iSushi — Restaurant in Issaquah

I-Sushi is a conveyor belt (kaiten sushi), my favorite type of Japanese restaurant. One can choose a little or a lot off the belt. Great for those very hungry or who just want a quick snack

WARNING: Despite its sushi name this is not authentic Japanese, but fusion Asian. Korean owners and Mexican chefs account for most of the food being spicy/hot. Many items have jalapeño slices, red/orange hot sauce, and cilantro with no signs or warnings, these are not Japanese! I have spent a lot of time in Japan over many years and sushi, sashimi and nigiri in Japan are not spicy, with very rare exceptions!. Wasabi, is not spicy but a horseradish type Japanese condiment with a delightful bite for most folks.

The tuna tataki (one of my favorites) here is topped with hot sauce and sliced jalapeno (good grief!). Rice on the nigiri is not Japanese sticky rice but Korean rice and frequently falls apart when picked up with chopsticks. The belt has mostly sushi rolls on the belt and very few nigiri or sashimi plates. Many sushi rolls are spicy with sriracha sauce and some with cilantro. The miso soup, udon noodle, tempura shrimp. seared salmon nigiri and white tuna sashimi are all very good. However, all the hot food is very disappointing to those looking for genuine Japanese cuisine. I find the name of the restaurant rather deceptive. Perhaps Asian Fusion Sushi would be more appropriate. If you are OK with hot and spicy you'll be fine here. The hot/spicy items should be marked as such.

For much more authentic Japanese kaiten (conveyor belt) sushi with real authentic Japanese Sencha green tea and lots of great nigiri, visit Genki Sushi in the Factoria mall, Bellevue. Each item on the menu or the belt is clearly marked, spicy, raw, etc. I am in no way associated with either place.

The I-Sushi female owner is very friendly and extremely pleasant. The Mexican chefs are very polite and friendly. The male owner is unfriendly, rude and asks customers not to chat with the servers, even for a few seconds. When they are not busy they congregate up near the cash register and chat and it is difficult to get their attention to get a check.. The servers are also told not to give customers a second napkin, yikes! The male owner appears to keep an evil eye on them One server told me the manager takes 15% right off the top of the tip jar, before the rest goes to the servers and chef/kitchen staff (I don't go for that!). The server turnover seems to be very high, maybe not a good sign. Needless to say, I don't go there anymore. If one likes hot and spicy sushi, fine. It you like real Japanese sushi...

I used to get takeout regularlg from this place when I was in the area for years, starting in high school because it seemed very affordable. The sushi has always been alright—though in person the ones on the belt didn’t seem as fresh. I always just ordered California rolls, so I can’t speak to the quality of the other sushi, but given the small portions, it actually wasn’t much cheaper than more upscale sushi restaurants nearby. Plus, the two-hour midday closure was always inconvenient.

However, I stopped going about a year ago after a very uncomfortable and inappropriate experience. I brought my service dog with me, keeping him tucked under the counter at the sushi bar in front of my seat. The woman who appeared to be the manager or owner didn’t ask anything at first—just brought our drinks—then suddenly, she literally dove onto my lap, putting her full body weight on me, just to pet my service dog.

This was not only wildly inappropriate but also dangerous, as it could have caused my service dog to miss a vital alert. I’m used to people trying to pet or distract him, but I’ve never had a grown woman physically climb on me to do so. It made both my mom and me extremely uncomfortable, and we haven’t been back since. We were shocked we didn't even know what to say and since the woman seemed to be the one instructing all of the other staff we didn't feel like there was anyone there we could complain to. If you have a service dog, I’d...

I've seen some interesting things in my 51 years. Seeing plates of sushi gliding by on a conveyer belt proved that I hadn't seen EVERYTHING! The staff are exceedingly gracious and helpful. I was treated like I was a good friend, not a stranger. Diners at iSushi sit at an oblong, oval-shaped counter. In front of the diners is a conveyor belt. Plates of covered sushi roll gracefully by. You are free to reach out and grab any plate that looks good to you. That's right, you just pick it up and dig in. Each plate has a different color. The different color of each plate indicates the price of the plate. When you've had your fill, the hostess simply comes to where you are and adds up your bill according to the color of the plates stacked beside you. I'm beside myself loving the concept! There was only one thing I felt uneasy about: the refrigeration of the sushi. It seemed a bit too room-temperature and I worried about the safety of the fish. This slowed down my eating. That being said, I didn't get sick after eating there. I feel confident that the staff are very conscientious about making sure that the fish they serve is kept at safe temperatures for consumption. A truly fun experience! I'd like to go back and do it again, and I recommend you visit iSushi the next time you need to satisfy...