4. Restaurants

Tsukushinbo

515 S Main St, Seattle, WA, 98104
  • (206) 467-4004
  • Store is closed

Tsukushinbo Menu

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  • Jane M.

    After dining at just about every other high-end sushi joint in this city (e.g., Shiro's, Nishino, Sushi Kappo Tamura, Umi, Momiji), I can honestly say Tsukushinbo is my absolutely favorite. 1. The owners and staff are warm, professional and completely unpretentious. The restaurant is family owned and run a brother (sushi chef) and sister (hostess and waitress). They are always accommodating as I have NEVER had an issue with making a reservation for the next day. 2. The quality is fish and all other ingredients is SUPERB. 3. It is simply a great value for high quality food. I feel like I pay half of what I would pay at the above-mentioned restaurants.

    (5)

  • Lisa S.

    Came here for on our last day of vacation from #girlstrip2k15 from Denver. Needed to get some tasty, affordable sushi before returning to the center of the country, where only the pricey places fly their fish in daily. Goodness- this place was awesome! Full disclosure, we arrived at Tsukushinbo because a lot of sushi places were closed at lunch time on a Tuesday. Got the chirashi lunch special, which was beautiful, tasty, and an amazing deal. One of mi amigos got the Tuesday lunch special, which looked amazing and full of pork/pork broth, and the other two amigos got tempura and udon. So affordable, so delish!

    (5)

  • Denise L.

    This hole in the wall is amazing! The place is super tiny, so it's best to get a reservation beforehand. Everything is so fresh! Thoroughly enjoyed the black cod and the sashimi (a MUST when going to Tsukushinbo). Will definitely need to come back...I had my eye on some of the food they were bringing to other tables!

    (5)

  • Debbie P.

    *SIGH* Where do I begin? For one thing, we finally made it for dinner! As mentioned before, we've only been here for the Friday ramen lunch special. Recently we came to celebrate our 15th anniversary, and figured we should do it right. So, we made reservations at the sushi bar (they'll take reservations at the sushi bar for only up to 2 people) at 7:30 last Friday (02/07/14). Even at this later dinner time, the tiny place was still packed. We ordered my favorite ohitashi and agedashi tofu for appetizers. We also had a bottle of Nigori sake. But for the main course, we ordered the Sashimi Omakase. The sushi chef asked us if we want to "go all out." A resounding "Hell, yes" came from my mouth, and don't hold back! What we were presented with was....hold on...at least 19 pairs (that I could count) of an orgasmic sashimi plate. OMG! He gave us uni, ikura, 2 types of toro, tako, ama ebi (with the fried shrimp heads, thank you very much), goeduck, scallops, tuna, yellowtail, ika, mackarel 2 ways, salmon, etc... It was a transcendent experience. The quality and flavors of the sashimi were indescribable. This is a definite must stop destination for ANY Seattle foodie.

    (5)

  • Jay B.

    First off, any restaurant that opens after 5 pm must be special. And this place proves it. They opened the doors just after 5:34 pm. Me and my friend got seated, along with a few others. Very tight seating. Simple ambiance. Light Japanese muzak in the background. Menus are handed out, one table at a time, until each table has one. Then, some tables get a 2nd copy. Had an unpasteurized draft sake. First time ever. It was great. A friend and I shared a number of sashimi items, and rolls. I had the Ohitashi, and then the Oyako Don. Loved every item.

    (5)

  • Aaron P.

    It was good. Service was ok. There were a few things that stood out. Sinew in my toro nigiri was definitely one of them. It took quite a while for the food to hit the table as well. I was dining with someone that had been there before, and he said it was much better the time he was there before. Maybe it was an off night?

    (3)

  • Claire J.

    They open at 530. I showed up around 5:15 and lined up for the dinner. about 20 people were waiting outside on this cold weather. However, when they opened, they said they have a full reservation for tonight and asked to comeback after 7pm with reservation. I know this restaurant so little and busy. BUT! They should at least let people know that they have no room for the walk-in who has been waited outside. They saw about 20 people lined up outside..and everyone were not able to eat here. Very disappointed.

    (1)

  • Katie M.

    We were hugely lucky and slid in without a reservation, but I wouldn't try it again. Prices were very fair for the great quality of food. Sushi was delicious, they have several creative veggie options too.

    (4)

  • Amy E.

    I think I will stick to the sushi. I visited Tsukushinbo a while ago for some sushi and thought it was pretty solid. I also recall their handmade goyzas being tasty. Those were probably the most memorable thing I had and closest to the handmade goyzas I had in Japan. They are smaller then the usual goyzas, but that's because they are handmade. This past Friday I stood in line anticipating their Shoyu ramen Friday. I was in line at 11:15AM and waited 45 min for their noon opening. I was disappointed. Unfortunately, it was worst then I had expected. I thought the broth lacked depth, the toppings were ordinary, and noodles taste like packaged fresh ramen noodles. I pretty much felt I could have made the exact same thing with the fresh ramen /seasoning packs you get at Uwajimaya. My advice is to stick to the sushi!

    (4)

  • Dub N.

    FRIDAY RAMEN REVIEW Listen to me - it's honestly, honestly, not worth it. I felt really stupid to stand outside of a restaurant for 45 minutes just to eat some $8 ramen that is honestly.....HONESTLY just average if you have been to Japan. The noodles were not even fresh or handmade, there are like 4 competing Ramen shops in Seattle.....while there are prob over 10,000 ramen shops in Japan. You will never find the same standard in Seattle, period. Don't be an idiot and waste your time waiting to eat some hyped up frozen noodles. I just went to Japan 3 weeks ago and I'm telling you this Friday Ramen is street vendor shit over there.

    (3)

  • Whitney B.

    I knew something was wrong when every time I glance at "Tsukushinbo," I read it as, "TuckYourNutsInBoo" Trust me, it hurts me more than it hurts you. This place is really damned small and nondescript but tucked quaintly, like a midget among giants, in the more desirable area of International District. For your reference, it's an unmarked place located across the street from Fuji Sushi. My visit here comprised of lots of sashimi, salmon collar, and black cod, even though they are supposedly good for ramen and other dishes. Having ramen (given that it's above average) over sashimi at a well rated Japanese restaurant seems like a cop-out. It is like bleaching my butthole to make it seem as though it's always flawless. I wasn't willing to let my freak flag fly so soon. The sushi was unforgivably bad. My big girl trousers dropped to the floor and I cried sweet and sour tears at the end of my dinner. There are only two ways in which raw fish can be subpar: 1.) it's not fresh, and 2.) it's bland. Tsukushinbo amazingly served up fish that had both the aforementioned qualities. Really? For a restaurant of this caliber to serve flavorless, half-frozen-like fish across the board is like meeting someone who's fat, dumb, and ugly. You didn't think it was possible until that one special snowflake. With Maneki in the same vicinity, I would choose that place over this one. They had great, friendly service here but so do many other Japanese restaurants. Unfortunately, there's nothing redeeming here for me to revisit. This place is getting fondly dropped into my hot, crap sack.

    (2)

  • Tuan V.

    The Shoyu Ramen available during lunch on Fridays tastes better than the majority of other Ramen Houses in Seattle. They should just sell it all the time. It's super cheap too, and even comes with 3 delicious potstickers, which is also surprisingly good. 5 stars for the Ramen. I wish I can praise the rest of the menu the same way. The other stuff on the menu is good, but not great. And they aren't as cheap, neither. I've tried 4-5 different rolls and they are sort of boring and unimaginative, but the crunchy roll was good (not great). I'll give this menu 2 or 3 stars. Expect to wait; the place is small but popular.

    (4)

  • Jeff C.

    Look for the line outside the unmarked door. Fills up immediately after opening for good reason. Daily Ramen specials are $8.95 and wonderful!

    (4)

  • E T.

    I just wasn't blown away. Tuna sashimi was great but not on par with the rave reviews I've seen here. Service was meh. Tempura and tuna avocado salad were solid but the rest of our food was just average - salmon sashimi, rice rolls, short ribs, rolls. Not worth the hype and being elbow to elbow with folks...

    (3)

  • Jin K.

    Bomb dot com!! I absolutely love this place. The service and the food are superb. I am a big katsu fanatic and the mini pork katsu appetizer is the best I've ever had in seattle. The breading is crisp and fried perfectly. In fact I just finished a huge meal here and I ordered 2 mini katsus to go. The sushi selection here is not big but the sashimi quality is extremely good.

    (5)

  • Julia C.

    By far, my favorite sushi spot for a wonderful Omakase experience. Sit at the sushi bar for the full experience. Fresh fish, beautiful and simple presentation...all you need!

    (5)

  • Wendi C.

    Simply put, the freshest sushi in the International District. I've tried just about every supposedly fancy sushi restaurant in the city (including the extra expensive, ultra famous Shiro's), but this one reigns supreme. For both price and quality. The raw sushi is as good as it gets, and their lunch prices are a steal. Under $10 for a beautifully presented, filling Chirashi bowl during lunch hours! Also the best Unagi-don I have ever had (I didn't know eel could be so tender, or perhaps I've been subjecting myself to rubbery overcooked eel), along with the best Teriyaki lunch box specials. The service is always prompt and professional. This place is quite popular, so expect a line out the building during lunch and dinner on most days!

    (5)

  • Rita C.

    The Bento box is a good deal and the shrimp sushi is a must try for the friend shrimp heads. Hmmm... so crunchy. The Omikase plate, $35.00 was a disappointment, too little food and plain. I was truly expecting more but There are other dishes to try out.

    (4)

  • Albert W.

    We ordered the Omakase and it was really good. We'll definitely be coming back again. Though it's not always easy to make a reservation or get a seat.

    (5)

  • Felicia C.

    Be sure to make reservations but it's not too bad to wait, especially if you are waiting for the rest of your party to find parking...in the ID...on a Sounders game day LOL. Staff is adorable and the dishes that struck me the most were the salads - really interesting flavors. Also the beer special, I can't remember what it was called but it had a cat on the can was delish. Tip: this place did not have signage but it's located next to a gift store.

    (4)

  • Chelsea T.

    Make a reservation! I stumbled upon this sushi restaurant right when it opened its doors so I was lucky to be seated at the bar. In less than 30 minutes the tiny restaurant was filled and they were turning away people that didn't have a res. The sushi was phenomenal!! Completely focused on the FISH rather than complicated and extravagant rolls. I've never had fresher fish. The Marine roll is unbelievable and their specials are worth every penny. The best part? Tsukushinbo is completely affordable so you can enjoy amazing fish at a reasonable price.

    (5)

  • Travis K.

    My favorite Japanese restaurant. Authentic old school japanese food. Good people work there and own it. Must trys: beef curry udon at lunch, omakase for sushi, agedashi tofu, ika garlic, gyu tongue. Everything is good. Be sure to make a reservation since it's crazy busy all the time. Sushi is delicious! They've been around for many years and I'm sure they'll continue to have be successful.

    (5)

  • Ann F.

    Ohhh Tsukushinbo. How I adore thee. My coworkers and I dream about the days we actually have time to take a lunch break, because we know where we're going. The food here is sublime. If you love simple, authentic Japanese food, this is THE place to go to. Every time I eat here it reminds me of the times I visited Japan *insert tears of pure joy*. Everything they serve here is heavenly, but I especially drool over the thought of their miso ramen (Wednesday lunch special) and curry udon. I would bathe in their ramen/curry broth if society allowed me to. If you're more into sushi/sashimi, they have a superb, no-frills selection that does the fish more than justice. I have waited in the lunch line for 2 hours on a freezing Friday (get here EARLY because no matter how early you think you are, there will always be lots of people earlier than you), been kindly informed that they had run out of their Friday ramen special (shoyu - also very drool-worthy), and had still happily devoured a delicious meal (chicken curry udon and una kyu roll). What I love about this place is that their prices are so damn cheap for what you get. Under $9 for a steaming bowl of utter comfort and bliss? YES, PLEASE. They do take reservations for dinner, so be sure to make one or you will enter a fully-packed restaurant, get ever so politely turned away, and be very sad your night didn't turn out to be perfect. I never mind the lines - for lunch every day (except Friday) you'll get seated in their cozy space within 30 minutes, and service is always great. They do tend to be a tad slow with the bills during lunch hour, but it's understandable as they are crazy busy with usually just one or two servers taking care of everyone. Not a big issue. I am honestly salivating as I write this. What higher praise can I give?

    (5)

  • L. T.

    The fried Mochi (Mochi was chewy and had a good sweet salty taste) and fried tofu good but the ginger on top was over bearing so the next bite I didn't include ginger or as much of, it was delicious...the tempura was light the sauce was not enough for me and not salty enough for me. I think it was missing ginger to the taste. the fried Japanese chicken was good but it would have been better with a sauce to dip with it The miso soup was tastier than most soups I have. I enjoyed it a lot. The spicy tuna roll was not my type of taste bud it was a hot rather than spicy tuna. The crunchy roll was delicious the other rolls I didn't try in my photos. The udon I was told had a delicious and flavorful taste. Udon was chewy and al dente. The Teri yaki chicken looked okay, the buck wheat cold style looked okay if you are craving something like that. I don't think it is worth the price. This place probably would have gotten a five but I didn't find the value to be a 5 the food quality and taste was a five. Service was pretty decent, they did have a person refill the water and tea for us. Parking is poor and hard to find. You can find a parking space in lot but I like to find the least expensive way to park. Great place and hard to find with no street signs of the restaurant name. I would come here again it was recommended by my brother in law and wife.

    (4)

  • Ron M.

    During the winter I wanted to shake things up in regards to my usual noodle soup eateries and rediscovered this awesome place. I have no idea how they fell off the radar, but I'm glad that they are back in the rotation again! Their Friday ramen special is where it is at! There is a reason why people start lining up at 11:30 a.m. (11:45 a.m. is when they open) - it is that good! You definitely want to be there for the first seating because once they are out, they are out. My other favorite lunch special is served on Thursday - Mini Katsu Don & Mini Tanuki Udon. If you have room, order some sushi because it is pretty freaking tasty and super-fresh! Specials cost $8.50 and the complete lineup goes like this: Tuesday - Oroshi Hamburger Steak Wednesday - Okonomiyaki Thursday - Mini Katsu Don & Mini Tanuki Udon Friday - Shoyu Ramen & Gyoza with Rice Japanese family-run businesses like this seem to be diminishing in number and I will keep patronizing them for as long as I can. Too many favorites have closed over the years and I still miss places like Takohachi, Koraku, Togetsu and Mikado. ____________ | | | __ | | | | | O O O O O O O O O | | | | / | \ / | \ / | \ / | \ / | \ / | \ / | \ / | \ / | \ | | | | / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ |_____ |__|___ | | | DON'T BE THIS GUY! BE THIS GUY!

    (4)

  • Candi K.

    Oh em gee. This has made me so very very sad. I came here with some friends and we ordered a sashimi plate and my friend ordered a roll and ikura. We also ordered a la carte items and appetizers and those came out before we got anything from the sushi bar. My sushi place came out about 10 minutes after all the other kitchen food came out but we had to remind them about the other two items we ordered. About 5 minutes later the ikura came out. Still had to remind them of the roll. Another 10 minutes passed and we said forget this, we asked for our bill. We checked it to see if they comped something like an appetizer, nope! And the waiter even came over to show that he didn't charge us for the roll. OF COURSE U WOULDN'T CHARGE IT, WE DIDN'T GET IT. ugh. Just paid the bill but forget getting tip. Horrible service. They said the sushi bar was backed up but they were in full sight of me and they were just standing around talking. I call bullshit.

    (1)

  • Jennie C.

    I thought this placed opened at 6 so I made reservations for 2 at 6 but when we got there, the restaurant was basically full. Tiny, cramped place with only a few tables. I opted for us to sit up at the bar. (Side confession: it's always been a dream of mine that I would befriend a sushi chef and become a regular so that every time I dropped in, he would know exactly what I wanted to eat and create amazing new sushi creations for me before it debuted on the menu.) -- This has yet to happen. we asked the nice sushi chef in front of us if he would help us narrow down our choices. He was nice and sort of tried to meet our needs but we were picky -- "we'd like... something good. not too Americanized. we want authentic Japanese. oh but nothing too sweet. savory is good. I don't want cream cheese in mine. i don't want no california rolls." we're those people!! Poor guy. We settled on the negitoro roll and another roll with seared salmon and scallops and the caterpillar roll. All GREAT. Next time, i'd like to try the omakase! For hot foods, we got the fried mochi -- GET THIS!! And the yaki-onigiri with salmon -- DON'T GET THIS (nothing impressive). The a/c that night, for some reason, didn't seem to be working so mid-meal we were sweatin' little buckets of salty sweat onto our foods. Had it been a wee bit cooler, I think we would've tried more hot foods.

    (4)

  • Rachel H.

    I grew up in the burbs in California, and about the only thing we had going for us foodwise in my suburban neighborhood was a tiny hole in the wall, family run sushi spot. Run by a Japanese husband and wife team, this cozy spot welcomed us each Friday night (in Japanese) and plied our family with nutty green tea and amazing cuts of fresh fish. This was our Friday night spot for family dinners. When others get nostalgic for pot roast, my mind turns to sushi. I have tried to recreate that meal for many years. Here at Tsukashinbo, I feel right at home. It could be my Back to the Future moment. This place is like time travel. Tiny, hole in the wall, this place is a flashback to my childhood sushi spot down to the fresh fish, friendly attitude, limited seating, Hobbit-like claustrophobic accommodation including tiny bathrooms, and smiling hospitality. While I haven't tried the ramen, I hear its good. Come first thing at dinner, or be prepared to wait a while.

    (4)

  • Steph D.

    The fish here was extremely fresh and perfectly prepared. The staff was incredibly knowledgable and more than accommodating. And the presentation was clean and beautiful. I can't wait to come back!

    (5)

  • Rob M.

    Unreal Sushi. So far in Seattle I've been very disappointed (being from NY) until I ate here. Very impressed!!

    (5)

  • Victoria W.

    What a hole in the wall. With no signs or anything, you definitely need to look hard for the restaurant. I've gone twice in the past few days and wow, its so good. I went once for dinner and one for lunch and both times they were packed. (For dinner, be sure to make a reservation!) The sushi was delicious and fairly priced. The udon and gyoza were also great. Although the restaurant was always packed, food came out in a timely manner. This place is wonderful, just be sure youre willing to wait a bit for a table.

    (5)

  • Ariel P.

    Delicious food...

    (5)

  • Chelsea J.

    Tsukushinbo was some of the best sushi I've ever had! Very very good. Flavorful, fresh, and simple. My favorites were the mackerel, yellowtail, salmon, and eel nigiri but everything we ordered was delicious. Between 4 of us we ordered about 36 pieces of nigiri I believe. The prices were kind of expensive I thought ($100 total) but when you account for the quality of the fish I think it's worth it. One dish we had was the shrimp with the body on the nigiri and the head deep fried. I thought the head was greasy. Service was no nonsense. Getting our food required waiting for quite a while after we ordered. They were really busy. The space is small so be prepared to wait. I'd definitely go back! I'd like to try some other dishes aside from the nigiri next time.

    (4)

  • Diana C.

    They only have Ramen on Friday during lunch! It's a little hole in the wall in old Japantown (near Chinatown). I really love Japanese food, and maybe I was expecting too much from the other reviews, but I really wasn't impressed. It was just okay. The service is friendly but seemed unable to keep up with the crowd and the sushi bar definitely couldn't keep up. We ordered some bento items and some sushi, but the sushi never showed up. Since we were already finished eating, we just called it a night, cancelled the sushi, paid our bill, and went home. I don't know if I'll be back, maybe if someone else suggests it, we'd give it another try.

    (3)

  • Justin B.

    Fresh food and cozy feel. I usually come here for the Friday Ramen or Sasmimi dinner, and whatever I choose I always end up getting the gyoza as well. This place is literally a hole in the wall but don't let that deter you.. You may even have to stand in line and wait for them to open because the place probably seats 40 at most. If you're looking to bring a group be sure to call ahead.

    (4)

  • Alden C.

    Like most places anyplace that is swarming during the noon hour is a safe bet that the place is good to eat at! Seattle is no exception and that was exactly the case when we went to Tsukushinbo! The place is relatively small but packs in plenty of people! Steve and I both got a sushi and sashimi lunch combo. Needless to say the sushi was fantastic and the miso soup amazing! Tsukushinbo is one of those restaurants that makes the International District one of my favorite neighborhoods in town!

    (4)

  • Jay T.

    How do you sell out of a lunch special within one hour of opening?! Ugh...anyway, we were too hungry to try to find another place to eat, so we decided to tough it out and wait to get seated (more than half the line left when they found out the restaurant ran out of noodles). Bad move - the food was mediocre at best. What's worse is that it was borderline expensive, meaning that the price was too low to expect anything good, but too high for the food you receive. Honestly, the best thing was probably the miso soup. The sushi combination I ordered was equivalent to the quality of one I can get back home for 2/3 of the price. In other words, it's cheap (for sushi), so don't expect much.

    (3)

  • Samantha G.

    This place was easy to miss, since there's no sign displayed outside. After looking up a pic of their window on the Yelp app, I found Tsukushinbo right away. Tsukushinbo's lunch menu is reasonably priced. I spent a little over $8 for a plate of chicken curry katsu over a bed of steamed rice with a salad on the side. This was the perfect comfort food on a chilly Seattle afternoon. When I order this again, I'll probably skip the salad since they're very generous with the rice and curry sauce. I also had a bite of my friend's saba bento and that was very tasty. This place is on the smaller side so I don't recommend bringing a group here.

    (4)

  • Jfo L.

    Came here for Ramen Friday night, to only find out from the waitress that they ONLY serve Ramen on Fridays at Lunch time! A bit of a disappointment since this means we'll never be able to eat here unless we take a day off work. After finding that out, we moved on to find different items on the menu. We got some Soba, Katsudon and a spider roll. All were delicious! It was my boyfriends first time having cold-soba, and he was blown away by how refreshing it was. The place is tiny, and constantly busy! So be prepared to wait outside!

    (4)

  • Kari G.

    The locals know where the party be! There's a reason why this place is always crowded: Their tempura and soba noodles are handmade, their sashimi is pretty good (can be a little fishy, but come at the right time and it's on point), and their service is fast and friendly. The space is super tight, so I would highly suggest having a reservation and also bringing an ear horn.

    (4)

  • Nina T.

    My friend visited from out of town and this is the first place I brought her to (for lunch). We were definitely not disappointed!! The salmon was melt in your mouth delicious, the sushi rice was the perfect accompaniment to the fish, and the green tea was hot and plentiful. Yeah, the service is kind of spotty, but the food definitely makes up for it. You better get here quick to enjoy their lunch, though. The restaurant is small (barely any elbow room) so it fills up really fast! We got there around 5 minutes after they opened for lunch and snagged the second to last table. You snooze you lose!!!

    (5)

  • Jennifer O.

    I love love love this place. This review is for their Luncheon specials of which I have had every single one of them at least twice. Wednesdays is okonomiyaki day, and I believe theirs is in the Hiroshima Style. And their Miso is liquid yumminess. Pork Katsu with Curry Sauce is unbelievable, Savory flavor explosion. I don't detect any starch at all in the Curry Sauce, how do they do that? Here I am Late on a Friday evening and they aren't open, I guess I will go to bed now and dream of Tsukushinbo.

    (5)

  • Mylene B.

    Hidden little gem -- go find it!! Unlike the reviews I read, the service was friendly and efficient. Udon was the perfect texture and enveloped in a rich, flavorful broth. Ikura was a bite of the sea and my favorite experience on this first-time adventure was the onigiri -- a pocket of rice wrapped in seaweed stuffed with beautifully seasoned salmon and roe. I'll be back just to make a meal of the onigiri varieties! No reservations are taken for lunch, but you'll miss on a great adventure if you pop by without a reservation for dinner. Looking forward to future visits so I can eat through the entire menu!

    (4)

  • Mark F.

    This review is solely for their Friday shoyu ramen only. We got there around 11:00-11:05 and were the first ones there. By the time it was 11:15, people started lining up and by 11:30 it was a long line of about 40+ people. I've read reviews from some people saying it's not as good as the best in Japan. Well duh. And some people are outraged by the long wait. Sorry, that's the way it goes for good food. The way I rated this, I figure, if you are in Seattle and want ramen, is this place worth it? Yes. The shoyu ramen lived up to the hype as it was almost as good as the shoyu broth as I've had in Tokyo. I normally don't like to eat a lot of shoyu ramen here because typically the shoyu broth lacks and can even be watery even though it's one of my favorite ramen broths. This one was one of the better ones I've had in the US. The rest of their food (we also ordered the tofu, edamame, and it came with gyoza and rice) was average at best and we didn't try their sushi. But if you want some good shoyu ramen in Seattle, this place is worth the trip.

    (4)

  • Cathy P.

    I didn't get to try the ramen!! That was definitely my goal. I came in on a Sunday evening and boy it was still busy! It was a small restaurant, but people kept coming in and out hoping to grab a seat. Luckily, it was just me and my girlfriend, and we definitely ordered more than we could even finish. We ordered the chicken katsu, and the gizzards as our apps and then for our main entrees, she ordered the Udon with veggies and seafood, and I ordered the two cold noodles (I forgot what the dish it called). But of which is definitely yummy and fresh. I wanted to order sushi, but I was a bit hesistant since I'm a bit picky on where I get the sushi because I've had bad sushi in Seattle before, surprisingly. However, as I hear about this place for more of the ramen, but apparently this is only on a Friday. I definitely would love to come back and for sure know to make reservations a day before! I love the ambiance of the restaurant, as it is a speakeasy restaurant, there is no sign outside, so you either have to hear about this place via word of mouth or through Yelp.

    (4)

  • Jaclyn E.

    By far the best sashimi we had since moving to Seattle. I'm a massive sashimi fan and this is definitely top of the list. However it still can't beat the freshness of the sashimi in Canada though but still worth coming!

    (5)

  • Regina M.

    Such amazing sushi. Slow service, but once I started eating I didn't even mind. It's quite small so get a reservation.

    (5)

  • Lowell D.

    Very tasty. Great sushi here

    (5)

  • Jecy C.

    It is so disappoint that the Reman is sold out right before we were finally stand in front of the line.....:( But we ordered their curry chicken udon instead and it was very good!! :D So next time, we will probably come here earlier in case the Reman is sold out again.........

    (4)

  • L K.

    I've never written a review for places, but Tsukushinbo is EASILY my favorite restaurant in Seattle. I totally agree with Tony, this place ruined me!!! I keep finding myself criticizing and comparing every other Japanese restaurants I go to Tsukushinbo. From Omakase to Curry katsu, I have never been dissapointed. Everything just melts in deliciousness and their food makes me dance. As I am writing, I realize I don't want too many people finding out about this place because it's already busy enough. There were a couple of times I had to give up due to no seats available. Now I'm just sitting here debating whether to post this or not. Ah what the heck.

    (5)

  • Mike C.

    I almost never write reviews on yelp but I felt like it would be an injustice if i didn't say something tonight. it really just didn't sit right with me how Tsukushinbo handled my reservations so I'll go ahead and explain. So i had reservations today at 8:30 and we arrived at about 8:15. as usual the restaurant was crowded but i felt pretty good that i had reservations but boy was i wrong. at 8:30 which was when my reservation was for, I checked in with the waiter to see if our table was ready since there was an empty table. I was informed by the waiter that the table was for another reservation of 4 people so we weren't allowed to sit there, which is totally understandable. then I went on to ask well how long do you think the wait will be and he said 15 minutes. anyways. another 20 minutes rolled by and a couple walked in. they were white btw, and I am asian. they went on to tell the waiter that they had reservations at 8:30 as well but strangely enough they were not on the list. the waiter then proceeded to talk to the manager who was a gal and then the manager came up and asked them about their reservation as well. after going back and forth for a few moments, they ended up seating the white couple at the table for 4. THIS IS WHERE I HAD THE PROBLEM. first and foremost, they did not have a resrvation at least nothing that could be confirmed. 2nd of all I was told that we weren't allowed sit at the 4 seat table which was reserved for parties of 4. and yet this couple that came in 20 minutes after us with no reservations was seated promptly. I asked the waiter what the deal was and all he could say was he made a mistake and he was very sorry and that we would get the next table. unfortunately, that wasn't a good enough answer since he'd been telling us that for 40 minutes now with no end in sight. At this point i asked to see the manager and she finally came up to us. I told her that we'd been waiting for nearly 40 minutes even though we had reservations and we were told specifically that we were not allowed to sit at that table since there was only two of us and yet they let the couple that strolled in 20 minutes after us to that table. She was also extremely apologetic to that table and checked in with them multiple times throughout the night. to us on the other hand, she said that it was her bad but the only thing she could do was offer us a discount which she did. anyways, we did end up eating there but throughout the whole night, not one time did she check in with us nor did she ever bother to apologize. she also reach across the table right in front of my face to snatcha pen and didn't even excuse herself at any moment. suffice to say, I will not be coming back here and it's very unfortunate because the food wasn't bad. I'll gladly take my money to Kisaku instead.

    (1)

  • Sonia C.

    My favorite sushi place in Seattle! Their omakase is as good as I've had on the West Coast, made better by their reasonable prices. It's not cheap but I would've paid more considering the quality of the fish. The dining experience is best from the sushi bar vantage point so you can exchange friendly banter with the young chef/owner while he slices fatty squishy slices from slabs of fresh fish. I recommend the ebi (sweet shrimp) with the quail egg, uni, and whatever else the chef deems good. The cooked food is good as well - especially the salted fried crispy chicken wings - but the nigiri really takes the cake. Definitely make reservations as the place is tiny! And if you do score a reservation, expect a wait because the patrons of the sushi bar don't like to relinquish their seats!

    (5)

  • Ann W.

    Finally!! I live so close to Tsukushinbo, but I didn't even realize it was there this whole time. I love the nondescript location and lack of signage! Anyhow, my husband took me here for my birthday. Love the Japanese greeting and general atmosphere. There was only one waitress but she totally worked it! She was very quick and multitasked like a pro. Now onto the food: Oroshi age mochi- Easily one of the best things I have ever eaten in my life! Chewy mochi lightly breaded and dunked into dashi stock with grated daikon on top. *drool* Squid with sautéed garlic- the squid was fresh and had the perfect consistency, but a bit too peppery for my taste. I could have done without but my husband loves squid. Onigiri with sake salmon -Love the saltiness of the sake inside a big ball of rice wrapped in seaweed. My husband's first onigiri and he quite enjoyed it. Soft shell crab tempura - nice big pieces and fried to perfection. Not a bad portion size for $8.95. Albacore tuna sashimi - fresh fresh fresh and smooth like buttah! SHOW roll - Various types of fish covered with more fish and spicy mayo on top. Can't go wrong. :) Garden roll - daikon pickles, greens, and cucumber wrapped in seaweed with loads of avo slices on top. I didn't miss the fish with this hearty and flavorful veg roll! All in all, a great experience. I think I still prefer Maneki, but I am very glad that I tried Tsukushinbo. It has quite a charm to it and I will definitely be back!

    (4)

  • Vivian H.

    I had the best ramen in Seattle today, at Tsukushinbo. It was the best shoyu ramen I have ever had, and the best ramen in Seattle I have ever had. It wasn't too salty, the broth was rich, and the noodles were perfection. The pork was so tender; practically fell apart when picked up. The accompanying gyoza was also *very* good. Friday lunch only. $8.50, what a deal.

    (4)

  • Carol I.

    Waited in the rain for one hour to be up front and in the first wave of service for their authentic and secret recipe Tokyo style ramen and homemade gyoza lunch. It was definitely well worth the rain, line, and wait. DELICIOUS! One of our two favorite ramen places in Seattle. Previous reviewers complain about the lack of signage or "the line", don't let that deter you from a reasonably priced lunch that tastes NOM, NOM DELICIOUS! We've gone back (and waited) several times. Remember ramen lunch special us Fridays only.

    (4)

  • Elaine F.

    When in a city near the ocean, you must take advantage of fresh fish. There was no better place to do so than Tsukushinbo. Just Yelped a place for sushi and this place popped up. Conveniently on the way back to our final destination from the airport, we stopped in mid afternoon close to closing. They were out of their ramen lunch special (which looked spectacular) but had a very enticing chirashi bowl for ONLY TEN DOLLARS. That's right, a typical $30 dish for $10. One might question the quality based on price alone, but no fear, it's just a stupid good deal. The sashimi was quality, fresh, flavorful. I even ate the tamago! It tasted like a sweet scrambled egg, and just fell apart in your mouth. None of this bad rubbery eggy experience. The saba was extra delicious as well. G ordered the chicken karaagi which was piping hot, crisp and delicious. Even the baby liked it! Overall, a most excellent choice for quick service, delicious food, and the most reasonable prices.

    (5)

  • Wendy S.

    Friday Ramen! I've only been to Tsukushinbo for the Friday ramen set, which is excellent. I don't usually care for shoyu ramen, as I prefer tonkotsu broth, but this shoyu broth is actually very rich and delicious. The Friday Ramen set comes with gyoza and white rice as the appetizer, and the main ramen course. Delicious! Get there early, before 1230pm because they usually sell out. It's a small family run shop, so expect to wait if you aren't able to get first seating.

    (4)

  • Christine Y.

    Holy hell I'm in love! And I rarely swear. So this is a momentous occasion. I have found an authentic Japanese restaurant in Seattle. Just stepping in felt cozy and..right. Simple, tasteful, nature-inspired decor (wooden shelves, little ceramic ware on the shelves, patterned paper covering waiting area lighting, etc). Chalkboards full of beautifully written tapas dishes in Japanese and English. Fresh fish lined up at the sushi counter. Everything from the edamame to the miso soup to my bf's tonkatsudon to my tempura soba was excellently prepared. As if my Japanese host moms (yes, I have two host moms) prepared them. There's dishes here you wouldn't find anywhere else. Chicken rolled with shiso leaves deep fried like tempura with a dollop of ume sauce on top? Yep. My point exactly. The sushi was delicious as well. My bf ordered uni (sea urchin) and sake (fresh salmon). He seemed to enjoy his uni and we both agreed that the salmon was well done. As in, skillfully nigiri-ed. Yes, it is a verb. Meaning to squeeze. The rice was slightly warm, compact yet fluffy. The salmon was tender and flavorful. I am sooo happy with this discovery and will be returning to try its many other menu items. It'll help brush up my Japanese to figure out what each thing on the Japanese chalkboards say... Oh and follow the Yelp address, look for the Yelp stickers on the window, and you're at the right spot. There's no house number or signage to speak of outside. Bon appétit!

    (5)

  • Michelle F.

    Yum! Cozy and authentic. Fresh fish and a diverse selection of other options as well. Very happy Jappy!

    (4)

  • Gretchen F.

    Crowded and popular little spot for what looks like an authentic sushi experience. Sho knows his stuff. The sake nigiri was the perfect temperature. The unagi was cut and cooked perfectly. The raw scallops were delightful and the service was quick and the servers polite. You have to pay for parking on the street.

    (4)

  • Daniel L.

    Perfect. Just Perfect. If there is one thing that Seattle does absolutely right, its most definitely making bomb sushi. A lot of people always talk about Shiro's ( I love that place too) but I honestly think that Tsukushinbo is just as amazing! The place here is kind of small and it can get packed very quickly. The wait for your food may take a while because lots of people get Omakase and the chef can get kind of overwhelmed. Noticing the delay, our server gave us free miso soup (yay)! The sushi here is just.... UGHHHHHH SO GOOOD. The quality of the fish is always amazing and the rice as well!!!! The chef here mixes so many interesting flavors UGHHHHH. My top favorite pieces: 1. Fatty Tuna. (Duh of course) 2. UGH THIS ONE NEOPOLITAN SUSHI WAS SOOO AMAZING. It came in three parts: uni, roe, and chopped up tuna. BEST SUSHI EVER. 3. Quail egg on sweet shrimp with tiny roe. Wow. The flavors on this one. Just. Amazing. 4. Salmon on salmon. He wrapped Salmon around Salmon Roe. Oh Salmon, why must every part of you be so delicious??? 5. BLUE Shrimp. First time I had these. They were way bigger than normal shrimp. I loved the texture, but I think the normal sweet shrimp had a tad bit more flavor. 6. HUGE PIECES OF SCALLOP. I LOVE ME MY SCALLOP AND THESE WERE SOME OF THE BIGGEST AND FRESHEST PIECES . YUM! 7. Smoked (?) Octopus. WOW That was one of the best peices of octopus I've ever had in my life. It was so sweet and smoky and the texture was so soft. PERFECT. 8. Mackeral was GREAT. Not too salty like other places. Again smoky 9. Hamachi. (GREAT STUFFFFFF) SO MANY OTHER PIECES I JUST LOVE THIS PLACE TO DEATH.

    (5)

  • Ivy L.

    Amazing. We were searching for a different but good sushi place in Seattle (we've already been to Umi, Wasabi, and Shiro's) and stumbled upon this place! Instead of getting sushi, we tried out other Japanese dishes in this cozy, unmarked restaurant. The tables were a little close together, but in my opinion that just added to warm ambience. I ordered the fried mochi, onigiri, and chirashi, and they were all delicious. The mochi had JUST the right amount of chewiness. I also sampled some of the combination dishes with the fried pork and tempura, and that was great also. Definitely a must visit. I'll be stopping by next time I'm in town.

    (5)

  • Kristin W.

    Came here for lunch on Friday - at the tail end of lunch, so I missed out on the Friday Ramen special :( But I got the Chirashi instead and it was delicious, filling, fresh and lovely. It came with Miso soup. Mm. With tax it was about $10. Not bad. Going to try and come earlier one Friday for the Ramen special. Looked yummy. PS. Since I came so late during lunch hour, it wasn't packed and I got a seat immediately, though I've read it packs out during peak hours.

    (4)

  • Faith D.

    Seats approximately 34. Total. It's snug and you better be comfortable with close proximity. Like others have encouraged, call and reserve a spot. They promptly greet and seat. For those who didn't reserve, you might find yourself hovering others in the "standing room only" area right as you enter. The sushi rolls are made fresh to order and nicely presented. Service was very good; they know how to hustle. It's a great, little sushi bar. Glad I made it while venturing the streets of Seattle.

    (4)

  • Marian W.

    Visited this place yesterday since I had a sushi craving to fulfill. Being new to Seattle, there weren't that many sushi places I tried yet. I had previously tried Shiro's (great traditional sushi) and Umi Sake House (great for your more "modernized" sushi). Seeing the pictures and reviews on Yelp for Tsukushinbo convinced us to go. The place can be a bit hard to find since they have no store sign, but it's inbetween this cute store called plus45design and WKND Studios. It was really busy when we went, but the wait wasn't too bad (30 minutes for a table for 2). We ordered a deluxe chirashi bowl, which was AMAZING. The sushi rice was scrumptious and there was no sashimi in there that I did not like. They also have uni in their chirashi bowl for all you uni lovers out there! We also tried some of their rolls, the Tsukushinbo roll, which is their version of a California roll, and a rainbow roll. Both were fantastic and I was surprised by the quality of the rolls. For our appetizer we had the Tempura Moriawase, which is basically 2 shrimp tempura + 5 pieces of vegetable tempura and that was fried perfectly. Overall, I recommend this place if you're looking for some delicious sushi or Japanese food in general. They do a good job of combining traditional + modern sushi. The service here was also fantastic. I never had to ask for a water refill and they replaced our napkins for us without asking! You seriously can't get better than that.

    (5)

  • Moo S.

    (WARNING: Exclamation point overload ahead) Ah-may-zing!!!! Oh wow. I'm writing this review outside while waiting for my cab. Fellow Yelper Best O. recommended this place and she did not steer me wrong! I read up on the reviews and knew to make a reservation for 8pm (Friday night). So glad we did, as the place got packed quickly! We arrived early and our table wasn't ready, but they asked us to take a seat and brought us some water. We browsed the menu while waiting. We ordered the following: Daikon salad -- refreshing combination of flavors! The plum sauce and wasabi were dancing a lovely tango on my taste buds. Agedashi mochi -- warm chewy pleasure in my mouth, please come again. Grilled rice ball with salmon in dashi broth -- I'd make myself sick if my imaginary Japanese grandma would make this for me. Ankimo -- melt-in-your-mouth goodness! The sauce enhanced the flavors vs masking it. Spicy scallop nigiri -- fresh, slightly sweet, with a nice kick! Tuna nigiri -- could've been alive before laying on a bed of rice to seduce me. Uni nigiri -- super fresh, like a creamy "taste of the sea." We washed it all down with a blueberry flavored sparkling sake (so dangerous). My friend and I were making sounds at our table that would be deemed inappropriate for children 13 and under. Service was friendly and very efficient once we got seated, so no complaints in that department. It's a family-run resto, not Sushi R Us! There's no sign on the somewhat deserted street, there may be a long wait to get seated, and it gets hot in there, but it's all worth it. Tsukushinbo = foodgasm.

    (5)

  • Nathaniel S.

    This place is way overrated! Goddamn! Food is garbage. The trashiest service in the game. Find another spot. Don't pay attention to the rating it's rigged. Wanted to just walk out or kill myself for the price and how little garbage they give.

    (1)

  • Arthur K.

    I ordered the katsu curry (pork) and some sushi. Unfortunately, my first choice of sushi was all out (uni & amaebi). Eventually, I settled on the scallops & unagi. I'd have to say both were very fresh. The scallops had a great sweetness to them and was almost refreshing. The unagi had a subtle sweetness that didn't overpower the eel so you could really taste the fish. My curry was very good. You could tell they didn't use a boxed curry that lots of other restaurants use. The spices really shined and the katsu was fried perfectly. The service was mediocre. Thankfully the place is the small so it's easy to flag down the server, but you could tell he was very scatterbrained and made his job much harder than it had to be. It also delayed getting everything including a refill on the water. Overall, it was a great experience and I will definitely return to try more things on the menu.

    (5)

  • Chalice I.

    Awesome ramen! Traditional Japanese style with a slice of fish cake, nori, sea vegetable, spinach, and pork. Worth the wait. Line started at 10:45, so we were 3rd to go in. Total line of about 30 and they seat about 15 first round. Since Friday's are the only ramen serving, most people have the ramen. The pork gyoza was a treat, too! So flavorful and delish! Definitely the ramen and gyoza lunch is a deal. Enjoyed on a cold rainy Seattle day!

    (5)

  • Tim C.

    I am definitely a fan of the hole-in-the-wall, family-run feel of this restaurant. I will say that perhaps due to how packed the place was, it was quite warm inside, which was a nice reprieve from the Seattle weather. Speaking of which, I ordered the Tempura Udon, which was awesome on pretty much all fronts. The broth had excellent, deep flavor, the noodles were soft and slightly chewy (the way I like it), and the tempura was expertly-made. I had no real complaints about my dish at all, and wouldn't hesitate to order it again. My wife ordered the Chirashi Bowl, and while the fish was great quality, we were slightly disappointed at the size of the bowl. We couldn't help but compare it to Musashi's, which we both believe has a better bang-for-your-buck Chirashi Bowl. The quality of fish here is superior to Musashi's, but for $18, you get considerably less than what you'd get for $15 at Musashi's. I hate to compare, but I can't help it. Still a good dish, though - just not something we'll try again here. The place is definitely tiny, but it's nice that they offer reservations - try to get one if you can! The service was standard, and if you can get over the claustrophobic nature of the place, I'm sure you'll come to appreciate the homey-ness of it. I'd be interested to come back for the Yelper-approved ramen special on Fridays. :)

    (4)

  • Holly M.

    Space is a bit tight Good things come from small places Make reservations Fresh and flavorful Nigiri and sashimi And they have fun rolls Japan beer delights Great sake selection too You should go here now

    (4)

  • Beatrice L.

    back at this place. Cant go wrong here. As mentioned before, this is a traditional family run Japanese owned sushi place. very fresh. been here for lunch and dinner. I think lunch is a better deal just because of their daily specials.

    (4)

  • Robert B.

    I call this place 'The-Restaurant-With-No-Name', 'coz it's just a unmarked small storefront in Japantown. There are always people waiting to get in this place, and I wondered why, as I watched it from the window of one of my 'go-to' Japanese joints, Fuji Sushi, across the street. Well, the Mrs. was able to score a table, and now I know why: there's nothing here you can't get elsewhere. It's an authentic, old-school Japanese restaurant and sushi bar... BUT... where they shine is execution. Deep fried items (tempura, deep fried ebi heads, etc.) are done to perfection. Sushi and sashimi are perfect. There are some unique offerings, and they are also done well. The hyper-kinetic staff are very efficient, yet gracious when they drop out of lightspeed long enough to talk to you or answer a question (their pace is a necessity, as the dining room is just a little understaffed, but the two kids working the front of the house were amazing!). (Note to the servers at Blackboard Bistro: visit this place for tips on how to work a hectic dining room without looking like you're about to have a cerebral hemorrhage. The kids here are cool as cucumbers, and really have grace under pressure.) Also notable is the relatively low prices vs. comparable joints like West Seattle's Mashiko. You get very good value for money here. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is that I want to make sure I'm not getting caught up in the hype; I reserve the right to upgrade this review. By all means check this place out, but be warned: the word is out on this place, and it's busy, but worth it!

    (4)

  • Milomom L.

    Was there last night for a belated Valentine's celebration and had another great meal--maybe our 5th time for dinner? (twice for lunch) As other yelpers have said, reservations are a must--(only good for up to party of 4, btw--it is very small), and my husband got a prompt call back last Friday for confirmation about date/time. For lunch, we have tried the ramen, but dinnertime, we always stick with apps, sushi and sashimi. We've tried the beef tongue app, but it was very, very chewy even though thinly sliced--would not get that again. Our absolute favorite app is the mochi in dashi broth with shaven daikon on top--don't share! Get one order each per person. Hubbie very tempted to even get a third order--it is that good. Why doesn't anyone rave about this hidden secret? Our other go to is the sweet shrimp nigiri that they will also fry up the shrimp heads (2 per order). If you haven't tasted a shrimp head, close your eyes, you will think you are eating a softshell crab. The way it is seasoned is absolute perfection. I leave it to the end as my "dessert"! (they don't actually serve any dessert--tip) Best roll is the marine roll. Go to Tsukushinbo now...you will not regret it--best sushi in Seattle, hands down. Everytime.

    (5)

  • Sharon L.

    Seriously hard to find if you have never been before. Go with a friend who has been. BEST CHIRASHI BOWL. It is very cozy (small), but they do a great job and the prices are definitely reasonable.

    (4)

  • Kelby Z.

    great sushi - fish was extremely fresh. especially the salmon belly! service was a bit slow - but food totally made up for it.

    (4)

  • Ceci I.

    Come early on Friday, especially on a nice day if you want some ramen.

    (4)

  • Nelson Y.

    Tsukushinbo is exactly what the doctor ordered- an authentic sushi experience where you find yourself in a nondescript Chinatown building (with no visible signage) , small space, crowded seating, but where it's all about the food. The staff is welcoming, friendly, and eager to help- the sushi chefs were all Japanese (so was all the staff) and the owner's son was the head chef. He's friendly, knowledgeable and really into sushi. That's a huge plus. I can't wait to try out his omakase (8 pieces for around or starting at $30). I had a bunch of nigiri, which you have to have at a place like this. Skip the rolls. (Not that they aren't good... but don't be an ignorant sushi consumer. Get the real deal.) That being said, I had the salmon nigiri, the uni (FRESH), the O-Toro (FATTY, BLISSFUL), the Amaebi (sweet shrimp nigiri ROCKS with tempura fried shrimp head), the Saba/mackarel, the unagi, the Amberjack (Seasonal, fatty, rich) and finished it off with the Salmon Roe topped with a raw Quail Egg Yolk (super creamy and rich... AMAZING). All in all, I LOVED the nigiri. Can't wait to go back again. I also had the black cod (salted, not the teriyaki basted kind), the gyoza (DEFINITELY a specialty), and the grilled short ribs (tender, juicy and FLAVORFUL). All in all, I would come back again to sit at the chef's counter and have more and more nigiri. Prices are very reasonable for the quality and expertise, and overall experience.

    (5)

  • Elle K.

    I LOVE THIS PLACE!! I wish I could just live here and eat their food everyday. Their sushi is to die for. I don't know where they get their fish but everything tastes fresh and the sashimi just melts in your mouth. I have loved everything I have ordered here but my favorites have been their katsu curry, okonomiyaki (served only at lunch) and their deep fried oysters. There are no signs to indicate where this restaurant is located but they always have a line. It would be wise to make reservations before heading there. The service is always friendly, timely and considerate :)

    (5)

  • William Y.

    It was very good... We order the assorted sushi, sashimi, and chirashi. All very fresh and tasty. The katsu don, and soba were also good. Have to come back again in the future.

    (5)

  • Minh N.

    Walking home from dinner I look into this random place and see a ton of people on a Thursday night eating and drinking and having a great time. The weird thing is... there's no sign on the door. Being the nosy people that we are, my boyfriend and I decide we must try to find out what this mysterious place is. After 10 minutes of looking around the internet we finally realize it's Tsukushinbo! So... Mysterious place that attracts a lot of people? check Has good yelp ratings? check Affordable prices? check After getting seated, we decide to order the sushi deluxe combo to share (since we had just eaten dinner and weren't hungry) and it was great! I've tasted a lot of sushi and I'd have to say this is one of the most authentic and freshest tasting sushi I've had to date! The sushi came out pretty quickly but you could tell the chef put a lot of detail and care into making it and the wasabi hidden inside some of the rolls gave it a nice little kick also! $25 for a big plate of different sushi, miso soup, edamame, and Asahi beer? Yes please! With great reviews on yelp but tucked away on a street with no sign, I'm convinced this place is trying to keep from getting too many customers because it is just too darn good to not be more popular!

    (4)

  • Frankie O.

    My Seattle sushi search ended when I found Tsukushinbo. This is the only place I have been going for sushi for months. The first time I went with my partner, we sat at the sushi bar and let the sushi chef decide our menu for the evening. It was incredible, fresh and beautiful. I love the mochi dashi; I could take several orders for an entire meal if I wasn't in the mood for sushi! Their udon is fantastic, and I have stood in line for an hour to get their ramen on friday for lunch. Something that takes this tiny hole-in-the-wall amazing are the prices. Incredibly reasonable, which is great because the service is by no means perfect. The service is always very kind, just a little frazzled at times. If you are a patient person, this will not bother you at all for the quality of food you are receiving. Be careful, though! You may have to wait in line for a long time to get a seat. If you are put on a waiting list and leave your phone number, better answer if they call! If you don't respond they will give your table away!!! And don't try to come here with a large group...it just isn't going to happen!

    (5)

  • Ai-Jung L.

    I was craving for Japanese food and found this place on yelp. I ordered Tempura Udon and Uni nigiri. As a big fan of Japanese food, I think Tsukushibo offers high quality and authentic Japanese food. The fried tempura is not to oily so you won't lose your appetite after you finish the whole plate of fried vegetable and shrimp. The Uni nigiri is quite fresh, worth the $7 you pay for it. I will come here again.

    (5)

  • Wawa M.

    Took me a long time to write, but we visited here in July of 2013. So glad I did some research before visiting, and decided to give this a try. I have eaten Japanese food all over the US and in Japan. I love authentic small Japanese restaurants the most, like a local place in a local neighborhood in Kobe or Osaka, which is getting harder to find with flashy crazy rolls (full of chili save and mayo ew). Not here! After some bad food down in the stinky crowded tourist-trap area in the Wharf, my soul needed some cleansing. So glad we found this place. I called ahead and made a reservation, and went a bit early. I agree with "go early or late", because by the time we left, there was a crowd waiting outside the door. Yep there is no sign, but there is an address, it's on same street as two other Japanese businesses on either side. Took us one time to turn around and realize we were there! We did a small omakase sushi dinner, with other appetizers. Everything was VERY fresh, and tasted like the ocean. I am very sensitive to preservatives or chemicals, and everything was clean and presented beautifully. The rice was made correctly, and presented with handmade care. The sake choices were great also, without being overly expensive for a semi-premium dry. I love a bowl of ramen or udon any day - especially on a budget, but we decided to splurge a bit. SO glad we did. Going here made our trip to the city more memorable fondly, and hope to return someday! The staff member that seated us was very friendly and much more casual than expected, young and a bit confused. Then a lady who came over to talk about sake made everything function smoothly without another worry. So, maybe if you want a more refined dining experience there, and not during work lunch rush, come back for dinner. This place was kid friendly, and our teenage son doesn't eat sushi, but he LOVED the chicken that he ordered. He is a rice fiend and praised the quality of the rice. :)

    (5)

  • Daren D.

    I came by just after opening for dinner and right then felt like this was a nice getaway off the main street and in Seattle's old Japantown. It's a moderate, calm and welcoming space. The nice waitress was pleasant and wonderful english, as well. She often answered the phone to Japanese customers and a mix were dining in, too. I get seated and wait for her return. My food of choice was the stir-fry eggplant and bell peppers, some kind of agedashi(?) rice mochi thing, amiyaki chicken and 2 bowls of rice (for the saucy soak-up to ensue). Everything was great. A good time.

    (4)

  • Peter K.

    After a long time away I have recently returned to Seattle. Had sushi here and it is legitimately some of the best in Seattle.

    (5)

  • Vivian L.

    Prefect place for Lunch. I go to Tsukushinbo couple times a month for lunch. It is a great lunch place. I love their Friday Ramen special. But the line is always long for the special. You have to get there before 11:30. Except the Ramen, the other lunch combination is nice value as well. The miso soup is always hot which I like. The quantity of food is just right for me. I tried varity of lunch combo. The Katsu curry and the teriyaki salmon and tempera combo are both great. I did not really like the pork ginger. It does not have much ginger sauce taste in it. More like soy sauce pork. But the pork is tender. I saw a lot of people going there for sushi. I may give a try next time for dinner. So 4 stars for now. 1 stars saves for sushi tasting.

    (4)

  • Stephanie G.

    Izakaya style with traditional japanese gems

    (5)

  • Pear M.

    Hole-in-the-wall alert! Google Maps has the address as 518 S Main, which is 3 numbers off and on the wrong side of the street. I walked past the restaurant 2 times, crossed the street and saw a little door with yelp and zagat stickers on the window from across the street. There's not even a restaurant sign on front [PHOTO]. If that's not a hole-in-the-wall, I don't know what is. I got there just before 1pm for lunch and no one acknowledged me so I just sat down at the sushi bar. I immediately noticed that 90% of the customers were eating ramen. The waitress finally came by after 5 minutes to give me a menu and told me that they were out of ramen for the day. They'd only been open for an hour, but I guess I'm not surprised. I'll just have to go back to try again! Service in general was mediocre. One waitress is responsible for serving the entire room which is comprised of 8 tables (2 and 4 tops) and 8 sushi bar places. She doesn't have time to be friendly, refill water, or check on you; so if you require a lot of attention for a good experience, this probably isn't the place for you. I went with the chirashi ($9.95) [PHOTO] and watched the sushi chef prepare it in front of me. The bowl was a perfect size for lunch and the sashimi was deliciously fresh. They even include a slice of fresh scallop sashimi (not little bits), which, in my experience, is somewhat hard to find. Next to the sushi bar hangs 3 chalk boards with presumably daily specials. Two of the boards are written in Japanese. Lends to its authenticity? Perhaps. The third one showed specials in English like steamed monkfish liver and black cod sashimi. I really can't wait to come back and try everything. This is exactly what I've been looking for since moving here. I don't need all the frills and frou frou of places like Umi Sake House. I just need good food. PS. Yay for my 100th!

    (4)

  • Kunal S.

    Oh man, I ate too much. Ordered the chicken danpuri plus a variety of sushi ...everything was amazing! Tasted some of my friend's chicken katsu curry and wished I had room to eat more. Staff was also super friendly. Small space and gets full so plan to make reservations ahead of time but highly recommended by this Seattle visitor.

    (5)

  • Fernando S.

    Most people come here for the lunch special, and for good reason. The Friday Ramen special in particular makes you feel like you're eating a noodle shop in Tokyo. Just the perfect blend of spices in the broth, just enough pork for flavor, and I wouldn't be surprised if they made the noodles in house. I was much impressed with the sushi, however. These days I'm wary about Fukushima radiation in my Nigiri, but the soft, buttery consistency of their rolls, especially the salmon and tuna, makes it a risk worth taking. The well-priced Chirashi Bowl is especially exciting. Sitting at the bar, the chef had no problem subbing out items like Shrimp for more sashimi pieces. The katsu is also to die for. I've only been here for lunch (which gets packed, definitely come before 11:30 or after 1pm) but my server also commented on the dinner rush. Overall, great family-type atmosphere that offers well-priced Japanese cuisine. The only thing better is buying a ticket to Japan.

    (5)

  • Adam B.

    Had the tempura udon. It was OK... noodles were a bit chewy, broth was good but nothing special and the tempura was fine. I eat sushi all the time and at some of the top restaurants and this place smelled like really bad fish. Fish quality didnt look good and I couldnt believe that the different types of fish were on top of each other. No way that would be allowed at a top sushi restaurant. Better places to go.

    (3)

  • Cheng-Wei L.

    I had a agedashi tofu and a Ten Don. Although I've had these dishes elsewhere in different countries, either Japan or other Asian countries, never had I had agedashi tofu with such thick sauce. Dashi should have been like soy sauce, which is light and liquid. But the dish I had here is covered with thick paste, which bugs me a lot, since you won't want to have more than two pieces at one time.

    (3)

  • Elisabeth H.

    I haven't written a review in a long while. Unfortunately, the poor experience that I had at this establishment forced me dig up the password to my Yelp account to leave a dissatisfied review for this overrated establishment. This review is meant to advise and perhaps forewarn future and current patrons of Tsukushinbo. Taking note from other reviewers to arrive early for the lunch special that tend to sell out quick, I arrived at 11:35AM, a good ten minutes before the doors even opened. Of course, a line formed behind me. Great sign, right? You would think so... Upon entering, the sole server greeted me, asked how many and sat me. I arrived alone, but was waiting for my friend. I had intended to order for the both of us, but was conscientiously avoided by all eyes wearing black and rushing throughout the small restaurant. Our beloved server, with good intentions I'm sure, decided to avoid my eye contact until my friend arrived. Normally, when you seat someone and are aware that they are waiting for someone, you ask the patron if he or she would like to order before the other party member arrives. This is standard service knowledge, is it not? Is my 5 years of retail and hospitality experience too high of a standard for this small establishment? The lone soldier (server) proceeded to take orders from the table besides me, to my left and right. I even piped up to say that I wanted to order the special along with the tables that he was taking orders from. But alas, the grey matter between his ears refused to register my cry for food. I continued to sit there, giving myself whiplash as I tried to catch someone's frantic eyes. After he got everyone else's order, he finally backpedaled to me and said, oh did you want to order or wait for your friend? Fancy you mention that after 15 minutes of self-inflicted whiplash. "Why yes, I would like to order the special and a katsudon please. Chicken" Sorry we're out of the special. Are you kidding me? I was 10 minutes early for the special and i still don't get it because of your incompetence? I did everything right, came early, gave myself whiplash; the only thing I didn't do is go straight up to the chef and say, hey! I want the okonomiyaki! My mistake. I should do that next time, except, there won't be a next time because here is what happens after. I placed an order for the Lunch Sashimi set witch had sounded divine (and the only thing that would make up for the disappointment of not getting the special). It was not. Mediocre amount of SMALL pieces of sashimi, perhaps a total of 8 slices for the ridiculous price of $14. The Chirashi bowl, which is $9, has twice as many pieces of fish. Where is my seafood paradise? My friend's Katsudon, which I had ordered at noon exactly (I checked the clock, what else did I have to look at than the time on my phone and when the waiter would arrive?), arrived at 12:50PM. Another thing, a little after I placed the order for the Chicken Katsudon, the waiter came back and was like, you said "Pork" right? No, CHICKEN! Might I add that my sashimi set arrived at the same time as well? It doesn't take that long to cut up some fish. Unless you went into the pacific ocean, manually caught four different fishes and brought it back to the International District in 50 minutes, than alright. The most upsetting and terrible service I have ever received in my life. Worst than BaBar in Capitol Hill. That is saying something. So, even if you arrive first, don't expect to get stellar service. I would highly suggest avoiding the sashimi set. It's not worth it. You will walk away hungry and severely dissatisfied. The dons are good, but they're not life changingly good that would force myself and my friend to come back. By the way, this is my second time at this establishment and my friend's upteenth time. This was the last straw for her. Every time she's been here, the service is bad. The food is alright. You have been warned.

    (1)

  • Lovefoodlove N.

    The best place for sushi in Seattle. There's no sign outside so you'll have to look carefully to find it ;)

    (5)

  • Kevin H.

    FOOD POISONING ALERT! Me and three other friends came here two days ago. We had a great dinner, everything tasted good. But last night 3 of us started to vomit and having diarrhea. I personally lost 5 pounds in 5 hours and it felt terrible. The reason why I think it came from Tsukushinbo was that this was the only meal we had together for the past few days.

    (1)

  • Marisa E.

    Perfect, endearing, fresh presentation and palette. The chefs are wonderfully approachable and kind as well. No signage from the outside, but oh yes, it's there.

    (5)

  • Darlene K.

    One of our favorite spots for sushi in Seattle. Family owned (we love the fam) and nothing fancy. Just tasty simple food. No cream cheese rolls here! We usually get sushi and their combo dinners (saba or cod and tempura). Been coming to this spot with the hubby since 2006. For fish that they have in season, check what is listed on their chalkboard. One thing to note, it's a small restaurant, so it can get really REALLY busy. Definitely worth the wait but be prepared!

    (5)

  • Frank L C.

    Busy every night,my group couldn't get a reservation till 9 PM but the wait was worth it. Craft beers from Japan (Tokyo Black was my choice) or delicious saké formed our toast; the sushi was fresh and tasty, the agedashi tofu hot and delicious, and two eggplant dishes--agenasu and nasu piiman stir fried with green pepper--were superb. The izakaya atmosphere was festive and fun, and everyone left happy!

    (5)

  • Paul B.

    Tsukushinbo is the International District's best-kept secret. If you're in the area for lunch, there is no better option for Japanese food. Tsukushinbo is family-run, so you'll see the same faces greeting you every time. The place is small and very difficult to find if you don't know what you're looking for. There is no marked entrance or signage (use photo for reference). When asked if they were ever going to ever install a sign, they replied, "We have such a loyal following and positive word of mouth that we probably don't need it." As of May 2012, the restaurant underwent an extensive remodeling which has bumped the ambiance by leaps and bounds. You'll find a very modern and authentically Japanese interior that resembles design aesthetics of Tokyo restaurants. They have a daily rotating lunch menu to die for. Thursday and Friday specials are the neighborhood favorites: Thursday - Mini Katsu Don & Mini Tanuki Udon Friday - Shoyu Ramen & Gyoza w/ Rice Specials always tend to run out early, so arrive before 1:00pm or earlier. Each will run you about $10 for fair size portions. Don't expect to get too full off from just ordering the special. Off the regular menu, the Chirashi is worth ordering. At about $10, it is the cheapest in town. Chirashi, "scattered sushi," is essentially a variety of sashimi laid on top of sushi rice and served in a bowl. Think of it as vinegar-rice topped with a healthy sampler of sashimi. If you're looking for Japanese for lunch in particular, Tsukushinbo should be the first place on your mind. No other restaurants can even come close in price and authenticity.

    (5)

  • Bridgette S.

    Small restaurant, perfect for a date or dinner with a small group of friends. Had two rolls and they tasted fresh. Can't wait to go back and try more of their food - especially their sashimi and appetizers. We just walked in and were lucky to only have to wait 5 minutes for a table. I recommend making a reservation though. Worth checking out!

    (5)

  • Opal D.

    Delicious! I arrived at 11:30 (restaurant opens at noon) and there were already people waiting in line! The cozy restaurant was packed full. I ordered Friday's ramen special which came with gyozas and rice. The pork in the ramen was impressively tender and the broth was extremely flavourful! I'm looking forward to coming back and trying more of their menu.

    (5)

  • Shelby W.

    A co-worker took me here today. He said I'm going to take you to the best Japanese Restaurant in Seattle. He said they have the best Chicken Katsu. When we got there the restaurant hadn't opened yet but there was a wait of around 10 patrons. The first thing I noticed was that the restaurant didn't have a sign on the outside of the building. It also looked like the building was remodeled recently and it looked remodeled on the inside as well. The seating space is very compact maybe room for 20 (max) patrons at a time. They have a cult like following and I think they like not having a big restaurant because it might loose its appeal. I ordered the two combo teriyaki salmon and chicken katsu. The chicken katsu was amazing just like my coworker said. The salmon was very moist, flaky and flavorful. The price was only $8.95 pretax which makes a great value. I asked the waitress for a business card so I have the contact info of the restaurant and she said they don't have cards. So she stamped a sticky note with the address of the restaurant since there's no sign on the outside of the building. All in all it was a great experience and I will definitely be back.

    (5)

  • Eric H.

    Hard to get into, but worth the effort. Top notch noodles and soups...

    (4)

  • Bob S.

    Best Sashimi in Seattle. Small (approx 15 tiny tables) and often extremely busy, but worth the wait!

    (5)

  • Doseofharmony D.

    This place rocks! Everything is effen good! Family owned and runned! I can eat anything on the menu and off the menu. Not one bad thing. I would recommend some items but would feel bad for leaving out the others! You cant go wrong with anything here i promise on my life! Great staff! Everyones sexy! Including the sushi chef "Sho Time!!" Everyone is down to earth and really freaking nice! I will be back everytime i visit Seattle!!!

    (5)

  • Sin-Yaw W.

    The problems with this hole-in-the-wall restaurant are two: there is no sign anywhere outside, and there aren't enough tables. The foods are excellent! I had Chirashi rice bowl. The chef put pieces of fish and other stuff on top of a bowl of nicely steamed rice, lightly seasoned. Excellent fish! Very comforting food. Companion order Shioyaki Saba and I had some too. Interesting Macaroni and salad sides, complimentary of the Japanese style fish.

    (4)

  • Anthony M.

    Had scarce vegetarian options which seems rare here in Seattle, but nevertheless, the sushi was some of the best I've had! I would definitely recommend this place to others.

    (4)

  • Suie C.

    I've been here a few times now, for dinner and for lunch. Overall, the food is quite good. The curry katsu and bento boxes are great, especially the saba. Their chirashi is also good with fresh fish. However, yes it's quite an old building and today there was a baby cockroach climbing around the wall that was quite distracting, but harmless. Good traditional Japanese food though and I will be back.

    (4)

  • Ayu T.

    The food is really amazing! Would be a perfect experience if servers were more friendly and would take care more of customers...

    (4)

  • Jennifer B.

    Hole in the wall mom and pop place with new decor (that didn't create more space) They renovated it about a year ago and it's nicer inside but still small. The staff and owner are really nice and friendly. The service can be a hit or miss but lately I feel it's gotten better. The food is pretty good for homestyle Japanese food. They often don't have the sushi I want (uni, geoduck, etc.) so I get more of the other dishes. I tend to be more of a fan of Maneki but it's a good change of pace. Friday lunch they make about 20 bowls of ramen so line up early and you can get some of the best Japanese ramen in town.

    (4)

  • Rossana Y.

    Did I just die and enter into sushi nirvana? Tucked away on the outskirts of the ID in a small space and hidden away with no sign, I was surprised that this place had the most amazing and authentic sushi I have ever experienced in Seattle. You know the place is legit when the sushi chefs are all Japanese, and same with most of their customers. We sat by the bar where we can see the chef work their sushi magic. In order for us to fully experience the exquisite flavors and essence of amazing sushi, we ordered only nigiri. We had amberjack, mackerel, salmon, seared salmon, uni (so smooth and creamy!), salmon roe, chu-toro (semi-fatty tuna) amaebi (sweet shrimp nigiri and tempura fried shrimp head - AMAZING!), scallop (surprisingly soft and melts in your mouth) and unagi. Everything was served warm right in front of us and I died from happiness as I savored each precious bite. I was amazed at how fresh and smooth the sushi was and how it just melted in my mouth. I am in love. After coming here, I can definitely see that I have been missing out. I just don't know if I can ever fully enjoy other mainstream sushi restaurants ever again. The quality just doesn't compare. The prices are actually pretty good compared to other high quality sushi restaurants. We paid about $25 per person before tax. Good thing this place is a short walk away from my work because I may have to come back to get my sushi fix!

    (5)

  • Jennifer A.

    If you are a lover of Japanese food you are in for a treat! Make sure to make a reservation because this place always has a wait! Best katsu curry I've had in Seattle! Fresh fish, delicious traditional Japanese meals, and quick friendly service! It can get a bit pricy if you have an appetite but it is well worth it! I would go to Tsukushinbo over Umi, Japonessa, or really any other sushi place in Seattle! I'll be dreaming of their sake nigiri tonight....

    (5)

  • Lena L.

    Chirashi bowl is a great deal for the price. Ramen is served on Fridays and is quite good. Everything is above average but I do feel like people come here because it's a great deal, but not life-changing good food. Musashi is comparable when it comes to chirashi bowls.

    (5)

  • Josh P.

    Came here for lunch on a Friday. I had the double combination, with teriyaki salmon and tempura served with soup and salad. The salmon was a bit dry but was well grilled, with a sweet but not too sweet teriyaki glaze. The tempura was average, a bit on the heavier side of coating. However, the sushi you can order here a la carte is great. I tried the unagi which was one the best I've had anywhere (including Japan) and the maguro was great as well. Will go back to try the omakaze which is only available during dinner. Be sure to get there early for lunch as there was a line out the door when we were seated around 12.

    (4)

  • Emma W.

    I made reservations around 1PM for 5:45PM on a friday night, and they were already pretty full, so we had to sit at the sushi bar. It wasn't bad, but if you want an actual table, you want to call earlier. This restaurant is a real hole in the wall. It's all black, and the only thing indicating that it's a restaurant is the subtle yelp stickers on the window. The restaurant name isn't on the building nor is it on the menu! I love the exclusive-ness of it. I recommend the chicken curry katsu and the tonkatsu. Simply delicious. The ambience was nice, and all the waiters were very hospitable!

    (5)

  • J S.

    This place is definitely a hole in the wall, but clean and modern. Reservations are highly recommended or you'll be waiting an hour or more. Don't sit near the door in the winter or you'll get hit by the draft of people consistently coming in to check seating availability. The sushi is like butter and the Japanese comfort plates couldn't be better. The fried flounder was money and you can't go wrong with the black cod; better than Maneki's in my opinion. Enjoy the ambience and good eats!

    (5)

  • Wen M.

    Best Japanese food I have gotten in Seattle. They do everything well, from sushi to ramen. Very unassuming store front with no sign on entrance, its easy to miss if you don't come with someone who has been there before. Lunch specials are certainly good deals, but don't miss their special of the day and sushi items. Although the waitresses and waiters look very young, the service I have gotten are always attentive. The sushi chefs are also very friendly and always with smile. It is like going to your friend's home to have a meal. Not a big space, so just grab a friend or two to enjoy a delish meal. You will not be disappointed.

    (5)

  • Winnie T.

    Was walking back from my meeting in Pioneer Square earlier, saw a line out the door for this place, and just followed the masses (LOL!). It led to ramen. WHHHHHAT?! Anyhow, I've been on a ramen quest lately and have been itchy to test out what Seattle has to offer. Loved the pork broth at Boom Noodle, loved the fresh noodles at Samurai Noodle, and at Tsukushinbo, loved the fact that my ramen came with three gyoza & dipping sauce on the side. Good times. I was sad they only offered the Shoyu ramen, as I prefer the pork broth for its creaminess and meaty complexity. However, the Shoyu broth here is pretty good. It's not bland at all and definitely has more depth than the Shoyu broth at Boom noodle. The noodles themselves were sooo good and stringy and fresh. The only part I was bleh about was the slice of pork included- it was not fatty and succulent like the others I've had in ramen. If you are on a tight lunch schedule you may want to (1) eat super fast when you get your meal or (2) avoid the lunch hour. It gets packed and is first come, first serve so you may wait awhile if you weren't at the front of the line at 11:45 (right before opening).

    (5)

  • Anna Z.

    Tsukushinbo is my favorite Japanese restaurant in Seattle! And I've eaten at A LOT of Japanese restaurants because my Japanese bf loves his sushi. I have only been here twice for dinner, and both times were spectacular. The first time I came here was because I was in the international district, wanting to eat at Maneki but did not have reservations. I went on Yelp to see what else is good around there, and that's how I found Tsukushinbo! The second time was because of how great of an experience I had the first time. Just had to go again... and will most likely be going again soon. Some of the dishes that I've had: Gyu tan - thinly sliced beef tongue, salt and peppered, then seared to perfection. This dish is super flavorful and has a great texture to it. Squeeze a little lemon on it to bring out the flavor. Kakuni - braised pork belly with egg. I think this was a special dish they had that week. It was so soft and succulent! The pork basically melted in my mouth. Uni ponzu - this is my favorite dish! sea urchin with quail egg in ponzu! MMM words cannot describe how this dish tastes! Unfortunately, uni is apparently difficult to get right now, so they didn't have this the second time I was here. Bento box - tonkatsu and kaki fry - fried food is always good :) Assorted sushi - they always have specials, so make sure to ask for them! My favorite is ama ebi, sweet shrimp because I love eating the fried shrimp heads. The last time I came here, my bf and I tried shirako for the first time. Shirako is cod genitalia, containing sperm. It was an interesting experience. I can't quite capture the taste in words, but try it for yourself if you have a chance! Creamy Scallop - deserves recognition! This is the best creamy scallop I've had. They chop up large scallops! The spicy mayo is delicious here, because the mayo taste doesn't overpower the scallops. My bf and I each had our own order of this!

    (5)

  • Steven R.

    Decided to come here after seeing quite a bit of positive reviews for this place and was not disappointed. Be warned it is a very small place. We waited for about 15 minutes and got a table. Ended up getting a sushi order where the chef picks it for you (can't remember what it was called exactly) but was very happy with it. Will definitely try to get back here when in Seattle.

    (5)

  • Cory K.

    Phenomenal sushi, but also incredibly good traditional cuisine. The tako sunomono was so tender. Had yaki onigiri tai chazuke, which was a wonder to behold. Sake was great, and the menu includes Japanese craft beers. One of my favorite spots.

    (5)

  • Kirill Z.

    Really splendid little place! The food is very tasty and quite inexpensive for the quality. Chefs are friendly and the service is fairly fast. Haven't tried it for dinner yet, but for lunch, it's great!

    (5)

  • DeAnne E.

    The sign is missing outside but they really don't need one. They have enough regular customers who walk right in and the server knows them by name. I like the atmosphere because it's laid back. The last time I was here I grabbed the last open table and this was after 1pm. The server is really friendly and once seated she's very attentive. I like the salmon and tempura combo. My co-workers always tell me to go on a Friday and try their special. I'll have to do that one of these days.

    (3)

  • Tracy I.

    This is a legitimate Japanese restaurant! I came here for sushi, but ended up trying a bit of everything. Their ingredients are fresh and the taste is very authentic. One of the very few places that I will eat uni and surf clam at. The pictures on yelp do not do this place justice. Portions are fairly decent compared to other Japanese restaurants. Sashimi pieces are huge and certainly worth it. If I'm not mistaken, I even saw them making spicy tuna instead of the pre-made stuff that most restaurants buy in advance. The chicken katsu curry was a little on the salty side, but still scrumptious. The oyakudon-buri was awesome and reminded me of the kind that my friend's mom would make us back when i was in high school. The place is very small and busy. Make reservations in advance! BTW, this place might be a bit difficult to find if you haven't been here before because there is no sign on the exterior that says the name of the business. In fact, I don't even believe the menus say Tsukushino on it. I'm trying to figure out what they have on their secret menu because this place is definitely one of those places that has a great secret menu from what I can tell. They even have a chalkboard with items, but it's all in Japanese - note to self, need to either learn to read the language or bring someone who can. Everyone here is super nice, minus the younger gentleman who's in charged of seating people. He seemed very confused and skipped over us while we were waiting, but I hear that he works at Tsukushinbo regularly.

    (4)

  • Ashwin R.

    Wow. This place is incredible, with an innovative sushi chef, fresh sushi, and a family feel. The restaurant is tucked away in a far corner of the I-District, and it's worth the travel to get there...We had the omokase and let the chef select options. We were not dissappointed. If your version of Sushi is "Rolls", these look great too, but IMO, this place, along with Shiro's, is the place to go for sushi, sit at the sushi bar, and prepare to be amazed.

    (5)

  • Angela C.

    This place is great. When there's a line out the door and no sign telling you what it's for, you know the place must be something special. They have incredibly fresh fish and great soda noodles there. I don't even like soba noodles usually and I can't wait to go back to order some. I highly recommend this place and would go back for it's authentic, family style Japanese food, especially the noodles.

    (5)

  • Y E.

    Ate here recently and was very impressed. The exterior is very non-descript ... No English sign with the name, easy to miss. But, go in - it is well worth it. Very authentic Japanese food. The sushi is good, don't get me wrong, but what sold me was the variety of high quality traditional food. Friendly staff. Check it out!

    (5)

  • Sisi Z.

    Love that their sushi rice is sour in a good way. Big fun of egg omelette and bluefin toro here. Sweet shrimp is good too. They have some chef's special changing daily and price is reasonable.

    (5)

  • Jen L.

    Never judge a book by it's cover. Maybe. This food establishment, with its no nonsense interior (and no name on its exterior), is a beloved staple of authentic Japanese cuisine in Seattle, for those in the know. I found this place via Yelp as I've wanted to visit the International District for awhile now. I snatched a seat at the sushi table and noticed a lot of Japanese was being spoken-almost all the customers & the waitstaff graciously greeted each other like old friends. The focus and show stopper of the restaurant is the sushi, deftly prepared by a very skilled young Japanese chef. As dishes came out slowly (he seemed to be the only sushi chef), each one appeared like a bowl of jewels, with various colored sashimi, pickled vegetables & rice, all perfectly presented with precision. I had sushi combo b with a mixture of nigiri and a California roll. The sushi was incredibly fresh and tasted like the fish were freshly caught and the genmachi was earthy and hot. I was tempted to try their katsu as a nearby patron was quietly reading her Japanese magazine while having some with macaroni & a salad. Next time.

    (4)

  • Chris P.

    Made reservations at 5pm for 8:30pm, and was seated right on time. Sashimi was really fresh, excellent. Rolls were top notch. Very good house saki which was recommended by attentive waitress. Highly recommended this place.

    (5)

  • Avanda M.

    The sushi here is so delicious! ! Its going to be the only place i will sushi ever again. So fresh and tasty. And i love Tokyo Black Porter. Staff is friendly and mellow. Its a small place and i would recommend a reservation.

    (5)

  • Hiro S.

    While I was visiting Seattle a few weeks ago, I and my friend were discussing which sushi restaurant we should go. A couple of features of this venue helped me make the decision - family run/own and coziness. I called the place to reserve seats at sushi bar - hoping to secure it on a busy Friday evening at the last min, which we did fortunately. When we got there, the place seemed to have just finished renovation - looked much better than some of the photos posted on Yelp. ;) The first thing I noticed was beautifully handwritten Japanese menu on the blackboard. My friend was checking today's special and chu-toro and sockeye sushi immediately caught our eyes. The friendly server helped us pick nice sake, then she brought bad news...they already ran out chu-toro and sockeye! It was only 7pm, so we just could not believe it. :o Since our top pick is gone, we had to restructure whole ordering model... I wanted to have some sashimi plate to start, but did not see it on the menu, so I asked the sushi chef - of course, he was happy to create one for us. See the photo...by the way, it was designed for one person, but big enough for two to share. We had Tako (octopus) tempura, large sake (cold), a couple of sushi pieces, a roll (huge), then more sushi pieces. The young sushi chef was kind enough to serve some special fish/sushi which were not on the sushi list. When we got our bill, I was shocked again...well, this time it was a good one. The total amount was extremely reasonable, and I know for sure it would've cost more in LA even for one person! I did reconfirm with the server that the place is still run by the same family, and complemented on the fine handwritten Japanese menu on the blackboard. We thanked the sushi chef and left. We were full and happy...

    (4)

  • Katy H.

    Best sushi in Seattle. I hear a ton of people brag about how Seattle has a lot of great sushi and that's just not the truth. We do have a few awesome places peppered throughout our various neighborhoods but they're really few and far between. Tsukushinbo as quickly climbed to the top of my sushi list in Seattle for a few reasons: You the know the food is good when there are more menus in Japanese than in English. You know the food is good when it's cooked, prepared, and served by people who speak Japanese as a primary or secondary language. This is a family-run business so not only do you see the same smiling faces each time you go, you get great service too. The fish is fresh, the menu changes and there are certain secret specials throughout the week that only regulars know about. I've gone and waited 40 mins before they open just to get service at times. And boy was it worth the wait! Check this place out if you want something yummy and authentic.

    (5)

  • Marty B.

    What a Gem this little place is. I know I'm late to the scene here but damn this place is good. They use high quality ingredients in all the food especially the sushi. Great cozy atmosphere and although they are always busy, the servers know what they're doing and handle it well while still being friendly, polite, and prompt. It's pretty obvious that a place must be doing something right when they have no signage, long waits, minimal cramped space, but still manage to be one of the most popular places in the area. It always irritates me up when I see people complain and mark a place like this down because of long wait times. Hello people?!?!? It comes with the territory... If you want fast food go to McDonald's. However if you want some of the best and most popular Japanese food and Sushi in the Seattle area then be prepared to wait. This place is right up there as one of the best places to eat in all of Seattle. Deal with it.

    (5)

  • Megha G.

    Positives: Food was excellent! Tempura was fried to perfection, and sushi was delicious. We ordered SHOW roll, which was just great. Negatives: Place was really cramped. We waited for more than 50mins to get our food.

    (3)

  • Mitzi V.

    Great sushi, nifty small space, good service, great tempura. Almost all dishes are priced between 7 and 9 dollars at lunch. Will have to try the ramen next time!

    (4)

  • R K.

    I love Tsukushinbo and am a regular here. This is a great local family run restaurant. The food is delicious, fresh and feels like comfort food for a Japanese American. I agree with another reviewer that the service is always friendly though sometimes a little hectic, but it is not a problem if you are patient. I have never received bad service here because their friendly nature always makes up for any wait at the table. Sometimes there is a longer wait to get a seat but it is always worth it. I haven't had any bad food here. Its always been solid. The ramen here is a shoyu broth which is really delicious and probably the second best ramen I've had in the Seattle area. The chirashi bowl is a great price at lunchtime and always a good choice. I'd also recommend the omakase sushi.

    (5)

  • Alex S.

    I would have given 3.5 stars but I rounded it down for mediocre at best service. We went here for lunch. Lunch special is a good value with great portions. I had Chirashi and it was actually decent, although sushi rice was a way too weak for my taste. I wouldn't eat nigiri sushi here as sushi rice can make it or break it. My wife and kids tried tonkatsu and katsu curry. The portions were huge, but katsu was not very well executed. Curry was nothing special but tasted like Japanese curry. I would say that the food is authentic. Definitely NOT Chinese/Korean imitation, but it's nothing special to give more than 3 or 4 stars. 4 stars for authentic food and value, but a notch down for inattentive service. Some have written that it's the "best Japanese food in Seattle". I certainly hope not.

    (3)

  • Clay A.

    amazing.....takes me back to living in japan. ramen fridays! okonmiyaki wednesdays! enough said. go!

    (5)

  • Dorsey S.

    Superb food! If you want truly delicious Japanese food go here. I cannot recommend this place more highly. Side note. The place is uber small. You really need to make a reservation or your gonna be waiting a while. I wouldn't suggest a group larger than 4 people. Must go though!

    (5)

  • Vanessa A.

    Ron M. introduced me to this place. We got there by 11:30am for their 11:45am opening and if you dont get a seat, you're waiting around until someone in that first group is finished. You could probably count the number of people in line and figure it out if you know how many seats are in there. This place is small and unmarked and awesome. The ramen was amazing, great rich flavorful broth, perfect noodle. The firmness of the noodle is just right. Another friend heard about it and wanted to go there in the evening for sushi. 50 minute wait so we put our name in and went down the street for drinks. We got back and seated and ready to chow down. It's not too bad if you plan for the wait and are drinking in the meantime. The sushi was awesome. We went from raucous conversation to silence. We ordered a little of everything and everything was fresh and delicious. Soooooo good. This place is worth the wait. You have to go.

    (5)

  • David F.

    Went here for lunch and was impressed with the food quality. They have a little bit of everything (Japanese-style) -- sushi, ramen, noodles, katsu. My friend got the Friday ramen special (which comes with 3 gyoza and rice) for ~$8, I got the curry noodles. The broth was thick and flavorful and delicious. There was quite a bit of a wait, and only one waitress and a runner for the whole restaurant, so service was slow and cleaning up empty tables took forever. It ended up being an hour and a half lunch, but we went right at noon. I'd recommend coming here a little bit later (after 1 or 1:30) to save some time.

    (4)

  • Jen L.

    It's a true family run traditional Japanese restaurant. They are all so sweet and cute! I loved: Shoyu ramen @lunch, daikon salad, yellow tail sashimi, yellow tail cheeks. Tofu was a bit soggy and the fresh sea bass collar it was a little too under seasoned for me, very mild. I tried the beef tongue...once. The Udon is ok. I definitley will try it again. It's very small and good for under 4 people

    (4)

  • Jack C.

    The BEST. Simply put, nothing more need be said really, but I'll say it anyhow... This place doesn't need a sign outside. For those who love real Japanese food, we will hunt up and down and once we join the happy ranks of those who've eaten here once, we will be glad that it is not more packed than it already is simply from word of mouth. Here's a secret tip by the way... . Call for a dinner reservation earlier in the day, after lunch closes at 2 and leave a message. They will call you back to confirm sometime after 4pm. If you just walk in, you will have a good wait in a very small space during rush hour (6-8). Alternatively, if you show up around 8:30 or 9, there is generally no wait. Now, on to the food... We've had so many things here, but some standouts include: - Anything sushi, especially the omakase, but the uni is to die for. You will wonder what you have been eating all this time elsewhere. It is so creamy, so flavorful... it seems like it must have just been alive a few moments ago (maybe it was...). - Agedashi mochi. Oh myyy! Get TWO! The dashi broth is so thick and flavorful, but floating globs of mochi in it? Genius. - Ramen here is great, but I dunno, there is so much here in small plates that is so special, I probably won't have room for it too often. - Tempura: Wow. We've been lucky enough to have tempura at tiny artisan specialty tempura shops in Japan (it's great fun, you should do it someday if you can), but this tempura is just as good... light, crispy, perfect. And, THANK GOD (well Ebisu really) that they actually give you ground daikon to go with the tempura sauce (which is also perfectly made). Tempura sauce is not tempura sauce without yummy daikon! - Hirame: Tiny little flounder (probably a stargazer or peacock) grilled to perfection. Not always on the menu, but a must do if they have it.

    (5)

  • Michelle M.

    this is the best Japanese restaurant in town the food is absolutely delicious I've had most things on the menu the ginger pork entre is amazing and cooked to perfection I had some friends that came to visit from Japan and I brought them here they said that it tasted exactly like the food at home :))) make sure to make a reservation when you come here unless you want to wait 45 minutes for a table to open also it's hard to get lost finding the place because it doesn't have a sign at the door!!

    (5)

  • Anuj K.

    I had an intense craving for sushi and decided to come here after making reservations (only 30 minutes before) for 2. My roommate and I were quickly seated and given an extensive menu featuring many classic Japanese dishes and also sushi/sashimi. The daily specials menu was on the board completely in Japanese (always a good sign). I was in the mood for the chirashi bowl so I didn't spend much time perusing the remainder of the menu, and I was stoked when my bowl arrived. Because I was so hungry I initially was disappointed at the size of the bowl, but I quickly realized that that the number and variety of sashimi was enough. The fish was tender with a melt in your mouth texture that is appreciated. The variety in the chirashi bowl wasn't the most adventurous I've had, but the salmon, tuna, and hamachi were all good quality and satisfying. I've read that the ramen is really good here during the lunch time, and I expect that one day I will return to this hidden gem in the ID.

    (4)

  • Lisa N.

    The first time I came here I got udon because I had just gone three or four days of eating just sushi (I have a mild obsession) and felt the need to switch it up. This was a mistake. Don't get me wrong, their udon is delicious, but their sushi is FANTASTIC. After an almost year-long hiatus, I returned here with a friend for a lady date and we both got the chirashi bowl. This was potentially the best decision of my weekend. Generous cuts of high quality fish served over a bed of sushi rice for about $20-- definitely a great deal. I wasn't incredibly hungry, but basically devoured the entire bowl without even thinking about it because it was so delicious. I'm daydreaming about it right now... I highly recommend Tsukushinbo. Be prepared to wait-- it's tiny and amazing, but well worth it.

    (5)

  • David E.

    Took my mom and GF here for lunch. Lovely little place with very nice staff. My 80 year old mom is from Japan, and was very pleased how perfectly prepared her mackerel and chicken karaage plate was. Very high praises for the miso soup, too. My zaru soba and tempura were also standouts. Basically, we all were blown away by the simple grace and subtlety of everything we ate. And the prices were very reasonable. Let me pause here to make a big point about Japanese restaurants in general. "Japanese" restaurants are dime-a-dozen, and there are a lot of them in this town. However, there is this difference that is at once small and huge at the same time. It comes down to taste. When you eat at a good Japanese restaurant, you experience this curious sensation that is, at once, very subtle and quietly pleasing. It's like a tuning fork pressed to your soul. This is felt only when dining at very good Japanese restaurants. Everyone at my table felt that sensation at Tsukushinbo. We started out wanting to lunch at Maneki, but they only do dinner. We were so blessed that Tsukushinbo was just around the corner. I really hate it when I end up discovering I just took my mom to some sucky pseudo-Japanese joint. She usually walks out all quiet and down in the face. This time she was definitely all happy and talking up the food. Arigato gozaimasu, Tsukushinbo!

    (5)

  • Heather S.

    This place is the real deal. Proper tempura, proper ramen, proper sushi. Feels like I'm back in Japan! Go early for lunch--the space is small and it fills up fast.

    (5)

  • David A.

    The food here is solid but I wasn't wow'd. The ramen is pretty decent, meaning not worth waiting ~30+ min for, in my opinion. It was a little too sweet and needed more salt. I've also had the mackerel, which is hard to mess up...and they didn't...but, like the ramen, they didn't put on any frills either. Good, but not outstanding, food at an average price with a longer than average wait = 3*

    (3)

  • Ashley H.

    First off just want to say this place is tiny. It's wise to get a reservation here or else you might be waiting for a while. My friend likes this place and recommended we go there. The Zaru soba with side of tempura was delicious. The spicy tuna roll was good. The rolls are kind of made more fat here compared to some places I've been to but nothing to complain about with the food so far. Overall the food was great, but service is slow here and I felt really cramped at our little 2 seater table, but its a busy restaurant. I don't know if our server was new, but he was late on things and had to be reminded about our drinks.

    (4)

  • Kyoni R.

    I come here for izakaya first, and sushi second. Their selection of eats from the kitchen is outstanding. I've never had anything I didn't like, and I'm working my way through the whole menu. Notable for me is anything with shiso leaves (particularly the stuffed chicken), and the agedashi mochi . If you really want something comforting, get the curry katsu. Perfectly fried tempura, good spicy creamy scallop nigiri and the Japanese style fried chicken was nicely spiced and, again, lightly fried to perfection.They have a Japanese Menu I always wanted to try. If you want authentically prepared japanese food served like it is in Japan, then come to Tsukushinbo. There is a reason why more Japanese businessmen and women come here for lunch and dinner than anywhere else in the ID.

    (4)

  • Yoshio E.

    One if the best Japanese Izakaya style restaurant in Seattle and Hawaii. The food was excellent just like the food mom used to make esp. Tonkatsu

    (4)

  • Vinh N.

    Tip - don't come here with 5 or more people. Apparently the place is so small, there are only 2 tables that will seat 5 people (assuming all the other 2 people tables aren't already used up). We had made reservations for 8pm on a Friday night for 5 people. When we got there, the guy said it would take 5 minutes or so for the people to finish up. 15 minutes later, we still weren't seated. The waiter then split us up into 2 groups (2 sat at bar, 3 sat at table next to it), which made for 0 conversation between the 2 groups. I then just asked the table behind us if we could switch [because their table could seat 5], and they generously said yes. I wish the waiter had had the balls to do that instead of the customers. Service was a little slow; one person's food came out almost at the end of dinner. The food was okay; nothing to write home about. Maybe if I had come with 4 people, I would have given 4 stars instead.

    (2)

  • C C.

    Sushi and home cooked Japanese food... it doesn't get any better than this. I have been a regular customer for about 10 years now and they never disappoint. This place is ALWAYS packed. That's a good thing, because who wants to eat at an empty restaurant? If you like a lot of rice, mayonnaise and some "fusion" sauce with your sushi, this is not the place for you. This a no nonsense, traditional Japanese restaurant. Get to know the sushi chef Sho, tell him what you like, and he'll get to know you and understand your sushi palette. Don't be afraid to ask, Sho loves explaining the different types of fish available that day. If you are lucky, you may get to witness Sho filet a big, fat salmon right in front of you. What a treat! From the kitchen, I have so many favorite plates I cannot list them all, many of which depend on what's available fresh. The variety of broiled fish, the vegetable stir fry, the clams in a sake broth, pork ginger on and on...

    (5)

  • Scott O.

    After what I've heard from others about Tsukushinbo, I'm hoping my experience was an off-night for them. I arrived late evening on a Saturday night and it took over 10 minutes to be acknowledged by the wait staff and another 10 minutes for someone to take my order. And that's for a small place which was half-empty. Then I waited over 30 minutes to get my order, which was mostly nigiri and some rolls. I had to ask twice where the food was and they kept saying it was coming... then when it finally came it was yuck. They used crappy tuna for my tekka maki - I could see tendon / connective tissue which should have been removed. After one chewy bite I knew I was done. The soft shell crab roll was puny - it looked as if some of the crab I paid for didn't make it to the table. Their spicy tuna roll rated 3/5 stars at best. I called my server over and explained about the inedible tekka maki and the crab roll. She got Management, who explained my order took forever because they ran out of sushi rice. I know it was late and that can happen, but how about letting me know so I don't waste my time??? I told her about the poor butchery of the fish and she didn't seem to take it in. I don't think she was willing to hear the sushi was so poorly executed. She offered to comp the whole meal, which I accepted. Still, it was lousy food, a waste of an evening and I left hungry.

    (1)

  • J1 J.

    Authentic Japanese food, family run. It's definitely a hole-in-the-wall, but that's what makes it great. It's located on some side street in the ID, around the corner from Maneki. The decor is simple, understated. It's clean and imo nicer than Maneki, but very small. The place gets packed on weekends. Sushi is fresh, including the uni, and their spot prawn nigiri is made perfectly, complete with the fried shrimp heads. Omakase here is also good, not to the level of Shiro's in terms of refinement and selection but close enough for my needs. I have yet to enjoy the Friday ramen special, which apparently involves lining up before the place even opens - great way to keep demand high is to limit supply. But they also have daily or weekly food specials that are pretty good. All in all, this is my go-to in Seattle for omakase and my sushi fix if I just don't have enough money for Shiro's.

    (5)

  • Trang P.

    Tsukushinbo has became my brand new, all time favorite sushi place! It really is a hidden gem in the ID. I would recommend grabbing a seat at the sushi bar so you can observe the chef (ie: owner's son) work his craft. He is super nice/talkative and will create sushi rolls based on your preference. Price isn't too expensive, seafood tastes fresh. Rolls are succulent and doesn't have the gamey, fishy taste. I have no complaints. Try it out yoursefl!! I heard they have GREAT lunch specials.

    (5)

  • Yoyo L.

    I love this restaurant so much. I wish could visit them often. I know many people think "Japanese Restaurants" are all about SUSHI. Their sushi are excellent, but I will strongly recommend other small dishes, which reminds me of when I was in Japan. = )

    (5)

  • Sarah P.

    I'm so thankful I stumbled upon this restaurant on yelp as I was just browsing through restaurants. 5 minutes before the restaurant opened, there were already 2 parties ahead of me. And the place got pretty packed pretty fast. So I recommend getting there just before the usual dinner time to get seated! I LOVED THEIR KATSU CURRY! Most people get their pork katsu but I got their chicken katsu and boy, it was perfect especially because I went on a cold, gloomy weather. My friend got their tempura udon and the soup hit that sweet spot in my tummy.

    (5)

  • Danielle C.

    Truly the definition of hole in the wall. The exterior is not marked with anything so you just have to walk by and hope that people are inside! Which is usually the case since this place is always full. I've eaten here a few times and the best thing to do is to make a reservation prior. Otherwise the wait times could be unpredictable. Definitely do not show up without a reservation if you have more than 4 people because it'll be near impossible to get a seat. The menu is mostly sushi but there are other dishes. There's a Japanese menu on the wall. My Japanese is not super great but I did make out "soba salad" (そばサラド) so there's that. The food from what I remember is pretty good. On my most recent dinner they didn't have kitsune noodles so i just got an assortment of small dishes. The ikura was very fishy. Almost a bit sour. I'm not sure if I really liked this one. The tamago was pretty good. There wasn't a lot of rice in comparison to the egg. The salad was nice. I really like the salad dressing here. It's probably one of my favorites. The sauce is so tangy. The curry and rice was not bad! They give you a lot of curry for like $10 which is a good deal. I also had some of the Tsukushinbo roll. It seemed like a glorified California roll but with some spicy and crunchy stuff. I thought it was good.

    (4)

  • Giang H.

    My husband and I visited this restaurant on a Friday afternoon, arriving to the growing line at 11:25. Unfortunately that was a little too late for the first seating, so we were seated around 12:15. We both ordered the daily ramen special, which on Fridays is a shoyo ramen with 3 potstickers and rice. Food came very quickly, service was fine and we were in and out within 25 minutes. I thought the restaurant itself was charming and cozy, but it was annoying to be seated by the door and have people hovering over your table while they waited for their turn. Back up please! As for the ramen, it was definitely good stuff, but not the best that I've had. The shoyo broth was tasty, but the noodles did not have the same bite that I come to expect. The pork was also very delicious and tasty, though there was only a small piece in my bowl. The pot stickers were also quite good and not too salty. I'd come again to try the sushi and many other dishes, though I think coming at 12:30 would have been fine to skip the lunch lines.

    (4)

  • Elaina W.

    Came here on a Friday night and the place was packed. I would definitely recommend making a reservation during weekend nights like this since tsukushinbo is a pretty small place and isn't really suitable for large groups. By the time my group and I were seated, several groups of people were waiting outside--even a table for two wasn't available. Wasn't able to try the ramen specials people on yelp wrote about, but there were some pretty orgasmic items on the menu that satisfied me! The monkfish liver sashimi was probably the best I have ever had in my life--perfect and not too salty or powerful/fishy tasting. The scallop sashimi was also one of the best here--very sweet, smooth, soft. I don't really like eating sushi since most of the time if just feels like I'm shoving rice with flavor in my mouth but the marine roll was great! The okra salad is def something people that don't eat veggies much would enjoy and the gyu tan was amazing and a beautiful work of art! Some of the other things I tried were pretty good, but these were the ones I liked most. Service was great, food was pretty good, presentation is awesome, and the prices are a little on the pricey side as expected from good japanese restaurants. I would recommend trying the monkfish liver sashimi, scallop sashimi, the marine roll, okra salad, and the gyu tan (beef tongue)!!

    (4)

  • Sunny C.

    $8.95 for a bowl of shoyu ramen + gyoza and rice? I'm a fan! The quality of the food is worth the long wait. Even though there is no sign, the long line can tell you it's the place. Nice atmosphere. It's really a good change for mediocre places in the U-District that I usually spend time at. If you live in Seattle, this place is a MUST!!! :)

    (4)

  • Arie L.

    When will yelp make the half star? I need it please! Took a friend out here for her birthday, should have called earlier for a reservation. Really hidden and small, but a cute gem. There are like 8 tables in this restaurant and a sushi bar fit for about 6 comfortably. Even at 9, on a Monday, we were waiting. Sat down and we knew we were ordering sushi. Had the sashimi set and a udon with tempura. Our waitress was super sweet, and even with a lot of tables waiting she was attentive and great with customer service. The food: complimentary sea salted edamame served first. Their udon was exactly what I wanted. Not so salty broth and not so sweet either! With chewy noodles. Tempura is served separately and not dunked inside the udon, delicious. You can taste how clean their oil is. Sashimi- buttery goodness of the northwest. Stunning and cut so well the dish is beautiful. I really wanted ramen, sad face! No daily ramen special. They only offer it for lunch on Fridays, will have to go back.

    (4)

  • TM O.

    Phenomenally fresh and delicious sushi. We stopped here for dinner on the way to the airport heading back to SF. We ordered the omekase, and I'm so glad I did. The fish were all delish and it was a great deal too because they pretty much gave us all the "specials" from the white board and then some! I'll definitely return to Tsukushinbo the next time I'm in Seattle.

    (5)

  • Heidi P.

    Also a great hole in the wall and super popular now, particularly with unfortunately. But amazing sushi and good service.

    (4)

  • A.J. S.

    Dining here at the sushi bar made me feel like sitting front row to an amazing performance. We didn't have resos, banged down to the ID after work, got here breathlessly at 5:10pm, and got the last two seats in the place. The experience was really phenomenal. I purposefully chose the word "experience" rather than "grab sushi" or "dinner." Watching the chefs create and cut really incredible edible art made the whole evening very unique. The service was a little rushed/delayed- understandably so being their Friday dinner rush, but the people watching and trying to figure out what the heck to order proved we needed extra time anyway! Wrapped in the rolls were some of the freshest fish in Seattle, perfectly cut with nicely seasoned rice. I wish I was more adventurous to branch away from rolls and sashimi- I have a feeling this is the place to do so. Highly recommended, make reservations! Easily one of the best sushi places in Seattle.

    (5)

  • Ryan M.

    Admittingly, I should have read more reviews. I was SUPER excited for Ramen, and there is no Ramen for dinner (was told its only for lunch Wednesdays and Fridays). Had dinner on a Monday night, and consider myself lucky for having a seat. Was one of the first two parties in line (they were 2 people, we were 3). They asked if I had a reservation, which I didnt, and they were able to accomidate. The three of us ordered the following: Tempura with rice, Tempura Udon Bowl, 'Pick Two' with Mackrel and chicken teryaki (with rice). We also ordered the Spicy Tuna, Salmon Nigiri, and June Rolls. Our food came out pretty fast, and the best of the bunch was the tempura udon bowl. The noodles were really good, the broth was perfect, and the tempura was cooked great. Definitely try the spicy tuna roll. Very good and has a great kick of spice! My main complaints are: Service was not great for as small as this place is, and though good, the sushi took forever.

    (4)

  • Mav M.

    I came here having high expectations due to the reviews of this place, but i was bit disappointed. The restaurant is small so do make reservations when you come here. Dishes cost from $4-26 each and dishes are small. Fried flounder was good but could be fried more so you do not have to deal with bones. Geo duck, copper river salmon, and scallop nigiri was fresh and tasty. Salmon and yellowtail sashimi would have been great if they didnt have a rectangular cut, and it is too thick. Sashimi taste better when it is slimmer. Service was pretty slow.

    (3)

  • Tony H.

    This is probably my favorite place to eat Japanese in Seattle. My boyfriend and I ordered nigiri of scallop, Japanese snapper (seasonal), and the agedashi tofu and 2 special rolls. I would skip the special rolls, because the nigiri and sashimi cuts is where this place excels. The tofu, as recommended by other Yelpers was amazing. It's more chewy and the sauce/gravy is the perfect amount of flavor for the delicate tofu. This is an amazing local gem in the International District.

    (4)

  • Stan Y.

    I'm quite disappointed with the restaurant, despite all its good reputations. I have read all the good reviews about ita authentic Japanese food, so I was pretty excited when my wife made reservation for Sat night family dinner. However I don't think it lives up to it's reputation. I like the interior decoration and the blackboard menu on the wall, which added a Japanese cafe atmosphere. The seaweed salad was Just OK, and the vegetable salad was just ordinary. The sushi dinner costs $22, while the chirashi was $26. For this price and its reputation, I expected something great, something extraordinary about really fresh seafood ingredients and excellent cuts from experience sushi chef. However, what I got was just ordinary sushi. The sushi was just so so, the chirashi was OK but not great. The tuna on sushi was even a little dry. Those dishes definitely did not distinguish it from any other Japanese restaurants. I Kept thinking that did we order the right dish? Should we try lunch menu, which might be better? Was it the right chef? But again, it was a Sat night dinner, which should be their best chef's shift...so, it should be better. I was disappointed, so were my wife and sister in law, who all expected more.

    (3)

  • Joe B.

    I love the service. Food is consistently excellent, and that's why I wait in line every week to have lunch here. I feel like I'm part of the family when I am here.

    (5)

  • Alex D.

    Had lunch here the other day and the sushi was insanely good. Got a couple of rolls (dragon, spicy tuna and the sushi option A). If you are going for lunch make sure to get there before the place opens because people line up even before opening!

    (5)

  • Jackie Hien P.

    Went for a dinner with the husband. Got chicken teriyaki, salmon teriyaki and a katsu don bowl. We came for ramen but learned the hard way that they only have ramen on Fridays for lunch. Why oh why!?!? Anyway, the katsu in the bowl was soggy but flavorful. The overall dish was odd to me, I was expecting crunchy katsu but I guess not. The teriyaki dishes were good enough. We also shared a spicy tuna roll and that was pretty spicy but decent for sushi. The place is really small and barely has any signs. It's all in Japanese so you may not even know you arrived. All in all a good meal but I wish they had ramen!! I was craving it!!

    (4)

  • Nina S.

    A sushi place across from Fuji Sushi and does not have a sign. Sushi was a much better quality than Fuji for sure. We got in around 11:45-11:50 and sat at the bar. I ordered salmon avocado roll and tuna roll plus agedashi tofu. I did not like their agedashi tofu - the sauce was too syrupy. Sushi was good. No dessert. Will be back.

    (4)

  • Mytoan N.

    If you are prompt enough when the restaurant opens to snag a table, enjoy the hearty lunch specials. It's a small ish looking restaurant a block from the bus and link station in the International District. For my meal, I got the katsu, egg, and rice with an udon soup (it was Thursday). In the past I've had the ramen, which they only sell 50 bowls of on Friday for lunch - you can imagine the line of enthusiasts clamoring to get in here.

    (5)

  • Kathleen C.

    Made reservations at the sushi bar on a weeknight. Place isn't very big and seems to fill up. Probably like 8 spots at the bar. Probably no bueno if you don't make a reservation. There is no sign in front so you'll just have to map it and walk along the street. Food: We started with 2 appetizers: Agedashi tofu ($5.50) - pretty normal, the liquid it was sitting in was thicker than how I usually see it served, Soft shell crab karaage ($8.50) - I'm not a huge soft shell crab fan but this was very good. Would recommend. We had an omakase dinner for two. The quality of the nigiri was good, although Kisaku is still my favorite, but the differences are very minimal. One thing that I would note is the raw shrimp. They are huge and they put a quail egg yolk over it, which made it even better. Good stuff. Prices: Their omakase is split up by $35/45/55 price range. We ordered $55 for each of us, expecting about 16-17 pieces of nigiri. I ended up only having 13 (bc I was getting full) and my boyfriend had 17. They charged us $80 total. I don't know how they calculate this. Usually it's done by piece, but maybe it's different here. Regardless, I felt like the prices were lower than I expected and in comparison to Shiros and Kisaku. As always enjoyed omakase at the sushi bar experience. I would recommend this much more than just sitting at the table if you don't have a huge party. I would come back. Prices are a bit lower and quality is still good.

    (4)

  • Trung L.

    This review is for the Friday special Ramen. For 8.95 you get a bowl of ramen, small bowl of rice, and 3 gyoza. I've been meaning to go here on Friday to try this out for 2 years and finally got a chance to go today. If you want to try their ramen, I suggest you come early before they open cause there's gonna be a line and they only have a limited amount they serve. The ramen soup was rich and very tasty, the broth was hot and very good. Pork chasu was tender, wish they gave me a bigger piece. Nothing special about the gyoza. Will try to come back when I get another Friday off.

    (4)

  • Johnny L.

    Would have been a 5, but they made themselves a 4 To stay within budget and to be able to try all their fishes, I ordered the Chirashi lunch bowl. The order came quick. The service was fast. But they didn't finish. It took them 20 minutes to get my check. I understand there was only one server in a small place like this. It didn't help when the sushi chef talked to other customers and decided to turn Marshawn Lynch on me. I guess I looked unfriendly? His sushi was, "all about that action Bo$$!" And I'm here so that I won't get fined.. wait.. I need my money for lunch! But getting to the bowl. I enjoyed it; the fish was fresh; slice-by-slice of different fish assortment. My favorite was the yellowtail I believe and salmon. The sushi rice was smooth as well. Dip those slices in a little soy sauce and you're set! But yeah, they didn't finish; otherwise, a good solid place!

    (4)

  • Kevin C.

    Came here pretty late on a weekend with my girlfriend so I understand that they won't have everything on the menu. But literally 3 out of the 4 orders we wanted to try were out. We decided to be adventurous and try some of the chefs specials but they were honestly not that great. I really enjoyed the uni ponzu though. My girlfriend thought otherwise. She thought the shiso flavor was too overpowering. Nigiri was above average. Spent around $75 for two and left pretty full.

    (2)

  • Helen C.

    Was looking for a low key sushi spot after flying into Seattle and decided to dine here. The area is very tiny with small tables and bar seating. We had to wait a few minutes for the server to greet us and clear out a table for us. The service was okay. Servers were young and a little inexperienced. However, the lady who took our order was very prompt and helpful. They ran out of a few items that we were hoping to get, including some items in our sashimi set. They told us that they would either substitute with a seasonal fish or add extra pieces of what was included. The sashimi set had 16 pieces. The sizes of the pieces were average, yet the fish was fresh. I would've liked the dish more if it didn't have clams and octopus. We also ordered a few nigiri pieces: salmon (only had one piece, because they ran out), hamachi and creamy scallop. It was my first time having creamy scallop and I really enjoyed it.

    (4)

  • Clarence A.

    1st night dinner we were searching for the Ramen sadly that is only offered on fridays, yet since this place seems to be reservation only and we happened to get early enough for them to sit us we tried it out, let just say if their ramen is just as good as there regular menu then Jesus Christ gonna have to make it back out here Here is everything we sampled on there menu tempura prawns for the lil man - he made it through maybe 1 of these before passing out, and it was only 6pm haha sampled some of his tempura, light. fluffy, good crunch, not oily, definite plus for any kid that likes fried things dont recall the name of the roll but here were the main ingridents, I want to say it was the dragon roll but tempura usually does not come with a dragon roll - unagi on top avacado thin sliced underneath, rice , tempura and some unagi sauce baby octopus tempura just like the tempura prawns delicious, light, fluffy, good crunch bento box with karage (deep fried chicken), pot stickers, and salad, standard dish, potstickers were good, smaller type but did have crunch on bite, and insides were tender, the karage was good not the best i've had but I would order it again another order of Karage did check with the wife order more hahha Donburi katsu- it was either this or the unagi plate but since we had unagi already on the roll figured why not sample there donburi plates - the donburi plate consist of your choice of meat with scrambled egg, your choice of meat on top of rice, green onions for color on top and grilled onions mixed in the plate, the sauce to rice plate meshed well the portion of the meat and egg was better then good, the katsu was delicious, the egg also faired well with this dish I will have to come back specifically for ramen on friday nites just a note finding this place and being a tourist was a little difficult, just look for the crowd of folks waiting outside, the building literally has no number on it, true to the hole in wall spots, that serve up good eats food **** everything we ordered I would order again, maybe more sushi next time, wife was pregnant can't eat raw fish when she is preggo =( haha price $$ service **** no resetvation but they still accomadated us ambiance **** inside looks like all other japanese spots, tight, small bar area that can sit maybe 6 all tables set for 2 if not 4 people definite must try

    (5)

  • Jen T.

    Seattle was one of the best trips I've had and Tsukushinbo was our very first meal in Seattle! I had picked this place due to the mouthwatering ramen pictures. Apparently I didn't do a thorough research because they only serve ramen on Fridays during lunch from noon to something and it's limited to 50 people. And we missed it by 6 hours. Hahah! Not going to lie, I was disappointed and had shown manfriend the pictures! But we decided to give it a try and best decision everrrr! We had the most freaking amazing salmon sashimi everrrr! One plate was not enough and we ordered another! It was so fresh, so meaty/fatty, so irresistibly delicious! Squeeze some lemon on it..you will float to salmon heaven. I decided to be bold and try something different! I've never had cold soba before. Or at least I didn't think I did. I ordered the regular and green tea soba combo with mixed tempura. Yaaaasss, I totally loved it. I liked the regular soba more than the green tea one. Green tea was good but I'll just have it as a tea or dessert. Can't ever go wrong with tempura but I shouldn't say that cuz it can! I can't stand places that drown the tempura in the batter, so essentially you're eating flour. Anyways, tempura was so yummy! They dipped it LIGHTLY in tempura batter which I loved because I can still taste the veggies or shrimp. I get my veggies and protein in with a crunch. Manfriend had the chicken karage curry! Oh! It was very flavorful! It was our first time having Japanese curry too! A bit on the heavier side but really great if you're super duper hungry! Imo, the portion was quite generous! Chicken was tender and just soaked up the curry sauce nicely! Just yum! Staff were very helpful and super friendly! We did wait quite awhile for our food but it was packed that Friday night, so understandable. No sign in front!! It's tiny and wedged between buildings. Also, don't walk from downtown to here. Our stupid asses did that and thank god nothing happened, but it was dumb move on our part. Rather be safe than sorry. Yes we did get lost looking for it and thank god (again) for its tininess that there was a line outside. When I come back to Seattle, you'll definitely see me here enjoying a nice bowl of ramen! And salmon sashimi. :) Enjoy! :)

    (5)

  • Christy K.

    First visit couple weeks ago- LOVE IT! Not quite a fan of scallop because of its gloppy texture and because my sister says I look like one (whaaaat? Yeah LOL). HOWEVER Marine Roll made me change my mind. It was soooo soft in the sushi roll! Big bonus for having seared salmon on top! Cant get any better :D Love how somebody like me who want something small but cant eat much can also order a mini katsu! Thanks for having something not so obnoxious as appetizer!

    (5)

  • Heather H.

    I love little hole-in-the-wall sushi spots and this place is no exception. The sushi and sashimi is all fresh and delightful. But be forewarned: its really small in this place! With people waiting out the doors - its a tough fit for even 4 people to get a table. I recommend going solo or with just your date to keep it intimate.

    (3)

  • Stacie G.

    Hands down my most favorite Japanese/sushi restaurant in Seattle! The sushi is fresh and the menu is very authentic and sooo tasty! The servers are friendly and knowledgeable. Reservations are definitely a must though

    (5)

  • Sho I.

    YOU KNOW THIS PLACE IS LEGIT WHEN THERE'S NO FRONT SIGN BUT WHEN YOU GO IN IT'S ALL JAPANESE PEOPLE!!! Anyway, above is the pitch that I deliver to anyone that is thinking of going to Tsukushinbo. Originally introduced to this place by a Japanese friend, I only knew of this place as the place with no sign across the street from Fuji Sushi. After coming here a few times, I am officially a fan and encourage you to be one as well. Going to this place makes me feel like I'm back in Japan with the sushi chefs, the servers speaking in Japanese, and seeing the homestyle Japanese cooking. Below is some advice if you are a first-timer to Tsukushinbo: 1) MAKE A RESERVATION! Even if it's on a weeknight, if you don't make a reservation prepare to wait about 45 minutes---that is, unless you are going there by yourself and don't mind sitting at the bar area, which is another element that makes it feel very Nippon-ish 2) Lunch specials on the weekdays are pretty good! They are usually a set and so include miso soup, salad, and gyoza (potstickers). I did try the Friday's ramen special, which tastes good---however, I don't think it's that worth it waiting in line for, and I don't understand why Tsukushinbo doesn't sell it on other days as well. 3) The cooked fish dishes here are SO GOOD! Specifically, I liked the boiled mackerel with shio (salt) and another fish dish that is glazed with miso sauce. Also, it's not fish, but the squid rings have a good texture and are pretty flavorful. 4) The sashimi and sushi here are alright. Nothing special with them to be honest. I've heard of friends getting uni (sea urchin) here, so maybe next time I'll try that. Hopefully I've convinced you that this place is worth trying! And oh yeah, this place does not have a sign out front saying "Tsukushinbo," but that's not an excuse to not go!

    (5)

  • Barry B.

    I've been eating around the corner for years and decided to give this unmarked door a try. Hamachi,hokkigai,toro,unagi,aji,spider roll,sashimi tako, Suzuki all very tasty but the spice scallop hand roll with avocado made this dining experience very memorable.

    (4)

  • Michele M.

    I came to Tsukushinbo a couple weeks ago to try their Shoyu Ramen. To my disappointment, they sold out right when My friends and I got to the entrance. This time we got in line around 11:15, which got us the last open table for their first round of customers. It took about 30 minutes for our food to come out, which made sense because of the high volume of orders put in as soon as they opened. We ordered the Shoyu ramen + gyoza + rice lunch special with a side of tempura. Other than the ramen being a bit on the salty side, everything was delicious and tasted very authentic. I will be back again!!

    (4)

  • Jason T.

    Overall great experience. Did a random search for ramen in the ID and this place popped up. Took us a bit to find, actually almost settled for a couple other places, but I'm glad we didn't. I got the Thursday special and it was right on point. The most memorable part of the meal was the amazingly flavorful soup base for my Udon. Usually I'm all about the noodles themselves and leave a lot of broth behind, but was not the case with their Udon. We had some confusion with our order so my food came out first so I shared with my wife. I would not even consider dropping their score based on a hiccup in service because the food was that good. I just hope they don't get a sign, because the place is already crazy busy and I'd hate to wait for a table when I go back to try more of their menu.

    (5)

  • Nolando T.

    Believe it or not, the best oyakodon I've ever had was from a 7-11 in Tokyo. Seriously. Then again, almost all the food in Japan is better than the food here. But I digress...so we came here hoping to get a taste of the quality we got in Japan. Unfortunately for me, it was just ok. I ordered the oyakodon and, while it wasn't bad, it wasn't very memorable. My wife tried their ramen and I tasted a bit of it. Again, pretty forgettable. Not bad but certainly didn't live up to the hype. Perhaps we came on a bad day? I don't know....but after waiting nearly an hour to get in I was expecting quite a bit more than we got. Overall, decent food but definitely didn't live up to all the hype. For me at least.

    (3)

  • Christine V.

    This place is so awesome! Truly hidden in the walls of japantown. You won't find any signage or anything that leads you to this place. It's not even on their door! The interior is small and cozy with seats along the walls and there's a nice sushi bar that takes up almost a full half of the restaurant! Id love to come back and sit there for their omakaze experience!

    (4)

  • Jennie C.

    Omakase is off the hook. Service is exceptional. Super cute chef. Reasonably priced. This place is so good. I wasn't very hungry but since I made a reservation a week earlier I came. Half way through the meal I told chef I was full and he asked if I was sure I wanted to stop. He said it only gets better and he was right. I was full but kept eating. I was really impressed with the quality of fish and his creativity. The fatty toro melted in my mouth I enjoyed everything. It was such a memorable experience I will definitely be back again when i visit! (I'll update with pics soon!) TIPS: 1. Sit at the bar and have omakase.

    (5)

  • Jennifer C.

    My first time eating here was a mediocre experience. Nothing really left me in awe, except for the Marine roll. I didn't particularly enjoy the atmosphere of the restaurant either. This place doesn't have any signs on the windows or the doors, so it was a bit awkward looking for this place. Entering, I was a bit taken back by how small it was. My cousin did have to make reservations for us in order for us to get a seat - so if you do plan to eat here, keep that in mind. I did have pretty high expectations of this place because some people rave about this place... but I was disappointed. Now, regarding the food... the portions were alright - pretty small if you ask me. Considering the price... I am bit iffy about this place. I've had the same quality (freshness and goodness) yet bigger portions in other places for cheaper. So I was a tad bit disappointed. The waitress was pretty nice to our table, but one of the waiters was kind of rude. Lastly, the service was kind of slow. I'm not trying to discourage people from coming here... but I've had more (portion wise) for cheaper, yet the same quality from other places.

    (3)

  • Allison Y.

    Awesome, affordable, fresh sushi with a large menu of izakaya style dishes and other traditional Japanese items! Definitely recommend calling in to make a reservation as the wait can get really long. All the sushi and sashimi were of course delicious - also the okra salad and the beef tongue were among my favorites. Definitely must try the omakase next time!

    (4)

  • Jeff C.

    One of our foodie friends tipped us off to this place before our visit, so this was on our must visit list. We were told the fish was fresh and tasty and we couldn't wait to try it! Sure enough, it was busy. Seems like they don't have much room for walk ups (at least on a Saturday), so making a reservation is highly recommended! We ended up eating here on a Monday night and were able to snag a 6:30 reservation. The place is pretty small and easy to miss, as it's unmarked. Our local friend who joined us is pretty familiar with the area and didn't even know this place existed! Well, they do say that some of the best places to eat need no advertising! My wife and I ended up splitting the Rainbow Roll and the Marine roll and got a number of different nigiri sushi- hamachi, sake, suzuki (sea bass), beni sake (a different kind of salmon), saba, and sea bream. The rolls were wonderful. The Rainbow Roll is a standard of sorts I use to compare sushi places and this one was great. Good portion of fish, great flavors, a definite winner! The Marine roll was great as well, we especially liked the scallops! The sashimi was great as well. The fish was really fresh and tasty, though the size of the pieces were a bit smaller than other places. However, I guess you get what you pay for. All the fish was great, but we especially loved the suzuki and the sea bream, as they were different from what we normally eat! Our friend stuck with the cooked food and got the tonkatsu dinner. That looked good as well and judging from his empty plate, seems like he enjoyed it. Highly recommended for you to come here, we'll be back the next time we're in town!

    (5)

  • S P.

    this is my fave sushi resto in seattle! hands-down! why? 1. freshest fish i've eaten at a sushi resto in all of seattle. 2. ramen is to. die. for. refer to the weekly daily specials. a good sushi/japanese resto should def have delicious ramen, in my opinion! 3. my friend who's been to japan said tsukushinbo gives you a great idea of sushi hole-in-the-walls in japan! if those 3 aren't enough reasons to get you to come to tsukushinbo... yeah those are 3 epic reasons, def enough reasons, right?? (: p.s. also, this time i tried the katsu chicken donburi (chicken or pork available), 'n can i just say...drool! FYI: lunch - opens at 11:45am, be in line at least by 11:20am 'n you'll be the first group of ppl to be welcomed in to eat! AND. get the ramen. always say yes to ramen. dinner - no ramen available for dinner, but a whole menu of fish to choose from!

    (5)

  • Amy S.

    Hidden behind a nameless door was a cute little Japanese place that was packed. We were lucky and only had to wait about 20 mins for a seat. I ordered a salty salmon omusubi and it was very tasty. The salmon was fresh and had just the right amount of saltiness. For mains I ordered a chicken curry with soba noodles. It had really good subtle flavors, but I wish it was a lot more spicy. Service was great and the food was really fresh. Would defo come back here again.

    (4)

  • Jesse M.

    Even though I missed what many say are their two best items, sushi and ramen, I had a great experience here. 3.5 stars. Got the Thursday special which was mini-katsudon plus mini-udon for about $9. Most impressive part of the udon was the soup, which had tons of umami flavor. Mini-katsudon didn't seem all that special, but was certainly well-made. Overall, solid quality food, very reasonable price. Even on a slower day for them, I still had a 30-45 minute wait in front of me, though I arrived just half an hour after opening! But an EXTREMELY kind and friendly pair who I had been chatting with got seated at a table for four, and then invited me to join them so that I could skip the wait! Obviously not Tsukushinbo staff, but Joanne and Doug are regulars that love the place so much, they just wanted to make my first experience better. Though indirectly, I believe that represents something good about this place, if it attracts people like that. I certainly will be back on a ramen day!

    (3)

  • Tony L.

    I hate you Tsukushinbo. Ya ruined me. And it's freakin irreversible. No one ever told me sashimi was SUPPOSED to taste like this. No one ever told me salmon sashimi was SUPPOSED to have a melt-in-your-mouth creamy taste to it with no offensifishiness to accompany it. No one ever told me chicken karaage was SUPPOSED to this perfectly breaded and have this delicate flavor to it. No one ever told me chicken teriyaki was SUPPOSED to be an art. Bae agreed that it was the best sashimi she ever had in her lyfe. Get wit it. Even cooked mackerel, the I-dare-you-to-not-spit-it-out fishy fish of fishness, tasted divine, extremely smooth with some delicious miso sauce to boot. You know what, Tsukushinbo? Fuck you, because every sushi restaurant i go to I will be subconsciously comparing to you. Vibe is very traditional-Japanese with some cool modern Japanese rock n pop played through JBL speakers. I fux wit it. When you lay da beat while you lay da meat, shit's next level. This place is too popular. So nab a reservation if you can. When we were having bellygasms, we saw lines of 8+ people out the door. Too bad they didn't plan ahead and make reservations. Reservations are required, because the place is tiny.. because if two panda bears started fucking around on the inside, they'd break the walls, and even sakura couldn't save dat shit. Note to self: come back for omakase, because erryone knows i got the worst taste in of the population. Better to let the chef decide what's good for me. nahmean? Note to self 2: bring breathmints next date. when mah gurl eat something good, she just keep burping to keep on tasting dat taste. I hate mah lyfe. eat yrself clean. 5 outta 5

    (5)

  • Diana S.

    Lives up to the (Yelp) hype! Been meaning to hit this place up for a while now, particularly for the Friday ramen, but could never leave the office in time to beat the rush. So we decided to just go for regular lunch today. Daily special was either oyakodon or something very closely resembling oyakodon PLUS a bowl of udon. Both were decently sized, for a total of $8.95. What?! The "oyakodon" was the best I've had in recent memory. Boyfriend got the chirashi lunch and we split a mariner roll -- pretty satisfied. Only nitpick would be that the scallop tasted not as fresh as expected. Def come for the daily special!

    (4)

  • Mary K.

    This place is tiny. And there's no sign outside which is probably why I missed it the other day. As a first timer here, I kept to a Chirashi lunch bowl that was priced under $10, and a green tea which she forgot. But how can I blame her? It's insanely busy inside and the two waitresses seemed overwhelmed, unable to seat patrons right away even if there were seats available. The Chirashi comes with 8 or so choice cuts of fish, two Tamago, a side of tobiko and takuan. I sat at the bar, close enough to survey the fish and the chef. Now to state, there's a difference between fresh fish and its quality. The fish here seemed to be a toss up. Every other fish was fresh and quality, and the next piece wasn't, or rather was some exchange in between. The scallop had little sweetness and was already forming a bitterness in the center which meant it wasn't fresh. The takuan still held radish threads. The cut wasn't even uniform on the tuna. None were so degrading that I would call it Sushiland quality or the taste of canned sushi (yes, such cruelty exists) but for the hype of this place, I didn't understand the reason for its inconsistency. I hear their cooked food items are amazing so I'll be back to try the ramen or unadon.

    (3)

  • P C.

    I'm torn - wish I could give it a 3.8, 3 seems too harsh, 4 seems too generous - but alas I'll round up. Also did the Omakase like others - here at least for us, it all came out at once - which I'm not sure, I found odd. No progression. I'd say 8/10, super fresh quality, only 1 or 2 pieces I wasn't too wild about. Sad there was no Uni, but not the right season for it. But prices are average - and yes, please make reservations, its super tiny.

    (4)

  • Amos Y.

    Came here on Friday lunch for the shoyu ramen lunch special. Supposedly they spend 4 days making the broth. It's only served on Friday at lunch until it runs out. So people line up before lunch. We got there around 11:40am, and there was a decent line already, we didn't make it into the restaurant in the first round, but was able to get the ramen special. The restaurant is pretty small, only seats around 30 people. Aside from the wait, the lunch special is a pretty solid deal at $9 + tax for the ramen + 3 gyoza and rice. The gyoza was chicken gyoza. Slightly crispy on the outside, moist on the inside. Decent. The shoyu ramen has a strong rich tangy bamboo flavor. Noodles and toppings were decent. There was very little meat only one slice. Definitely the broth stood out the most, probably the best shoyu broth I've had in Seattle. However, that being said shoyu is in quite a different league than tonkotsu broth which is a lot more rich, creamy, and fatty which I do in general prefer. Overall great flavor, decent value, but probably wouldn't wait in line again.

    (4)

  • Cherish C.

    One of the best sushi places I've been to in Seattle. The chirashi is truly a bowl of heaven. The rice is fluffy fragrant and perfectly seasoned, topped with the freshest sashimi and garnished with a slice of lemon (nice touch albeit westernized). It's a bit pricy though and the place is tiny! Also a bit hard to find because there's no title at the door! Not a great plce to bring a party of more then 4 (we were 6 and felt like we crowded the place out). It's a bit loud but the chirashi was worth it. I tried the Nandi (I think that's it?) which was a sushi platter for 22usd.

    (4)

  • Eileen K.

    This place was listed in Thrillist's "21 Best Ramen Shops in America". According to that article, this restaurant only serves ramen on friday afternoons, and it takes them 4 days to make the broth. My friends and I landed in Seattle late friday morning, so of course, this was first on our list! We got there a little before 12 and there was already a long line. And apparently they make only 50 bowls, and are pretty good about estimating while you're in line whether you're going to make the cut. We made the cut but the group behind us didnt. close one!!! So the ramen is about $10, and you start with gyozas and a bowl of rice. all this for $10? what a deal! So was the ramen worth the hype and wait?? If you read my reviews, you know I love my ramen and have been to pretty much all the places in LA. And I gotta say...it was...ok. Maybe I prefer the fatty broth to the more watery soy saucy broth? It was definitely flavorful, but it was more soy sauce based than fatty based. (and judging by my favorite places in LA being Tsujita...where there are literally fat globules...perhaps I'm not the best judge hahah) It was definitely more salty than savory, noodle consistency nothing special. Would I recommend this place? Well, judging by the lines there is more than ramen offered here. The local we were standing in line with said they have amazing sushi and other items. But it is a long wait so depends on what you have time for. :)

    (3)

  • M D.

    Tsukushinbo! Tsukushinbo! Tsukushinbo! A restaurant that I can't even pronounce is by far the best and freshest sushi in town! The cuts of the sashimi was perfect. Make reservation if you can because this place is always packed! It's a small hole-in-the-wall Japanese restaurant that doesn't have a name in the front door! Love those Speakeasy, don't you? The owners were friendly, highly educated in the Japanese cuisine and of course, skilled at making magic behind the sushi bar. We brought a bottle of Riesling from my friend's winery which we thought would go well with the Sashimi. It took a while to actually get them to open the bottle and give us glasses, but it's understandable given it was on a busy Friday night. Food: We ordered this tuna sashimi salad with apple and it was refreshing! Great way to cleanse the palate with it's sweet and sour dressing. We went with the Omakase... also my first experience eating Uni! If I were to taste something new, no other place I'd trust than at Tsukushinbo for its quality and freshness. I'd like to report Uni tastes like marshmallow. Maybe texture-wise? Anyway, chef's selection was a pleasant experience. This is the place for your Sashimi fix!

    (5)

  • Michael L.

    The food here is really good and I'm a bit sad that it took me so long to learn about this place. They don't have a sign outside and it's really discreet. If I didn't find them on yelp I would have never known about it. The sushi and sashimi here is awesome and it definitely tops my favorite japanese places to eat in seattle. Try their omakase you won't be disappointed!

    (5)

  • Matthew H.

    I do not live in Seattle but I love ramen so when i had to go to Seattle for business, I purposefully got the earliest flight possible so that I might have a chance to make it to Tsukushinbo on time for ramen. I went straight from the airport and was about 25th in line, got there around 10:30 am on Friday. I got the last seat in at the bar for the 1st seating. The service is somewhat hectic at first but they seem to have a method to their madness and I wasn't waiting long. The lunch special on Friday is their shoyu ramen, the broth apparently takes all week to make, and it comes with a small bowl of rice and gyoza for $10.95 which is a steal. I ordered that and a couple of orders of the Sunbream and King Mackerel. The ramen was awesome, the broth definitely lived up to the hype and I am so glad that I made the effort to get there. The gyoza were also great. The sushi was amazing, the care that is taken to make each piece shows and the rice is just outstanding. When I am back I am definitely coming back here for a seat at the sushi bar.

    (5)

  • Jean S.

    Despite having read the many reviews that there is no sign for Tsukushinbo in front of the restaurant, I still managed to walk back and forth on the sidewalk looking for the entrance. This is a small restaurant - definitely try to make reservations for a weekend dinner. We were a table of four seated promptly at our 7:45pm reservation time. You'd think with the people standing around by the door hoping to score a table, the wait staff would be rushing us to order, eat and get out. In fact, we felt ignored and it took two tries to flag down someone to take our order. But once we ordered, the service was great - very helpful with sake selections, good about clearing empty plates and also kept water glasses filled. We wanted to sample a little bit of everything, so we ordered a sushi combo, sashimi combo, beef tongue, soft shell crab karaage, creamy scallop hand rolls, toro nigiri, grilled salmon jaw, onigiri with fish egg and uni with quail egg in ponzu sauce. I would say that the actual sashimi and sushi were our least favorite of everything we ate. Usually, I love toro, and although it was soft and melty, I had a sinewy piece I was forced to chew through. The hot foods and hand rolls were all amazing. The beef tongue was thinly sliced and seasoned well. The soft shell crab karaage was crispy and light. The salmon jaw was a bit dry but still tasted good. My absolute favorite of the night was the uni that comes served in a bowl with quail egg and ponzu sauce. You mix it all together into creamy goodness and eat it with rice. I could eat three orders of it! So, overall, I'd probably give this restaurant 3.5 stars but rounded up to 4. I didn't have the transcending sushi experience others have had here, but their cooked foods are worth a return trip. The final bill was also very reasonable considering we had a $65 bottle of sake during dinner.

    (4)

  • Natsha C.

    A very small and cute restaurant. The menu is authentic and everything on the menu is delicious! Service is great and friendly :) I keep on going back.

    (4)

  • Peter C.

    Tsukushinbo (Sue Kush Shin Bo) is easily on my Top 10 Chautime list of best places to eat in Seattle. Eggstreamly good food ranging from Supa Phresh Sushi, Udon, Soba, Curry Katsu, and of course RayMan. Best seat of the house is at the Sushi bar of course where you can see Mr. Top Chef puttin in werk harder than Miley Cyrus. Now on to the PHood: Sushi- I love ordering sushi dishes here like Uni, Toro, Ikura, Tako, Suzuk, Shake, Hamachi, Ebikko, Mirugai, Maguro, Kampachi, Tamago, Hokkigai, Ika, and Unagi. I love to top off my Nigiri with Quail Eggs because Miso Hungry 4 Eggs!!! RaYMan- My favorite ramen in the Washington is here!!! I love the Old School Shoyu Ramen. It is very simplistic and flavorful. The noodles are perfect texture and pull for me, broth is very rich, Charsisu is very tenda and love the gyoza that comes with it. My second favorite ramen is the Miso Ramen. This is Number #2 because it has greens and beansprouts. I am not a Vegetable Consumer I hate Veggies as much as my Boi " Anthony Bourdain " and they are a waste of Stomach Space. Anyways back to the Ramen. It is topped with Ground Pork, Greens, Corn and Bean Sprouts. Noodles again in this are divine, the Miso Ramen Broth is really good, he Sweet Corn adds a good texture and flavor, and the Ground Pork was good.

    (5)

  • Zakary K.

    Tsukushinbo is a beautiful little place tucked away on S. Main Street. Don't blink while you're searching for it, you might miss it! Let's talk about food. The food is well-prepared. I sat at the Sushi counter and watched the preparation of my Tamago, Bluefin Chutoro, Saba, and Negi-Hama roll. Their processes were clean and showed a care for the products that they worked with. I also ordered the mini tonkatsu and the chicken gizzards. The latter is TO DIE FOR. I would highly recommend it. The last thing that I ordered was the Ika Special. While many might not care for the flavor, it grew on me as I kept eating it. The initial flavor is a bit dark and muddy due to the squid guts. However, the special fishy taste with the crunchiness of the daikon radish was an interesting flavor that I have never experienced before. I'm not sure if it was my favorite dish out of the many that I had, but I can say that I have a profound appreciation for the culture and passion behind its preparation. As for the service, I have neither good nor bad things to add. The servers were timely and prompt when approaching us with order/drink requests and with refilling our drinks. However, a bulk of my experience centered around the sushi chefs in front of me. They were extremely professional and showed a warm sense of hospitality. In closing, I will talk about the price point and affordability. Undoubtedly, Tsukushinbo has affordable food. This is exemplified by the fact that Bluefin Chutoro was only $10 for two pieces of nigiri! However, with many sushi experiences, the tab can quickly add up. My piece of advice for Tsukushinbo is to order anything non-sushi related if you want a delicious, filling, and affordable meal. If you are willing to expand the boundaries and savor the flavor and leave content [aka not full, as it should be with any sushi experience], expect to splurge a little.

    (4)

  • Sierra X.

    We were lucky enough to get in without reservations. I was lucky enough to go with my friend who knew where this place was located -- there is no sign! The sashimi was fresh. The sushi was great. It's one of the top sushi places in Seattle.

    (5)

  • Casey Y.

    Went there on a Friday for the famous ramen but alas. The wait was forever, the food was okay (ramen and gyoza), my table reeked of bleach. How can anybody eat when your table reeks of bleach? The staff is simply working too fast. Gotta adopt, raise prices, change locations, figure something out. The ramen may have been good when all that was nearby was Samurai Noodle but those days are quickly disappearing with other options appearing. I must admit the price is good, but time is money- and nobody has time for a 60 minute wait unless you don't value your time. Probably a place for sushi? Will have to go back and try it- at least the pictures look convincing. Bottom line is, does not live up to its hype.

    (2)

  • Erika T.

    oooooooh I wish I could write a shining review for this place. There was so much hype for this place and I'm on a mission to find my go-to Japanese restaurant. This place won't be it. The food was good, definitely more of an authentic Japanese feel than the popular Momiji on Capital Hill (my go-to for happy hour because of convenience) but the thing that just ruined it for me was the seaweed. The nori on the sushi was so chewy it was so distracting! The rice was also not on point for me either. The hunt continues..... but I'll have to try their lunch special sometime when I have work off and can make it to the ID for a lunch!

    (3)

  • Stephanie T.

    Came 30 mins early for lunch to get in line and got seated at 12:45 when they opened. If you don't come early, don't consider going because seating is very limited and so is the lunch time window. One minor detail but I appreciated that the waitresses took your order in the same order you were standing in line even though everyone ended up being seated at different areas of the restaurant depending on how many people were in your party. The shoyu ramen was incredibly hot, delicious, and very filling. That and one order of chutoro put me in a food coma. Definitely eat with a friend so one of you can order the ramen and the other one can try something else.

    (4)

  • Duckki O.

    Many people lined up there. So I thought this place must be good. I waited for about 25 minutes to get seated. I got the pork ramen (friday special with dumplings), ten jaru soba with tempura. But, the ramen smelled disgusting and tempura and dumpling were too greasy for Japanese food. Soba was disappointing, too. I just don't understand why so many people were waiting ti eat there.

    (1)

  • Bryan C.

    Tried the $55 omakase menu and was completely taken care of by the wonderful sushi master Shaw (I believe that's his name..) Traditional style nigiri, 10/10 for the quality of the seafood, fresh and delicious. Meal would take 1.5 hours or 2 if it's busy. Although it was a little bit hard hearing what different fish the chef had prepared for us, they were all indeed delicious and served an enjoyable meal!

    (5)

  • Renee U.

    Love this place, incredibly fresh fish. Sit at the bar, the sushi chefs are fantastic.

    (5)

  • Dubs Y.

    Holiday hours: Christmas Day Lunch Closed Dinner: 5:30 pm -9 pm New Years Eve: Lunch: 11:45 am - 2:00 pm Dinner: 5:30 pm - 10:00 pm New Years Day: Lunch Closed Dinner: 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm

    (5)

  • Kevin H.

    It's amazing how there is a line for lunch before they open! They got specials from Monday through Friday for lunch time for $8.95 ! I got the special for this Thursday and you get plenty! You get a bowl of rice with pork cutlet mixed in with egg + a small bowl udon miso soup!great top off! Fulfilling for the price!

    (5)

  • Tiffany G.

    My friend and I came on a Saturday night and this place was packed. We got seated pretty quickly because we made reservations ahead of time, but service throughout the night was pretty slow. The sushi here is pretty good! We were looking through the yelp pictures and found a Toro quail egg gukan. We asked the waiter for it and found out it was for the omakase menu. However, the chef was nice enough to make it for us anyway. We ordered salmon, tuna, and sweet shrimp nigiri for the rest of our dinner. Everything was fresh and not fishy. Overall I really loved the food! Service could have been a little faster though.

    (4)

  • Ninette C.

    This is my favorite spot in Seattle for a straight spread of more exotic nigiri. They've got all the usuals here like salmon, tuna, hamachi etc. but they also have seasonal fishes, uni, fatty tuna and they put quail egg on top of some of their nigiri. The slices here are nice and large so you really taste the fresh fish flavor. It's cut perfectly and not too thick or thin. I stand by what I said previously about chirashi for lunch and nigiri for dinner. Watch out because it's easy to want everything and then it adds up, but man, is their nigiri delicious here.

    (5)

  • Emil C.

    Food: I came here with my friends for dinner after attending the Seattle Rock n' Roll Marathon expo. Most of us, including me, ordered their Sashimi Dinner. It came with a bowl of rice and bowl of miso soup. They also gave us some edamame to share. The presentation of the sashimi was nice, makes you not want to eat it because it's been laid out so beautifully. The important part was that all of it was fresh and tasted delicious with a little bit of wasabi and soy sauce. Service: Service was good. It's a pretty small restaurant with minimal wait staff, but our waitress and even one of the sushi chef made sure to check up on everybody and every table. Location: Great restaurant for some authentic traditional sushi and sashimi. Remember to make a reservation or show up right before they open because they only have one table open for people that didn't make a reservation. It's also located in the hilly part of the International District so bring your comfortable walking shoes. This place actually can be missed pretty easily as they do not have a restaurant sign outside. From what we could tell, everybody that wanted to eat there knew where it was located. I guess that they're popular enough whether through word of mouth or Yelp that they do not need a neon sign outside.

    (4)

  • Dan P.

    It get really busy and I highly recommend reservations even if you plan to go when they open. The sushi and dishes are good but not worth the wait. It's probably a top 20 place in the area but not top 5.

    (3)

  • Paris F.

    I went there for lunch and had tempura Soba. The broth tasted lot sweeter than I would like it to be, but for 8.50 lunch, the tempura portion was generous and the soba noodles was cooked at japanese al dente.

    (3)

  • Diana S.

    This place is my family's 'go to' for sushi. I've never had a better roll than the marine roll here and the fish always taste SO DANG GOOD! The family that runs the restaurant is very friendly and always remembers us. Their kitchen food is spot on and prices are right. The only complaint I have is on Fridays, when their ramen runs out! I'll just have to arrive sooner!

    (5)

  • Jamie P.

    This place is a bit pricey for me, and I've tasted better sashimi elsewhere. It's small, and gets busy, so we made reservations ahead of time for a Friday night. I was definitely saddened to learn that ramen is only on Fridays for lunch. For me the sushi and sashimi was good but not exactly memorable, and when we tried ordering a noodle soup type dish we ended up with cold soba noodles and fried food, which was okay but definitely not something I'd order again. I may try again with friends that know Japanese dishes well, but otherwise I don't see myself coming back when I can get better sushi and sashimi and a better price.

    (3)

  • Jay L.

    The Shoyu Ramen is pretty good, but so are the gyozas and sushi there. Need to get there early on Weds (miso) and Fri (shoyu) for the ramen specials, as the line can get pretty long, and there's only so many bowls to be dished out.

    (4)

  • Tony L.

    We made reservations for Saturday night, and I liked the fact that you can reserve spots at the sushi bar. Parking can be tight, but after driving around the block a few times, a spot luckily opened up right in front of the restaurant. There really isn't a sign outside, so make sure that you have the right address. The space is tiny, but looks remodeled. We stood at the front door for about 10 minutes before anyone came to talk to us, but service was fine once we sat at the bar. We ordered: Edamame: standard. Salt grilled black cod: it was a little undercooked since one of my favorite parts of black cod is the crispy exterior. Not my favorite preparation. Tempura udon: this was my favorite cooked dish that we ordered. I know the ramen is pretty popular here, but this was one of the best udon dishes that I have had: good broth and noodles with good texture. The tempura was nicely fried as well. Sushi: Amaebi: very fresh and big shrimp, and I loved the fried heads. Unagi: really good. Scallop: very fresh and sweet, some of the best that I have had. Chutoro: good, but pricey at $9. Amberjack: good. Tamago: standard. Wild sockeye salmon: good, but pretty thin slices of salmon. With double orders of the Unagi, scallop and shrimp and a couple of drinks, it was $90 with tax. I like being able to reserve a spot at the sushi bar. I will have to come back and go for an omakase dinner the next time.

    (4)

  • jenn w.

    This review is only for the ramen since I didn't eat anything else. My girlfriend read about how this place only serves their special ramen on Friday's for lunch and a bunch of Yelpers noted the need to line up 40 minutes prior to opening since only a limited amount of bowls are served. Since we were on vacation, we got here about an hour prior to opening and were the second people in line. The fact that we waited an hour for a bowl of ramen, I was expecting something totally amazing to be in that bowl. However, I was completely disappointed. The ramen was extremely mediocre. Even if I had only waited 2 minutes for this ramen, I still would have been disappointed. Don't waste your time.

    (2)

  • Karen L.

    I've wanted to try this place for a while, and we finally decided to have dinner here. My BF and I had the grilled beef tongue, salmon onigiri, one of the uni appetizers (I forgot what it's called), and some nigiri (salmon, hamachi, uni, creamy scallop, tuna). Everything was good, although I didn't really enjoy the uni. It had sort of a metallic aftertaste. The sushi here is good, although I've definitely had better in Seattle. The beef tongue was good, but it could have been better. The onigiri was very yummy. It's so simple yet it's one of my favorite things to eat. I definitely want to come back one of these days to try their ramen (specifically, on a Friday, ha)!!

    (3)

  • Thompson O.

    It was a while ago but I liked this place and I want to remember to come back here when I am in the hood again.

    (5)

  • Tina C.

    My favorite sushi place in Seattle. Call ahead for a reservation because you will most likely not get a table if you show up during peak hours without a reservation. Their sashimi plate is delicious and their spicy tuna roll !! I wish I had Fridays off so I could try their soup that so many people rave about. Very authentic food and there is free parking at 6:00PM M-F in international district and free on Sunday -- you might have to drive around though.

    (5)

  • Kimmie L.

    My girl friend took me here for the first time. The place is small and packed. We wear lucky to get in last minute since she comes here often. The food here is amazing. We had grilled squid, which mind you is not my preferred seafood, but it was so "meaty" and juicy. I've never had that good of squid before. The mushroom noodle salad is made with sauteed mushrooms in butter and served with green tea noodles and greens. This was beautifully dressed, I loved it. The chicken katsu was also juicy, and thick cut. Zaru udon I already like, and it did not disappoint. I highly recommend this place if you are willing to wait :) everything was so good

    (5)

  • Aaron L.

    Came here to try their Friday special ramen. The line was no joke! My brother and I were able to get in the second round of seating which took a bout 45 minutes. The ramen was good but not as extraordinary as I had been hyped up to think. My potstickers were cold when I got them which was meh.... But there is redemption! The tuna I had gotten looked and tasted delicious! The pricing on their sushi is something that will make me one to come back and try. Next time, maybe no waiting for 45 minute ramen but coming here for dinner and going sushi crazy

    (3)

  • Rchl C.

    We went here for dinner. It was a long wait to get a table, and a long wait for food (total of 2.5 hours). For the equivalent of a sashimi boat, a seaweed salad and a couple of drinks was $130. Not worth it. You're better off in terms of quality, service, and price at places like Ginza.

    (1)

  • Yi F.

    I really like their unagi don with soft crumbed egg. Their grilled squid is really good, too. Overall, I had a great experience there and will definitely go back again.

    (5)

  • Dylan C.

    At best a 3. Service: We had a reservation for 7PM, but had to wait for a table to open up 15 minutes later. After getting our initial order and the food we were hardly ever checked on, and I even had to go up to get our check so we could leave. Food: It was pretty good, nice and fresh sashimi, and my friend had some tasty udon. If it wasn't for the service would definitely rate it higher.

    (3)

  • Katy C.

    Came here for the friday only ramen. This review is mostly for ramen. I had read that it was needed to go early and wait. I arrived about 40 mins before opening and there was a line already. The restaurant itself was really small and I was just glad that I made it in the first seating. The ramen came with goyza as a set. The ramen was a shoyu ramen, clear broth. The noodles were good and flavorful broth. I'm not sure if the wait was worth the ramen or maybe shoyu ramen is not my favorite type of ramen. It was good, but not the best I've had. Also ordered a sashimi combination, I don't know if this is an off day, but the sashimi was fresh, but only okay to me. I think I'll have to go back to try the other items on the menu, but not sure if I will come back for the ramen.

    (3)

  • Bear R.

    Good food. Good ramen and good sashimi. The staff needs to do a better job managing customers that are waiting though. The staff is way too nice and too afraid of any sort of confrontation so they continuously ask to be excused when they are walking around customers who are just standing around the little amount of available space in the venue. I had customers posted all up on my table while I was waiting for my food and during my meal; what's wrong with these people? Wait outside, you senseless crackheads.

    (3)

  • Nathasha S.

    I love this place. A little hole in the wall, with no store sign outside, just black. All you see is black. When you enter, it's cute for sure but it's reminiscent of someplace you'd walk into knowing you were in for the real deal. It's quite a small restaurant so if you have a big party, make a reservation. Personally, I love their tempura udon - I've always been a fan of true authentic udon soup base, and this is what you get here. Yummy chewy noodles as they should be and their tempura isn't breaded heavily so you're able to taste the vegetable/shrimp yet still get that crisp to the edges. Edamame is complimentary. Ask for it if they don't immediately give it to you. I really loved their marine roll, spicy scallop with seared salmon on the top. Their quality is so fresh, anything is good honestly!! Octopus here is also very fresh and sweet and yummy as octopus should taste and this is literally one of the only places I've had good octopus so thumbs up!!! For an appetizer, their deep fried smelt in vinegar and onions - omg SO good, doesn't sound good, but I love stuff in vinegar and if you do too, you'll die for it. Also apparently their lunch specials (especially friday - ramen + gyoza = hollaaa) are really bomb too though I haven't tried it, I believe it.

    (5)

  • Doug K.

    The absolute best Japanese restaurant in Seattle. Family owned and run, this small place delivers excellent food in all areas; Noodles, Sashimi and Sushi and kitchen prepared dishes. The quality and care they put into everything is beyond every expectation. Expect to wait but it is worth it.

    (5)

  • Anthony B.

    As a ramen hater (don't even get me started on this huge trend of everybody trying to serve fancy ramen as some kind of hipster foodie revelation.) I was skeptical when my friend suggested we wait in line for 30 minutes here for the ramen as the first part of our "Bang-Bang" (see Louie Season 4 Episode 3). But as soon as I took my first bite of the best gyoza of my life I knew that we was right. The ramen was delightful, the noodles weren't the best I've ever had but the broth was worth the wait. I wish there was more pork and less noodles but I always feel that way. And for $9 the gyoza and ramen are a fantastic bargain. We ordered some sushi as well. The rolls were pretty standard, the spicy scallop very good. But the unagi nigiri was delicious. It's amazing how a quick char can add so much depth to the eel. Waiting in line for this ramen is definitely a must have expirence for any Seattle person with a bit of Asian in them. And I can't wait for my first winter sick day on a Friday to do just that.

    (5)

  • Terry P.

    Hole in the wall, family-owned establishment that serves great legit Japanese food...I love this place!!! Topping it off, in the background there's Japanese pop music from the 1990s and 2000s...perfect! I personally think that it is rare to find a Japanese place that serves great cooked dishes. Sure, there are a few places that have good sushi around here. However, on days when I crave for simple saba shioyaki or oyako don, I know of one place that I can always count on. Cow tongue, it may or may not be your thing, but if you're somewhat adventurous, try it. This place makes it right (well the Japanese way anyway). About the ramen on Fridays, hmm, I do think that it is a hype. I stood in a ridiculously long line in the rain for half an hour and went home without ramen in my tummy. This happened in three separate attempts. When I finally had the opportunity to try it, I didn't find anything special about it. To me, a good bowl of ramen consists of a complex, satisfying umami flavor. I can't say that this ramen didn't taste good, but that it wasn't satisfying. One last note, call in ahead of time for a reservation. A lot of times this place is booked up for dinner.

    (4)

  • Tina E.

    The food and service is probably four star, but the wait on Friday for a ramen special and the hype is just not worth it. I arrived around 11:35AM and the line was already down the hill past the little alley way. It's my bad that I didn't get here by 11:20. By the time the door opened, which was around 11:50, the server came out and informed the less fortunate us that it'd be another 40 minute wait. I think it was more like another hour by the time I was seated. I knew there would be a wait, so this one is on me. However, maybe over the course of an hour, I read and re-read all the Yelpers' reviews and I got really excited - there was nothing but good reviews about the ramen. It turns out that it was a decent bowl of shoyu ramen, and the flavors are good for showyu - very bamboo-y taste - if you like that, but I wasn't blown away. The slices of meat could be softer. For the price, it was a good deal - it comes with some pot stickers and a bowl of rice. But again, will I wait 1.5 hours for it? no. Separately, I ordered an Agedashi Tofu. It's not what I expected - the tofu was coated in some kind of doughy texture and it's less like tofu, more like tempura. The sauce was okay. I probably won't get that next time, if there's a next time. Sorry - Tsukushinbo. If there weren't the hype online, I would probably have enjoyed you more.

    (3)

  • Mukee C.

    Overrated. Went on a Thursday night with some friends. I've heard some good news about this place but I was disappointed. The wait was about 20 minutes. Server took a pretty long time to come by and take our order. We ordered some rolls, seaweed salad, seasoned black cod, and a chirashi bowl. The rolls came out first and they were alright, nothing special. The seaweed salad and the black cod was way too over priced for the portion. The chirashi was alright, nothing special. Overall I was pretty disappointed about this place. Maybe I'll come back in the future and get a better experience. Food 7/10 Service 6/10 Price 5/10

    (3)

  • Davin L.

    So they only serve shoryu ramen on Fridays, and there's always a line for it. Is it worth the 45-minute wait? Kinda. If you really like a really great bowl of shoyu ramen distilled to its core. The lunch special nets you a bowl of rice and three gyoza as well, which make its $9 price tag all the more appealing. Other than the wait, the restaurant has a very cozy family feel to it. Probably because it's a family run business. They're very friendly and very efficient when it comes to serving an overwhelming lunch crowd. Next time I'm in town, I'm not so sure I need to have the Friday lunch special. But I'm eager to try the sushi and other dishes. Bonus: the daughter and head waitress is super kawaii.

    (4)

  • Kristen L.

    Ramen Fridays live up to the hype. I came here about 30 minutes before the restaurant opened and was seated about 15 minutes later because they opened early. Ramen broth was rich and flavorful, while the noodles were just the right chewy consistency. To boost the ramen was served with a couple gyoza and rice all for around $8. The only thing that was missing here was the soft boiled egg!

    (5)

  • Raymond Z.

    I read about the need for reservations, but decided to just go for it around 8pm on a Friday. As others have said, the only indication is the window showing the interior and the black door across from Fuji Sushi. As a solo diner, I was immediately able to sit at the sushi bar. I was given a table setting, menu, and dim sum like checklist to mark which rolls and sushi/sashimi I wanted. Instead, I chose the black cod shio yaki (lightly salted) and Sashimi Dinner (16 pcs + miso soup and rice). At first I didn't realize I was supposed to place my.orser with the sushi chef, but he gladly related it to my waitress. The miso soup was fair like every other Japanese restaurant. My sashimi didn't wow me but was of good quality. I got tuna, salmon, octopus, scallop (so tender), and some others I don't know. The black cod shio yaki came out at the end, but was tender and had the perfect char on the outside. Keep in mind it gets busy and service isn't always immediately attentive. That said, if you're not in a hurry just relax and enjoy your meal. Go for the omakase if you can, some fellow patrons were greatly enjoying theirs and I will go for that next time.

    (4)

  • Elle K.

    I used to love tsukushinbo. I enjoyed ther lunch combos, sushi, katsu, donburis,etc. however, I was quite disappointed on my last visit. I ordered agedashi tofu and chicken karage, realizing I've never tried these classic starters from tsukushinbo before. I expected them to pull these menus off really well as their other dishes are outstanding, but it just wasn't what I was expecting. I found both of dishes to be too salty. Agedashi tofu had weirdly sticky consistency. It wasn't good and more importantly it was too salty.Chicken karage had interesting asian curry flavor to it and again, it was way too salty to the point i didn't finish them. ( I love my chicken and I rarely walk out of restaurant without finishing my chicken) Its shame to find out such an odd flavor dishes from tsukushinbo, because it really was one of my favorite place to go for some legit japanese meal. I will now stick to shiki in queen anne. If you are going to tsukushinbo, stick to their sushi/sashimi.

    (3)

  • Todd T.

    Quite amazing. The menu here of seasonal fishes and dishes is truly as close to visiting Japan as I can get, for now. The atmosphere is stellar and the location is pretty convenient all considering the fact that they don't bother to have any signage. The girl who attended to us was super friendly and helpful in recommending a sake and get us started on appetizers and small plates. We ordered a bbq squid with spicy mayo, some toro bluefin sashimi ($3 a slice...), salmon & salmon roe ochatzuke, fried soft-shell crab (kanikaki?), and a donburi. This is one place where I would say, the sushi takes a backseat to how great all the other dishes are. As much as I love toro sashimi, it was hardly the highlight of this selection. The squid was just the right amount of chewy and firm without being rubbery, and paired with the spicy mayo I could eat this all day if I could. The salmon roe's natural saltiness bursting in the mouth with the rice and rich stock broth of the ochatsuke was a great pairing to help ease the sake down, and the soft-shell crab was also wonderfully crispy without being dry, and thoroughly flavorful even without any sauce. A sprig of lemon juice and it's perfect. All in all, the night did a little number on my wallet. But the experience will stay with me for a long time. So it's WORTH IT.

    (5)

  • Chris Y.

    I've been coming here for a while and the food is good for Seattle Japanese food standards. But that isn't saying a lot since these Japanese food offerings in Seattle are pretty bad. The place is super small, so be prepared to be stuck in the corner on a busy night. But the small size of the place doesn't mean you get attention from the wait staff. My main gripe is with the sushi. The sushi chef makes your order on a huge platter. As a result, the rice does not have that fresh quality. If you ever go to a high end sushi place, sushi should be eaten within seconds after preparation. Instead, he makes everything you order at once and its no longer fresh. This place is more like an amateur sushi joint at best. The last time I came here, I was waiting over 90 minutes for my sushi. When I complained to the server, he kept telling me that the sushi chef was busy. After 90 minutes and after finishing the other items I ordered, I didn't want it anymore. I told him to just cancel it. Instead he refused to cancel the order and insisted that I take it. That is not an acceptable way of treating your customers. To top it off he charged me for Chu-Toro that were sold out by the time our order arrived. Think twice about coming here. If you want average Japanese food, fine. But don't think this place is worth its 4 star rating.

    (1)

  • Nina H.

    I had been here several years ago so I remembered where it was. Yesterday when we went, there was no visible sign on the outside with the restaurant name so just look for the Zagat stickers on the door across from Fuji Sushi and you'll find it. The restaurant is pretty tiny so be prepared for a wait because people who come here know what's up. Even lunch hours in the middle of the week is crackin'! We got there a little before noon and it was nearly packed, we snagged the last table of four. We were so excited to order because we were hungry and anticipating this amazing meal, and an amazing meal is what we got. The three of us shared the agedashi tofu (the sauce was slimier and thicker than what I've had before, but the tofu was still smooth and delicious), Tsukushinbo roll (basically a California roll with tempura inside), and the spicy tuna roll (SUPER huge pieces). I didn't try the spicy tuna because I'm not a fan of the spice, but I can tell you that the roll and tofu were very delicious and worth ordering. As for the entrees, I ordered the katsudon with pork and I devoured all of it; every last grain of rice. I'm not even ashamed of it. I'm not just a fan of sushi, but I am a fan of all Japanese food so this place was perfect because they had a variety of dishes in addition to sushi. I also ordered an ikura hand roll and that was superb too. The eggs tasted fresh and there was roe and rice all throughout the roll. I can't wait to come back and try the ramen on Fridays, but I'll have to get there super early or something to secure my seat.

    (5)

  • Meghan G.

    Best sushi in Seattle! But call for reservations because it's a very small and very popular spot.

    (5)

  • Shuxuan Z.

    Went here with a friend from Japan. (Isn't it weird to take a friend who visited here from Japan to a Japanese food place?) She liked here. Although it's not as amazing as what I expected, the food is yummy.

    (5)

  • Sam N.

    Tsukushinbo is among the top 5 best restaurants in Seattle for nigiri lovers. Their rolls & ramen are great, too, but you can get those at a lot of places. The real reason to check out this tiny restaurant is their excellent omakase, which has memorably delicious nigiri & sashimi.

    (5)

  • Finn N.

    Recommended by my coworker, I went to have the miso ramen which is served only for Wednesday lunch. The broth was so rich and flavorful that I could taste the mild and soft but clear miso flavor. My friend got chirashi. It was a little small, but very delicious! I'd love to come back soon!

    (4)

  • Jason M.

    Delightful sushi will only get you so far in Seattle's crowded sushi scene. What sets this apart from the abundance of choices in the International District is great, Japanese-style service and fair prices.

    (5)

  • R D.

    The food is good, but the service is horrible.. Especially if you're alone. Think no water served, other people around you who came in after you being asked for their orders.. People who came in after me have been served, eaten, and paid before my food was delivered at all. They ordered the same thing, even. Pretty frustrating when you're on your lunch break from work! But man, that Thursday lunch special is sooo tasty!

    (3)

  • AT C.

    i only come here for the wonderful omakase at the bar. besides shiro (when he was still there), this is now my favorite place for omakase sushi. no where else can beat it.

    (5)

  • Susan S.

    I really love this place. With no sign out front, you're bound to walk right past it the first time you go. It is small, the staff is friendly, the sushi is delicious, the prices are good, and it's an all around feel-good experience. The bar seems to be housing regulars each time I go---they know the staff and sushi chefs well and are alway chatting and drinking large Sapporo beers. I would recommend making reservations for dinner---it can get packed. My favorite thing about this place (beside the great food) is how comfortable it is---they're never rushing you out the door or pushing you to order. Tonight, we stayed and chatted for a long while. It was lovely!

    (5)

  • Ane P.

    Freaking melt in your mouth, fresh fresh, clean smelling, delicious sushi. It's easy to miss, not because of the signage necessarily, but because you don't hear everyone asking you "have you been to tsukushinbo?" A lot of the specials are written in japanese on the white board near the sushi chef. If you can't read it, ask your server what's up. i usually like to ask what has just arrived...then I know I'll be happy. The restaurant is small, and it's not anything fancy...but I think your best bet is to ask for suggestions. Everyone in the place looks like they've just had a long day at work and are there to unwind. It's comfortable and unpretentious.

    (5)

  • Matthew C.

    Ramen was very very very delicious, and the sushi was great as well. If you are going for lunch, be sure to get there well before 11:30! They open at noon, but damn does it get packed.

    (4)

  • Amy C.

    I had the chirashi bowl for under $10. Good deal - about 12 pieces (2 of them egg, 1 of them cooked fish) and all different. I believe I had tuna, salmon, octopus, scallop, and a few others. The waitress said that normally it includes a piece of yellowtail, but they were out today so they gave me a slice of amberjack. All pieces were fresh and, thankfully, served around room temperature instead of ice-cold. (For some reason, I just like it better when it's not cold.) Waitress was nice, despite the fact that the entire restaurant had only her serving. It's not a huge restaurant, but during the lunch rush it was clear that she was quite busy. People coming in kept mentioning that the place has been remodeled. It looks really cute and very clean, (honestly, exactly like a small Japanese restaurant normally looks in my head). I'm planning to come back some Friday for the ramen special. EDIT: I couldn't help myself; I came back the next day for ramen. I think I'm just more of a fan of the richer, fattier tonkotsu ramen broth; the shouyu broth was tasty, but a little thin. It's just personal preference and not at all the fault of the restaurant; everything else about the bowl was spot-on. The noodles weren't overcooked, the pork was nice and tender, and there were lots of the bamboo strips.

    (4)

  • Kulinary K.

    Honesty, integrity, and freshness make for a good sushi restaurant. Tsukushinbo exemplifies all of these attributes.

    (5)

  • Patrick L.

    After being denied at Maneki, as you'd expect during dinner hours without a reservation, we walked around the corner to Tsukushinbo. My friend had been there a few times before, but it was my first. It's small inside, and was busy, but we were still seated within 5min. I usually stick to just nigiri and hand rolls, but in this case I was hungry so I ordered the tonkatsu curry, while my friend ordered the tonkatsu donburi. Both were great, and I would recommend them to anyone. We also got a few orders of assorted nigiri to share. I have to say, for whatever reason, the hamachi here was amazing, of the melt-in-your-mouth and make-you-wanna-order-another-one variety. I'll be visiting this place again, that's for sure.

    (4)

  • Myrtle B.

    This is the first genuine Japanese restaurant I've had in Seattle. This is NOT Wasabi Bistro, Momiji or Umi; this is delicious comfort food for people who enjoy actual Japanese food, not the Americanized versions. You will not find cream cheese or jalapeños in these establishment. Try the grilled nigiri ochazuke!!

    (5)

  • Arry Y.

    This place is a hole in the wall - and a family owned business. Cozy. My mentor used to take me there, and fortunately, he's Japanese - he always ordered all kinds of goodies that I can't recall right now. Family owned - interesting too: check out the sushi chef's knife - the father chef has one that's completely worn down, the young son chef has one that's pretty new. Yes, there's a story behind it. Anyways, I was craving some good home-y Japanese food, so.... This time, we went off the menu (the one in English): Sushi decent - had the amaebi, creamy scallop, salmon, ... Kitchen menu rocks - had the broiled mackerel, agedashi tofu, and the smelt in vinegar. Waitress, well, the service was not-that-great. She means well, but she most definitely expresses her unhappiness and exposes a high amount of stress with her job. Not sure this is the job for her - but she does get the job done (in anguish and eventually). Dinner was delicious. We all walked out very full and content.

    (4)

  • Charissa C.

    Ordered a dish that was bland and soggy. Chef refused to cancel the order and still charged me for the dish. I believe in good customer service and this place did not have any. Disappointed.

    (1)

  • Liz T.

    We were looking for sushi on Yelp and found this gem! Good thing we were navigating by GPS or we might not have found it as there was no sign. The night we went was the day after Labor Day, a Tuesday. We sat up at the sushi bar and chatted with the sushi chef. He was a bit frustrated as his fish vendors hadn't arrived in time (or one at all) and he didn't have the fish as prepared as he would have liked. We asked for his suggestions and all of them were excellent! Amazing preparation, great flavors and beautiful, super fresh fish. We would suggest doing what we did and sitting at the bar and getting your order in early as it takes a bit of time to prepare sushi for a full restaurant who all shows up at 6pm! Arrive early, sit at the bar, get your order in early and get the fresh stuff. You won't be disappointed!

    (5)

  • daniel n.

    Not impressed. The menu was nothing special, and the food was just ordinary....when it finally came. Normally I like small, independent places because they care about their customers. Not here. They did turn a lot of people away who did not have reservations. Maybe they think they're so good, they don't need to take care of the customers they have? Too bad.

    (2)

  • david tetsuo b.

    For a restaurant with no sign out front, there's always a line outside... can you say real Japanese comfort food?! I suffer if I can't make it here at least once a week.

    (5)

  • J K.

    A 60-year-old, more-than-just-sushi, old-school ID Japanese restaurant. They have a good menu with some good Japanese dishes like onigiri and yamakake. For this reason I give them 4 stars. I'm so tired of the sushi-focused Japanese restaurants. The atmosphere is not good, but the restaurant is as old as dirt, so whatev. And they play loops of awful Japanese pop. The waitress was completely incompetent. She seemed mildly autistic in the way she greeted us: "Yes, you can sit wherever you..." shy rolling of the eyes and then she trailed off. And then she never came to our table. On several occasions she showed that she had no idea was she was doing. However, as a fellow Jap-Am, I forgive her. ;-) Oh, and they only have ramen on Fridays at lunch.

    (4)

  • Joseph L.

    Quality was excellent. Quick service. But a few problems... First off, the sushi rice is way to heavy tasting. It's hard to describe, but there's too much vinegar and salt in it and it overpowers the fish. And what's the point of eating nigiri when all you can taste is rice? When I sat at the sushi bar, there were probably about 10 little fruit flies going around. Not a good sign in terms of cleanliness. Lastly, the price is a bit too high. Sure, the quality is among the best in all of seattle, but the price is a bit too much in terms of portion size. I got the spider roll and my friend got the chirashi bowl. For $8.50, getting 4 pieces of spider roll is a bit much. Especially because all you taste is rice. The chirashi bowl was $18 for about 8ish pieces of sashimi, a scallop, and a little bit of octopus. Then a whole lot of rice. I know the rice underneath is the whole point of the chirashi bowl, but with such an overpowering taste, it was hard to eat it with the fish. Plus the miso soup was incredibly salty. Overall, if you have the money and a salty palette, this is a good place. But if not, you (and your wallet) probably won't enjoy eating here too much.

    (3)

  • Carol S.

    Pretty good sushi in Seattle. Would I come back? Sure.

    (4)

  • Ryan Y.

    Where do I go when I'm craving Japanese food, I head to this place! Yes it is sort of hidden on Main St. They make a mean katsu-curry that is absolutely delicious and you can't go wrong. This is a traditional Japanese style restaurant with a great assortment of dishes and yes they do have sushi to help quench that sushi craving. Tsukushinbo is one of my fav places to eat and I'm always down for supporting family run establishments. Service can be slow at times since they do tend to get fairly busy.

    (5)

  • Margaret S.

    Well, I was excited when I saw the chalkboard with the specials listed in Japanese only (and no English) and which included very authentic Japanese dishes. I thought I finally found an authentic Japanese spot! To be fair, I went there only once, and for lunch. So this review may not be fair. In sum, my husband and I found our meal and service to be really "meh." Any redeeming quality of the food was marred by the terrible service. There was only one waiter manning a completely full restaurant, with new customers streaming in. It took forever to get the menu and another forever to get our food. The waiter was literally sweating (in January) trying to service every table. Plus, they were out of curry! These sins could be forgiven if the food was spectacular, which it was not. To boot, I received my sushi WITH a yellow post note -- indicating the table number -- stuck on my dish (presumably written by the sushi chef). The waiter was SO busy that he didn't even notice that he was serving a plate with a post it note stuck to it. Tsukushinbo, fast turnover is pretty imperative for lunch . You need to get more than 1 waiter during lunch time. We were not impressed. Will likely not be going back.

    (1)

  • Eva R.

    In my top 3 of places to eat in Seattle. I come here for izakaya first, and sushi second. Their selection of eats from the kitchen is outstanding. I've never had anything I didn't like, and I'm working my way through the whole menu. Notable for me is anything with shiso leaves (particularly the stuffed chicken), and the agedashi mochi (it might be called something a tad different). If you really want something comforting, get the curry katsu. I'm ecstatic to even see this sort of selection in Seattle, because it strikes me that Izakaya is not very popular here. The staff is charming, and very attentive. The sushi is always fresh and delicious, with a good variety of well-selected special menu items. My favorites are the amaebi, saba and scallop. I don't normally order rolls, but I spied one with shiso that will have to make it to my list for next time!

    (5)

  • Teresa T.

    A friend of mine took me here for lunch since we were in Chinatown and it was Friday which means...Ramen! The place only serves Ramen (and 3 gyoza) on Fridays and once they run out they're out. The gyoza were excellent...crunchy and juicy. The ramen was delicious also with a good broth and fresh noodles. Everything was balanced and very filling. For only 8.95 it's also a pretty good deal for better ramen and around the same price as Samauri Noodle. I took a group of friends back the day later for dinner and was again impressed by the food. I got the cold soba with tempura and it was very yummy. Also an spider roll which was fresh and stuffed with large pieces of crab. I will definitely be coming back to explore the rest of their menu!

    (4)

  • Shannon B.

    Amazing food! Super fresh fish...delicious soups. Food is great, and the service is even better. I am a true fan of this place. The ambiance is just right, the people friendly, and they are always willing to accommodate. Super small, and popular, so call ahead if you can. If there is a wait for a table, trust me it's worth it!

    (5)

  • Tina L.

    A true no-nonsense hole in the wall without any of the usual urban allure--or even a sign out front, for that matter. But it serves up authentic and consistently delicious Japanese fare. I like that it doesn't try to bill itself as "gourmet Japanese" or "the best Japanese food," which some places in Seattle do and really, really shouldn't. The quality and flavor of Tsukushinbo's food speaks for itself. Everything is tasty. I've been a few times already with different groups of people and we were always satisfied with the service, which seems to have been an issue for some diners. But then again, I always went before or after peak dinner hours. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who likes Japanese food, especially those who are always on the lookout for the real thing.

    (4)

  • Franklin C.

    We had a various selection of sashimi. The grilled octopus was really good. I believe that's found in the appetizer section. The place is pretty small and has no sign out front. My friend happen to know of this place's existance. Otherwise there's no way I would have known about this place. Maybe they like it better that way?

    (4)

  • Rachel S.

    This was the best sushi place I have been to so far in Seattle. Great prices for high quality and very fresh fish. The dining room is cozy - make a reservation if going on a weekend.

    (4)

  • J A.

    I came here specifically to try the lunch special ramen only on Friday. You need to get there by noon to get in there for lunch because there's not much space to dine. I would come back again for that.

    (4)

  • GJ F.

    Not worth the hype. People were raving about the Friday ramen here so we went a few months ago. We stood in a long line for about 45 minutes. It was cold. We just made it to get two seats at the sushi counter. The ramen tasted pretty good - nothing we can complain about regarding the flavor, noodles, or content - yet it certainly was not the best we've had. It was the kind of ramen that would be a decent option to eat if you're craving ramen but only if you didn't have to stand in line. The service though was terrible and made waiting in line not worth it all. We got the impression they wanted customers in and out. Perhaps this is the case only on ramen Fridays. It felt like we were on a conveyor belt. We were still hungry after eating the ramen so we decided we wanted to order something else, as well as get a second cup of green tea, but the waitress didn't even bother to ask if we wanted anything - she simply dropped off the check without a word, a smile, a thank you, eye contact, water or tea refill, nothing. At that point, we didn't even bother to ask her for more food off the menu because we don't like to support businesses that don't appreciate our business. Overall, ramen pretty good and priced well but not line-worthy, service horrible, restaurant clean.

    (2)

  • Mary G.

    Excellent traditional sushi, no frills interior.

    (5)

  • Jen K.

    I've gone to this place two times for Omakase now and have thoroughly enjoyed it both times. This place is not too big so I suggest reservations. Other than that it's pretty casual and the staff is great. Our chef was Sho both times and he's really good. The first time we went at lunch and said we were just medium hungry so it came out to be like $25/pp for like 8-10 different sushi plus some little sides if i remember correctly. Everything was really tasty and fresh. The last time I went was for dinner. I was really hungry and excited to eat here again so I didn't dare bother to put a cap on how much sushi to send my way. I was at the mercy of the chef. It was quite busy at dinner so we ordered a few small dishes to eat before the omakase began. This place has very interesting side dishes so I'd recommend taking a look at a few of them. Once the omakase began it was sushi heaven once again :) So many different kinds of fish prepared in a variety of ways. Sho told us which ones to use sauce or no sauce on. A girl sitting next to us seriously kept eyeing every piece Sho gave us. I could tell that she regretted not getting omakase herself haha. After a while I lost count of how many things we got. I just remember that the second to last thing was squid sushi topped with uni. Wait that deserves all caps...SQUID SUSHI TOPPED WITH UNI!!! And the last thing was toro. TORO! Because according to Sho, you always gotta finish with TORO. Hell yes you do! Thank you Sho! In the end, omakase was only $40/pp. Well well worth it.

    (4)

  • Michusty S.

    Really nice and cozy place.. A real hole-in-the-wall, but definitely worth going back to. Food was delicious, tasted like an authentic Japanese restaurant. Nothing bad to say! Ordered the Katsu Curry and it was phenomenal!

    (4)

  • Sitha N.

    This is now my go-to Japanese place. Not sushi place, Japanese PERIOD! The chicken gizzard is amazing. I don't know how they do it, but all the ingredients and flavors just melt together nicely in which you can taste them all, and yet, it's almost favor less. Hard to explain, easy to engulf. Just try them. Trust me. On top of that, their tempura is also top notch. I've never shrimp tempura that were so tendered, yet clearly deeply white and cooked. Most places will offer tempura shrimp that is either really stringy or simply rubber in feel. So that was a very nice surprise. The downside? This place is small. Meaning, if you have a large group, I would advise that you go somewhere else. A group of four is pushing it, in my opinion . Two or three is the sweet spot. With that said, making a reservation is usually your safest bet. All in all, if you love Japanese food, don't deprive yourself of this place. You won't regret it.

    (5)

  • Ken K.

    I dare you to try and order something here that isn't great. I love the salmon shioyaki, salmon rolls, chirashi, sushi lunch, spicy tuna rolls...it's all good. Very fresh. Great service. One of my top choices for lunch/dinner in Seattle. Excellent!

    (5)

  • Katie C.

    Their foods are awesome, I alwasy order the sweet shrimp with friend shrimp heads, habachi, saba and uni LOVE IT!!!! Other than the fact that its super hard to find parking at International District, and wait time is at less over an hour during lunch and dinner time.

    (5)

  • Rick K.

    Amazing! Fresh, so tasty and great presentation.

    (4)

  • Sandy H.

    Great sashimi and sushi. No sign outside so you have to look carefully to find the restaurant. They've only got a few tables so there may be a wait for dinner, but it's all worth it. Their lunch specials are super yummie, but if you're going for Friday ramen, get their early because they do sell out.

    (5)

  • Shino O.

    They offer ten or more different type of sake, ranging from very sweet to dry, junmai ginjo and high quality kinds. If you look at the sake menu, there is a little plus "+" and minus "-" sign with number, next to each sake name. This is an indicator of how dry or sweet the sake is. Each menu is completed with detailed description of the flavor, aroma, and pairing with food, making it really fun to pick sake at this sushi joint. Sometimes they have even more sakes that are not on the printed menu :) One of those was Suijin (Water God) junmai daiginjo. We ordered this and it was delivered in a 300ml bottle, perhaps straight out of the fridge, which was a tiny bit of disappointment. A wooden square cup or glass jar would have been much prettier and nice touch! sake itself was fabulous, it was clear and smooth like water. The sushi presentation and quality was top notch. We marveled at wooden platter with sushi shining on top like jewels :) Great job

    (4)

  • Aaron C.

    I like this hole-in-the-wall spot. It's small so be prepare to wait a bit but they do take reservations. Oh damn....I just leaked out the secret now. I don't remember what we got but everything on the menu is pretty darn good. You should expect the menu to be very simple with not much sauces used for the dishes. A lot of the preparation exposes the true flavor of the fish and the herbs used. Not your typical Japanese spot where they will try to hide the flavor or the Tuna or Salmon you are getting.

    (4)

  • martin p.

    Yes, I love sushi so I come here for the best sushi. The place is nice and clean.

    (4)

  • Haver F.

    If you like good Japanese food, this is a must. My husband said the katsu don was very good and authentic. (He is from Japan and is always on the search for real Japanese food). I enjoyed the tempura udon and gyoza. My husband finished my udon and was happy to find it very authentic. The service was good, despite being busy. Be prepared for a wait, because this small family resturant is rightfully popular.

    (5)

  • J J.

    Great Japanese food on the discount with high quality. :)

    (5)

  • Nyll L.

    Such a wonderful experience! Highly recommend!! Service is excellent. Sushi chefs were very friendly and helpful. All dishes were great but the sushi we had was just exceptional. I think it was called sushi deluxe. So fresh, thin, well prepared pieces, and perfect rice. Casual warm atmosphere without pretension. Go!! :)

    (5)

  • James Z.

    Gosh, I really wanted to like this place, truly wanted to.. I'll start with the positive.. The location is on the tip of intl district, so its really close to work, I get haircuts from across the street too. Although the sign is gone, and the open neon light was off, I checked streetviews earlier to find this place.. enter the hole in the wall.. (literally) all the tables were taken, so i head to the bar (and as another reviewer said . go see all the sushi chef action. good and bad.. continue reading...) I seat myself and was greeted by the chef and wait staff, nice enough, look around for a bit, and the sushi chef said she will bring the menu in a bit.. I order the salmon and sushi - salad,miso soup, teriyaki salmon, salmon rolls, and California rolls. The chef was nice enough to explain the lunch menu etc... As I wait for my food, I experience something, but will explain later.. Miso soup comes out first, then my salmon and sushi in a box. everything looked good, the salmon properly seasoned, tasty, and tender, salad was tasty too.. with some macaroni, lettuce tomato. and nice dressing. The sushi rolls were great.. unfortunately i didn't get to enjoy the food because of what going at the back of my mind..... The bad... After order my food, i wait for eternity because of what I experienced. (it food came out in about 10minutes or so).. As I'm checking my email, I see a bug scurry on my left on the bar. i quickly brush it aside, and brush off thinking about the bug. Few minutes later, i see a similar bug, not sure it might be a mini cockroach on top of the glass case protecting the raw fish. I then use my napkin and vanquish said bug. It seems smaller than the first one, but I couldn't really tell. At this point, I hope that was the last of the experience, but everything is heading south... couple more minutes I see a tiny one come up from underneath between the wooden bar and glass case, and try to kill that one too, but it scurried back down. At this point, you can conclude they have a bug problem. Food comes, looks deli-sh, and because I'm hungry, still have an appetite, and scarf down the food before the bugs come back. To the owners: one bug, i can forgive, even two *maybe*, but the baby bug was just icing on the cake. Please clean up.. Unfortunately I won't be coming back here... info.kingcounty.gov/heal…

    (1)

  • Willamenia B.

    Tsukushinbo is one of the most authentic Japanese restaurants in Seattle. It is a tiny hole in the wall and hard to find. The first time we went there I think we walked by 1/2 dozen times before we realized we missed it. Eat early or eat late else be willing to wait a long time for a table. Again, the place is tiny and the service is slow. Every-time we've been there's one server, one person behind the sushi counter and one person in the kitchen. My one slight complaint is their bathroom. They are run down and the last time we ate there, there were dead insects in the sink. The building is really old so i'm not surprised that that some bugs get in drawn to the water.

    (4)

  • Donny C.

    After reading reviews on yelp, this place mad it into my top 3 sushi-stops, all right in the same area. I at first passed the place by due to there being no name on the front of the building and a different name on the wall inside. I'm glad I came back here though after the hostess at one of the other nearby sushi places was rude. Fantastic food and super friendly staff (all family). Be sure to ask for the chef's special before you leave.

    (5)

  • Tuan V.

    Expect to wait for service and food when they're busy. Good food, not spectacular, but good. Cramp space.

    (4)

  • Veronica L.

    I went there yesterday for the first time, and I really enjoyed it :D My friend and I couldn't find the place last time, because it doesn't have sign(Since it was closed, they didn't pick up the phone either.) It's located right across from Fuji Sushi. Anyway I finally went there! I had shogayaki, and my friend and I shared maguro sashimi and unagi&saba nigiri with my friend. (My friend got tempura udon, and he really like it as well.) everything was so tasty, and the service was nice. :D I want to go back there again!

    (5)

  • Lawrence L.

    I've been here a couple of times over the years, and realized that I never really rate the BEST restaurants. I guess as consumers, we feel the need to "warn" others about possibly experiencing a problematic meal. Tsukushinbo is one of those hidden gems for us when we visit Seattle. Sushi bar only sits 7, but are witnesses to a young second generation sushi chef. We've sat at sushi bars in NY, LA, SF, and Toyko, and yet this chef stands out. Omakase, as always, and we experience a menu of seasonal sushi that would embarass Nobu. The most simple combinations with the most complex flavors and textures keeps you begging for more. The precision, and passion of his production makes other sushi chefs look like 3 yr olds playing with their food. A family friend of the restaurant sat next to us, and suggested that they have the best rice. If you're someone that understands Japanese cuisine beyond "bento boxes" and "teriyaki whatever", be proud and request for the Chef's omakase.

    (5)

  • Nyuki S.

    I ordered daily lunch special, which was Ramen coming with small three Gyoza and rice because it was Friday. Gyoza was very tasty. Their ramen is sho-yu base. Pork and spinach are very good together. Service was slow, it could be better than now. But they are very busy at lunch time so it shouldn't be big deal.

    (4)

  • Curtis L.

    i'm coming back.... I went there for lunch today and it wasn't very busy. The waitress and sushi chef was very friendly and made sure we were taken care of. The food was very good and fairly priced. The portion was enough to fill me up and with the leftovers my friend had left, I was stuffed. The california roll was light and refreshing since it was made with good ingredients. The katsu curry and pork ginger was mounded on a plate with salad and rice. They were very flavorful. I had an enjoyable experience and they even said goodbye to you in japanese as you leave. I wonder what is like when this small little place gets packed.

    (5)

  • Mimi L.

    I really need to learn some Japanese so I can read off the special menu without asking the waitress. I'll settle with learning to pronounce the name of this restaurant properly so I can recommend them to my sushi whore friends. This little hole in the wall sushi place is a Seattle gem. I don't know how I didn't come here sooner. The food is really similar to Maneki's minus the long wait and the short snappy answers...not that I don't like the dragon ladies at Maneki (they're adorable but they can and will snap at you). The best part is the price is very reasonable for quality sushi. Food: Sushi: I had the chu toro and uni nigiri as recommended by the waitress. Both were excellent and very fresh. This was on the "special" Japanese only menu so make sure to ask your waitress what's fresh for the day if you don't read Japanese like me. Comfort Japanese food: adegashi tofu-decent but I've had better. Short ribs seasoned with salt and pepper and citrus juice was ok too. My companion liked the short ribs a lot. The pan fried chicken gizzards were excellent. The clam miso soup was delicious with super fresh clams and portions were larger than Nishino's for the price. Overall, we had a great dinner tonight at a new Japanese joint that I will come back and visit. One con is that they need better ventilation because the place reeked of oil smell from the kitchen. If you do go here, order from the fresh "Japanese only" menu and you should be fine.

    (4)

  • K V.

    Truly amazing sushi at a great price. Everything was wonderful. We took a sushi virgin and he adored it. The Marine Roll was amazing as well as the Salmon Nigiri and Spider Roll

    (5)

  • Telimmy L.

    This evening we sat at the sushi bar with our best friend and enjoyed an extraordinarily exquisite selection of the freshest sashimi and sushi prepared especially by the sushi chef. Great authentic Japanese restaurant atmosphere with great service and superb food.

    (5)

  • Brady A.

    This was the best sushi I've had in Seattle, but it was quite expensive once I had enough to get full. I'm sure it would be more affordable to stick with their Specials.

    (5)

  • SungWon C.

    Hands down my most favorite Japanese restaurant. I've been coming to this place for 7+ years now and I have never been disappointed besides the fact when it was busy and I couldn't get a seat. This place is small and probably hard to find because I believe they took down their sign and it's a small "in the wall" restaurant. The most common things I order here are: Chicken karage (super good, better than most fried chicken I say; note though, it's not like the super fried American style, it's more lightly fried and juicy), tonkatsu, katsu curry (their katsus and curry are AMAZING, probably my most favorite dish), their ramen, their sushi, daikon salad, kake soba and their Tsukushi udon (it's not on the menu, but its a cold udon thats very good, ask them about it). Overall, this plays kills it with their home style Japanese food. I highly recommend this place, but make sure to come early or with a reservation, they fill up fast.

    (5)

  • Ryan H.

    The friday ramen special is amazing. The noodles were tender and the borth had an amazing depth of flavor. Totally worth the wait in line.

    (5)

  • Rose S.

    Tsukushinbo I am sorry I haven't been here sooner. STAR EARNED for location. They are still in the same spot. But I noticed they must have remolded because the old sign is gone. It was actually pretty hard to find because the door is sort of hidden in plain sight. There is no signage or indication what-so-ever that there is a restaurant. If I hadn't been with someone I would have walked right past it my first time going there. This experience reminds me of one of my favorite little spots in Tokyo a friend showed me once and I eat there with her whenever I am visiting. When I go here it feels like that place and gives a chance to think of very special memories. STAR EARNED for interior. It is super tiny inside again reminding of the spot in Tokyo but also of dinning in the better restaurants in Tokyo in general. Tsukushibo squeezes as many tables in as possible but you are basically dinning elbow to elbow here. As I would be in Japan. The space has also be tastefully decorated with warm tones and accents of wood. The affect is simple, clean, modern, with an air of tradition and very very chic in a casual Seattle sort of way. Yeah there is a collect of maneki neko on a few shelves toward the back but instead of being cheesy it adds a certain comedy to an otherwise very serious feeling restaurant. The lighting is also great. Well lite but not glaring. The small space is also a delight to the nose as well as the eyes. I can smell the gentle flavors of Japanese food cooking and see the amazing dishes that other tables are receiving so I can gauge what I should be ordering. The whole affect makes me feel like I have been transported back to Japan. This is exactly what upscale izakaya dinning is like in Japan. Never have I been in a Japanese restaurant outside of Japan that gets it this right before. Well done! Tsukushinbo you have achieved something truly special here. STAR EARNED for service. Yes service. Others might call it slow. I truly believe that is a misunderstanding. In Japan space is tight in general. On the trains, in your houses and apartments at work. Everywhere it constantly feels like someone is in your face all the time and it gets old. Great effort is taken to create space where there is none. So when you go to a restaurant a waitress typically doesn't get in your face. Offering menues, drinks, checking to see if you want to order, checking to see if you like your food. Instead the waitstaff lets you, the customer decide when you want someone in your face or not. You just simply and politely raise your hand and say excuse me. The waitstaff acknowledges and comes to you as soon as they can. Tsukushinbo in part out of the same need to create space in such a tight restaurant does the same thing. Extending that feeling even more that I am back in Japan. I appreciate the slow service for another reason. Possibly the most important. They are taking their time to make your food, they are making it slowly and correctly and that is very clear when it comes to your table. They also bring the food to you in the right way. At least they are for the izakaya dishes. I don't know about the sushi I haven't had it yet. However I noticed the couple next to me was upset that it appeared the staff had forgotten some of their dishes they had ordered. When in fact they hadn't. The couple had ordered a huge plate of sushi, a lighter dish, and heavy meaty dishes. In true fashion the ligher dish was served first followed by the heavy dishes so the tongue doesn't get coated in heavy meat oils making it hard to enjoy the quality. Again well done Tsukushibo!!! The REMAINING STARS EARNED for the food. I wish in fact I could give a separate five stars for the food alone. I have been twice two days in a row and really wish they were open today Sunday so I could go today. Yaki-onigiri - Rice is perfect not over cooked or mushy. Slightly crunchy on the outside tender on the inside. Well seasoned by the soy sauce but not so strong that it takes away from the flavor the rice. Grilled to perfection but not burnt in anyway. Had this both nights Oroshi Age Mochi- Chewy savory bliss. Sauce is amazing again well balanced allowed the individual ingredients to both stand on their own and blend together at the same time. Had this both nights. My friend ordered a second it was so freakin good. Ume Shiso Chicken- Light and crunch on the outside, teder chicken and a zing of ume. Addictive. Had this both nights. Grilled Chicken- The right blend of juiciness to seasoning. Have you ever had chicken melt in your mouth? This will. Yasai Tempura- Not too oily, not soggy, not over cooked in any way. I will eat this again as soon as I can. Otoshi Spinach- The first thing I ate here. The sauce. The sauce. It could make you cry it was so perfect. I had to resist the urge to drink it and request another. Chu-hai- They have it! They actual have it. Sooo good!! Thank you Tsukushinbo I love you!

    (5)

  • Y L.

    With the famous Maneki close by and the more prominent Fuji Sushi signage across the street, Tsukushinbo is understated and can be easily overlooked. Overlook it at your peril, as this place is very good, and for a reasonable price. The staff (a family) is friendly, personable, and professional. The son, who mans the sushi bar, has the bar-side manner of an excellent bartender, as he treats newcomers (like my wife and me) with equal aplomb and warmth as the obvious regulars who sit at their favorite seats around the elbow of the sushi bar. Ask him what's fresh, and just order what he rattles off, as it is good. The day that we were there, the Spanish mackerel and the toro were fresh, and I enjoyed them both. Nice-sized slabs of fresh fish, well-carved, sitting atop small fingers of rice. We also sampled items from their kitchen. They are particularly good at Japanese-style bar food, such as the chicken karaage -- cooked just right in oil sufficiently hot enough to seal up the outside and keep the inside juicy, and not too salty. The miso-glazed black cod, too, was good (though, to be fair, I've yet to dislike such a delicious fish like black cod). Enjoy a grainy, malty Japanese beer, like Kirin or Sapporo, and you're having a great meal! And the bill came out to a lower price than other Japanese restaurants where the food was comparable. There are so many other authentic items listed on their menu that I haven't seen in other restaurants. As Rick said in Casablanca, "[Tsukushinbo], I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

    (5)

  • Meredith M.

    Read about this place on Chowhound. Several people raved about it so we decided to try. Tsukushinbo was a hit out of the ballpark--the best Japanese food we've ever eaten. Our server was super helpful with the menu since we don't speak a lick of Japanese. We had friend eggplant, fried flounder with ponzu, braised pork belly, udon soba with veggie/shrimp fritter, Marine Roll with scallop and salmon,and last but not least, sashimi tuna. I would be at this place every wk if I lived in Seattle! So yum!

    (5)

  • James M.

    If you can, sit at the counter. The sushi chef is very good at his craft and puts lots of attention to detail into all of the rolls and sushi he makes. The place is not cheap but if you want good quality sushi this is one of the best spots in Seattle. Try the peppered and grilled beef tongue as an appetizer, you will be hooked, guaranteed. The restaurant is small and on weeknights after 7PM there is usually a wait for tables. So get there as close to 6PM as you can manage.

    (5)

  • Mingfei Y.

    I used to come here often. And I guess it gets more and more popular and service became really bad. I'm truly disappointed.

    (1)

  • J D L.

    It ain't much to look at, outside or in, but if you're in it for the fish, the whole fish and nothing but the fish, you'll be delighted. Simple presentation of beautiful, fresh, translucent fish. We went in with a group of five and asked for a "chef's choice" platter, whatever we could get for $25/head. The ensuing platter was crammed full of nigiri ringing two decadent specialty rolls. Not just any nigiri-- the scallop and roe was over the top, as was the ebi seared with some unplaceable...though no less delicious...sauce. While Nijo, Umi and Mashiko might cull hoi polloi, I'll opt for Tsukushinbo any time I want the real deal without the pretense.

    (4)

  • Grant B.

    To start this review off I would like to mention if you would like a nice place to eat a fancy dinner this is definitely the place. When we walked in all the staff members said hello in what I thought was Japanese. We sat down at the bar and a waiter came right up to us and took our drink order and asked if we were ready to order. We were not ready so we started to fill out the sushi menu. When finished we handed it to the man working at bar. He read it outloud to make sure that's what we wanted. He put it down in front of him and started to get to work. He was extremely concentrated and fast. When he brought it to us it looked amazing. While eating he asked if we liked it and we talked to him for a little. We learned that it was family owned. A nice treat. Gettin the bill took 5 minutes about but the sushi was what really mattered. I would say this is the best sushi restaurant I have ever been too. I definitely recommend going here.

    (5)

  • Barbara B.

    Very disappointing. Stopped for lunch today and got turned away - they said they had run out of rice. This was at 1:30 pm and the lunch service runs until 2:00 pm. They would not seat us. So we Yelp users advise you get to this place early or avoid it.

    (1)

  • Jason B.

    Finally ate at this place the other night after a co-worker had told me about it for a while. Since moving here from Hawaii, I have had a ton of good luck w/ food and pretty much all cuisines stack right up there w/ the food back home (excluding Korean) but thats another story - and Japanese. And yes, I have been to Umi, Maneki, Wann, Kisaku, Shiro, etc etc but nothing comes close. Then I unassumingly walk into Tsukushinbo. DAMN! This place reminds me of home. Simple izakaya AND sushi. Went because I heard the katsu curry was super good and all the katsu I have had here just doesn't cut it. They ran out of curry so I had the katsu don, which was really good. I also tried salmon nigiri, tamago, agedashi tofu, and an ume onigiri. It was all super good. In fact, it was so good that I went back 2 days later w/ co-workers. AGAIN out of katsu curry but ate diff sushi and it was all good again. How many times do I have to go back to finally get my katsu curry? It doesn't really matter because I always leave with a smile on my face.

    (5)

  • Joseph P.

    Wow. Yep just a one word review.

    (5)

  • Pai P.

    What are the quintessential qualities of a good Japanese restaurant? One (or I) would say that in Japan, people have their favorites... typically a hole-in-the-wall, run by a small family where the chefs have personal relationships with their regulars, customers feel at home, and the food is prepared to the true integrity of tradition. Tsukushinbo meets these qualities and that's why I'm updating this review. Note to patrons: want good food? know that it takes time, because Japanese food requires meticulous care. It is run by a small family Note to James Z's 1 star review. Fair - that you want to eat at a restaurant without bugs. But this restaurant shares a space out of a historically old building. As much as these folks keep their restaurant spotless clean, they have no control over what goes on outside their shared space. It's like walking into a 80 year old Seattle home and expecting the floor not to creek and windows to be energy-efficient.

    (5)

  • Rowena M.

    Oh, I'm such a sentimental, sappy kind of girl, so to celebrate the anniversary of our first date, my man and I decided to have sushi since our first date was at a sushi restaurant. Village Sushi is closed on Mondays (dammit!) so we opted for this place and had high hopes based upon the reviews. Thank you Yelpers! We ordered grilled beef tongue which was tender and flavorful. The daikon salad is simply that--shredded daikon topped with strips of nori and sesame seeds. It came with a side of sesame dressing. While it might sound a bit plain, I have to say I really enjoyed the freshness of it. (Be warned, though, the daikon burps following dinner were completely rancid.) I ordered the chirashi bowl which came with 6 types of fish, all very fresh and clean. There was a lot of sushi rice underneath so I could only eat half. I might consider ordering that again only if I don't order anything else, but this was a celebration, so we had much more awaiting us. A crunchy roll, a marine roll, hamachi sushi, and several others that I simply can't remember because of the sheer volume. All of it--delicious. The lack of one more star is because they ran out of two items we ordered: pan fried oyster appetizers and the butterfish that was one of the specials that day. Get there early, otherwise you'll be waiting in line outside. Oh, and be nice to the hilarious waitress with the white framed eyeglasses who took everyone's order with the pad of paper and pencil two inches from her face. She seemed a little frazzled the whole night. Maybe a change of prescription could help?

    (4)

  • Yukihiro S.

    One of the best Japanese restaurants I have ever been in Seattle and prices are not so expensive.

    (5)

  • M Y.

    Over the course of several years, my Tsukushinbo visit counter has racked up to three digits and not once have I left here unsatisfied. Great little, family run restaurant. And I really mean family run with the mom and dad in the kitchen, son behind the sushi bar, and daughter heads the wait staff. It may not be the place for you if you're in a rush, as the wait can sometimes be unpredictable.. But the food served at Tsukushinbo isn't something you want to eat while in a rush. Grab a seat, have a beer, and enjoy the awesome food that comes out of this kitchen(and over the sushi counter..)

    (5)

  • Eric M.

    We never got to eat their food. We were seated right away, I was expecting a long wait so I was very hopeful. I guess I was expecting too much, we were not given water, menu, anything for over 20 minutes! We left at that point. Remarkable. We walked over to Maneki and had a nice dinner instead. The chef even walked by our table and greeted us, but before I could say anything he was gone. I note that some other Yelpers had a similar experience. I'm not sure I want to try again. I was SO looking forward to eating here too.

    (1)

  • Kate D.

    This is a great Japanese restaurant that gets over looked by the other restaurants in town. It is pretty unmarked and on the corner hidden away. The sushi itself is really fresh and in season. The menu is large and simple to follow from sections listed as vegetable, fish, and noodles. My daicon salad was amazing and their tea is better than some of the restaurants you go to. The crowd at this place is all 20-30s that keep this place new and exciting. A bit small so not the best for large groups but just call ahead and ask them if you need a reservation.

    (4)

  • yin y.

    This place has the best vegetarian rolls. Being a vegetarian is hard when your bf craves for sushi all the time but I finally found a place that we can both be happy at. Everyone else seems happy with their orders. This place is tiny but worth the wait. =)

    (4)

  • Larry M.

    Wow, it's a good thing my buddy was waiting outside for me or I may have missed the place. One of the restaurants in "my get out and eat again series" and I was very impressed. We had a special group and everything was ordered for us. I tires everything they brought out and even things I hadn't had before or looked very suspect by my taste buds. The staff explained each of the dishes and answered any questions we had. I wish I could remember everything we had but I can say it was all delicious. But the best was the big sushi plates that they prepared. We had two each plate had 4 or 5 different items on it. I'm no connoisseur of Japanese food or sushi. But I can tell you l really enjoyed the meal and thought the food was very well prepared and tasted wonderful. As one the little hole in the wall places I am trying to get to and expand my eating horizons, this one was perfect.

    (5)

  • Jean Y.

    I come here for lunch fairly often. WARNING: Service is generally slow. The place is always packed at lunchtime, and it is arguably understaffed (I always see the same 2 waitresses here, and some days I only see one of them). Allocate about 70min for lunch. My friends love the lunch specials. A different combo is served each weekday. For example, Friday = gyoza and ramen. Thursday = udon + katsudon. The sushi is delicious. I like nigiri, and their salmon tends to be of great texture and quality (Note: I'm not a certified evaluator of sushi-grade fish. I speak based on experience and opinion alone). It's often served it with a little lemon, which adds great flavor to the salmon. Another bonus is that green tea is complimentary and unlimited. Not true of all places. The restaurant area is very small. I see more Japanese people dining here than at any other Japanese restaurant in the area for lunch. There are also Japanese-only menu items listed on the wall. You can get a pretty good view of the sushi chef making sushi from half the tables in the restaurant even if you're not sitting at the sushi bar. Tsukushinbo is very cozy.

    (3)

  • M M.

    I wish there was a sushi place as good as Taukushimbo in New York. They did some renovation since we were last there, cleaned up a bit, and the demographic of the clientele also got whiter. Only one sushi chef on Monday night, so evening you get a table, expect a looooong wait. Despite spending more time watching other people eat than actually eating there - we thought it was well worth it. Don't expect service, only one waiter for the whole restaurant. Although the waiter this time was very cheerie and tried really had to keep us happy. Don't expect decor, it is a hole in the wall. But do expect the some amazing sushi and sashimi!

    (5)

  • Zlata Z.

    Try their lunch specials, not just sushi, although they're great but things like mini udon special. Try to get there earlier for lunch since the place is tiny and gets packed fast. Oh, and on Fridays they serve the best ramen in town.

    (4)

  • Youngseok J.

    Tsukushinbo is located in International District, at a hard to find place. The place itself is a small, genuine Japanese restaurant with cozy and comfy decor. Basically a gem in the rough. The ownership is nice, the nigiri is fresh and simply well-presented, as all Japanese place should be. The service was superb and every time I am at the International District/Chinatown and I am craving sushi or Japanese cuisine, I always head up to Tsukushinbo without a second guessing. The only problem is, they have irregular hours as all traditional Japanese places. It is closed on Sunday, and closed til 6pm on Monday and Saturday. Regardless, a heaven for all sushi aficionado

    (4)

  • Dichosa M.

    Exceptional food and experience.

    (5)

  • Jes K.

    Great food! Authentic and good value Japanese food. It's a small place so during busy hours be prepared to wait.

    (5)

  • Karen Y.

    ****Do not go here if you want cream cheese and tons of soy sauce.**** This is the real deal. This is how Japanese people eat and it is brilliant. Things to think about when eating here don't be a typical consumer don't go for tons of sushi go to the hot food as well. Infact go speak to the sushi chef behind the bar and say I want what is good hot and cold and you will start with what is an amazing feast for the taste buds as well as eye candy. I have baby yellow tail slices with a light dressing, squid and cooked with seaweed and daikon, salted fish cheek (hot), finely sliced beef tongue, a beautiful 4 plated gourmet feast of squid flamed, Fish with green sauce, sea urchin with cucumber and radish toppling, Ahi with seaweed and fisheggs, Ahi Poki, Thornyfish with ginger sauce and a Daikon salad with plum and seasme seed sauce and salmon skin rolls with thin slices of lemon, Mango and Green Tea Mochi. 1 big bottle of sake and some green tea. Yes I am officially a pig but the food was so so amazing I could not seem to stop eating. This is a family run joint and they are so friendly. Go Go Go Go Go !!! Also I never used soya sauce the entire evening which tells me I am in heaven because you just don't need it!!

    (5)

  • Lord G.

    For the true eater. Authenticity. If you have ever wanted to try REAL Japanese food from Japanese chefs and cooks, look no further. On my first visit, I was quite reserved and ordered the same old same old nigiri. That didn't leave much of an impression. On my second visit however, I sat at the bar. My Japanese food life experience changed. The young chef began to show me new and excited flavors that were exotic yet simple. I have been a fan since. Every time you step into the restaurant you will see regulars. You will see Japanese people eating there. (Ummm that tells you alot) Advice, if you plan to be adventurous, sit at the bar and put your meal in the hands of the chef. Let him know what you like and dislike. He will serve accordingly. I am definitely a fan of this place and a life customer.

    (5)

  • Amy Z.

    Hidden gem right across the street from Fuji sushi. Family run, unassuming, authentic, and reasonably priced. Not only is their sushi some of the best I've had in this city, but they also have a great selection of traditional Japanese dishes (donburi, udon, ramen, etc). Highly recommended - this spot has a following of regular customers for a reason.

    (5)

  • Kayla H.

    This place is decent but I have had better sushi. Very american style, put mayo on every roll practically. It is a TINY little place. My lunch group of 4 was lucky to get a table as some other people were leaving.

    (3)

  • judy n.

    tiny, signless and sort of slow but gotta love the authenticity.

    (4)

  • Virginia R.

    Love, love, love this place. Family run - mom and dad in the kitchen, sister waiting tables, brother at the sushi bar. The fish is always fresh and high quality, and they've always got seasonal specials. The sushi chef is genuinely talented and friendly, and will lead you to new (and delicious) things you haven't tried before. There are a lot of things on the menu that you won't find at run-of-the-mill sushi joints - like cold fried smelts. I haven't tried many of the non-sushi dishes, but what I've had has been very good. They make a great chirashi bowl. The place is small, and seems to be undergoing a glacially-paced renovation, but it's clean and cozy. It can get busy on a Friday night - make a reservation. My only gripe is that they don't open for dinner until 6 pm, and I'm often looking for a late lunch/early dinner around 5ish. We usually show up early, and there are always 4-8 people waiting around outside the door when they open. I've just made myself hungry, and they don't open for three more hours, dangit.

    (5)

  • Frank F.

    In Seattle for the weekend and a local friend brought me here for dinner. I may never be able to adequately thank him.

    (5)

  • Arzhang S.

    Good nigiri and sashimi - I'll come again! 'Nuff said.

    (4)

  • Terry H.

    This place has homestyle Japanese meals for lunch, and well prepared sushi for lunch and dinner. The chef and the waitress are always friendly and kindly greet you with a 'welcome' as you enter. I often come here for the tonkatsu and some unagi nigiri for a relaxing lunch. The ramen is indeed flavorful, but you can only get it as the Friday lunch special as others have mentioned. This is the best tonkatsu I've had in Seattle so far. The breading is so crisp and well-prepared on the pork cutlet you might not want to use the sauce just to savor the unadulterated taste and texture. The sides compliment the dish well from finely shredded and lightly dressed salad to the required rice and miso. An unexpected touch is the "mac&cheese" side, which makes it feel even more like home. If you love pork like I do give this place a try.

    (5)

  • Lisa W.

    One of our family's favorite restaurants! It's a tiny space, but they somehow manage to get decent seating in (including a sushi bar). The people who work there are always the same and have been every since we starting going to this restaurant a few years ago. Everything is so authentic and delicious!! This place is truly a neighborhood gem!

    (5)

  • B L.

    The food was fantastic! We had the salmon roll, eel & gyzo. However, the service wasn't so great. We waited for a long time to order and felt like we were intruding when we made a reservation.

    (3)

  • Lisa E. L.

    #1 Authentic Sushi restaurant in Seattle. I've been coming here for Japanese food since 1999!

    (5)

  • Magda P.

    Amazing,fresh, friendly, authentic, just perfect!

    (5)

  • Jason K.

    Family run, excellent authentic daily rotating specials, including homemade ankimo and the ultra popular ramen Friday lunch.

    (5)

  • Long N.

    I'm giving this place 5 stars based on it accomplishing that "whole in the wall, home-made, best kept secret" type of feeling you get when you eat there. I also think its the best izakaya in Japantown in the International district. I've been here about 5 times. The food has always been traditional, clean tasting, and well presented. The katsu-don is the best I've ever had. The rice is perfect and melts in your mouth. Everytime I eat their katsu-don all I can feel is LOVE, the feeling you get when your mom just made you your favorite home cooked dish. Its amazing and only about $10. The sea urchin is also great and at a good price about $7 for two pieces. The squid and cucumber salad is light and refreshing. Other highlights: *grilled beef tongue *chirashi *grilled whole squid *spider roll *spicy tuna roll * on Fridays for lunch only at 12-2pm, they have amazing housemade ramen. its a great savory broth, however, the portion is rather small, make sure you get an appetizer too. I will definitely be coming back again and again.

    (5)

  • Eclat L.

    It's hiding in the international district. Was taken there by my bf, decent food and very Japanese! Slow service though...

    (4)

  • Stephanie T.

    I think if I were Japanese and/or living in Japan, I would think of this place about as close to you get as eating at home while at the same time being out. This place sells non-American-traditional Japanese food (aka more traditional Japanese food) and it is excellent. Pork is featured prominently in the menu, and I think teriyaki might be given one relatively hidden line item (unlike the many places that seem to have chosen Seattle as the one place on earth to feature as their one food dish) -- almost everything is listed in its Japanese name with a brief English description. I definitely recommend the katsu-don, which at a glance seems like an underwhelming dish but after consulting with the waitresses is one of the most popular dishes among the customer base...you wouldn't guess that deep fried pork cutlet covered in an egg to the point where both are a little softened served over rice is friggin delicious, but it is. The other aspect of this place is its "I'm at home" feel. The place is literally "my-kitchen" sized with face-to-face time with the chefs (our chef actually came out and served us our meal) and you really feel like each and every employee is part of a small family running a restaurant. The crowd can be hit or miss for dinner - it opens at 6, which seems relatively tardy and I've been the only one dining here before - but I think a fairly loyal fan base has found this place, since I have often seen it quite packed. Not bad, for a place whose name I can barely seem to remember even with the help of Yelp searching!

    (4)

  • Rule B.

    Excellent Sushi! Busy on a Friday night. I had to negotiate for a seat at the sushi bar. I chalked it up to the experience and character of the place.

    (4)

  • Erik M.

    Hands done some of the most amazing sushi I've had. Could have been 5 stars, but we were sat at the fish bowl table; the table immediately inside the door. Thought with a reservation we would get a better table. Service was mostly attentive, reminders for things. I would recommend this place to any and all. All the other reviews were spot on; no sign, fresh delicious food, intimate and dynamic.

    (4)

  • Lena B.

    I had the sushi combo A and for only 13.95, I had a large amount of high quality sushi. Usually I am not a big fan of mackerel, but the mackerel here is light, with an amazing taste. Can't wait to go back!

    (5)

  • Cherene R.

    Great spot for lunch if you come early. The place is cozy, and by cozy, I mean tiny. But the decor gives off a very simple Japanese feel. There is limited seating, but we came around the time it opened on Tuesday, so we were seated pretty quickly. Thursday's lunch special looked appetizing, but since it was not Thursday, I ordered the katsudon bowl which came with a miso soup. My friend ordered the tonkatsu lunch. The size of our plates looked like a perfect portion for the average appetite - not too big or small, so you leave feeling neither sick to your stomach for being so full or as if you didn't eat anything at all. I enjoyed my katsudon bowl and it tasted very authentic. The katsu was not dry, and soft to bite and the egg was a nice touch. It was enough to satisfy my katsudon cravings since I've been dreaming about eating katsudon for several days now.

    (4)

  • Kyle M.

    Their Oyako Don was awesome. Best donburi you'll ever have. We went for nigiri sushi (which was great) but we left with the oyako don in our memories

    (5)

  • Marisa C.

    I've only gone to this spot once and I want to go back there again! Working in the International District, I have been informed with these small restaurants that I would have never gone ever before. The owner of this spot is super duper nice. And the food was AMAZING!! Thinking about the Pork Katsu Don right now makes me want to go there right now! :D Mike-son sure knows how to cook!

    (5)

  • Rowena D.

    I've always wanted to try this place and I finally got to try it today and was not disappointed. I had lunch here with a friend and we both really enjoyed our food. I had the Friday special which consisted of Shoyu Ramen & Gyoza. It was very reasonable for $7.50. It came with 3 gyozas, a bowl of rice and a large bowl of Shoyu Pork Ramen. My friend had the Ten Don which was the Tempura plate. It cost only $6.50. The menu here is really simple and has all the Japanese basics at inexpensive prices. The restaurant itself is very low key. I always thought the restaurant was closed everytime I would walk by it. I was surprised when I walked in there and the restaurant was full of people. The atmosphere reminded me of the restaurants I visited in Tokyo. The service was good. The waitress kept my water glass and teacup filled. I will definitely come back here again.

    (5)

  • Andrew K.

    Possibly the worst sushi and service I've had in a decade. Don't bother going here when there are so many better places nearby.

    (1)

  • C Y.

    Quality food, talented chef, family business, a place with character, are reasons to eat here. I've been here several times now and have always had a great meal. It feels like an old neighborhood place that the locals would go to in Japan. The sushi chef turned out some creative dishes. I enjoyed the ikura/sake plate he made. Omakase would be a rewarding option here. I don't think the Bell Town sushi crowd would get this place.

    (4)

  • Cameron W.

    Food quality: Great! Sushi Quality: Great! Service for the Food: Ok. It was slow but decent. Service of the Sushi Chef: Abysmal. Not a word spoken when I sat down at the sushi bar. He never asked if I needed anything. He basically spent the whole time talking baseball with another customer. When I left, not a word. I used to work as a sushi chef and even on my worst days I would at least acknowledge when a customer sat down in front of me. Give me a break. How rude! And....I hate to do this...but it's the truth...I saw a cockroach and it just skeeved me out.

    (1)

  • Kevin S.

    I have to say I was really expecting a lot more from this place partially because of the fact the previous two times I tried to get in I couldn't. In any case, the food here is more than passable, but I have to say I would definitely favor Fuji Sushi or Maneki over Tsukushinbo. My main issues were that their combo boxes are sort of expensive (relative to the other two place) and there really isn't the high quality bar there. The cod was so-so and everything else I tried was good, but not great. So the reality is while I won't tell you not to go here, you can definitely do better within walking distance.

    (3)

  • Alex N.

    A quaint little place in the International District, situated right across the street from the fancier/pricier Fuji sushi. It's almost like a culinary David vs. Goliath, except it's not really a battle since both joints serve different types of Japanese cuisine that cater to different crowds (... and more importantly, different price levels). Ambiance: In a word, quaint. Small place with about 10 tables plus some sushi bar seating. Usually about 70%-80% full around dinner time. You can usually hear other patrons speaking in Japanese, which is usually a good sign! Service: The server (there is only one) was acting a bit awkward when taking our order, always keeping her distance (to be fair, she did seem like she was ill). Our order also took some time to arrive (about 20+ mins.) Otherwise, the service was alright. Food - Ordered a triple combination of beef teriyaki, fried oysters, and sushi The good: Beef teriyaki, Fried oysters The meh: Sushi (came with a piece of tuna, a piece of shrimp, and three pieces of California roll; nothing special) The ugly: None, but I have yet to try anything Japanese that I absolutely loathe. Value: Total came to about $20 for my order, no drinks. Kind of expensive considering that we just had a slightly glorified bento box, but I'll live with it, since I rarely get authentic Japanese bento. Overall: The food is casual-style Japanese dining, which is great. I really like that the teriyaki here is more authentic than the stuff you would get at the countless other Westernized teriyaki joints, and for that I would come back.

    (4)

  • Terri C.

    I went for lunch just for the ramen today. It got a litte warm and humid in there - the AC sounded like it was on but with over half the people in there eating ramen on a warm, beautiful day like today, it was a lost cause. But the ramen...and the broth...so worth it! OK, to echo what most have already said, service was only OK...one server and he was doing his best...go for the food.

    (4)

  • Brian T.

    The best Japanese place in Seattle, without a doubt. I will never go anywhere else for Japanese food so long as I have a choice. Everything the kitchen puts out is delicious, and everything the sushi bar puts out is flawless. I love this place, and I love the people that run it. It's family owned and operated, and the love comes through in each one of their dishes.

    (5)

  • Kiho S.

    Great family hole-in-the-wall. Always some regulars stopping in. I swear some people eat there everyday. Busy during lunch (most often than not) for this small, 8 or so table joint, with a solo waitress on most occasions. You will find a large ratio of Japanese clients to any other, which is always a good initial sign, in my book. Recently started serving sushi during lunch hours. Bonus! Good: - This is a total family affair: owned and operated. - Authentic, comfort food exclusive. Gotta love a big bowl of curry... - Sushi is good. The chef is young, but good. - Decent prices. Bad: - It is the International District, so you never know... It's not exactly the cleanest place. Check Fuji Sushi directly across the street. - Due to one waiter, sometimes service is slow during busy times. - There are daily specials; dishes served only on single days, and the menu is quite small (that's to be expected from such a small establishment) Other items: - Order to go if you're in a hurry. - You can get a wheelchair in to eat, but not to use restrooms. - Good luck with parking; you're in the ID. - Hours of operation are short. Call in advance if you're not sure.

    (4)

  • Nga L.

    The nigiri was the best part of our meal (salmon, unagi, hamachi, & tuna). Fish was very fresh. I love the decor - cozy and comfy. No pressure to dress cute. Great place for a casual evening dinner in the ID.

    (4)

  • S M.

    I love hole in the wall restaurants. And Tsukushinbo fits the bill perfectly. I mean, they don't even have a sign outside to tell you that they're there. No need! Word of mouth on how delicious their food is is more than enough. Their rolls -both vegetarian and non- are generous and filling. The curry is grand; not to overpowering and definitely not similar to curries from other countries. Katsu has the perfect balance of tender meat and just enough crispiness not to overwhelm the meat with grease or too crunchy batter. Oh, and the customer service is top notch! If you're craving simple Japanese food that is pretty close to what you'd find well cooked at home, look no further than Tsukushinbo.

    (5)

  • Mikiko T.

    There was nothing special about the menu at all, same old stuff... Katsu, California rolls...you know, just nothing special. The food was okay, definitely wasn't worth the wait 45minutes to get an appetizer, 55miniutes to get the entree. I understand they got busy fast but...really? 45minutes for an appetizer??

    (2)

  • Lisa L.

    The visit to Tsukushinbo in the ID was a very last minute decision. After jogging and catching up with a friend whom I've lost touch with for years and finally got back in touch again a few months ago, we were both hungry. It took us forever to decide where to go eat, but we ended up coming here because she really likes their salmon. At around 7-8pm, it was still dead packed inside. By the way, this hole-in-the-wall is as tiny as it could get. I ended up getting the Dragon Roll, which took FOREVER to come. It was ridiculous. My friend got her food and I got mine like about half an hour later and I had to remind them about it, too. They could definitely use some improvement in their service for their customers. All in all, the Dragon Roll wasn't bad, but I think you could get better quality elsewhere for the same or cheaper price.

    (3)

  • CC Y.

    The sushi is ALWAYS tasty when I go for dinner. And if you're lucky to get a seat at the bar, ask Shota what's good for the night. He won't steer you wrong. I just wish sometimes it was a somewhat bigger place. ONLY because I want to share the delicious experience with all my friends.

    (4)

  • Susan G.

    This place is great! Awesome sushi. No frills. Not fancy. Cheap awesome sushi.I came with 6 people and tried tons of different things. All were very good and it was $25 per person after a huge feast with drinks. Downside is it is small so it is hard to get in quickly. I would try to avoid Friday/Saturday dinner time.

    (4)

  • Pete M.

    Awesome sushi! The fish is super fresh. It's small and can get crowded pretty quickly so plan wisely. The staff is really friendly. Sat at the sushi bar and it was fun to talk to the sushi chef and watch him prepare food. Many of the folks who eat there are regulars. Can't wait to come back and try some of the other dishes as well.

    (5)

  • Kiran C.

    Mouse! Ok the food and service were good at this place but my friend and I saw a mouse here yesterday. I know it is the international district and it is difficul to keep the critters out but I don't think I will be going back anytime soon. The prices are low and the portions are reasonable. They do make their curry from scratch in case you do decide to go here. Just for the record, it feels very much like a traditional Japanese place. I am sure they will get rid of their pest problem soon and this place will get more stars :)

    (2)

  • Juliet D.

    marine roll all the way!! small quaint sushi restaurant with no sign on the door. should call to make a reso beforehand. fish is good quality. love this place. they don't serve dessert though.

    (5)

  • Murat S.

    This is a hidden spot in the ID. Their sushi was pretty good and fresh and their prices are very reasonable. The place is a little small but the service was good. Their food is on par with Maneki's.

    (4)

  • Jeff M.

    This is one of the best Japanese restaurants in Seattle. Ask the sushi chef to create something for you and you will be pleasantly suprised. The home style dishes are great. Most will agree that the tempura is the best in town.

    (5)

  • darrin p. n.

    The name Tsukushinbo has always been fun to pronounce. I wish I could say the same about the experience here but it isn't that type of place. Mind you, this is based off only one experience and my ratings are to my personal standards. To put it short, I did enjoy the experience. The place is very simply laid out and small. Nothing elaborate in decor, just enough so you realize it is a restaurant and feasting is had here. It is apparent that the restaurant is Japanese owned and ran, which is a good sign. Closely matching authenticity is always key in Japanese cuisine. I was lucky enough to catch a quiet evening here, as I hear it can get busy. Unfortunately, I didn't realize the Ramen was a Friday special and had to divert my choice to something else amongst the menu. I decided to get the Ton- Katsu, which in hindsight was a safe choice but still good. My cousin ordered the Katsu-Curry, which seemed pretty good itself. The service didn't take as long as some had mentioned here but like most have said, there is only one server and one sushi chef. So I can imagine it taking awhile on busier days. Though, in those scenarios I don't tend to worry about quickness but can appreciate timely service. I think it is very easy to under appreciate a place like this. For example, a long list of dishes not featured in the menu are written in Japanese on a dry-erase board on the wall. Fortunate for the fluent, not so fortunate for everyone else. I'd like to return to try the Ramen and experience the greatness that is the sushi chef. So expect a follow up review from me in the future.

    (3)

  • Emmett D.

    This is now one of my top 3 places for lunch in the ID (the others being Pho Bac / Sub-Sand). I've only been here twice but I'm thinking of putting it into heavy rotation. It's small, with very little curb-appeal, and opens promptly at the odd hour of 11:45 AM. One server works the whole place, and it could potentially fill up by noon, so get here early. First try I had the Tuesday special - Sanma Shioyaki with Tonjiru - salty, fishy, amazing. The Tonjiru is like miso soup with pork. Today I had their Friday special - Shoyu Ramen with Gyoza. It's delicious, fragrant, and light, as opposed to the butter filled heaviness you get down the street at Samurai Noodle. The downside - the gyoza were a little cold, and nothing special. This variety here will keep me coming back.

    (4)

  • Tai T.

    Random thoughts on my Tsukushinbo trips... There is a build up to opening... come early... or come a hour or so after opening. Come at 6 and practice your box out as the place fills up and there isn't an orderly line the two times I've been. Make sure you check their hours (11:45a to 2p and 6-10p, closed Sunday, and no lunch on Monday and Saturday) Groups of 5 or less... 5 is pushing it too... Great entrees... Mmmmm Black Cod! My friend raving about katsu curry and Oyakodon Friday Shoyu Ramen & Gyoza for $7.50 special hits the spot! I was introduced to this place by Jeff L. I can imagine him singing karaoke here... Him to ripping off a couple of sappy chinese hits. :P Gives me a reason to come to C-Town again... Thanks!

    (4)

  • pascal T.

    Too perfect but dear friends, it is so hard to get a table on Friday morning , please tell no one, on every Friday, they make home made noodle, from scratch, only 35 bowl of ramen, no more no less, fresh , family own, Sushi daily s hand pick from chef every morning in Fish market, never left over ever, but tell no one pleased long wait is hard for me, ok, just tell your family only but no one else about this secret place please

    (5)

  • YumYum Y.

    oh my stars. this place is a gem. i love this place. my wife has now imposed a rule on me. when we go to the ID, which is a lot, we must go somewhere other than tsukushinbo every other time we go. otherwise, she knows i will just default to this lovely place. the atmosphere is simple. the place is quaint and small. about eight seats at the sushi bar. maybe a little more than a dozen tables. the dining room is run by one attentive and efficient woman. there is one young man behind the sushi bar. the place always seems to be filled with people from the neighborhood. i love getting their chirashi. it offers a very nice selection of fresh fish, and they generally work in some pieces that are beyond standards that you find everywhere else. the sweet, delicate scallop that i got the first time i went was a seriously, pleasant surprise. what i really love are their lunch specials though. everyday they feature something different, and they are a great value. on fridays they do a beautifully simple ramen with a side of pot stickers. my favorite is the whole grilled pike mackerel. so lovely and flakey. it is divine. oh, and i always order a side of the sea urchin nigiri. heaven. nirvana. tsukushinbo. until next time my love.

    (5)

  • Jason J.

    Went for lunch. Decent crowd. We were the only Caucasians present, which is usually a good omen. I had the sushi lunch special #A. Plenty of food, great nigiri and a California roll with crab. Great, friendly service and good lunch menu prices.

    (4)

  • J Todd S.

    Just had the sushi and sake. But it was clean, fresh, and very good. The caterpillar roll was my favorite, but the marine roll was amazing. A real place...no sign, just look for the satisfied diners through the window!

    (5)

  • Jeff L.

    If I close my eyes and eat fast enough, it has that Takohachi kind of taste/vibe to it but if any of you start karaoking when I'm there... I might sushi-ize your microphone. Food here is pretty good, the sushi isn't top notch but it ain't too shabby either. The Tsukushinbo Roll is on the more spicy side of things. I've been here 4 times and have not been disappointed once. Be warned, they can get busy and packed in a hurry. Within a minute of the place opening, all the seats were filled on a Friday night. FYI: Ramen only at lunch on Fridays.

    (4)

  • Syd C.

    This is the spot. Has all the characteristics of a great japanese restaurant. Small, lots of locals, not overly decorated or trendy and hidden away. The broiled saba (fish) is soooooooo good. melts in your mouth and fresh/clean tasting, there is no yucky fish aftertaste. The people there are friendly and nice and you can always pull up a seat at the sushi bar. Unlike manekis, you prob won't have to wait 90 mins for a seat. Although I'm also a big fan of Manekis. Before you go, you have to know their hours. Open only during lunch and dinner hours and closed on Mondays.

    (5)

  • Chau L.

    Love the food here! The chicken karage is moist and crunchy. The makarel is out of this world. The crunchy roll is excellent and it isn't deep fried! The sushi chef is cool too!

    (4)

  • Madeline H.

    A great family-owned and operated business. The rice in the sushi is excellent (not too sweet), and the fish is about as fresh as it can get without still being alive. Try the saba. For everyone giving it one star because they saw a cockroach: Get over it, you wimps. At Maneki, a cockroach once fell from the ceiling into my ba-chan's tea. It's the International District. These buildings are over a hundred years old and some of the most ill-maintained structures in the city. I'd be more concerned if I didn't see cockroaches.

    (5)

  • Karen R.

    A little family-run Japanese joint that makes me forget I'm in America. The size of this place, the food... it reminds me of being back in Japan. Come here for good SIMPLE but delicious food; cooked and uncooked :) You know what I mean by 'uncooked'. The local Japanese community all know one another in Seattle so it's often if you're with a Japanese friend, they will know people dining here. Both lunch and dinner are always crowded and I doubt they take reservations. So be ready to wait for a table and/or your food. It's usually either of the daughters serving and one of them is slightly slower and more disorganized then the other. But they're nice and as long as you're patient, they'll do their best. Really, they're not trying to ruin your meal :) Bring small bills if you're paying cash... Dinner menu is a lot more extensive and the son works behind the sushi bar on weekends. There is no sushi for lunch. But if you want some tasty filling Japanese food, come here. I love my saba and kariage double set. A lot of food but oh-so-satisfying when I'm trying to be piggy (like I usually am). Oh, price is right too! They have after hours karaoke too... I don't quite remember much about the last time I was there but I know I was there but didn't sing... that much I remember :)

    (3)

  • Juliette K.

    Bomb. Can't believe this was my first time here after being a born and raised sushi-loving seattlite and living here my whole life. Thank you fugi for being so busy and leading me to investigate the open sign accross the street!!

    (4)

  • Jim B.

    This was passably good Japanese and it has a nice location. The three stars are for the rather confused service. Our food seemed to come in waves that corresponded to when they remembered they still had food to give us. The sushi was good, but didn't surprise me in any way. Their Tonkatsu is very good, second only to Shiki. Shiki is hard to beat.

    (3)

  • jay j.

    Another hidden gem in Seattle for Japanese food lovers. No fancy fusion rolls here... But, if you like Japanese curry rice, ramen, and tonkatsu like I do, don't miss it. (served lunch only). For dinner, I like to start with Iichiko(shochu) on the rocks with Nira Liver = sauteed beef liver with been sprouts. There are tons of other appetizers to go with sake and beer, too. Oh and the spicy salad, it's pretty darn tasty. Very decent nigiri sushi.... For those of you that miss 'Takohachi', this place may be your next bet and it complements Maneki (near by) very well I think in terms of different offerings. I respect and love family run business like this one where father is the sushi chef, mom in the kitchen and the daughter serves. His son helps out on some weekend nights.

    (4)

  • David K.

    Went here after the Mariner's home opener with the gf. We were both hankerin for some Japanese curry, and I was told by my conversation partner that this place is decent. First thing I noticed that the place is kinda small. There are probably only 6 or 7 tables that support 4 people. That could be a good thing or a bad thing. Fortunately for us, it was not crowded at the time. Yeah, I agree with other reviewers that the service is slow. However, it would seem that there is only 1-2 servers and 1-2 cooks (plus the sushi chef). Given the amount of variety in the menu, I feel that the wait is justified. We both ordered the katsu-curry along with some tori karrage. About the Karrage, it was hot and had some crisp to the outside, but the inside was pretty juicy. It was pretty good. The katsu-curry was served with a side salad not unlike one served with teriyaki and some macaroni salad and miso soup. I liked the contrast with the two salads and the miso was decent. The curry sauce was great. Had a little bit more spice and flavor than other places I have tried around ID. The katsu and the rice were more than sufficient to soak up the sauce. Best thing of all, the prices I think were reasonable. It's why I love going to ID for Japanese or Chinese food. I'll try to find another excuse to come back here.

    (4)

  • Philip L.

    Went back for sushi and it was excellent. It's a cozy little space with top-notch food.

    (5)

  • Julie A.

    Walking by this place you would not think it was a restaurant since there is no sign with its name or even an open sign. But that does not matter. This place has tradishal fresh sushi that can beat any sushi restaurant in Seattle. If you are coming with more than two, recommend calling ahead. This place is small and always busy.

    (5)

  • kristopher y.

    no frills place. not entirely cozy, but it was fine. upon a friend of a friend's recommendation. somewhat small selection, but the fish was good. they just offer bottled beer (the big 3) but at this point ive learned this town dun do japanese. unfotunately, the service was meh. she wasn't helpful with accommodating custom veggie rolls, nor offered any friendly suggestions. i... enjoyed it for what it was, but wont go back.

    (3)

  • kento O.

    The best grilled fish in Seattle. Sanma, Iwashi or even Saba. They grill them like they were meant to be grilled with crust of salt on the tail fins. Hardcore Japanese way. Also great Udon for lunch. Tell the excellent sushi-chef, Mike-san, that Kento sent you and I miss his food. Oh yeah, he makes the best Asazuke (pickles) ever! Kazu of Mariners used to come here a lot. Also loved by the Japanese punk band Melt-Banana (I took them there).

    (5)

  • B K.

    Oh man. I hate to give this a one star. My friend and I used to LOVE coming here. Food was/is great. However, there is an obvious cleanliness/pest problem. During one busy day while we were eating at the sushi bar waiting for our meals. We lifted up the soy sauce on the sushi bar only to have a cockroach run out. It didn't even want to run away really fast, but rather just scampered up to our food. We shooed it off, and ate our meals anyway. But felt ill later at the thought and haven't been back. Very unfortunate.

    (1)

  • Magdalene T.

    Our first visit here upon recommendation from my Japanese hair stylist was a 5-stars-worthy experience. We decided to bring my parents to try it too. Things were going well until the dragon roll and caterpilla roll were served. We had noticed the avocado was dark on the rolls but thought it should still taste fine. But we were wrong. It had such a bad taste that I had to spit it out. When we alerted the (only) server, she was polite and said all the right things but it was obvious she did not care for our opinion. She came back and said that both the owner and chef tried and the roll wasn't bad. She suggested it could be the rice vinegar in the sushi that gave us the "sour" taste. She offered to let us try the rice on its own to determine if it was the rice or the avocado as our chirashi order was ready and she "wondered'" if we still wanted it. Urrm......ok......I think we've eaten enough Japanese food to be discerning. But sure, we'll try the rice on its own and of course, it wasn't the rice. Subsequently, when the last item in our order (the spicy tuna roll) had not arrived after some time, we enquired. I know they were busy and may have forgotten..Instead the server said something along the lines of oh....the roll has avocado in it, so she wasn't sure if we still wanted it. Ok....if she wasn't sure, then ask! This whole time, we felt that though we can't fault her words, it was her attitude and insincerity that really disappointed us. We then cancelled the tuna roll. I do not understand why there needed to be a "debate" on whether the roll was bad in the first place. Maybe it were just the pieces that my hubby and I tried that were bad and the ones the chef and owner tried were fine. But that should not discount our feedback. We should not have felt like we had to justify ourselves.

    (2)

  • Fumiko B.

    I am Japanese and this place serves real Japanese taste. My picky old Japanese neighbor like going this place. If you like being surrounded by Japanese people in small restaurant, this place is the one. I rated 4 stars because the menu selections are limited for lunch. I went Tsukushinbo with my Japanese friend for lunch three times and all three liked the food that they ordered. I haven't try dinner yet. There may be many Japanese barbecued meats and veggies available. I saw many items listed on the wall.

    (4)

  • Lars A.

    For me, this is the best Japanese restaurant in Seattle. My mother, who is Japanese, says the food prepared here are closer to being home cooking style and not that "stuff" you tend to find at other more expensive Japanese restaurants. The Sushi here is very good and most of the time very fresh. My top 3 favorite dishes are, Katsu-Donburi (aka Katsu-don), Saba (Broiled/Grilled Mackerel) and Curry-Udon. This restaurant is very small, it opens at 11:45 AM and by 12:00 it is packed.

    (5)

  • ran y.

    My number one spot for sushi thus far. Super friendly family that runs the place and super delicious food without a super outrageous bill. I have a Japanese associate whom is a straight up snob about most things Nihon. I took him here to shut him up. He ordered some sort of pan blackened fish, made a little girl noise when he tasted it and proclaimed "it's like my grandma made". Mission accomplished.

    (5)

  • Erin K.

    I'm a planner. To a fault, I think. However, I am very adaptable and I can recognize true excitement when I see it. Case in point: had a nice seafood lunch planned for the Pike Place Market area for a friend from out of town. We were at the Market buying sausage from Uli's and the nice gentleman behind the counter heard my friend mention sushi and he then animatedly told us about a place he loved in the International District, and even wrote down the information and landmarks so we would be sure to find it. Find it we did and it was lovely. Prices were cheap to reasonable (only $24 for three rolls and gyoza!), service was attentive even though there was only a single waitress. Cheers to the guy at Uli's for his recommendation! I would definitely go again.

    (4)

  • Selena B.

    I came here with a group of friends to have a celebration. They were very accommodating and fairly attentive. But the place is small so I suggest no parties bigger than 4. The food was what surprised me, it was good! They offered several Izakaya type food on their menu list that is harder to find here. They also have a kitchen and a sushi bar, I had a bit of the sushi and it was decent. The best was it all tasted Japanese!!! The price was also quite reasonable. One downside is, the location. Being on the eastside I can't parallel park, plus I have to cross the bridge to get here. I'll probably only go back if I need to meet with people in Seattle. If you're every by Uwajimaya I say give this one a try!!

    (4)

  • Taunya B.

    What a wonderful experience! There is something uniquely special about dining in a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that serves really good food. Our only complaint was that the restaurant was somewhat warm upon first entering, but it seemed to feel cooler as the meal went on. Just don't overdress and you will be fine. The atmosphere was completely inviting. We were so close to our neighbors that we struck up a conversation and actually shared our Otoro appetizer with them. Staff was very friendly and eager to answer our questions about the different Sake choices. We ordered the Chef's Special and enjoyed it immensely. It was very educational to have so many different types of VERY FRESH sashimi at one sitting to compare flavors. Our favorites were Otoro, Saba, Hamachi and Uni. We were most surprised by the Uni and Ebi...Uni was sheer decadence and Ebi was a textural nightmare. We thought it would be the exact opposite. Anyhoo...Go! You will not be disappointed. We can't wait to go back.

    (5)

  • Alice R.

    I love this little place with a hard to pronounce name. It is very cozy and it is amazing that they can fit as many people as they do during their busy lunch hour. There is usually one server so be prepared to wait a bit. Other than that, the service here is very friendly and welcoming. The food is very good, authentic Japanese dishes of the soba, udon, donburi, grilled fish or meat with rice variety. The pricing is reasonable. I would make this a regular spot if I lived closer.

    (5)

  • ica f.

    Went for a friends birthday. The place is small and the service can be kinda slow, but the food was delicious.

    (4)

  • Kenji O.

    Tsukushinbo is a place that will not blow you away if you come here looking for over-the-top sushi rolls, beautifully plated entrees, or a stellar atmosphere. The restaurant is cramped - probably to the point of being uncomfortable to many people - which tends to make the atmosphere loud and their is no waiting area so tables are located right next to the door. With that said, you will like Tsukunshinbo, however, if you're fan of "real" family-style Japanese food in a restaurant that feels like it's in Japan. If so, than this is your place. Many of the reviewers are right about Tsukunshinbo; you will find all the usual Japanese entrees here (read: tonkatsu, tenpura, sushi, etc) and for them, it seems a disappointment. But for me, I will gladly eat these staples of Japanese cuisine at Tsukushinbo because of the very basic fact that they do these dishes right. It seems to be that too many Japanese restaurants in Seattle change flavors to appeal to American or Western palates. Not at Tsukushinbo. Many of the flavors and tastes here mirror that of the "real deal" in Japan. It seems to me, many people who say they like "Japanese" food, don't actually know what Japanese food is. With that said I like Tsukunshinbo because these are exactly the foods that remind me of living in Japan. Unfortunately, I do have to agree about a few things that the other reviewers pointed out. First of all, the service there is not good as there is usually only one server working. It's not enough to have only one person there to take orders, serve food, among other responsibilities of the position. I don't think this is a problem that can be rectified because I don't think it's physically possible to have another server walking in their with food as it is VERY cramped. Also, another thing I wish they would change is, they have a written menu on a whiteboard on the wall full of small dishes that go excellent with sake. The problem is, it's all written in Japanese and my knowledge of kanji is lacking, to say the least. That means, I miss out a whole boat load of foods and flavors and the server is too busy to help me :P I guess, for me these are minor issues as I usually go in there with an idea of what I'm going to order but it's something to keep in mind. The last time I went into Tsukunshinbo, I order the saba dinner which was excellent. To a western palette, I imagine it would come across as fishy and I probably wouldn't recommend it to a friend unless they were very familiar with Japanese cuisine. However, for me, it was incredible. The saba was cooked perfectly and was salted to perfection. For those of you who don't care for broiled fish as much, I would probably recommend the katsu-kare (curry). It's ton-katsu (breaded and fried pork cutlet) served over rice with Japanese style curry on top. It's always a crowd pleaser and is great comfort food for those cold Seattle days. With that, I'm going to happily recommend Tsukunshinbo but take it with a grain of salt. My recommendation is meant for the people who like "real" Japanese home-cooking. Tsukushinbo is not a restaurant for everyone. It's cramped, the service can be slow, and the atmosphere can even be considered uncomfortable to some. But if you're like me, a die-hard fan of Japan, who longs to relive walking around the izakayas (Japanese style bar) of Kanagawa, then you'll absolutely love this place.

    (4)

  • Ben R.

    I stop in here every year when I go through Seattle for work, and their sushi is excellent. But the impressive thing is that they recognize me, even though I only go once a year! The service is excellent, and again it's some of the best sushi i've ever had. Definitely recommend the monkfish liver.

    (5)

  • George D.

    Having lived in Japan for 8 years I can tell you that this place is as Japanese as you are going to get in the state of Washington. The place is run by actual Japanese people, not Korean or Chinese like your typical teriyaki joints and feels local. The food is great! It is like a very typical izukaya. It has that hole in the wall feel, with regulars and all. Family run, Tsukushinbo reminded me of the many small restaurants I visited in Japan. The place is small, the staff is small, but it is popular so it might be in your best interest to call ahead just in case. Sushi, Japanese curry, ramen, all the best of Japanese cuisine is available.

    (5)

  • Jason C.

    An anonymous source gave me this recommendation since I was hunting for authentic and delicious Udon. I wasn't disappointed at all. The Udon was ordered by the g/f and she said it was certainly above average and very enjoyable. The helpings were substantial, the broth was piping, and the noodles were doughy. These three factors are more than enough to carry the well earned 4 stars. The sushi too was well prepared. A young but skilled sushi chef created good rolls and was working with fresh and quality ingredients. The tuna was practically and simply prepared.

    (4)

  • Tyler R.

    It's a shame that no one has reviewed this place yet as it's great. The udon at lunch tastes great, is quite filling, and only $7. The tempura was also quite good. The place sits about 20-30 people and could be described as cozy. The tucked-away karaoke machine in the corner caused me some concern at first. A karaoke machine or dance floor in a restaurant is the sign of either barely passes food inspection or a genuine ex-pat haunt. Luckily, Tsukushinbo appears to be the latter. The overwhelming majority of the menu has meat in it so I can only comment on the few things I could order. If it's any help, my friends also thoroughly enjoyed their food.

    (4)

  • Mary G.

    Very homey feeling. Went there twice for dinner. Definitely packed so you may have to wait a bit as the place is small. I've tried their hot food and sushi. Both are fabulous. The sushi chef makes really good fresh rolls. I also really enjoy their appetizers. A definite must try is the daikon salad. I'd have to say this is one of the best Japanese restaurant I've tried in Seattle.

    (4)

  • Timmmaahh W.

    This place is one of the best for Japanese in the International District. They have reasonable prices for very tasty food. Their lunch specials are always a good bet. The miso is yummy and the tempura is so damn good.

    (5)

  • Calvin C.

    Went to lunch with my friend on Tuesday. We were pretty hungry, so we just order set lunch. Took her 10-15 mins to come take our orders. Then around 30-45 mins for the food...I mean you can at least give us miso soup and salad for us to eat while waiting. But I have to say, the food is really good. I'm just amaze how long it take to make a set lunch.

    (3)

  • Yoko N.

    Nothing to complain about this place. Many things to compliment about when it comes to their authentic food!

    (5)

  • Peter C.

    really fresh sushi for a reasonable price. 4 people, two bottles of Sake, maybe 30 pieces of sushi for about 200 including tip

    (5)

  • Jill S.

    The other day I went to Tsukushinbo for lunch. It wasn't our first choice, but the restaurant across the street was closed. I'd been to this place before when it was known as Tsuru, back in the early 90's. The place was crowded, so we sat at the sushi bar. It was one of our hot Seattle days and the restaurant was stuffy and smelled of natural gas--like a burner was leaking or something. There was an old-fashioned AC unit mounted above the front door, and it was working overtime, which resulted in a constant drip of water that you had to dodge when entering the restaurant. I had a sushi combination, and it was VERY good. The quality of the fish was great, and even though the sushi chef wasn't very friendly, he was fun to watch and for his youth, seemed to know what he was doing. I tend to place more emphasis on the food, versus the environment--but it was difficult to keep my mind on how good the sushi was while keeping one eye on the roach that was freely roaming on the wall behind the sushi chef. If you're one of those people who can easily overlook things like unappetizing smells and roaches, then this place will be fine for you!

    (1)

  • Nelly H.

    This is the restaurant where I learned to love sushi. The sushi is always amazing, always fresh, never fishy. The food from the kitchen is excellent (yummy katsu curry)!!! This is the only place we go to for sushi in Seattle.

    (5)

  • Ann M.

    good sushi and nice assortment of small plate dishes. fun place to drink and eat and then drink some more!

    (4)

  • julia s.

    I love this place. It's a family-owned izakaya style restaurant at night and a teishoku place for lunch. Nothing fancy about the ambience but the people are very nice. You can count on this place for fantastic grilled fish, honest ramen (on Friday), udon, tempura, shogayaki, all the basic stuff you can get in Japan. They have daily lunch specials and the Tuesday one is the best: grilled sanma and tonjiru (pork-based miso broth.) Sushi at night only. Vegetarian options are very few.

    (4)

  • Shar S.

    Their foods is excellent, price is good, but customer service is very poor.

    (4)

  • Sharon W.

    The food at this place has a nice home cooked feel, and the service is a warm and friendly like most other family run restaurants. The restaurant and the decor definitely needs some updating, but I guess if they were to update the place then they would need to charge more like the place across the street. The portions are good and the price is cheap. We ordered 3 combination dinners, which allowed you a choice of Saba, black cod, Teriyaki beef or chicken and a choice of sushi, sashimi or tempura. It also comes with the standard miso soup, rice and cucumber salad and a house salad. In addition we ordered a garlic Ika for an appetizer and green tea. The garlic Ika was really yummy! The total came out to be about $50. I would definitely come back to try some of the other things.

    (4)

  • Funglin W.

    Went to come for ramen, but they only serve ramen on Friday lunchtime! However, I was shockingly surprised by their food and loved it! Came with 4 other friends and we ordered the following: Agedashi Tofu (4): 6 deep fried tofu with amazing sauce. I love that they gave a lot of the sauce because it was soooo good (we ended up dipping our soba noodles and tempuras into that sauce) Sashimi Dinner Set (4): 16 pieces of sashimi. It included 2 bass, 2 yellowtail, 2 octopus, 2 tuna, 2 fluke, 2 scallop, and I forgot the other two. But it was good portion and really fresh. Good samples of their sushi. They said it's meant for 1 serving but i'd say it's more like 2 servings. Dinner Combination where you pick 3 from their list (5): We ordered the karage chicken, fried oysters and the salted cod. The cod melted instantly in your mouth. The karage chicken was a bit small in portion but it was deep fried really nicely and the oysters were huge! Green tea + Regular Soba noodles that came with tempura (5): I loved it! It was on their soba list where you got to taste 2 kinds of soba with some tempura. I must say this was the dish I enjoyed much. I'm almost craving it already... Their soba noodles has the right chewiness to it and the tempura is delicious as well. Caterpillar Sushi Roll (5): so goood!!! The avocado and the fish roe were so good together. I would highly recommend ordering this sushi roll. Marine Roll (4): If you like salmon, this would be a good choice. It definitely has a bit of a kick to it, which I'm not much of a spicy eater. But if you like salmon and spice, there you go! Highly recommend Tsukushinbo. I was really pleased and thoroughly appreciated the edamame appetizers as well as their service.

    (5)

  • Katie L.

    I'm a sushi lover so I am really picky with sushi and fish. I've been to a couple sushi places and all their sushi smells and tastes not fresh and in the end I leave unsatisfied. This place is really small and if you want to get into it sometimes you would have go get reservations! The Uni is really good and I liked their grilled calamari and zaru soba noodles. Their lychee shochu was good as well. Service was good and fast. Though would've been faster if it wasn't so busy. Overall it is a decent experience and restaurant.

    (4)

  • Hao T.

    Topics: Psychedelic mushrooms, homemade vaporizers, Seattle Bouldering Project, and Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mister Fox. All over a divine assortment of sashimi and sushi at Tsukoshinbo. The heavenly piece of scallop that made my tastebuds shiver in ecstasy. The mackerel that speared my tongue with its sharpness (tartness) while smoothed it over with some sweet lovin'. Ahi tuna and salmon so buttery, my freshly shaved legs were jealous. Indeed the best platter of fish fish mixmatch I've had in recent memory. How does one enjoy a happy hour plate of Japonessa's sashimi after having my palate liberated from the shackles of fast food and frozen dinners for lunch? - Just kidding my dearest Japonessa, I still enjoy your beloved fusion of coma inducing deep fried Bad Boy Take Me Now goodness! I heard the ramen on Friday is good but I'm not big on waiting for food on a Friday afternoon when there's other deliciousness in the International District to try. BUT the fish here is good. Solid. No fluffy dressing up. Tsukoshinbo is a diamond in the rough...the rough being the series of pretentious try too hard gotta-theme-the-shit-outta-this-place restaurants appearing all over Seattle. All in all, grab a friend (keep it singular, not recommended for groups) and come here for a night of home comfort. 'twas a lucky rainy Seattle evening for me to nag a table for two at 5:50 so reservations are encouraged.

    (5)

  • Kevin C.

    Had the Omakase, sushi was really delicious and fresh! Very good ratio of fish to rice. The one that stood out the most was the "piggy back" which was sweet shrimp with a quail egg yolk. Absolutely delicious. Come early, or call ahead for reservation.

    (5)

  • Curtis L.

    As a PNW native and an I.D. frequent, I'm glad to have put this restaurant under my belt. Tsukushinbo is clumped in the north-end of the I.D. with the likes of Fuji, Maneki, and for long time Japanese foodies...Ichiban (Closed). The restaurant looks deceivingly closed, but don't be fooled! Inside, the restaurant is very cozy-- 10-15 small tables, a list of their daily specials written on their chalkboard, and some seating at the sushi bar. As I tried this with my family, we sat towards the back and at a quiet table. The seating area was tight, and got a little uncomfortable as the restaurant quickly filled up around 7:00 PM. My family ordered salmon filled Onigiri (rice ball for short), a combination dinner (sashimi, salted black cod, and tempura), Curry Katsu, and Katsu Don. I can't speak too much on the taste of each dish, but I can comment that the curry was high quality and the katsu had a delectable sweet batter--similar to that of Hawaiian mochiko chicken. I ordered 2 appetizers to maximize the dishes I got to try: Miso Saba (mackerel) and Ochazuke with salmon eggs. The Miso Saba was good, but I don't think I would try it again. I'm a big fan of saba, but I was not impressed with the thick glob of miso sauce that they lathered on the fish. The Ochazuke was a different story. This was the first time I had ever seen this dish on a Japanese menu! I was so excited!! As a young boy, this was the dish I would eat as a snack to warm me up, when I was sick, or any other day! The soup base (dashi) was complimented with nori (seaweed), rice, and salmon roe...it also included a side of wasabi to mix in, which made this dish a hit! The waitstaff was very friendly and responded quickly to any requests that my family had. The only qualm was the time it took to get our food. Not a big deal as this is expected at small restaurants. I can't wait to go back and become a regular. I'm excited to try the sashimi and small appetizer plates that are offered. See you soon Tsukushinbo!

    (4)

  • Kay N.

    I would recommend calling in for reservations - this place is tiny. I would have to say it is one of the best sushi places I have tried in the Seattle area. The seafood was fresh and presentation of the food was eye-pleasing. We came in when they were doing their Seahawk happy hour specials. We got really good deals on some of their sushi such as spicy tuna roll and their special Tsukushinbo roll. We also had agashi tofu and popcorn chicken. We ordered a lot of dishes and everything was pretty tasty, except the monkfish liver. If you are not into super "fishy" aftertaste, then I would not go for this dish. Our favorite sushi was probably the one with scallops stuffed in the sushi and seared salmon on top found in the regular menu. Everything was reasonably priced and comparable to other sushi restaurants. I would definitely came back here. A star is knocked off for service. Our server was not that friendly and it seemed like she was rushing us. This was saved towards the end of the night where another server cashed us out. She had a great personality.

    (4)

  • Jenny L.

    Lovely hole in the wall place. Friday's are the toughest to get their ramen special, however with some advance planning and patience, this place is well worth the wait. Anticipate anywhere from half an hour to an hour wait. We typically get the spicy tuna and shoyu based ramen that comes with rice and gyoza. Broth is very authentic Japanese ramen. Their sushi is freshly made but the rice was a little hard this time. Agedashi tofu was a sure win though!

    (4)

  • Nina N.

    I have recently visited this place with friends that knew what to order and I am sold. Chicken katsu Potstickers !!! Fresh list nigiri And that's it.

    (4)

  • Scott B.

    They don't have a sign for a reason.

    (5)

  • Star F.

    Pros: good quality sushi and onigriri is really good. The daikon salad is good too. Cons: seating is terrible--the place is basically the size of a master bedroom. Hard to get seating and wait time can vary.

    (4)

  • Sonya B.

    Food is very good! Would earn 5 stars if service was better. The waitress forgets things asked and is slow. Doesn't come and ask if everything is ok. Hopefully I can upgrade it to 5 stars next time when I get excellent service :)

    (4)

  • Tal A.

    Really like this place. Beautiful presentation and excellent taste. Chirashi was nicely presented and just the rights size. Price is good for what you get.

    (5)

  • Alanna M.

    This place is packed during the lunch hour and they're only opened 11:45 AM - 2 PM. We arrived at 12:15 and the place had a line out the door. We waited about 15 mins for a table. They open longer during the dinner hour. Tricky to find with limited to no signs. You're best off using the photos from yelp to locate the building and door. Definitely a "hole in the wall" -- without the hole. It's very clean, but ventilation kind of sucked. Their menu is limited which helps them be as efficient as they are. They also have a daily lunch special -- Friday being ramen day! Perfect on cold wet rainy Seattle days. There are some items noted on the board on the west side of the wall, but it is written in Japanese so yeah... not much help. The fish was fresh and the food was simply delicious.

    (5)

  • Naifang W.

    Never had this big of a disappointment in a great reviewed Japanese restaurant. Sashimi was very unfresh. Tuna roll already stink. Plus kind of pricy.

    (2)

  • Damana M.

    This is a place for people who truly appreciate good sashimi and nigiri. We sat at the bar and were served one nigiri at a time by one of the best sushi chefs I've seen since Japan. The quality was superb. The service is friendly and very natural and relaxed. At such a good price with great food, this is now my favourite Japanese restaurant in Seattle. Be warned, be prepared to drink sake or beer as there is only one red and white wine by the glass. You aren't here for the wine though. My mouth is watering just writing this review and thinking of the food.

    (5)

  • Lee A.

    This is a pretty popular place and must be because it doesn't even need to have a sign with it's name outside. I probably only found it so easily because I got there a few minutes before it opened and there were a lot of people waiting outside. The first three things I ordered they did not have which was disappointing but the food was still good and I will definitely go back again. I got Oyako don (I think).

    (3)

  • Alice T.

    BELIEVE THE HYPE. First, Ramen Friday is everything people have promised. Yes, you do need to line up at 11:30. Yes, the place is small so if you don't line up early, you won't be in the first wave of lunch service (which, to get through their immediate full house when opening at noon, takes a bit of time). And Yes, it is worth it. Ramen is offered as their Friday lunch special. There are other special entrees on the other days, but I have not yet been. I came here solely because I heard about their ramen. The lunch special is about $9, and comes with salad and potstickers. We ordered two ramens and one chicken katsu lunch special between the three of us. The ramen was wonderful. Really, it was. It was fantastically simplistic, with one slice of super tender pork and some fish cakes. The broth was flavorful and you can tell it was made with expertise. The amount of noodles was quite generous. Note that if you are looking for ramen dishes that are more complex, then go to Samurai or Kukai, as these are both good at offering ramen with more variety and choices for topping. The potstickers were okay and the salad was basic. Certainly not items that draw me here nor will draw me back...it's the ramen! I tried some of the chicken katsu, and this was nicely done also, very tender with your standard delicious tonkatsu sauce. Interestingly, the macaroni in the "macaroni salad" was in noodle form. Second, I came here the following week for sushi dinner. Also did not disappoint. We ordered agedashi tofu, broiled cod seasoned with salt and pepper, uni and amaebi sashimi, and a caterpillar roll. Other than the roll (which was a solid performance but nothing spectacular, as I find with any roll), everything was an A-PLUS. The sashimi was extremely fresh. The ama ebi was large, on the larger side of what I've experienced generally. The cod was well prepared and really highlighted how wonderful black cod really is. Finally, the tofu was a great flavor, had a slightly slimy exterior (it was neat, don't be scared), and pretty thick broth. I'd go back again. I'm checking my calendar to see when I can get me some more Ramen as we speak.

    (5)

  • nari k.

    Our favorite sushi place by far! The fish is always fresh, but where tsukushinbo really impresses us is the kitchen food. The gyoza, salt black cod, saba shio, shrimp and vegetable tempura, chicken wings, karaage, hama kama, katsu don, and mozuku are all seriously amazing. Try any of the specials on the chalk board. The tamago is also great! Service is always fine, expect a long wait unless you make a reservation. Highly recommended!

    (5)

  • Patrick O.

    This place only receives a two star because the food is good; otherwise, it would receive a one star. Let us dive right into this one. Pretentious is the best possible word to describe this place. There isn't even a business name on the building or door. Walking by, you might think that you just quickly strolled past someone's dining room. It's very small and intimate. I have to admit, this was quite an allure to why I tried this place about a year ago before this recent visit. It's also best to call ahead for a reservation, as it's always pretty busy. Anyhow, on to today's visit. We called ahead about an hour to reserve a table, upon arriving, the table was already set up for us. The server directed us towards our table and then quickly went elsewhere; the menus were already on the table. We personally already knew what we wanted, we came here for a craving of Katsu Curry. We quickly marked down a few items on the sushi menu and then placed the menus in a pile on the edge of the table to signal that we were ready to order. Shortly after placing down our menus, another couple was seated next to us, they read through their menus for a little over 5 minutes when the server came up and asked if they were ready to order. At first I was a little pissed off that he had taken their order while they were clearly still looking at the menu, and we were sitting with ours stacked on the corner of the table. We weren't playing on our phones or anything, we just kept shooting glances at the staff, raising our hand a few times to catch their attention. You'll remember I said this place is small, so it's not like they couldn't see us. Back to the table next to us. They fumbled through their order, still not sure what they wanted, asking the server for his opinion and then spending a couple minutes deciding on what drinks they wanted, all the while we're watching the waiter, expecting him to take our order next. He doesn't. At this point, I'm ready to just get up and leave the restaurant, but we're both very hungry, and even more so at this point. I finally yell out loud to the server as he rushes by to take the order of another table seated after us. "Hey, we're ready to order." He nods, and says "Okay, okay" and then returns 5 minutes later. Now we're about 20 minutes into just sitting here, with no water, no anything. He asks us what we want and we tell him about the Katsu Curry, to which he informs us that they don't have anymore for today. We stood up and walked out right then and there. A few tips: 1) When you seat people, actually take them to their seat. 2) Take this opportunity to inform them of anything that you're out of for that day. 3) Ask if they want to order any drinks. I was ready to drop some cash down on some of their specialty imported beer, and had we known about the Katsu Curry shortage, we could've gone elsewhere, or at least had time to contemplate if we wanted anything different. 20 minutes into a dining "experience" only to have to start from scratch is bullshit. We went over to the best Sushi in town, Maneki and had an amazing dinner. P.S. Maneki doesn't sell Katsu Curry, but we were totally over it a that point.

    (2)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :5:30 pm - 10:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : Yes
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Dinner
    Parking : Street
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : No
    Good for Groups : No
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Casual
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
    Outdoor Seating : No
    Wi-Fi : No
    Has TV : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : No

Tsukushinbo

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