The history of Japanese food in Seattle goes back for over a century; in the early 1900s, the International District’s Nihonmachi (Japantown) was a flourishing district with independent newspapers, banks, grocery stores, and, of course, restaurants. Maneki, Seattle’s oldest sushi bar, was established in 1904 and is still open to this day. With such a rich Japanese history, the city naturally abounds with restaurants serving excellent sushi and ramen, arguably Japan’s most-famous culinary exports. But Japanese businesses here have so much more to offer: soba noodles made from scratch, deeply flavored pork katsu curry, and more. Here are some favorites.
The Best Japanese Food in Seattle
From-scratch soba and udon, tonkatsu curry, and more
Know of a spot that should be on our radar? Send us a tip by emailing [email protected]. As usual, this list is not ranked; it’s organized geographically.
The Best Japanese Food in Seattle
From-scratch soba and udon, tonkatsu curry, and more
The history of Japanese food in Seattle goes back for over a century; in the early 1900s, the International District’s Nihonmachi (Japantown) was a flourishing district with independent newspapers, banks, grocery stores, and, of course, restaurants. Maneki, Seattle’s oldest sushi bar, was established in 1904 and is still open to this day. With such a rich Japanese history, the city naturally abounds with restaurants serving excellent sushi and ramen, arguably Japan’s most-famous culinary exports. But Japanese businesses here have so much more to offer: soba noodles made from scratch, deeply flavored pork katsu curry, and more. Here are some favorites.
Know of a spot that should be on our radar? Send us a tip by emailing [email protected]. As usual, this list is not ranked; it’s organized geographically.
Udon
Diners at this U District hot spot grab a tray and slide along the line, cafeteria-style, to place a noodle order. The next step is to choose some deep-fried delights a la carte, like the excellent tempura chikuwa, a fishcake in the shape of a tube. With two locations (the other is on Capitol Hill), this mini-chain is the first in Seattle to serve udon made on-site, with the cold preparations showing off the chewiness of the al dente noodles best; diners can even watch them being made while they wait to order.
Issian Stone Grill
This izakaya in Wallingford is a perfect place for a group to enjoy drinks and share small plates. Dishes include grilled mackerel, grilled tuna collar, a variety of yakitori, fried chicken cartilage, kushikatsu (tonkatsu on a stick), and even French fries with wasabi mayonnaise. Yaki onigiri (soy-sauce-glazed grilled rice balls) are the perfect dish to fill up at the end of a meal.
Fremont Bowl
The “bowl” in the name of this Fremont favorite refers to the restaurant’s many donburi (rice bowl) dishes, including tonkatsu (pork), short ribs, and sukiyaki. But the main draw is the reasonably priced chirashi-don, which features a generous portion of tuna, yellowtail, albacore, salmon, eel, shrimp, fatty tuna scrapings, and roe. Sibling restaurants called Donburi Station can be found in Georgetown and Bellevue.
Jay Friedman
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Kamonegi
The star at Kamonegi is the fresh buckwheat soba noodles made from scratch — even the flour is ground in-house. Preparations run from basic (zaru: cold noodles with dipping sauce) to complex (Kamonegi’s namesake dish: soba with duck, leek, and a duck meatball). The Fremont spot also highlights seasonal tempura, which pairs perfectly with soba, including a classic tensoba combination of soba with vegetable tempura. Make a full night of it by sampling some sake and snacks at next-door sibling bar Hannyatou.
Bill Addison/Eater
Kobuta & Ookami Katsu and Sake House
This small Capitol Hill dine-in-only restaurant, now with a branch in Redmond, consistently draws crowds for its katsu dishes. The fried pork and chicken cutlets are prepared in multiple ways: topped with grated daikon radish, drowned in sweet miso sauce, or laid atop bubbling clay pots of vegetable and mushroom stew. Don’t leave without trying the tomato and cheese katsu or the curry katsu — whose sauce, made with dark chocolate, tastes toasty and complex like a good mole negro. For most dishes, diners can choose between four different types of pork, the most expensive being the Iberico pork loin, at $29.
Wa'z
One of Seattle’s only dedicated kaiseki restaurants, located in the shadow of the Space Needle, makes food almost too beautiful to eat. The $175 tasting menu takes diners on a journey that includes small bites, soup, sashimi, a braised dish, a grilled dish, a rice dish, and dessert. In keeping with kaiseki’s emphasis on seasonality, the menu changes monthly, and customers covet the counter seats, where the chef can tell diners the story of each dish, from ingredients to preparation to picturesque plating.
Suzi Pratt/Eater Seattle
Nana’s Green Tea (Seattle)
Matcha is the heart of the menu at this downtown cafe. Diners can indulge in items like roll cake, cheesecake, tiramisu, and more; the matcha cream puff bursts with a massive amount of matcha custard cream, while the parfaits are monumental masterpieces. Drinks range from lattes to frappes to sodas, though the matcha americano might best show off the quality of Nana’s matcha. (Other featured flavors include hojicha, yuzu, and black sesame.) The Bellevue location has additional pastry offerings, while the Seattle spot serves up savory dishes like curry and tonkatsu.
Jay Friedman
Tamari Bar
Tamari Bar is a modern izakaya that plays well to the crowds looking to play in the Pike/Pine corridor. Whether drinking whisky, sake, or beer (or more), appetizers like boiled Kurobuta gyoza, furikake Brussels sprouts, and takowasa (octopus flavored with wasabi) are perfect accompaniments. There are sushi rolls and sashimi as well as larger plates like dan dan ramen and “Area 206” curry. For a sweet finish, save room for matcha brulee, yuzu panna cotta, and soft serve with a syrup flight.
Karaage Setsuna
Setsuna was once a beloved Japanese izakaya near Northgate. After a short absence, it reemerged as Karaage Setsuna in Belltown, with a smaller venue and menu. While there’s ramen, curry rice, and Hawaiian specialties like loco moco, the item to prioritize is the namesake karaage, available in three portion sizes. Made from boneless chicken thigh (dark meat, as it should be), this version of fried chicken should forever replace American-style in diners’ hearts.
Jay Friedman
Katsu Burger
Now with eight locations in the metro area, Katsu Burger serves a slew of panko-breaded, deep-fried meats for its burgers. While beef, chicken, and even tofu are options, pork is classic for katsu, fantastic with mayo and tonkatsu sauce along with the standard toppings of cabbage, tomato, red onions, and pickles. Add nori fries and a green tea milkshake to round out a satisfying fast-food meal that’s made to order.
Onibaba
Rice is the centerpiece of Onibaba, run by the former Tsukushinbo team in the space where the old restaurant used to be. Onigiri, a popular convenience store snack food in Japan, gets a luxurious treatment here: The rice balls are made with high-quality rice and seaweed wrapping, stuffed generously with a variety of fillings. (Salty salmon and sour plum are especially popular.) Also central to the menu is ochazuke, a traditional Japanese dish made by pouring tea over white rice, akin to porridge. Instead of tea, Onibaba’s ochazuke includes a pour of delicate dashi broth, with toppings like unagi (grilled eel) over a grilled rice ball. The menu also has an assortment of Tsukushinbo’s classic and comforting rice bowls like katsu or pork belly with onions.
Jay Friedman
Maneki
Maneki has been a mainstay in Japantown for more than 100 years. Seats are tough to snag and basically require reservations through a text line (no such thing as Resy or Tock here). The menu is comprehensive and affordable, with Japanese classics from agedashi tofu to tempura and sukiyaki to sushi. Among its signature dishes, black cod collar miso is especially popular, perfectly charred on top with an underside that is oily, rich, and delicious.
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Fuji Bakery
Fuji Bakery, with locations in Interbay and the International District, combines ingredients and techniques from Japan and France to create wonders like the matcha cruffin. Many people visit Fuji for its savory breads and pastries, such as kare-pan (curry bun) and epi (with bacon and English mustard). Others prefer the sweets, like anpan, yuzu tarts, year-round panettone, and best-selling crunchy cream malasadas.
Fort St. George
This Chinatown-International-District staple serves the type of low-brow comfort food that generally doesn’t get much love outside of Japan, but which its citizens can’t live without. This includes Japanese-style pasta, served with cod roe, enoki mushrooms, and topped with pork cutlet or a hamburger patty. You can also get omurice and Japanese curries or bento with grilled mackerel, karaage, or vegetable croquettes.
Sandwich House TRES
Sandwich House TRES in Bellevue focuses primarily on doing one thing and doing it right: beloved crustless sandwiches made with soft and spongy white bread. This sparse spot does bustling to-go business, offering an extensive sandwich menu featuring four “zones”: meat, seafood, vegetable, and fruit/sweet. It’ll take two sandwiches to fill most diners; make one a pork cutlet.
