Toyoda Sushi — Restaurant in Seattle

Had a dinner with the family (of 4) and I have to say this is the worst experience/customer service We had ever had in a restaurant. It's hard for us (me, hubby, two kids 13 & 10) to criticize or complain since we always teach our kids to think of others perspective and situation before judging or complaining but tonight's experience was just too hard to excuse. We arrived for dinner out, it was busy but not any busier than other places we eat out. We got to our table but thing got sour pretty quickly. Long story short, we waited for good 20 minutes as the 4waitress proceed to sit and serve others (5 tables) that came later than us. I figured they were busy and forgot that they didn't take our order so I finally flag one of the lady taking order of the table near us that we too needed to order. Quick apology and she took our order. However when we finally got our food, especially the Sashimi dinner plate, we were starting to feel bit annoyed. The plate seem to be thrown together in a rush -missing it's basic condiment of ginger and wasabi to name a few. It took us another few minute to even get them. Food overall was average, sashimi had fresh tuna but dry scallop. Other pieces of fish were thin -last end piece? and tasted watery mush. For the price (most expensive dish),this was a disappointing but we just told ourselves "to get a seat at the sushi bar" next time. Even up to this point, we try to make the best of it!! DO YOU KNOW THAT during our entire meal, not one of the 4 wait staffs check on us nor cleared the appetizer dishes that we set /stacked aside as our main dishes were cramping our table? Wait staffs were busy taking new orders and checking on other customers...my husband joked that we are invisible to them. Still we were trying hard to be positive, telling the kids that it's busy day (Thur )and the waitress must be having hard time keeping track.. Trust me, both me and my husband had worked in a restaurant, so we tried to be sympathetic. So we decided to eat quickly and just leave. We once again had to flag (raising hand etc)to just get our bill-mind you , we were sitting at our table for a while. Finally, a one of the wait staff bag our left over and left to get our bill. So here is the FINAL RUB...we waited another 20 minutes for our bill. Why wait so long? We were still trying to be sympathetic as they busy themselves clearing and taking in new customers! After all, one of the waitress finally cleared the table and we asked for the bill again! Our Poor kids were getting restless by now so hubby took them out while I waited for the bill -trying to get the waitress' s attention again. OVERALL we spend more time waiting on the restaurant 'a staff than actually eating the food. DID I MENTION NOT ONE STAFF CHECK ON US NOR FOLLOW THROUGH WITH A BASIC REQURST -taking order or getting the bill to name the very basic?? Frankly, this restaurant is moving toward Quantity ( focus on getting their tables full ) vs Quality (service/food). The few tables that the Waite staff focused on seemed to be regulars... Never coming back nor recommending it to our friends & families. I am sure the business will care less.if we came back...after all we are just one of their many. Nevertheless, I just had...

We came in 5 minutes before 5 pm on a Friday and there were 2 groups in front of us. We were seated right away when they opened around 5pm. They updated the prices so check out the menu photo I posted. Here's my honest review:

Food: Sushi Assortment: The presentation looked colorful and appealing BUT the sushi lacked freshness and had an unpleasant fishy odor, indicating poor quality or improper storage/defrosting process. The assortment came with 6 pieces of spicy tuna roll which was good but I prefer fresh sushi rolls because seasoned sushi is generally not fresh. Creamy Scallop Maki Roll: Like other rolls, this was heavily sauced, masking the natural flavors of the scallop and maybe the freshness. Spider Roll: Deep fried crab roll. This was the most decent food we've ordered. Again, I don't prefer getting deep-fried or heavily seasoned rolls at a sushi restaurant because they don't use the freshest ingredients in those rolls. But this restaurant did not offer fresh rolls outside of their sashimi menu. Complementary Appetizers (Creamy Udon and Miso Soup): udon noodles were also disappointingly brittle and were probably cooked way in advance. The miso soup was a typical out-of-box soup. Hot Sake: this helped me gulp down low-grade sushi better. The cups were larger than the other places.

Service: The staff provided attentive service, consistently refilling water and delivering food promptly. However, the payment process raised some red flags. They only accept Zelle, Venmo, or cash. For venmo, they request you to pay as "friends". Also the check came on a note that's illegible, making it harder to confirm what you ordered.

Ambiance: The restaurant's atmosphere is probably the best thing out of this restaurant. It showcased owner's history with pictures and decorations. There were enough sushi counter seating and 8-10 tables. The tables were spaced out enough so that I didn't feel crowded.

Overall, no I would never come back. Honestly, I don't know how they made it to must-visit sushi places in Seattle list. Save...

Toyoda Sushi has been my favorite sushi restaurant in WA state for more than a decade now, and even through the dark times of COVID lockdown, they have maintained that status without any challenge.

Their sushi is fresh and incredible, sliced experertly with perfect sushi rice. So many sushi restaurants either have too much rice for each piece of nigiri or cut the fish too thick to compensate, and sushi rice will make or break nigiri. Attention to detail truly is key to great sushi.

Not only is their sushi incredible, but they make all of my favorite cooked Japanese dishes exactly how they should be. The gyoza is delicious, flavorful, and properly pan-searered, the karaage is juicy, perfectly breaded, and properly crispy, and if you haven't tried their black cod kasuzuke, you truly are missing out. Perfectly broiled, getting the right amount of carmelization on the marinade, while still keeping the black cod tender, juicy, and flaky.

For dessert, their tempura ice cream is a real standout. They use a blueberry muffin inspired tempura batter that stays light and crispy, and provides the perfect amount of sweetness to the dish.

Whether you're looking for your favorite Japanese offerings, or their unique creations, like their complimentary noodle salad and the Jimmy's special roll, Toyoda has exactly what you need.

Note that Toyoda is cash only, and the hours are limited, but any perceived inconvenience is far outweighed by the amazing food and the kind of service you can only get from a family owned and operated restaurant in such a delightful, intimate space.

(My apologies about the mediocre photo. I forgot to take any pictures before we went to town on all the...