Shiro's Sushi Review

One of the best sushi restaurants in the US. Try to get a seat at the bar, and ask for the omakase. You may need to line up before 5 PM to snag a good seat

The example of perfect Japanese style restaurant! A really hidden gem of Seattle.

Do book reservations well in advance as you may have a much extended wait.

The gentle and attention to details are obvious. From the interior designing to food presentation, there is not one drop of careless in the food.

The calm and serene ambience delicately pays tribute to the food... a much respected task of the Itamae.

Items ordered:
Edamame

Geso Kara-Age
There is no surprise to fried squid legs unless you order this appetizer.

Hamachi Kama
The broiled yellow tail was enough to take as a second dish.
The crispness of the fish along with the moist and flavorful fish is highly underrated.

Premium Sushi Omakse
The premium sushi, a highlight to an evening meal which presented us the story behind each of the five courses.

First, an introduction gives a whole new story of the authenticity of character appropriated with how delicately our lives depend on flavor variation and its acceptance.

Second, a travel to the local selections blended with a native Japan selection. The variations of the cuts of one single tuna.

Lastly, the overall comparisons you will give yourself in regards to flavor... the sweetest... of where most common sushi finds itself given the character of mass production... is found at the end in two very special presentations.

Another phenomenal sushi place experienced on our trip to Seattle. Weren't familiar with the link to the documentary, but the service was phenomenal and allowed us the opportunity to try many fresh catches we hadn't experienced before. Another wonderful experience.

Amazing sushi! Also, the waiting staff is also very helpful and friendly. Again, the sushi is amazing.

Best sushi I've ever had! The owner is hilarious too!

The sushi was good, but nothing special. This place is over hyped and over priced.

Best sushi/sashimi in town. If you willing to splurge a little for a nice night out. I would definitely recommend this place

If you are coming here, only order the omakase menu. The rest are fairly average. The omakase fish was simply amazing and a whole different level of delicious.

I wish I could give 6 stars. I'm no food critic, but I have definitely been to a lot of sushi restaurants across the country and I can confidently say that this one was in the top 3. If you are in Seattle you need to try this place. Make sure you order at least one piece of the fatty tuna!

Best sushi ever! Can't find anything close to this in Chicago. Need to go back soon.

Got there a little before closing, the staff were still 100% amazing, food was spectacular, service was outstanding.

If you come here, I recommend sitting at the bar. Every time I've come here, I've been by myself, but had no problems making friends with the chefs or other customers around the bar. I'm pretty indecisive, so I let Shiro pick what sashimi I get until I'm full, and always enjoy the meal (and "dessert"!). I will go out of my way to order the Belltown Poke, but everything I have had was great, and fresh. Whoever is serving you will tell you what fish you should eat with soy sauce, and which ones without.

I'm also a bit of a nerd when it comes to old-fashioned Japanese culture and have been slowly teaching myself, and it was really enjoyable to have simple conversations and learn new words with the staff.

Amazing! We did the premium sushi dinner and really enjoyed it

Haven't visited Seattle in awhile and was excited to try this place as it was so hyped up. We went on a Saturday evening with a reservation for 2 and were seated in the back area.

First impression - such a casual interior. Chairs and tables look like they belong in a 1 dollar sign establishment, and for whatever reason there were a number of families eating at the restaurant. I have nothing against this but there were literally kids walking around making a mess at the table near us, which seemed really strange for a place that is supposed to serve high quality omakase.

Ignoring all of that we decided to order some nigiri - 2 pcs each of yellowtail, salmon, sockeye salmon, medium fatty tuna, sea eel, fresh water eel, and the black cod collar, as well as some green tea which they ended up forgetting entirely.

The pacing was all off. We got 1 platter of nigiri right away, with the salmon and tuna, and we got the yellow tail and others in the 2nd platter about 5 min later. It was surprising to get the lighter nigiri in the second plate, as you're supposed to start with the lighter ones first. I understand that we did not order omakase but they could have at least waited to bring both plates at the same time.

Our collar didn't come until about 15min after we already finished the nigiri. The collar itself was actually pretty good.

In the end we paid about 42 each for a very mediocre sushi establishment. Luckily we didn't choose to get the omakase, or it would have been an even worse experience.

I definitely feel that this restaurant doesn't even deserve Shiro's name now that he is not the chef here anymore. If you come visit Seattle then please do not visit here, better to check out Kashiba or just go to any 2 dollar sign sushi place and you'll probably have a better experience because you wouldn't be paying as much.

Absolutely the best sushi I've ever had, and I've eaten sushi on both coasts and everywhere in between. Do the Omakase and trust your sushi chef!

Cheaper in price compare to Sushi Kashiba. We tried the Omakase, definitely recommend it.

Sushi done the right way. If you want to appreciate what real traditional sushi is, this is the place for you.

Thank you for a warm and lovely birthday dinner Shiro s!

Resting on its laurels. Quality of fish was good, but a sushi restaurant with this reputation should not let guests run out of soy sauce, wasabi, water, and ginger all of which happened. Resolved after brought to their attention. Also, waiter asked "is there anything more I can get you" before our order was even completed (I'm pretty sure they forgot to complete our order). All excusable for a run-of-the-mill sushi bar, but not for one with bookings this far in advance.

I forgot to mention I had a dairy allergy and placed an order. I remembered and the manager came by and took my order. They were able to make me a Real Crab roll from scratch, using clean gloves and surface, and honestly it is the most delicious and fresh sushi I think ever eaten.

Solid 4 stars.

Go around 5pm and wait in the line. You should be able to get a bar seat. Or come around 7ish and the first batch of people will have left. It really wasn't a bad wait at all. You can also make a reservation for tables but I highly recommend the bar.

Highlights:

- Really like that they serve pieces in pairs or trios. You get to compare and contrast.
- You can request certain pieces during the omakase, which is nice if you know what you like.
- Lots of tuna - different kinds of tuna and different cuts. Best was chutoro, of course.
- Really liked both the scallop and geoduck. (What can I say, I like my shellfish.)
- Most interesting piece was herring roe. Never had that before. Not too much flavor but very crunchy.

Great sushi. We had a reservation and we were seated over 30 minutes after our reservation time.

I am so happy we have this new Japanese restaurant in our neighborhood. There aren't alot of good option for food in this area, but this is a legit option for quality ramen and Japanese bowls. They owners are so kind and accommodating when we come with our kids. The interior is super cute too. Will def. Be on my rotation!

Located on a corner off of 2nd Ave & Battery St. in the nite life district, Belltown, in downtown Seattle. Rumor has it that Shiro's is Mariners Ichiro Suzuki's goto sushi joint. Small dining room, limited seating at Omakase sushi bar, reservation highly recommended - fish is fresh and will melt in your mouth. Daily specials include fish from Japan, Korea and local Puget Sound waters. Long time best sushi in Seattle. Don't bother with anywhere else.

The best sushi I ve ever had. Do chef s choice by the bar!

Amazing omakase! 5 stars and a really lovely and refined environment. Beat out top spots I have been to for omakase in NY. Very pricey but well worth it for a splurge! Expect to spend around $400 (all -in) for two.

One of the best sushi places in Seattle. Definitely sit at the sushi bar if you can and order the omakase and sit back to enjoy the meal. Don't forget to finish off with a tamago (egg) piece. Shiro's is one of the few places in the US where you can get the delicious sponge cake-ish tamago sushi.

Would recommend doing an omakase. For the quality of sushi, it is well worth the price!

This place is very famous and I want to be there for long time. My original expectation is 5 stars. However, after tried to day, I have to put 4 Star instead of 5. The reason is compare with Sushi Kashiba, Shiro s level is lower. The rice is little bit loose, not as tight as Kashiba. The fish quality is little bit lower than Kashiba, I ll say it s about 95 vs 100. The only thing I feel better than Kashiba is the desert after dinner. Personally I feel Shiro s may set their level little bit lower than Kashiba which causes the difference, otherwise I really don t know why their food could be like this, since Shiro s is the first sushi place by Jiro s apprentice.

Best sashimi I ve had in 6 years of living in Seattle.

Decided to try the omakase at the bar with sushi chef Joe and was blown away by the quality, variety, and taste of the nigiri and the excellent service. The sushi chef serves nigiri he recommends or that you request and will only charge you for the pieces you eat. It will not be cheap, so go in ready to drop some cash for some seriously delicious sushi. I would recommend this spot to anyone. Just make sure you get there early before it opens or you'll have to wait your turn.

Loved the sushi experience here! Not owned by shiro any more but his legacy remains in the quality fish

Best Sushi in Seattle. I love this place and go there every time I visit Seattle

Hands down the best sushi in Seattle. Nothing comes close to these tasty cuts. Make sure to call ahead and get a reservation, or use their website to secure a reservation if you're planning on going in a few weeks.

AMAZING sushi. The best place to get sushi in Seattle!

We had a fantastic meal here during our trip to Seattle. Some really rare bites. The rice was delicious! Very helpful staff, highly recommend.

I was not impressed with the level of knowledge from the waitor; nor was I impressed with the Shushi Assortment platter. The poke was good and the tempura rolls were good buy it's hard to go wrong with these. There was a large variety of tuna and types of tuna cuts but the taste was not expected. Sorry Shiro, this was not for me.

We had their $75 five course dinner and it was fantastic! Great service and probably the best sushi I have ever had. Highly recommend this place.

Amazing sushi, service, and experience. Went with my girlfriend and we both got the Premium Sushi Omakase. Everything was just perfect. Each piece of sushi melted in our mouths and even the complementary green tea stood out. Definitely, the best sushi I've tried.

Foos is good but they made us wait for over a hour and a half. We reached at , they asked us to wait 45 min cause we had no reservation but after 45 min they made us wait another 45 asking us to wait 10 min each time. Could have gives us the estimate earlier. We could have gone to some other place.

Do not sit at a table. Service was horrendous. Unattentive and unhelpful. Every roll is just a variation of a california. Which is boring....very boring.

The sushi bar looked like a fun experience, but the sub par treatment I received at a table was not worth it. The eel was phenomenal and so was the hand roll. But if you have a shelfish allergy you really have nothing to choose from on the menu and they won't sub crab for anything else.

If I come back I'll reserbe a seat at the sushi bar....but I'll probably just go somewhere less pretentious...

Fantastic quality sushi and appetizers. Try the fried squid if you are into calamari.

Best sushi I've ever had. Get there before opening and sit at the bar.

I warmly recommend this sushi place if you ever in Seattle. We had a great time here. The omakase menu is perfect to discover a lot of fish and flavors. Better to make a reservation!

This place is fantastic. Top grade sushi. Top grade service.

Sushi is just like the documentary Jiro's Dreams of Sushi. Would go if you prefer a classic Japanese style sushi. Definitely worth a trip!

Really great sushi and service. I would highly recommend traditional omakase even if you are in a table since you get a wide variety of sushis.

Manifest excellence that you can eat. The top rating among sushi places in the city is well deserved. I have been to several sushi places but none as exceptional as this one. Their rainbow roll is wrapped around delicious crab instead of prawn, making for a dramatic improvement over other offerings of that roll I've tasted. Their unagi is served with a drier, smoked consistency that is superior to the more soft and jelly like varieties sold at other places I have visited. I recommend trying the Nigahama, a six piece roll with hamachi and scallion. Simply amazing and perfectly balanced by a thin stripe of wasabi nested inside. Their seaweed salad has a remarkable bouquet and the miso is rich in flavor. If you get sake, try the bonzaemon in the 12 oz. They bring it to you in a carafe that has an ice chamber in the side of it and it's the smoothest, nicest sake I have ever had the honor to imbibe. If wasabi is your thing, they serve the real deal here. Get a reservation as space is limited and this spot is popular.

Did the premium omakase. Great value, would recommend. Mariko was awesome and super friendly.

Easily the best omakase I ve had on the west coast. Great setting and quality and service.

Top tier sushi with a warm welcoming atmosphere. If possible try to sit at the bar as it really enhances the experience.

The best sushi Ever. Try the Albacore Belly ando the Toro

So much plastic packaging. I feel guilty getting takeout at places with no environmentally conscious packaging. Aside from that, most of the sushi was quite fresh and tasty, though I didn't like the urchin.

We wanted to eat sushi and were very hungry. Conclusion is: very expensive, price performance is unfortunately not correct. Quality good but WOW effect was missing. Therefore, unfortunately, actually a 4-.

Definitely unique experience, food and service are great! (Though I forgot most of waiters description details, I wish I took notes :P)

So everyone always says that Seattle has such great Sushi. From my time living in Seattle I have to say that this is not true. Seattle has a lot of above average Sushi places but few great sushi places (see NY, San Fran). I also feel the same about the Thai food in Seattle but that is a discussion for another day.

Shiro's however is not just some of the best Sushi you will get in Seattle but some of the best Sushi you will get in the country. The sushi is fresh, it is prepared to the point it is almost art. The service is excellent. The only complaint that I can possibly have about this place is that I wish it was bigger so it was easier to get a table. They have set seating time and the line to get in starts forming about 30 minutes before they open so get there early. Even if you are running a little late and have to wait a while for the next seating its completely worth the wait. Shiro's turns sushi into an experience.

Amazing sushi! A bit expensive but definitely worth it!

Excellent good and service. I think the course meal is the best way to enjoy all that they have to offer.

This is our go to place for sushi in Seattle. It s high quality food, very attentive service, and yet perfectly unpretentious. This is the place to go when you want really outstanding flavours and high quality ingredients without the fluff.

Amazing! I came here on a Monday night and we were seated right away in the best window seat. The employees didn't know, but my boyfriend proposed to me about an hour earlier and we were there to celebrate. Not only was the service great, but we had the best sushi we've ever eaten, from the East to West Coast. Shiro's will always be our special place and we can't wait for our next trip to Seattle!

Simple, absolutely delicious. Casual atmosphere in one of the busiest sections of Seattle. Definitely am happy I made it here on my latest visit.

Amazing omakase that flows beautifully through 4 courses with exceptional service to match! And the space is great!

This place is amazing. Great food, great environment, great service. Keep doing the great job, guys!

Meh, long wait even with reservation. Overrated sushi, real Omakase shouldn't have tempura and ice cream...

great rice, lovely textures, fish melts in your mouth, great variety, cool amicable chefs. go omakase and have an adventure. tip, Saturday dinner crowd clears around 7-8

I am far from a Sushi expert, but loved the food and experience. Took my wife here after being recommended by a friend, and loved it. Friendly staff and great food.

The place is a little crowded and noise level could be a bit much if you don't have a tolerance for those sorts of things.

It pains me to give this review because I have eaten at Shiro s many times throughout the years and have enjoyed the quality. Unfortunately, we ate at Shiro s this past week and got extremely sick after ordering the sea urchin (uni) sagata, a special on their menu. The other member of my party fell very ill within 30 mins of eating it and when we arrived home, had a horrible case of vomiting and diarrhea. Any restaurant that makes its customers sick with food poisoning is the worst a restaurant can perform and it s with that in mind that I give Shiro s a 1 star rating.

My second favorite Sushi-Spot in Seattle (behind Kashiba, it's very close though).

The food is excellent !
Better to reserve few days before although maybe you still have to wait !

Having lived in Japan for 4 years and dining at various upscale sushi establishments throughout the country, I can assure you this place makes me feel like I'm back in the land of the rising sun once more.

You simply cannot go wrong here, if I had to make a complaint it's the system of reservations and the wait

This restaurant lives up to the hype. The sushi is incredible and the atmosphere is great. If you like authentic Japanese sushi, this restaurant is a must.

I recommend the Toro if you like it as it is some of the best I've had ever. The quality of the fish is incredible and the chefs are extremely good at their craft. If you're into sushi and in Seattle, you need to go to Shiro's.