SanKai — Restaurant in Edmonds

As a sushi chef at an esteemed omakase location in Seattle, I can confidently say that Sankai is one of the finest sushi spots in Washington state. Nakano-san’s rich history in this state and his collaborations with many top chefs have contributed to his unparalleled knowledge of specialty fish and preparation techniques. The quality and value he provides for the price are truly unmatched.

I often visit Sankai with my girlfriend, and we always sit at the sushi bar with Nakano-san or James, opting for the open omakase. This is one of the few sushi bars that still offers a traditional omakase, where the meal is improvised and tailored to the diner's preferences, showcasing the chef's creativity and skill. Unlike the prix-fixe tasting menus that many current omakase places now offer, Sankai’s omakase experience continually surprises us with its variety and freshness. We trust the chefs completely and are always delighted by the new fishes and or flavors they present. Although, their prix-fixe omakase options (11 and 14 piece), a la carte rolls, and appetizers are incredible as well.

Sankai is a special place that caters to everyone from extreme sushi traditionalists to casual sushi eaters and everyone in between. The cozy interior adds to the charm, and when we’re not at the sushi bar, we enjoy dining in the intimate domes. These domes are perfect for a romantic date night—they’re where my girlfriend and I had our first date, making them particularly special to us.

The dedication and hard work of the sushi chefs at Sankai are evident in every dish. Their passion for their craft and commitment to excellence make this restaurant a must-visit. Whether you’re a sushi aficionado or just looking to explore the world of sushi or just looking for an affordable place to have usshi, Sankai offers an amazing dining experience. I highly recommend...

A much coveted Chef Nakano's new sushi restaurant in Edmonds, we visited for a birthday dinner.

It is situated close to Salt & Iron, tucked away on the side so it is not on the "main" roadway, but can't miss it.

We were welcomed warmly, our host was fantastic. Our server for the night was really courteous and serviced us very well. The ambiance of the place was really well thought of too, we could tell that they paid attention to how loud the music is, where to put the lighting, how to space the tables out.

We ordered 11-piece nigiri omakase, a roll of futomaki, vegetable tempura, seafood gyoza, two draft beers that they had (Sapporo and Mac & Jack amber), and finished the night off with a dessert, a lemon custard cheesecake.

As we were frequent visitors to Kisaku, you can expect similar dining experience and similar tastes. The highlight was shiitake mushroom tempura (if you are a fan of tempura, highly recommend ordering their vegetable tempura). Nigiri omikase was really good overall as well, but on a personal note, some of the pieces had too much wasabi and overwhelmed the taste of the fish. I prefer consistent amount of wasabi in each pieces, on a lesser side.

Some of the reviews say the prices are more expensive compared to others - we agree. Compared to Kisaku at least, we felt it was a little more expensive. Not by much, however.

We only saw one 4-person table, rest were 2-person sittings (4-5 tables of these), and rest were sittings at the bar, 10-11 seats. So I would say this is definitely a good dinner date spot, or for a happy hour after-work sushi. Can't imagine bringing two families of 4 for a dinner here.

We will come back, we had overall very good experience, and downtown Edmonds at night time is really wonderful...

10/28/19 - third day of soft opening. The restaurant is still waiting for its liquor license (which should arrive on the first), so there's no liquor offered yet. Service is slow and hopefully will improve in the future. They have one main server, one bus boy, and the check-in person that helps out every now and then. Now, let's get on with what's good and not good: Good: good quality fish. The sashimi assortment (not the omakase set) gets recommendation from me. 10 pieces (2 pieces of 5 types) of sashimi for $23. The pieces are thick cuts of fish. This is a much better deal for the price compared to the 14-piece nigiri omakase set at twice the price. The kabocha pirrin dessert is innovative, refreshing, and most importantly, tasty! At $9 it's just right for the price. Not good: the agedashi tofu breading is bland in taste. It's as if the breading is lacking some salt. The sauce is light which is what I like but there's not enough of it for me to cover the the tofu pieces to make it less bland. At $7, it's a reasonably priced for this dish. What's not reasonably priced is the black cod. At $17, you get a small section of fish. The fish is tender with light savory taste, but personally, I still prefer a nice fatty piece of hamachi or salmon Kama elsewhere for less than half the price. The Great Pacific Northwest roll, at$16, was fresh tasting. I enjoyed the small sprinkling of crab on top, but, overall, it is not exceptional. Final word, I'd be back for the sashimi assortment and desserts, and to try out other dishes. But main take away is I'd probably go further north to Lynnwood if I wanted more bang...