bright side, we were given a little bouquet for our anniversary.

Creative seasonal menu pairing traditional Japanese preparation methods with spectacularly sources local and imported ingredients. Expensive but worth it.

The kaiseki dinner at Wa'z is one of the best dining experiences I've had. Service was attentive and each course as well as the paired sakes were explained. If Seattle had Michelin stars, this restaurant would be on their list. We were lucky to sit at the counter and were able to watch as dishes were prepared. There were eight courses that were paced well over about two hours. For me, the highlights included Copper River salmon sashimi, wagyu that melted in your mouth, grilled eel, and tuna nigiri, but each course was fantastic. The chef and other staff spoke to us about the provenance of the food as well as providing stories/history on why we were eating certain items. At $600+ for dinner for two (including alcohol), this is a special occasion restaurant, but the experience was worth it.

Extremely impressed with the experience we've had here at wa'z. The service was great, the staff were all super knowledgeable, nice and extremely professional. The food was extremely good. All the food was fresh, either local or imported from Japan and it was extremely delicious. The concept of this restaurant is amazing too, set menu as prepared by the chef the way he recommends it. And due to that, the food is amazing in every pairing. The cost is on the higher end but considering the type of food they use, it's very much worth it. I cannot recommend wa'z enough and I can't wait to return to try this place again.

Wa'z offers Michelin level kaiseki cuisine, which is an artistic and traditional style of multi-course cooking from Japan, probably Kyoto. The January 8 course menu was highlighted by a dish with New Year offerings of kazunoko (herring eggs), datemaki (rolled egg dish), grilled fish and a sashimi roll. This course meal progresses with sashimi and other types of seafood. A5 Wagyu is featured twice. The white miso ozoni was very good and in middle courses, the Chef serves a sampler of pressed sushi and aged tuna nigiri. If you choose counter seating, you can see the Chef and his colleagues at work. The preparation unfolds before your eyes and it made me appreciate how much skill is involved with the presentation. The dinner lasted 90 to 100 minutes and my group left fully satisfied.

We enjoyed their kaiseki along with one of their sake flights. It was a beautiful experience. Each dish was thoughtfully prepared. The staff explained the meaning behind each dish and all of them linked to a monthly theme (currently celebrating Tanabata which is the Star Festival). It was interactive throughout. We also had a chance to talk extensively with the owner as well. He had a fascinating career and this concept is the culmination of years of training in Japan. Would absolutely return!

An ideal kaiseki meal is visually beautiful, tells a story of the season and challenges the diner to experience traditional foods in a new light. Our recent dinner at wa'z exceeded our expectations (and we've traveled and dined extensively on all 4 major Japanese islands). Many were simply transcendent -- the braised sweet potato (!), the rice and dessert courses and everything with black cod. Others a bit not to our taste, notably the uni in minced okra. But the pacing, plating, and variety were delightful. The sake selection was one of the best I've seen in Seattle and the sommelier was knowledgeable and helpful with our selection -- even declining one of our requests because the bottle wasn't chilled to his standards. A wonderful addition to the Seattle dining scene. We'll be back!

A Perfect Happy Birthday meal at WazSeattle - courtesy of Chef Hiro.. One of the best meals I have eaten in the Seattle This is "Kaisuke" style in #belltown Sorry for the #foodporn but this was like eating art. This was June menu: SAKIZUKE: Starter Sesame Tofu, Sea Urchin, Dash Broth - not your normal tofu, this had the consistency of eating mochi but savory and delicious. HASSUN: Assorted Appetizers Hydrangea Temari Sushi, Braised Octopus, Yellow Corn Tempura, Braised Kabocha Pumpkin. - a beautiful dish.... the sushi a beautiful squid sushi wrapped in shiso leaf. The octopus was tender, the corn tempura fun and the Kabocha pumpkin was whimsical (if you had a chance to see the Yayoi Kusama exhibit at SAM last year -- this is pumpkin that appears is so much of her art work SUIMONO: Soup Fried Fish Cake and Clear Broth - extremely soothing, almost like a warm palette cleanser for the main dishes. TSUKURI: Sashimi Oyster, A5 Wagyu Beef, Seasonal Fish - Pacific oyster, wrapped in seared wagyu beef! (OMG!!!!) And then they add Kampachi sashimi (MindBlown!!!) TAKIAWASE: Braised Dish Eggplant, Duck Breast, Asparagus, White Miso Glaze - the white miso glaze was a Kyoto style which was sweeter. The duck was beautiful, but the stars of this dish were the eggplant and asparagus that paired perfectly with the miso. YAKIMONO: Grilled Dish Shio Koji King Salmon, Salmone Roe, Green Strawberry and Grated Daikon Radish. - perfectly grilled local Salmon, just a perfectly composed dish. GOHAN: Rice Dish Snapper Rice with Dashi Broth - a wonderful ending to the meal... to finish with same warm broth from the soup course. KANMI: Dessert Custard Pudding, Roased Bean Flour Ice Cream, Seasonal Fruits - YES #wazseattle #waz #chefhiro #kaisuke #seattle #nomnomnom #birthdaydinner #japanesefood

I’ve enjoyed more than a few amazing kaiseki dinners in Japan so had high expectations going in, and was so happy Wa’z delivered everything I wanted and more. This is a really lovely experience - we visited for the full kaiseki menu (we had 8 courses) that changes monthly. The long set menu on offer is available at the counter, so you get to watch as dishes are prepared, with detailed descriptions of each item placed in front of you. I was delighted by the inventive ingredient combinations, and enjoyed tastes and textures I haven’t seen before. Even the most simple of the kaiseki dishes exceeded expectations. Thoughtful drink options and kind attentive service rounded out the great atmosphere. I will definitely be back - Seattle is lucky to have this addition and I hope to see Wa’z around for a long time to come!

The tasting menu was a superb example of the fines Japanese cuisine, including hot cooked dishes and raw fish.

For a special occasion dinner, this restaurant and staff exceeded my expectations. We went mid week, counter seating. Staff attentive and provided nice little extras like a hook for my handbag, a lobby coat rack, warm, wet hand towels. Chef owner Hiro himself cooked and served. We indulged in a paired sake tasting with the meal and it was educational and tasty. The food was excellent, seafood melt in your mouth, and quite varied for late winter, some sourced from Japan. Hiro provided context for each course, how it related to the overall theme of the meal. The atmosphere was easygoing, organized, courses timed nicely, I could not have asked for a better dining experience.

Such wonderful food! My son-in law told my husband and me that we just HAD to go, and boy were we happy we did, the food was incredible! Highly recommend!

We had, unbeknownst to us, a 30th anniversary dinner at Wa'z. It was Friday, July 15th, and our anniversary is on July 18th, but we told no one it was our anniversary. Wa'z has some app that informs them of patron's birthdays and anniversaries, and they surprise you with a celebratory moment. It was very nice and heartfelt. Yet, the true celebration is about the chef and kitchen at Wa'z because the food is superb, and somehow Wa'z is relatively unknown in a city dependent and motivated by social media. Admittedly, we are neophytes with Japanese cuisine, but every dish served at Wa'z was a taste sensation. Tiny and intimate, (some restaurants are small but not intimate) the staff goes out of its way to make diners comfortable and feel a part of what's going on in the kitchen. We splurged on the $95.00 sake pairing, and by the fourth dish served on the set menu, I was a happy fool. Everyone else dining at Wa'z on this particular evening was Japanese, but we never felt odd or left out. The chef, servers, and diners were all gracious, patiently explaining every dish to the two of us. With a cost of $150.00 per person, plus a 20% service charge, Wa'z is Seattle expensive, but the food and dining experience are worth the expenditure.

Kaiseki is an art form. Having had multiple Kaiseki meals in Japan, I was excited to get the experience in Seattle, but also worried it might not live up to expectations. It did. Absolutely excellent dining experience. Every single dish was memorable with the grilled rice in soup a highlight. Clearly, simplicity is always the best. I will be back. Definitely.