kamakura japanese cuisine — Restaurant in Lacey

i recommend: the barley tea, the panic roll, and the spicy salmon roll. maybe i'd try it again: the beef yakisoba (it was cooked well but the flavor was a bit flat; just sweet). i don't recommend: the seafood okonomiyaki.

the barley tea was a surprising highlight for me. especially pleasant on a cold day like today. the fish in the rolls tasted fresh, the rice was perfectly sticky, and they were rolled well (no loose bits). they were both noted as spicy rolls, and were definitely sufficiently spicy. i would come back again for these things.

we moved to the area recently and this was our first outing where a restaurant had okonomiyaki, one of my favorite dishes. i was surprised when it came to the table and was hiroshima style (layered, with noodles) when the menu said nothing about noodles. i am accustomed to the kansai/osaka style which is more like a savory filled pancake or omelette. this alone is silly to send a dish back over, so i gave it a fair chance. the noodles were actually fairly tasty (i liked them more than the yakisoba actually) but the seafood mix (oysters, octopus, and shrimp) was unappetizing, and the bottom was so crispy it tasted burnt.

before i finished airing my grievances with our waitress, she offered to speak with the manager and see if he'd take it off of our bill. when she returned to notify us that they were taking it off the bill, she also shared with us some wisdom (that i suspect came from the manager) along the lines of "there are always noodles in okonomiyaki". that simply isn't true but i came to this restaurant to enjoy some food, not to have an argument. all things considered, we'll be back! just probably not for the...

Kamakura has the wonderful distinction of serving with enthusiasm alternative sushi. In other words, they’ve invested a lot of effort in a delicious vegan menu.

The Olympia Roll and V5 are easily my favorites. V5 honestly is a meal by itself, and oddly, would recommend as a meal over the V8 which is an actual stand alone meal.

That said, be careful with to go containers. In my experience the food is cooked fresh, is very hot and they have a number of delicious but delicate sauces. The steam in the container will strongly change the experience compared to eating it at the establishment.

The restaurant is small. Covid limitations make it even smaller. I don’t recommend the outside seating because of it. But, if you by chance get to order a meal here, when they are not busy, there’s some real charm to be had.

I don’t eat meat, unless I’ve killed it myself. So I can’t speak for their traditional rolls which they do also serve.

Have not gotten sick thus far. After 4 or 5 visits. Which even only ordering vegan rolls, because they also serve raw, proves to me they have an extra ordinarily good system for food safety.

If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, or simply would like to try something a little different, I’d absolutely recommend this place for your non meat...

Amazing Vegan Sushi, hardly noticeable that it was devoid of fish. I would recommend it to a friend. Good to eat, and good for the environment, some of the best Veggie Sushi options in Olympia.

Enjoyed another Vegan meal here, celebrating the holiday season and another blessed year with my family. We shared a couple of appetizers, 4 avocado rolls, a few miso soup. And a few specialty rolls for $100. We lucked out, as there was only 1 other couple when we showed up, and food began rolling out within 10 minutes of placing our order.

By the time we left there were a stack of to-go orders collecting and a few walk in diners had trickled in... so we couldn't have planned a better dining experience. We all left full and pleasant feeling, knowing we didn't harm any animals to enjoy the sustainance this evening.

The staff is friendly, and they always are attentive to their customers. Thank you all, for providing such an enjoyable experience. 🙏

Update* met the grandparents, enjoyed a lunch family style meal, everyone left stuffed and enjoyed everything we ordered. YAKISOBA & rice noodles were wonderful. Easily another item to add to our...