Aki Kushiyaki - Seattle

Awesome and unusual Japanese meal. No fish, lots of different meats, awesome tasty preparations and presentations. Our server told us this was the last night of operation: owner is closing down to focus on his existing restaurants.

So glad we decided to go here for dinner. I was really concerned after reading some of the reviews before my reservation here with my sister for the tasting menu.Biggest fear was the salt because my sister is very sensitive to salt in dishes. And execution on the dishes.For context my sister and I are foodies and have been around the world to try out fine dining establishments and we were not disappointed.The Pros:Ambiance was great and service was good.Food was reminiscent of my time in japan eating at an izakaya. There is care and plan around how the food dishes were executed and I appreciated the quality of the ingredients used which is a must have for Japanese cuisine.Food was grilled optimally in most dishes although I wish with dishes like the chicken wing would have been more charred where the skin was for a crisp.I through enjoyed the snap pea dish, although my sister was not a fan of the meatball dish (only dish she did not like because it was too soft for her liking)For 13 “bites” it was worth the cost of the tasting for usThe cons:Sister felt the sake flight was ok but enjoyed the sake by the glass much more.Because it is hard to find a good izakaya that uses similar technique and attention to detail in the area- I felt like this was worth the experience. Also felt like the cost was worth the ambiance as I was able to enjoy a conversation with my sister without people near us.I feel the restaurant does read these reviews and probably adjusts the dishes accordingly as we didn’t experience the negative reviews a few months back- super happy we decided to keep the reservation.

Overpriced for so so quality. Unauthentic kushiyaki menu. Use of binchotan marketed but probably unskillfully used. What a waste. Conclusion wont go back.

The experience was everything. They only do reservations with 2 seatings a night. Then you get to experience 13 courses meal served in omakase-style which means you trust the chef to make the selections for you. Each dish is served delicately and comes with a bit of history and story which I loved. The portions looks small but halfway through the meal, we were filled. It was indulging and one of my favorite restaurant experiences. We felt special with all the service attention. My favorites of the 13 courses were: Momo which is chicken kushiyaki (very different from the momo I am used to being from Nepal), snapped peas wrapped in pork belly, miso potato chicken liver pate (I was surprised by it, sweet, nutty and smooth) and bacon-wrapped tomato which was juicy, salty and went together beautifully. Next time I am around, I will return as the menu changed with the season.

What a delightful experience! It was my wife's birthday, so we decided to try this upscale-y kushikyaki restaurant. They require a reservation and you have to decide one of the two services, 5PM or 7:30PM, that's it. Price is quite expensive, 129$ per person for the set menu, with an automatic 20% service fee, plus tip if you feel generous. The ambiance is very nice, very modern Japanese, very silent and relaxed. There is an extensive alcohol selection , that you can see on a menu and also all over the shelves. If you are in the mood of spending a fortune, go for it ; They timed the delivery of the set menu items so that you keep a good pace and that you're ready to go just before they need to prep for the next set of customers. Everything was absolutely delicious, each menu item carefully and thoughtfully prepared. Definitely not an everyday experience, but of you want to treat yourselves try it!