Sushi Joa-Kirkland

Great sushi, the toro just melts in your mouth! Best roll is the Sunshine Roll. I’ve lived in Japan and this is legit. Also had a Japanese sushi chef serve us. We’ll definitely be coming back.

I had a very tasty lunch at Sushi Joa today.
I ordered the chirashi lunch bowl, the chef’s choice of sliced raw fish served on a bed of sushi rice. The fish tasted nice and fresh and the rice was delicious and flavorful. The portion size was generous, and the meal included a very tasty miso soup that was perfect for a cold afternoon.
The person dining with me had a bento containing teriyaki chicken and tempura vegetables. She said that the teriyaki was especially good, and was as impressed with the tastiness of her rice as I was with my own.
The service was a little bit on the slow side even though the restaurant was not especially busy, and I probably would have requested a second cup of tea if I had been asked, but all in all Sushi Joa was a good choice for a casual lunch. I look forward to eating there again.

Food was great. The Unilocal reservation didn’t work though. Thankfully we were early and avoided the dinner crowd. No reservations through Unilocal for me.

Yummy sushi! My favorite is the Hang-​Ten Roll. Each roll is 8 pieces and runs about $ 12-​$ 14 which isn’t cheap compared to other sushi places I’ve been to. The flavor and packing of the rolls though is very good. Place also has a nice ambience. I visited because the groupon offers a very good deal, but I probably would not come here if I didn’t have the groupon just because rolls are a bit expensive without it. They do have a lunch special but it’s not a super great deal either. Will keep coming as long as groupon promo is running.

A definite must-​try sushi place in Kirkland. Spicy salmon roll and gyoza were excellent. Tuna poke was alright — we ended up ordering a second one, which automatically bumps it to great.
Quality ingredients, laid-​back atmosphere and friendly service make it a winner in the sushi category in the area.

Today was my first time eating here and it was delicious! I came in for a late lunch and was warmly greeted by the staff as soon as I walked in. I sat at the sushi bar and enjoyed the sashimi lunch special — the fish was outstanding! The sushi chef gave me 8 very generous pieces of sashimi and the waitress kept my green tea filled at all times. I also enjoyed a delicious sunshine roll and a bowl of miso soup.
Top notch service, friendly staff and truly spectacular fish, I’ll definitely come back here again!

I love going to sushi joas in downtown Kirkland. They have friendly service fresh yummy sashimi salad and firecracker roll. Yum! Try it you won’t regret.

again the quality is good… but finding a roll without imitation crab or seared something is near impossible. Wish the roll menu had more variety. The restaurant was very cold, even the sushi chefs were wearing beanies and down vests.

Masa-​san is a great sushi chef! Great omakase and fantastic chirashi lunch special Monday to Friday. Sushi is always fresh and delicious. Can’t comment on the rest of the menu because I usually get the chirashi — it’s just that good!

Black Friday evening so this place was quiet. No complaints from me ;). Service was great.
Scan their code for a prize! We got 30% off our drinks. Woo-​hoo.
Salmon collar: overdone slightly but still good, served with grated daikon and ponzu sauce.
Toro, raw shrimp, yellowtail, Spanish Mackerel. Shrimp heads deep fried. Sushi chef was friendly and helpful in selecting fish for us.
Appreciated that my green tea was refilled without my asking.
Interesting selection of books on their bookshelf: Modernist Cuisine and Momofuko.
Would return because their sushi is fresh.

This is the best sushi I have had in the Seattle area. So many yummy choices! Great service and many original rolls. Only disappointment was they were out of shishito peppers. Score on having them though. A hard find in the PNW. No idea why.
Can’t wait to go back. Finally, melt in your mouth sushi. Yum yum.

Food: 4 stars
Price: 3 stars
Service: 2 stars
Ambiance: 3 stars
Overall: 3
Food:
We ordered 2 chirashi for lunch, and the sashimi were fresh and tender. However, the scallop was not that fresh. There were 11 pieces of sashimi (2 pieces of tamago included) and a good portion of sushi rice underneath. The sushi rice wasn’t mixed well, but it’s better than places that just serve plain white rice.
Price: $ 13(tax not included) for lunch with sashimi seems ok, especially in Kirkland.
Service:
This place is VERY SLOW! It took me 20+ minutes to get my food, and it could be less than that if they noticed our food was on the counter (ready to go). Ugh, I’m not sure why it takes forever for them to cut a few pieces of fish and put them on a layer of rice…
Ambiance:
It’s alright, quite noisy at lunch time. They seem to have many to-​go orders as well, so people come in and out quite often.
Overall:
The quality of sashimi is good there, but I will have to be extra patient if I wanna go there…

Great quick place to get great sushi. Went in because i read a good review on google. Place was very swanky, definetly wasn’t expecting that at all. Which was nice, because I would of left if i saw a convayer belt. Price was a little high, but for occassional urge for sushi within walking distance .who cares! I wanted to things eel and some crunch. They made it happen and it was great! Will definetly be back with friends for sure

I had the Seattle tempura roll.
It was super good. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ suahi.
Service was quick and reliable. I got drink refills quick.
Price was reasonable. For the amount of sushi I got its comparable to conveyor belt prices.

I want to specify immediately that the ⁴⁄₅ is only due to pricing. It disappoints me when my Seaweed Salad is $ 5 and the portion is smaller than my fist. HOWEVER, yes you will pay a little more for your food, but you will be satisfied with flavor and quality. I enjoyed the sashimi salad… extremely fresh tasting fish — highly recommend. I also had the Alaska Roll. Recommended to those of you who do not believe in the Americanized sushi rolls or are looking for something a little easier on the stomach than spicy mayo sauce.
If you’re into bento boxes, Sushi Joa has great variety. I find them to be a little overpriced, but you want quality food when it comes to raw fish. I do recommend this restaurant, and I will be back to try more items on the menu.

We’ve been to Sushi Joa twice now for a late lunch on weekend afternoons. Both times the restaurant was about half full, which is surprisingly busy for a mid-​afternoon. My wife and I sat at the sushi bar right in front of the chef and enjoyed watching him prepare our meal.
In our last visit, I had two Hamachi nigiri and we split their Crunchy Rolls (tempura shrimp) and the Golden Rolls (fried California rolls). The fish was very fresh and pretty much melted in my mouth, and the rolls were delicious.
It’s great to have another awesome a place to eat right downtown Kirkland!

I really like this place. The staff are friendly and greet you when you walk in the door, and the food is pretty tasty. We’ve come here for lunch a few times and for two people splitting a lunch bento combo and a roll it’s about $ 30 including tax and tip.
The food is generally quite good; I recommend the Seventh Heaven Roll! The textures in the roll are delightful. We’ve also had the katsu bento boxes and they’re really good and reasonably portioned for lunch as well. I wasn’t such a huge fan of the kabuki roll, because although it had a delicious wasabi mayo on it, the roll slices were thinner and it made it easier to fall apart. Messy roll is messy.
Otherwise, we were checked on regularly, and had our water and tea refilled often. I wasn’t a fan of sitting right by the door when the lunchtime deliveries were going on; basically the staff were wheeling boxes of produce in the front door, through the restaurant and into the kitchen in the back. It was distracting and also with the door open for so long it got really cold! I guess hot tea helps a little though.
Parking is available on the street or at the Mosaic lot a block away.

There are only two sushi places within walking distance of downtown Kirkland — Sushi Joa and Rikki Rikki. Sushi Joa is the new kid on the block and it punches below its weight.
Lets start with the good. The décor is nice, the ambiance is nice and the layout does not have an overcrowded feel to it. The service was good too.
Now, for the not so good. The variety of rolls was disappointing — I did expect more choice.
We ordered the salmon nigiri which was okay. The salmon roll was falling apart. The valentine roll was good only because the tuna was excellent. The lob roll was the best of the bunch.
The presentation of the rolls was also okay. Most sushi places do a great job of making it look beautiful — Sushi Joa needs more work in this department.
Overall, for this price, it is an average place. I wouldn’t feel disappointed going here but I would have a more enjoyable experience at the same price at Oto Sushi which is nearby.
Oh and they have odd hours — check that they are open before you go

What a fabulous addition to the downtown Kirkland dining scene!
My kid and I had the most delicious lunch here, and the whole experience was as lovely as lovely could be.
We arrived here at 1:30pm and the place was nearly empty. (I think it’s great to come here at an off-​time, as the restaurant is fairly small). Our server was so nice, and our service was impeccable. The menu is quite extensive (check it out on their website): they have a ton of sushi and sashimi, naturally, but there are quite a few salads and bento boxes and soups as well.
My kid and I shared the albacore sashimi as an appetizer. Wow, it was good! The quality of the fish was incredibly high, and it was so fresh and good. The kid ordered some sushi rolls and loved them. The portions were large; we had to take some home (bonus!). I had the sashimi salad and, again, the fish was incredible. The salad dressing that came with it was incredible. All in all, the food was all fantastic.
I should note one thing: I always take note of a place’s bathroom, as I think it reflects how much a restaurant cares about cleanliness and the image it projects to patrons. The restroom here was immaculate. Like, eat-​off-​the-​floor immaculate. Very nice.
You can watch the chefs cooking if you sit at the bar. The chefs were so nice; we liked how they smiled and said goodbye to us when we departed. And the server and hostess did likewise.
Excellent food, excellent service and friendly staff here. What more could anyone want? This will be our family’s new sushi joint!

Great addition to DT Kirkand and the sushi bar staff are very friendly.
Food is good if you are not super picky about sushi/​sashimi.
This will be my great lunch spot whenever I crave for any Korean food.