Kiriba Sushi & Grill — Restaurant in Seattle

Sushi is too expensive, so I have had to cut way back since I retired. But, once in a while I like to splurge. I fired up Google Maps and asked where I could get sushi near me. The list came up and I tried to balance good reviews with driving distance. The result of my "research" was Kiriba Sushi and Grill on 145th. I've driven past many times, thinking, "How can a place that looks like that be worth it?" At 4.5 stars on Google, I decided to give it a try. There is a small parking area next to the little building that could be mistaken for a house. Several signs on the building assured me that I was in the right place. There was also street parking, but I was able to get the last spot in the parking area. Inside there was a standard sushi bar and a few tables. There was not much for decoration and the paint was looking old. There were a few customers, but not enough to explain the full parking lot. A jolly Japanese/American invited me to take a seat wherever I liked. There were menus on the table, so by the time the host came over I had picked out what I wanted. Tea, miso soup and a variety platter of sushi. Turns out the tea and miso were included with the sushi. Cool. The tea showed up right away, quickly followed by the miso soup. The soup was pretty basic. I added a touch of soy sauce for a bit of flavor that made it OK. The sushi platter came out and lifted my spirits. There was salmon, tuna, mackerel, a couple that I could not identify and the great prize - white albacore. I saved that delightful tidbit for last. The sushi was well made and presented. I enjoy food that looks good and this platter pleased me. I popped the salmon in my mouth and I was even more pleased. The fish was fresh and flavorful. I have been known to put away a lot of sushi. There was an all-you-can-eat place downtown that I think I personally put out of business by filling myself with the good stuff. While it was not those kinds of quantities, the platter was actually plenty of food. I gobbled it up and braced myself for the check. To my surprise, the whole meal was around $18. Fantastic! Stop by sometime and say hi, I'll be at the table by the front window as...

If you're looking for authentic sushi, this is the place. It is a little bit pricey on some of the dishes, such as the edamame, which is 4 dollars for a little bowl, but the other things are reasonably priced and worth it. The people who work here are all Japanese and have visibly been dealing with sushi most of their lives, which is a good sign. They also use authentic crab, rather than imitation crab in their sushi which is a rare find, and boy it is god damn delicious. I usually don't like California rolls as they are really Americanized and I am a bit of a sushi snob, but even they pull it off (this is were I noticed the real crab vs. imitation crab). I've been here an overall amount of four times and haven't had a problem yet! Their sashimi is fresh and their rice is just the right stickiness and texture, making their nigiri and rolls really good! The only thing is that parking can be a pain if the restaurant is packed but you'll most likely figure something out. If the prices were a little more realistic on just some of the dishes, this would be worth 5 stars. Definitely go here if you want some sushi...

It's easy to see a sushi place and wonder if it's worth going to. In Seattle, its very easy to fond a less than spectacular place in a very dense commercial area, which makes Kiriba an even more spectacular hidden gem. Its location is fairly easy to get to, but most people wouldn't expect a restaurant to be along a city border next to a residential area, just narrowly sitting outside a busy city border intersection. The establishment to almost feels like someones own home and that they're welcoming you as a true guest. The service was friendly, quick, and nothing got mixed up. Definitely a good point and well deserving of praise.

I only had a nigiri platter on my first visit, 7 fair sized slices of fish and a very unique spicy tuna roll unique to the establishment. The fish were everything one would want from the different varieties, some melted clean in the mouth and others had the right texture that defines the way sushi is meant to be experienced. I know that I am definitely coming back to this place in the future as it is close to home, friendly, and has great food. A hidden...