Japanese Gourmet Restaurant

If you go on a Wednesday or Thursday, sit at the bar and let Chef Wilson amaze you! My friend and I stumbled upon this place while searching desperately for any downtown Pho restaurant open after 6pm. (I mean, WTH?) This place was closing up, but Wilson invited us in and made us a very special selection of sashimi and a signature roll. The seared albacore was the best sashimi I've ever had in my entire LIFE! It's the kind of restaurant experience you wish you could have every time you dine out. I live in this neighborhood, and they made us feel like not just neighbors but honored guests. (Even sent us home with some "samples" :D)

I work in the downtown Seattle area and live on the Eastside. After I get off from work, I am usually very hungry and hesitant to wait to go home and cook. As a result, I find myself dining out everyday for my dinner fix. One day after work, I decided to try something new and explore more closely some of the dining joints offered at the Pike Place Market area. Being a lover of sushi, I found Japanese Gourmet. Upon entering, there werent that many people but the interior was nice. The waitress sat me down and after a quick moment, I began ordering. As the food arrived, I was very anxious to dig in. To my surprise, the rolls were very loose and this was a pet peeve for me. To pick up your rolls and have them fall apart on you is quite annoying. Simple things such as miso soup, they couldnt get right. IT WAS COLD! The tempura was ok. I told the waitress that my miso soup was cold and she apologized but kind of glared at me as if she thought I was making this up. I was going to order some more food to-go for my husband at home but decided it wasn't worth it and I'd rather grab him some McDonalds compared to what I had that day. I wasn't impressed by this place and won't give it a second chance. There are other fine sushi places in and around Seattle and no one should have to ever settle for this place. This place just doesnt hold it. Come here if you dont care about food presentation and preparation.

This was my second visit to this restaurant and definitely my last.
Although I had an unsatisfactory experience on my last visit, I decided
to give it another try even though I remembered that
the sushi is not of the quality I have had at other restaurants.
When my order did not seem to be what I requested, I questioned
the sushi chef who proceeded to yell at me, then went to the hostess
talking loudly and pointing at me.
This made for a very uncomfortable dining experience.
I told the hostess everything was fine just to calm the situation.
However, after eating a fish bone in the sushi, I had had enough.
This restaurant makes my list of one of the worst dining experiences
I have had in Seattle.

My husband and I enjoy this restaurant. We eat here frequently and always receive good to great service, so I am surprised/perplexed by some of the other negative reviews. The food is delicious and meals come with wonderful hot tea, and, of course, miso soup and salad. The lunch specials ($7.25) and 3-6PM half-price sushi/drinks happy hour are terrific bargains. Dinners are pricier ($15), but still quite reasonable, with generous portions (we usually cannot eat everything, but we do anyway, of course). The place is smallish, with very nice decor which contribute to a cozy/special experience. Not necessarily romantic, but stylish/classy. When you can eat lunch at a nice restaurant with real dishes or at a food court with styrofoam for the same price, why not go for the more pleasant/relaxing atmosphere of this restaurant? I love introducing my friends and coworkers to this place; they are always happy to discover it. Specific dishes we always order: sukiyaki, salmon teriyaki, california roll and veggie roll, veggie tempura, spinach ohitashi.

I work at an office near this restaurant, so I often eat there during lunch. I highly recommend the house bento, this selection varies every weekday. I think the food is great, best food for the bucks, only 7.25, the sitting is comfortable, beautiful design, . I sometimes bring friends to eat there on Saturdays during happy hour when the sushi and drinks are exclusively low-priced. Another great selection would be the Udons, they have the best soup base out of all the other competition. I highly recommended this restaurant.