Shiro's Sushi — Restaurant in Seattle

Extremely disappointed in my most recent visit to Shiro’s. I’ve been going to Shiro’s once a year since 2019 for either birthday or anniversary celebrations, or just because. The service and quality has dramatically declined since our first visit in 2019.

On 8/4/25, I was brought to Shiro’s for my birthday celebration. It was noted in the reservation and the hostess acknowledged that we were celebrating a birthday. We sat at the sushi bar.

The service was extremely mediocre and made me feel like she was annoyed with our presence. The waitress barely checked on us, we had to flag her down multiple times to refill water and order additional drinks. She could not give us recommendations on drinks and generally did not seem like she knew or cared. We were a 9 pm seating and it truly felt like they were just trying get through this last service to get us out of there. Don’t have 3 seatings with a 9 pm if the quality of your service won’t be as great.

The meal itself was fine, however, compared to every other year the quality was not as good. I was shocked when I was handed a dessert menu with the desserts costing at minimum $12 each. I’ve never had an omakase where a small bite of dessert wasn’t included in the courses. In addition, I’ve never been to a restaurant that didn’t include complimentary dessert for celebrations, especially one as expensive as this.

I reached out shortly after about my experience and was told that they may have served dessert over a decade ago but haven’t served desserts in many years. This is an outright lie because as I’ve stated, I’ve been coming annually since 2019 and this is the first year (2025) in which we were served complimentary dessert (see attached photo of offending dessert with my husband cropped out). Also, the fact that the responder said over a decade ago, I started coming to Shiro’s less than a decade ago.. so okay?

This was the most disappointing visit we’ve had, to date, and we will not be returning in the future. I have been to omakase all over the country and in Japan. The total price for two of us was almost $550. I’ve never in all my time going to omakase in all different places been handed a dessert menu as an add on, especially not for a celebration meal. It’s not even the fact that a complimentary dessert wasn’t included. It’s the fact that we paid $550 and not even a sweet course was offered, again of all the omakases (and embarrassingly I go probably 4 or 5 times a year bc it’s our go to celebration meal) this is the first time I’ve ever...

My recent visit to Shiro's Sushi Restaurant in Seattle was nothing short of a culinary adventure. Nestled in the heart of the city, Shiro's stands as a testament to the art of Edomae sushi, offering an immersive dining experience that's in a league of its own. The centerpiece of our meal was the Chef's Choice Sushi Course, an elaborate five-course feast featuring an assortment of 19 nigiri sushi. Each course was like a chapter in a story, narrating the tale of the ocean's diverse offerings. Our gastronomic journey began with the first course, a quartet of Albacore from Canada, Suzuki (Seabass) from Mexico, and Madai (Sea Bream) and Isaki (Grunt Fish) from Japan. The second course was a medley of flavors from the sea, featuring Sockeye Salmon from Alaska, Atlantic Salmon from Canada, and Shimaaji (Striped Jack), Kanpachi (Amberjack), and Katsuo (Bonito) all hailing from Japan. The third course was a tribute to Bluefin Tuna, served in four distinct preparations. The Otoro, the most prized part of the tuna, was a revelation, offering a richness that was truly unparalleled. The fourth course introduced us to Botan-Ebi (Sweet Shrimp) from Alaska, Hotate (Scallop), and Uni (Sea Urchin) from Japan. The final course was a delightful trio of Negitoro (Chopped Fatty Tuna) from Mexico, Unagi (Fresh Water Eel) from Japan, and Tamago (Egg Omelet). Our meal concluded with a duo of desserts - a creamy Matcha Panna Cotta and the unique Japanese Raindrop Cake or Shingen Mochi. The Raindrop Cake was a marvel, a delicate dessert that must be savored within 30 minutes before it dissolves. Served with kuromitsu (Japanese dark brown sugar syrup) and kinako (roasted soy bean powder), it was a sweet ending to a memorable meal. Shiro's Sushi Restaurant is a place where tradition meets innovation, where the age-old art of Edomae sushi is celebrated with a Pacific Northwest twist. If you find yourself in Seattle and yearn for an extraordinary sushi experience, Shiro's is a destination that should...

My first time at the legendary Shiro's. I've been to Sushi Kashiba several times and even closed the place down once for a party, but this is my new favorite sushi place in Seattle.

Overall, I am giving this place five stars because of the freshness of the fish and friendliness of the chefs - who explains each dish to you. I had the Omakase experience tonight.

There are many more positives than negatives, so let me start with some of the could-be-better parts. First, the walk to the restaurant is a bit sketchy, but that's due to the city and not the restaurant. Nonetheless, you have been warned. Second, the host staff seemed a little disorganized when I got here. I arrived five minutes early and there were plenty of seats but they sat me in the storage area. That was interesting. Third, the good is placed on a plastic mat - quite kische - that moves around too much while eating.

What I like most about this place is the freshness of the seafood. Some of the fish isy flown in from Japan. While some of the items are local catches. They fly their fish three times a week!

The second best thing about this place is that the chefs actually give you a story about each fish. I've not had that experience before. They're very knowledgeable about where the fish lives. And what about the fish ecology that makes it taste a certain way.

One of my favorite stories is about this blue fish that swims deep in the ocean. The chef said because they're so deep they don't have many enemies and don't need to swim that fast. Thus, there's not much muscle in the fish.

Finally, I like that this is a traditional sushi place and not overly fancy. The pricing for the Omakase is amazingly reasonable - $140! That's amazing value for what you get.

I recommend coming here. It feels like a small restaurant in a big city versus a very commercial place. All the chefs have a nice, down to earth...