Maneki Restaurant
(206) 622-2631
304 6th Ave S
Seattle,
WA
98104
47.5998
-122.3261
Neighborhoods: Downtown, International District
Reviews & Ratings for Maneki Restaurant
35 reviews
What users are saying:
Showing 1-10 of 35 reviews
Impressive Sushi - Friendly People - Fun Seattle Experience
by jollyasalways
October 23, 2008
Enjoy this tried-and-true Seattle mainstay. Maneki has got to be one of the oldest sushi restaurants in the city, still family owned and booming. Warm, friendly staff greet you as you arrive. There's a sizable seating area in the front with two private rooms farther back and at the very back, a secret sushi bar awaits for up to 3 couples to sit at. Some might think it's not formal enough, back by the tea and drink station...but for us, it was a perfect little hidey-hole away from the din of the dining room. The sushi was excellent. The salads were creative. Ala Carte ingredients. Definitely recommend it!
Japanese food for the ages
by montyhouse
October 08, 2008
At the end of the last millenium, sushi suddenly became really trendy. This trendiness has diluted the sushi experience, and has been detrimental to Japanese cuisine as a whole. There are half-baked "sushi joints" all over the city now, masking their mediocrity by being trying to be hip or stylish or overpriced (see: Wasabi bistro, Liberty, Oasis, etc.). A few years ago, while deciding where to go for dinner, I told some Japanese friends I wanted some "REAL Japanese food!". They chose Maneki, and before I knew it, we were treated to a steady parade of izakaya style platefuls, some of the most delicious I've had, with nary a sushi roll in the bunch. This is how the Japanese really eat, sharing plates and talking fast and drinking beers and having a ball. As one of the original establishments of Seattle's long forgotten "NihonMachi", it only makes sense that Maneki's would get REAL Japanese food right, with panache. Sugoku oishikatta desu yo!
- Pros: authenticity, opportunity to experience Japanese cuisine beyond mere sushi
- Cons: sometimes crowded, long waits
Best Japanaese Restaurant
by MontlakeMan
July 31, 2008
I have gone to Maneki countless times and it continues to be the best Japanese restaurant I have ever visited. Excellent food, great service and a incredibly friendly atmosphere is what you can expect from this place. I have never been to Japan, but I do have many close friends who are from Japan, some of them sushi restaurant owners. They say that Maneki's sushi quality is at least as good and often better than any found in Japan. Until I visit Japan and try for myself I will have to believe what they say. As with any incredibly good restaurant, make sure you make a reservation first.
- Pros: The food, the service, the price, everything ..
- Cons: none
good food but make reservations or go before it opens!
by berg9201
May 05, 2008
I got to try this place that my friend was raving about. We didn't make reservation but was able to be seated within 10 minutes of opening. The service was prompt and friendly. I had the Sakana dinner set which came with salted broiled mackeral, tempura, sashimi, cucumber & shrimp salad. It was tasty and very good portion. My husband had the sushi which was also fresh and big. They also have a bar for those who need to wait and drink. I would recommend this place if you like the more traditional japanese cuisine!
- Pros: good traditional cuisine, prompt service even when it was packed.
- Cons: can be long wait if you don't make reservations
Undoubtably the best sushi restaurant in Seattle.
by hyzenthlay
April 09, 2008
Maneki is not a place for people looking for an Americanized experience - it's not a Belltown restaurant. It's an ID place with ID prices, and, yes, ID service. You will likely need to flag a server down (which is simple as they are all very sweet young ladies). Additionally, your food will come out in the order it's prepared and ready, rather than all at once on a giant serving tray. Like most Japanese meals, you plan for a longer meal of small bites (a bowl of rice with tuna bata yaki, or a small salad with rice vinegar, or a bite of a jojo roll...) rather than a giant single portion. It's a small restaurant, which means a reservation is a necessity (I'm not sure what the other reviewer below me meant by saying that it doesn't take reservations; I have a reservation there for tonight, in fact). Maneki's sushi is some of the best in Seattle. The regular Japanese fare is equally amazing. I've fallen in love with the generous portions, the unbelievable freshness, and the artful presentations. Every time I go there I stuff myself silly, and I've never in my life managed to make it cost more than about $40 a head. Maneki is unbeatable value, and overall the best Japanese restaurant in Seattle, hands down.
- Pros: Best food for the price in Seattle
- Cons: ID service
Pretty Darn Good Sushi
by SeattleBubbles
March 24, 2008
Attended a lovely dinner in one of their private rooms a few weeks back. The service was impeccable, the sushi was spot on and the sake was priced affordably. The only negative was the tempura. Yes, I know it is fried, but it was overly greasy. If you haven?t been, go!
- Cons: Can't get a taxi at 1:30AM
A friendly, no-frills restaurant serving lovingly crafted, home-style Japanese cooking and some of the freshest sushi in town.
by Contributor
March 19, 2008
In Short
Traditional Japanese cuisine includes izakaya, smaller-sized plates of rice, fried dishes that make the perfect accompaniment to a night of drinking. Maneki's extensive menu specializes in this sort of comfort food--tonkatsu, tempura, and much more. If the restaurant is packed (and it usually is), look for seats in the bar upfront--the same menu is served, and conversation flows between the patrons sitting on stools.
Maneki is my favourite Japanese place in Seattle.
by oonaoneal
February 23, 2008
It is a traditional place with personality in the heart of the ID. The owner is an old-world lady who is kind but at times a bit gruff with the line of customers who are often late. She tries to accomodate everyone.
The food at Maneki is wonderful. The blue fin tuna sashimi is out of this world. It melts in your mouth and for $12, I almost don't want to mention it in case it becomes too discovered and changes. This place is not the best to have a million adventuroues rolls. it is more traditional Japanese. Both cooked food and Sushi are outstanding and the quality of the fish has always been super-fresh.
I dont know what the person below is talking about because this place is awesome!!
by iluv2snooze
September 21, 2007
Hmmm reading the review below makes me very angry because this restaurant doesnt deserve a review like that. First of all the person below is wrong beause this place does take reservations!!! You actually need reservations to eat here because they are booked around the clock. All you do is call ahead because they dont open until 5:30, leave a message and they call you back to confirm your reservations. They even will call you at the time of your reservations if you are not there on time! The front desk lady was actually before nice to me also. She can be very strict about people not coming on time for reservations but she is not as bad as the review mentioned below(from my experiences).
The food is awesome and there is plenty to eat. If you are use to Claim Jumper portions then of course this place is not yours but come on now.... who needs that much food? Everytime i've been here i would order one sushi plate plus one hot noodle plate and that would make me feel bloated and satisfied! The spider rolls here are $4!!! Where else can you find that kind of value? my favorite dish is the stirfry udon plate served on a hotplate. It's very delish. This place is more traditional than other sushi places so you wont get as much variety in the fancy roll sushis but what they have is really good.
So if you are a first timer here make sure to call for reservations otherwise you might have to wait long hours for an opening. This is my new favorite place!!
- Pros: cheap food
- Cons: have to make reservations to get in.
Bad Experience
by cutebirdie
June 29, 2007
This was my first time back to this family restaurant after 8 years. First of all, they don't take reservations--understandable, since people tend NOT to show up. Second, their hostess (older woman) was rude to walk in customers--her tone, her demeanor. Good grief, these ARE customers, so she should've been more friendly and tactful vs. grouchy and pious. Third, the food, although reasonably priced, was just okay. The evening turned for the worse when the waitress went to remove our dishes. As she was removing our dishes at the end of our meal, she was bumping the dirty plates against our clean clothes--we tried to move aside and just as she took the last dish, she spilled the leftover sauce all over my clothes! There was no apology from the owners, no mention of a complimentary meal because of it. So, the idea of good business sense, has seemed to have left this restaurant's senses all together!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND LET US NOT FORGET.....that this is a Japanese cuisine style restaurant, which means, lots of small dishes per person. Guess what? We had to keep asking where the rest of our meal was; if you're a person who doesn't frequent this style of cuisine, you may not even know you are missing your soup, your rice, your cucumber salad, because EVERYTHING IS ON A SMALL SEPARATE DISH. Enough said. If you go here, wear a bib, apron, and be wise to know you must check what's in front of you so you won't get cheated.
- Pros: Price
- Cons: Service, Parking, Etiquette, Average tasting food
