This is a great Izakaya in Capitol Hill for a casual gathering with special friends. The restaurant is loaded with the owner’s kodawari and is super cool. We always have fun drinking here. Every dish on the menu is carefully selected to go with alcoholic beverages (like sake) and brings joy to the table.
If you are curious about sake and have an adventurous palate, stop by Hannyatou and explore. This unique sake bar tucked into a backstreet of Fremont (and right next to sister restaurant Kamo Negi) has a fun, inspired menu and an excellent list of sake and Japanese microbrews. A sake sommelier will guide you through the drinks menu to find the right match for...
Makoto Kimoto, owner of Suika and Tamari Bar, has added to his growing Capitol Hill empire with yet another restaurant: Rondo, a dragon’s lair full of Kimoto’s playful inspiration. Kimoto explains that the famous Japanese folktale “Urashima Taro” gave him the inspiration for Rondo. In the story, Urashima Taro is invited to a dragon’s palace under the sea. He receives a warm welcome from...
Watch the noodles being hand-rolled at Teinei. That’s what gives this South Lake Union store’s ramen the edge. Owner Minoru Ido had the foresight to bring a noodle-making machine from Japan so that the restaurant could offer high-quality noodles on a consistent basis. Noodles can be fickle, changing with the humidity, and some flour can soak up water while other types don’t. By making...
Ready for a little ramen adventure? Yoroshiku in Wallingford is all about originality, and its ramen selections are no exception. The house favorite, Fisherman Ramen, is topped high with local clams, octopus, salmon and scallops, all soaking in a delicious miso broth. Its Wagyu Ramen features medium-rare Japanese beef in a shoyu soup. Another offbeat but delicious offering is the Umami Dashi Ramen, the...
Recently, the Animal Crossing users were surprised to find a high-quality izakaya in the game and the speculation is that the izakaya was designed by a non-Japanese gamer. A number of the Animal Crossing users commented with admiration, “It is just like a Japanese izakaya.” “I want to have a drink there!” But why did they think that the izakaya was created by a...
Izakaya come in all shapes and sizes. They can be upscale or downright rowdy. Ten or 15 years ago, there were very few in Seattle. Today, just about every neighborhood with a little nightlife has one or two. They’re not bars — most of them welcome families — but they have extensive drink menus. And they’re not sit-down restaurants where you order an appetizer,...
SAKANA BEIBE (Shake it up, baby) This robata izakaya sits in the middle of Kyoto. The owners are brothers Atsu and Yasu, who trained at an Izakaya in Vancouver, BC. They opened this establishment in April. Yasu is a colleague of Makoto Kimoto, owner of Suika and Tamari Bar, both well-known izakayas in Seattle. At the center of the restaurant is a counter that...
An izakaya is a bar that specializes in plates of food that go well with alcoholic drinks. Most izakaya have extensive menus with lots of choices. But what makes an izakaya in Japan different from a traditional restaurant is that you tend to eat less and not get as full at an izakaya. Many Japanese customers will order two or three dishes and a...
Many people probably think an izakaya is a restaurant. but if you ask Japanese people, they will tell you that it is a place where people go to drink. In other words, it’s a bar. In fact, you won’t be breaking any protocols by walking into an Izakaya alone and ordering just one beer without food. You won’t find families with small children, or...
