Aoki Japanese Grill & Sushi Bar

05/26/2008 Posted by DanielleKW

If you are lucky and get the food you order than you could have a very good meal. I have eaten there several times but one time was unforgettably bad. I ordered my meal thinking it was one thing and I got another. The server was extremely rude and did not care. I found this surprising so I went to the Sushi Chef Manager. He was even more rude and did not care. I was spending the day with my daughter and this lunch threw a very disappointing taste to the day.

Pros: Good location

Cons: Extremely poor service and lacking in care for the customers

08/15/2007 Posted by johnshinds

Before submitting this negative review, I called the restaurant to discuss my concerns. The manager was not responsive to my comments, nor did he seem interested in doing anything about the issues that I raised. My experience: Service was horrible. It took more than 30 minutes to get tea and water – the only reason we got it at that point was because we asked for it for the second time. Another 20 minutes passed before we got our sushi (the restaurant was not overly busy, nor did we order complex items or make special orders). Due to slow service and the manager's lack of sincere regret or interest in improving things, I will not eat at Aoki again, nor will I recommend it to anyone. Instead of Aoki, consider: Blue C Sushi (Freemont or University Village) Ototo Sushi (Queen Anne)

Pros: None

Cons: Slow, Inattentive Service

07/29/2007 Posted by andy261

I went to Aoki with a friend for a late lunch and we were the only ones in the restaurant. The staff were really nice and never made us feel rushed (we didn't finish our meal until 15 minutes after closing). My chicken tonkatsu was pretty good, my friend enjoyed the yakisoba, and the sushi was great. I would definitely go there again!

Pros: Service

Cons: Parking

07/01/2007 Posted by esmereldo

We were ignored for some time before we were able to get some attention by waving our hands. Ordering was very slow. Waited for an hour and twenty minutes to have our food served (the only reason we actually stayed that long was because we had invested in the sake we were drinking). The order that was presented was incomplete. When we asked that our order be corrected we were told that we would have to wait as long as we had already waited if we wanted any additional sushi orders. Isn't Sushi suposed to be fast food? It's too bad. This has been a restaurant that we have enjoyed in the past. I will not return. There were at least three employess standing around with nothing to do do yet there were many tables waiting for their food.

06/20/2007 Posted by dutchvondutch

Why oh why do you have to make such good Agedashi Tofu? Everything else about this place stinks, literally. The Tea tastes like fish, the $4 small bowl of Edamame was cold and mushy, and the backroom we were seated in was worse than a broom closet. Aoki clean up your act and let the Agedashi Tofu be your guide to greatness.

07/09/2006 Posted by asianakit

I was a loyal customer of Aoki's for more than a year and used to love its food; Unfortunately, their service is going down hill. The last time I was there, I noticed that all of the waitresses, nice ones, were replaced with new ones. These new waitresses, all from Japan, have a severe attitude problem--they were very rude and short to particular kinds of customers. I guess they have brought their "old world" values--it's okay to mistreat some kinds of people. I was pretty upset and spoke to the owner, Mr. Aoki, about their rudeness; he did not seem to be concerned about it. Well, after all, his establishment has been around for more than 20 years with solid reputations. I won't go back until those waitresses are replaced with decent ones who understand what multiculture means.

Pros: Still good food

Cons: BAD SERVICE

02/12/2006 Posted by euro_kitty

We live on Capitol Hill not far from Broadway, so I visit Aoki probably once every couple of weeks for a sushi fix. The staff is always friendly, especially the venerable sushi chef himself, and the food is always good. The sushi is well prepared, incredibly fresh and well selected. My husband doesn't eat sushi, so he usually opts for noodle dishes such as udon instead, which are good but not quite as well executed as the sushi. The lunchtime meals are a good value.

Pros: Great sushi, good prices, friendly staff

10/29/2005 Posted by ys0617

I am Japanese and this place is really Japanese owned restaurant with Japanese chefs. I want to try all dishes each time I visit, however I just cannot as I really liked Sushi (Omakase:Chef's choice according to freshness/availability of fish of the day). And I just cannot help ordering it all the time!! (there are 8 or 9 pieces of sushis and a roll of californian roll for only $14!! if I remember well). Fish is always fresh and the quality of rice is not bad at all. I highly recommend this authentic real Japanese sushi restaurant.

04/19/2005 Posted by starcat1971

This homey place welcomed us when we moved to Seattle from San Francisco. On our first forray we tried the oyaku don ($5!!!! HUGE portion!!), nigiri (saba, albacore, hamachi, maguro), agedashi, miso and seaweed salad. The oyaku don was amazing - fresh and not greasy. The agedashi was a little different than I've seen before, but excellent nonetheless. And the sushi... the sushi was amazing. Enormously thick juicy cuts done just right so they melted in your mouth. I can't say enough good things about the quality and quantity of the sushi. And the prices were very reasonable. This place is vying for the top of my sushi favorites list. The only complaint I have is the awful cheesy American pop they play! But it's easy to ignore in the face of sushi bliss.

Pros: quality of sushi, prices, menu selection

Cons: played terrible music

03/30/2005 Posted by mochiko

the sushi was great, and the waitress was very helpful. the special "super white tuna" nigiri was delicious. me and a friend selected that for our nigiri in the deluxe combination ($17...what a value you get 7 pieces and a sushi roll of your choice!). it was more than enough for both of us!

Pros: fresh fish, helpful staff, good value

Cons: street parking