Wataru

I’ve had the omakase here twice and it’s delicious!
This place draws obvious comparisons to Sushi Kashiba. They’re both great in their own way.
Waturu is more intimate and takes reservations. They also sauce their fish a little differently. It’s a little more aggressively sauced here. Everything is very fresh and he goes over the source as he serves it.
Highlights included:
–Spanish mackerel
–Tomago
–2 kinds of salmon
–Bony fish
–Uni
The head chef really pays attention to his guests. After I had my first piece, he noticed I was left handed and started angling his plates differently. He also really looked at our bite sizes and adjusted accordingly. That attention to detail is what great sushi chefs do. Here, the sushi bar is also smaller so he is able to really chat up and get to know his guests.
The omakase is about $ 70 for 12 courses and totally worth it!

This is the best omakase experience I have ever had in Seattle. Kotaro-​san was so knowledgeable and friendly. Experience wise I love how the chef is at your level (not above you) and he doesn’t have fish fridges everywhere so you can actually see what he was doing. It was like art watching him expertly making each piece of nigiri.
The quality of the fish was spot on. My favorites of the season were the hokkaido uni, Spanish mackerel, and O-​toro from Spain.
The price was not bad for such a great experience. $ 90 for 18 pieces of fish and an appetizer. I walked out stuffed.
I highly recommend the omakase over the regular table dining experience though. He only has 2 sessions. One at 5:30 and one at 7:30 with only 6 seats per session. Reservations recommended or good luck.

Wowzers, omakase at Wataru is out of this world. From start to finish, this ranks as one of the best meals I’ve ever had. The service, presentation, atmosphere, food, and company were top notch. Watching the wizard Chef Kotaru prepare sushi was very enjoyable, and he was great about explaining the origin of the fish. The urchin and fatty tuna stood out the most for me. The hot sake was delicious and the waitress was awesome about keeping water refilled. Even the ginger was outstanding. I didn’t want the evening to end, but left feeling completely satisfied. The whole experience opened my eyes to how sushi is meant to be enjoyed. I won’t be able to look at QFC packaged sushi the same way again.

I ate at Sushi Kashiba back in January, and it was incredibly wonderful. Wataru is significantly better.
My wife and I joined friends for a 5:30 omakase seating at the 6 person sushi bar and then proceeded to eat the best damned sushi I’ve ever had in my life. As good as the omakase at Sushi Kashiba was (and it was amazing), Chef Kotaro has graduated to the next level of sushi grand master.
I’m not sure I need to say anything more than that, really. It’s the sort of thing that you cannot properly explain to someone — they have to experience it to get it. Fortunately, we here in the Seattle area are blessed to be living near Wataru and can experience the magic in person.
Whereas Sushi Kashiba is a sleek and elegant modern dining masterpiece, Wataru is a very humble Japanese sushi joint. I really only suggest going to Wataru if you sit at the bar and enjoy watching the master at work. There are only two seatings each night — 5:30 and 7:30.
Kotaro-​san basically just kept feeding us amazing pieces of fish until we tapped out. It was one of the most amazing culinary experience of my life.
I’m really looking forward to the next time I sit down in front of Chef Kotaro!

It is opening night so it seems like there were some hiccups with service but who cares, everyone left satisfied with complete guts of fresh sushi. KotaroSan is amazing at the pub for omakase. He slits the freshest fish with no help of a sushi refrigerator and dresses each piece so that no soy sauce or wasabi is desired. Simply sit at the pub, order a drink, and let him take care of you.

Small place but huge taste! Sushi Chef Kotaro is a master of his craft, every piece is artistic and delicious — Sea Eel dessert was amazing! We were not rushed and the chef held a conversation with us. Can’t wait to come back and enjoy delicious sushi again!

We went to wataru to make up for a horrible meal at musashi which put my wife and I on the toilet immediately.
This sushi was so good. So fresh. Uni was sweet with a little herbal after note.
Both toros were amazing.

My boyfriend and I decided to come here for the day before Valentine’s Day in order to beat any rush. We wanted to sit at the bar so we could see the chef do his magic but it was all taken. Regardless, this place is small and quite unassuming. You’d never know this gem was here because it’s kind of tucked away from the main road.
But damn. Hot Jesus. It was the best Sushi I’ve had in years. My boyfriend and I each got the special Wataru 3-​course meal (the name escapes me) and it was effin yums to the tums. The yellowtail, snapper, octopus, salmon, tuna, and albacore were something to stab your younger sibling for – yes, it’s that serious.
Please go to this place and support this demure yet spectacular place.

Here’s the deal: Wanted to adore it. Solid restaurant, but there’s a lot of hype around it – A LOT of hype — proclaiming it to be the best ever. I happen to disagree, but it’s still a good restaurant. Maybe it’s what I ordered (not sticking strictly to traditional sushi/​sashimi) or maybe Wataru just isn’t a fit for my style, but the cuisine was, in my opinion, just alright.
S E R V I C E
Service is awesome and the courses come out quickly, or «well paced» if you prefer. Hot towels are presented, tea is refilled and plates are cleared expertly.
A T M O S P H E R E
The space is small («intimate») and humbly decorated, definitely reminiscent of Shiro’s with simple and functional everything and little to no emphasis on trying to be hip or stylish. There seemed to be a push for authenticity, but I also wished there was some thought behind what felt like a bare converted office conference room… or at the very least, more than burlap sacks stuck over the stock flourescent lighting.
The tables are placed pretty close together, which means there’s a possibility to overhearing your neighbors’ (or the girl across the room’s) awkward attempt at get-​to-​know-​me date conversation, even if you didn’t want to. Ambiance gets a C.
L O C A T I O N
I see parking might also be a future problem, as your only option is to perform a parallel park from hell in a residential neighborhood, while dodging drunken patrons also attempting to find their cars in the dark or laugh at losers as they try to parallel park. I should probably learn how to parallel park.
F O O D /​V A L U E
We ordered the Wataru Omakase for the table and were alright with it at 55 bucks a pop. The meal started with a trio appetizer of eggplant, marinated tuna «steak,» and sashimi salad. The dishes were bite-​sized, pretty good, and showed off the creative, yet tradition-​oriented prowess of the chef. If I’m being completely honest, the fish dishes were a bit on the «fishy» acidic side. Next, we had miso soup which had a kind of, in my opinion, odd shrimp (?) meatball in it. The meatball, an attempt at being «different,» was perhaps an indication of things to come…
And now, onto the sashimi and sushi omakase courses, because that’s probably the top reason for peoples’ journey here. I’m a huge Shiro’s fan, mostly because, snobbily enough, I think slabs of raw fish should be naked and, where possible, buttery. I want to taste the thing, not taste a sauce or a vaneer, however complimentary. There’s a time and a place for being complimentary… and sushi is really not it, unless you’re talking about a dab of wasabi or splash of soy sauce. Due to all of the reviews and the sushi chef’s pedigree, I had calibrated my expectations to be around the «Shiro’s» bar in terms of style and quality. What I got was high quality fish, but with a lot of fussing with additional ingredients, which was not expected and perhaps incongruous with the whole minimalist thing: The tuna sashimi was marinated and some other pieces had additive processes done to them or additional ingredients. There were a few pieces that had a little sinew involved. At the end of the meal, I didn’t hate it, I just didn’t love it. However, I have to call out the green tea and red bean ice cream, probably made in house. These dishes were amazing, recognizably so for their low sugar content and subtle flavor.
O V E R A L L
Don’t get me wrong, this place is going to do well… very well. I can tell already and the foodies LOVE it … and I’m glad for it. However, with the strong established competition out there, I’m not sure that I would make the drive to park out here if I could just go to Shiro’s, Tamura, Momiji, Nishino, or the like.
P R O T I P
Make sure you have a reservation. The foodies are rabid for this place.

Good sushi with a warm, friendly staff. The omakase was on point and the fish was fresh. I can’t say its my favorite place but its worth trying out.

Two reasons for 5 stars:
1) Food. I made reservations for the sushi bar (6 spots total) and had omakase. I didn’t love every piece, interesting the tuna and fatty tuna did not wow me, but overall, all pieces were of good quality. I actually really enjoyed amberjack and yellow Jack which aren’t usually on my preferred list of nigiri. Prices looked higher on the menu per piece, but the bill at the end ends up being pretty similar to sushi kashiba/​Kisaku, etc. For two people (I had 16 pieces, boyfriend probably 20+), it was around $ 160 I think.
2) The sole sushi chef and owner is awesome. This restaurant is fairly new and he put a lot of heart into getting it going. I loved seeing all the hand picked details in the restaurant like the super cool black plates the Nigiri was served on (you can see the reflection of the sushi, makes for cool pictures). I do feel like he needs another sushi chef bc he was working super fast to serve everyone at the bar and the table orders. It’s nice though that eating there is supporting him and not a huge business for people that are already super rich. He previously worked at Kisaku which is where I first ate at and later found out he branched off and opened his own place.

My review is gonna go against what a lot of people are saying but let me preface it with this. I am a sushi lover and I have been to many of the popular sushi restaurants in this area such as Shiro’s and had their omakase so this is what I will be comparing it to. 3 stars for the sushi and 4 stars for the ambiance. Being able to sit at the bar and watch him prep sushi was nice.
However, the sushi was disappointing. We did the Chef’s omakase (which is all nigiri) and for 2 people ater 23 pieces each the bill ended up being ~$ 180 but what do you really get for that price? 23 pieces of SMALL nigiri and some of it was pretty bland. His sockeye salmon was from Alaska and very red but didn’t taste like salmon at all. His Spanish mackerel didn’t even taste oily and fishy the way mackerel usually does. The squid was slimy. The octopus which he said was sweet was overly salty. His tamago at the end was terrible. He charges $ 2.50 for tamago and serves you this thin slice of egg, nothing special compared to the style of tamago at Shiro’s. The nigiri that were good were the scallop, red snapper, yellowtail, sea urchin, shad, shrimp. I’ve have otoro more than once now and this was not the quality I expected. I expect this to melt in my mouth.
His fish while it looked fresh didn’t have much taste to some of them and my boyfriend did not like the soy sauce he put on top of everything. Shiro’s nigiri is about twice the size of these. At Shiro’s each piece of fish was long enough to drape onto the wooden cutting board. Here, the fish barely covered the already small ball of rice.
We will not be going back.

A small little sushi restaurant around University Village in Seattle with friendly workers and an awesome chef! I didn’t get a chance to sit at the sushi bar with a larger party but the omakase (basically the chef’s choice/​leave it up to the chef) menu with two options is fairly priced for fresh, quality seafood.
I’d highly recommend coming here if you love good quality sushi, and I would also recommend RSVP’ing ahead of time to reserve a spot!
For a full review with pictures, check out my blog post here:

Excellent dining experience! Two of us were lucky to get reservations for the sushi bar seats for omakase (the good part about Wataru is, unlike other places, you can request and make reservations specifically for the bar seats). It was really fun talking to Chef Kotaro, learning how he prepared sushi and just sampling various kinds of fresh sushi (some were from domestic while some were from as far as spain).
We ended up eating 23 pieces of sushi (albacore, amber jack, chu-​toro, flounder, geoduck, king crab, king mackerel, king salmon, o-​toro, octopu, red snapper, scallop, sea urchin, shad, sockeye salmon, sweet shrimp (and fried head!), tuna, yellowtail, shima aji and tuna/​ikura handroll) and an appetizer of fish, seaweed and gobo. When you finish your omakase, we also got a small piece of ama-tamago…yummy! and a nice change for dessert to finish our meal as well.
All the pieces were super fresh and tender. It was one the best experiences we had dining in Seattle so far. My favorite piece by far was the straw-​smoked king mackerel… it was soooo yummy. you can still smell the straw and a little bit of char from the sear. :)~~~ ooo…
Note: Make reservation ahead of time and try to get the bar seat if you are up for adventurous dining for traditional sushi! You won’t be disappointed! :)…just save 2 seats for us so we can go next time as well! :D

Holy Crap! I think I just found the best sushi in Seattle and possibly in the whole nation! So far, my favorite sushi place is called Wako in SF, but Sushi Wataru is a tie, if not better.
Closed Mondays, and open from 5:30 to 10 PM. This new sushi place is ran by Kotaro Kumita, an old chef at Shiro’s who left when Shiro-​San went into his brief retirement.
6 seats on the bar, which is omakase only (chefs choice) but you can tell him what you like or dislike and he will cater the sushi to your likings. In addition, you can make reservations on the bar, which is a HUGE plus. No more waiting in line before the restaurant opens in hopes of nabbing a spot on the bar. In addition, 5:30 and 7:30 are the times one can make a reservation on the sushi bar. The rest of the restaurant holds roughly about 15ish more people if you want to sit on a table and chat with your company.
Sushi is extremely fresh, flavorful and delicious. Kumita San informed me that he imports most of his fish of Tsukiji Market in Tokyo, the largest fish market in the world. He also uses local fish from the NW and West Coast as well. Kumita focuses on Edomae style or Tokyo style sushi, which is basically focusing on nigiri sushi. What is unique is that he uses a traditional wooden box to house fish/​seafood rather than the common glass sushi refrigerated display case.
What is so awesome about this place is that Kumita San really focuses on quality and freshness. As the head and only sushi chef, he can control the quality of the fish.
I can’t say which sushi was my favorite, because honestly, every piece was heaven in my mouth. Definitely the memorable ones were the hamachi (Hokkaido), buri (larger yellowtail), scallop (Hokkaido) and chu toro and o toro were the highlights. Everything was extremely fresh and tasty!
Lastly, we had roughly 20 pieces and paid about $ 80 per person. A STEAL for the quality and freshness of the sushi. This place is going to be the new hot sushi spot once the word gets out. Check it out before this place blows up!

Sit at the tiny six-​seat sushi bar and leave it to Chef Kotaro Kumita, a former Shiro’s apprentice and long-​time Seattle sushi chef. This is no frills traditional sushi at its finest. Kotaro-san’s attention to detail is impressive– from the real grated wasabi root, the perfectly seasoned rice, carefully sourced seafood, to the temperature of the fish.
There is no glass enclosed case separating customer from chef– instead, Kotaro-​san places the fish in a wooden box, preparing and slicing each piece of fish at the optimal temperature to bring out the umami in each bite.
This neighborhood sushi bar stands in sharp contrast to the touristy, fast-​paced, a bit over-​priced but still delicious Shiro’s in Belltown. Perhaps it was a Tuesday night or perhaps it was only a few days after opening night, but the place was not crowded and the pace of the meal was slower and more enjoyable. Kotaro-​san gave us insights into his preparation and technique, even explaining his knife collection and sharpening method.
My favorites of the night were the East coast sea urchin, the Oregon albacore, and surprisingly, the cooked shrimp (which I usually don’t care for). The bill at the end of the night was reasonable for the value. Highly recommended. Just hope (selfishly) this place doesn’t get too popular too fast. Well done Kotaro-​san!

My mind was blown.
This isn’t the first time.
The first time happened when I was lucky enough to have Kumita-​San craft a magnificent omakase at a previous restaurant. I can still remember the scallop nigiri with a little lemon and salt. I can still taste it. This was the first piece of sushi I was served by Kumita-​San and it changed my tastes forever. His skill and dedication for the art of sushi making is amazing, I can’t say that enough, every cut and press of fish to rice is done with hands that have perfected it over thousands of hours.
Honestly, the best way to appreciate and experience sushi is at the sushi bar, with a chef who is willing and excited to show you what is fresh and best for the day. This is the feeling I get every time I watch Kumita-​San at work.
I have been eating sushi for as long as I remember, from carry out at a grocery store, conveyor belt, quick lunch or dinner hybrid restaurants, to high grade sushi bars like Wataru. I can’t afford to visit Wataru often, so I’m not constantly saturating myself with amazing ingredients; when the craving hits, I will often find myself going somewhere else to calm the urges. These places are good enough for me, probably great for some people. But when I want to really enjoy sushi, when I want to really experience sushi the way it was meant to be eaten, I will be visiting Kumita-​San and Wataru 100% of the time.
When I talk about experiencing sushi, it’s not the same for everyone, someone’s way of experiencing sushi could be completely different than mine and others may not even care to experience it at it’s best. This is totally fine, we all have our own tastes and preferences. But to those of you who are looking to walk away with your mind blown, please let Kumita-​San serve something for you!
We went on Sunday, Nov.8, 2015 at 5:30. Initially, there was a family of three, but as the night progressed, the restaurant filled up. Near the end of our meal, Kumita-​San said to us, «How are you feeling? I’ve served a little bit of everything to you!». We had a great laugh about that, considering it was just me and my girlfriend, eating the same amount.
My favorites that night were the Spanish Mackerel and Smoked King Mackerel. I am not a huge Mackerel fan, I like it, but I prefer a firm, sweet, white fish, like Amber Jack, Red Snapper, and Yellowtail. I had all three of my favorites at dinner, but the Mackerel was THAT amazing. I don’t know how he was able to get so much flavor packed into a fish that was only smoked on straw for five minutes. FIVE MINUTES?! He wasn’t going to let me in on his secret, but I tried.
My girlfriend’s favorite, on the other hand, is Mackerel. I lost her a several times that night; her ears would shut down as savored every tasty bite; she would go off on her own wonderland. She was extremely happy. She really enjoyed the Smoked King Mackerel as well.
I really want to support Kumita-​San, for him to do well and keep on creating fantastic food! While we were talking during dinner, he noted that a lot of the work in getting the restaurant ready for opening, was done by his own hands. This is amazing to me, so much hard work went into Wataru, and it’s beautiful.
I will definitely be going back. If you haven’t, you should!

The kiddo and I had 6pm reservations (a must — few tables, and especially if you want omakase at the sushi bar!) for this evening.
Warmly greeted and seated despite being 20 minutes early. The earthy interior had nice touches like wood, rice paper, and linen to soften the windows and light fixtures. There were also some nicely placed art work and especially a lot of welcoming flower arrangements. Loved the orchids!
We opted for hot tea which was soothing and delicious with generous refills.
The kiddo and I shared a Negi Toro ($ 5.75, fatty tuna roll). This was perfectly composed with a touch of wasabi and green onion. Seemed also the accompanying pickled ginger and freshly grated wasabi were of higher quality.
Kiddo had the White King Salmon Miso Grill ($ 14.75), generous cut of tender salmon atop thinly sliced radish garnish.
I selected the Black Cod Cheek Sake Kasu ($ 12.50). Usually sake lees can be overpowering, but this preparation was subtle and incredibly buttery. With a spritz of fresh lemon, it was absolute perfection. I’m very fond of fish cheeks, whether salmon, tuna, or black cod.
Kiddo’s nigiri sushi included four ebi/​cooked shrimp ($ 2.75 each) and was suppose to get a King Salmon ($ 3 each) but instead had a generous serving of crab. He’s a fan of kaiten sushi and said these definitely were excellent quality (tween speak = yum!).
I had to agree with my nigiri selections of ebi, Hamachi/​yellowtail ($ 3.25), and Hotate/​scallop ($ 3.25). These were prepped and served at optimal temperature. The flavors were clean, fresh, and amazing.
We’ve enjoyed visits to Modern (in Phinney Ridge) and Tsui (Latona/​Green Lake), but if you seek out straight forward, excellent quality edomae sushi (no fusion, no bowls, no bentos, no izakaya) — this is worth every dollar spent! The overall quality is outstanding.
My former stomping grounds had grown and changed a bit with new buildings and businesses, but notably Sushi Wataru is a fine addition to the Ravenna/​Bryant neighborhood.

Delicious, traditional sushi with friendly service. Generously sliced sushi with perfectly seasoned and cooked sushi rice. Every ingredient was fresh, high quality, and a great value.
We ordered the seaweed salad and edamame to start. Definitely try their seaweed salad, which is the best in the city — fresh, natural, lightly seasoned with a mélange of seaweeds. Our sushi, both fish and vegetarian sushi’s (yes, there’s several traditional AND vegetarian options) were beautifully presented and perfectly seasoned. The otoro tuna was generously sliced and marbled, creamy and fresh. The natto roll was the best I’ve ever had. With two appetizers, three fish sushi, an albacore roll, and three flavorful vegetarian rolls, plus their most expensive junmai sake ($ 12), and shared green tea ice cream, we came to a bill of $ 67 with tax, before tip. Which felt like a fair price for such a high quality meal.
Wataru looks like it’s still to add a little art to the space, but it’s beautifully finished space with warm, modern touches. The air was lightly perfumed with many bouquets, congratulating Wataru on opening. It was lovely ambiance. We were there on the 2^nd night, and I think their waitstaff and kitchen are working to hit their stride, but despite that, it was a really lovely dinner night out.
Small suggestion, if you’re considering bringing little kids with you, maybe get a sitter. The modern space has hard walls and floors, and kiddo’s cries bounce around the space, making them seem louder than they are.

Kumita-​San is back!
A wonderful neighborhood restaurant that just opened on 11÷5÷15. Kumita-​San has loyal followers who’ve gone from restaurant to restaurant to be served by this great sushi chef. He has his own restaurant now!
Kumita-​San uses high quality ingredients (fresh grated wasabi, original soy sauce) and serves delicious fish (sourced locally, nationally and from Japan’s Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo). It is a traditional Japanese style sushi place — edomae style sushi so don’t expect fusion rolls and don’t ask for them either. You can order omakase (chef’s choice) at the sushi bar and let him pick out the freshest fish for you. We also enjoyed some of the side dishes and their sake collection.
The restaurant is warm and welcoming.