Setsuna Restaurant

This was my favorite place for ramen in all of Seattle. You will be missed, my dear sweet Setsuna. I don’t think I’ll ever find as good a ramen anywhere else.

PSA: the restaurant lease is running out and the last day that Setsuna will be operating is Sunday, December 28^th (see attached picture).
The main problem is that we waited over 30 minutes for even the first appetizer to come out. The waitress was very apologetic about the wait. We ordered black ramen, Setsuna fries, tempura, and karage. The Setsuna fries tasted liked slightly oily regular fries. I would pass on the Setsuna fries. Black ramen was rich and smoky, true to the description. Stay away from it if you want something lighter. Karage was boneless and very good. Prob the best thing we ate there.

One of the best ramen in town. Black Ramen is one of my favorite, the garlic butter broth is so amazing, not to mention the egg too ! We also like their chicken karaage and gyoza too! They are closing this month as their lease is up… I really hope they are going to open a new one soon! See you guys!

Ordered the setsuna fries, agandashi tofu, white and red ramen. The appetizers were alright-​nothing special. Ramen was filled with msg and the meat was not fresh at all. Meat inside ramen was hard and still cold. If you are looking for mediocre Japanese food, this place will do. Else, I would try somewhere else.

No. Just no. Go to Kukai that’s like on the other side of the mall and avoid this place.
Ordered the Red Ramen, agedashi tofu and the setsuna fries. Where do I even start. Everything was bad.
The fries, which were tossed in sweet soy sauce and butter, was completely tasteless. The fries were not fresh even though we were the first table as they opened at 5pm on a Saturday night. The fries were old. They didn’t even attempt to re-​fry them. I’m pretty sure they just warmed them up in the toaster oven or something cause they were luke warm and mushy.
The agedashi tofu, again, lukewarm and the breading was mushy. The taste of the sauce was alright but even then, this dish was bad.
The ramen. Holy crap. Lots of noodles and only a few pieces of veggies and 2 small pieces of pork. Again, luke warm, luke warm broth (although flavor was ok), warm meat that was COLD on the inside. Have mercy! The noodles were not cold, the egg was old too! I mean technically the egg was cooked to the correct degree, but you could tell that this egg was not cooked today because the yolk, although raw, was not runny, it was jello/​jelly like and COLD in the middle.
No. Just avoid this place, there were literally only 3 tables when we were eating so I have no idea how they mess this up. This is a sit down kind of place so I am ok with waiting a bit, why bring me old and cold food?
Protip: Definitely MSG, so thirsty after that meal. Spicy mayo will cost you extra. No calamari since they changed their menu.

First of all, the server was such a cute old lady! She was so nice and happy.
Me and my friend started off with the Calpico Hai cocktail (which was yummy) and of course, the karaage! It has the perfect crunch and marinade. Definitely enjoyed that! For the main entrée, I ordered the Sakura ramen. It had an interesting taste to it, maybe it was the soy sauce. I didn’t like it too much but the noodles made up for it. I wish they would have given a bigger amount of toppings. Seemed too little for me. My friend got the black ramen which had the same taste but more rich.

When you say you’re open til 2AM on a Friday, it is expected you’re open until 2AM on a Friday.
Half the battle is showing up.
No, scratch that. ALL of it is showing up if they expect my patronage.

My coworker took me here for the first time and I have returned to this place over and over again. It is consistently good! Word to the wise — don’t try to do anything productive after eating their ramen. Consuming the rich, fatty stock will make you want to snuggle in your bed and take a long nap. My favorite is the Sakura ramen, which is a light soy base ramen, comes with slow cooked pork, blanched bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, greens, and a sprinkle of this thin, crispy (I believe it’s ginger) garnish. The broth is super flavorful and the ramen is always chewy and tender. The bowl might look small but don’t be fooled because it will give you food coma.
If you’re going to order the ramen then do the combo which gives you the choice of having chicken kaarage, tempura, or gyoza. Get the chicken kaarage! It’s the best! Extra crunchy but still juicy and tender. The tempura and Giza are just so-​so. The gyoza was not crispy but steamed and very oily. The black ramen is good as well, but the soup is thicker/​oilier than the Sakura. Still good, but not my preference. If you’re feeling very hungry then add the egg — perfectly cooked with the yolk still runny. The only thing is the egg is a bit cold, but dip it in the broth and that should solve the problem.
This is my go-​to place for ramen and I haven’t found a place comparable to it. I’ve tried Ramen Man to see if it was comparable and I was disappointed by the lack of flavor in their broth.
Side note, they have an issue with paying separately when you’re in a group. Last time I went with a group and tried to pay with 3 credit cards, they said they will have to charge us 15% extra. It was really ridiculous and for that, I took off one star.

I met up with a friend’s group here for some dinner time in recent weeks. It was quite warm in there, as well – even with fans, but it was all good to me. Good food & good company, yo.
There were a few bites I shared from others but I think my selection was: the black butter garlic (?) style ramen, 1 side of fries, chicken karaage and a glass of Sapporo. I may have had this style of ramen once on my last trip to Van BC; not sure. It’s different but interesting and tasty! Fries were solid; the karaage was just right and Sapporo washes down well. The yakisoba fries (?) I tried from my friend were nice! Just great fries with a different subtle seasoning flavor — maybe like the nori fries from Katsu Burger but just yakisoba flavor? o. O
Service was good; our waitress was very pleasant.
Setsuna also felt like a nice older homey ‘hood spot with charm. You can also watch games on 1 – 2 TVs from the room and bar.
Via transit, the walk from the NTC is decent.

Best ramen in the city, best chicken in the city. Too bad that I cannot go more often to this place.

Late night happy hour was happening when my friend and I got there on Friday. A Mariners’ game was on TV; people were playing darts and enjoying each other’s company. I liked the warm and friendly atmosphere.
I loved the way they served tempura udon: udon and tempura separately so that all the tempura pieces stayed nice and crispy. The broth was a bit too salty, and the noodles were quite average. It was not the best tempura udon, but it did satisfy my noodle craving.
I did not think their spicy tuna rolls ($ 6.50 HH price!) were spicy at all, but they were still tasty. There was enough for two of us to share. Hot green tea was served in a glass, which was odd and difficult to hold onto, but it was good tea.
I think everything was reasonably priced (HH or not). The service was friendly. I wouldn’t mind visitng Setsuna again.

I’ve been wanting to go to Setsuna for a month or two, ever since seeing them listed in an article about the six best ramen places in Seattle. Service was attentive and very friendly; we were waited on by an older Asian lady who was very energetic in a good way.
I knew I wanted to try the takoyaki appetizer, so we ordered that along with the karaage. Little deep-​fried balls of octopus pancake may not have caught on in the States the way ramen has, but Setsuna definitely belongs on the list of best takoyaki places in Seattle as well: They were piping hot when served, and had a great balance of texture and flavor. The karaage were similarly good, being very crispy on the outside yet moist and tender inside.
I ordered the Black ramen, which is a garlic-​butter-​shoyu ramen, with the double topping & egg add-​on. The broth was extremely rich with a deep meaty flavor; in a way it felt like a ramen version of a rib-​eye steak. The pork topping was amazingly tender and flavorful, too. I might have done with a few less bean sprouts, although I have to take responsibility for ordering double everything. The only thing is, I think the ‘traditional’ shoyu ramen flavor got masked a little too much by the garlic-​butter add-​in, so I may try the Sakura ramen (plain shoyu broth) next time for a more traditional bowl. I will certainly return though!

A good bowl of Udon shouldn’t be so hard to find. The noodles were okay but the broth had a odd flavor and was not good. The tempura vegetables had no flavor and there was nothing else in the soup.
The other food we got we all generally meh. Based on this I would not go back.

The teriyaki chicken in the combination plate is really good! It’s skin-​on and just the right amount if crisp. The Calpico Soda is really good too – it’s a yogurty soft drink. Though this place doesn’t have much sushi, they make up for it with their ramen!

Setsuna is ok.
We had several happy hour items. I liked the chicken karaage but the other items didn’t stand out to me much. It seems like food to eat if you’re here drinking already and you need something to soak up the booze. Gyoza was fine, tempura roll was fine, everything was just okay.
I like that they have Mac and Jack’s and it’s nice and cold.
The bathroom was really run down and felt unheated. Not dirty, just run down.
Service was typical Japanese service. They ask what you want, they bring it, no niceties. This is fine.
Glad we checked it out because it’s in my neighborhood. I’d come back for drinks and to play darts but I’d probably pass on the food.

The good: broth was very rich and flavorful, the egg was somewhat raw inside… sooo good
The bad: broth was salty, parking lot looks unsafe, place was dead when we were there on a Tuesday night, we were the only people there.

Food = ok, hit and miss
Service = a little hiccup but nice over all
Décor = minimalist /​divey
I came here before numerous times for big party and stuff, this is my first time to come only for one item: Ramen. My husband and I both ordered ramen combo.
Pan-​fried gyoza: delicious! Pork inside was delightfully flavored with garlic, sesame oil, green onions, s&p. Crispy at the bottom, juicy body, very enjoyable. I didn’t even need dipping sauce (vinegar/​soy/​sugar). Skinny snack size, perfect for side dish.
Chicken karaage: pub-​style «dirty» type. Heavy on dough, fried in old oil, stinky, seasoned heavily, and mouthful. So big and piping hot, I had to start crunching away the crumbly corner a little by little. This made me nostalgic thinking about my college days — cheep eats, cheep beer. Ahhh! Sadly I graduated that stage. Next!
Ramen: I chose spicy miso out of four choices. The yellow egg noodle texture qualified high to convince me that the chef knows what he is doing, and soup had its depth and tender freshness, no chemical burn or anything… so, I regret that sweet miso dressing and braised pork kakuni was sweeter than I wanted to be. The spicy-​sweet paste and meat, the noodle polymer-​coated in that oily mixture, altogether, started fighting for the #1 star spot, a bite after bite. I resorted to green veggie and bean sprout, then eventually hot green tea. Overall it was good but too sweet and salty for my taste.
I bet, though, after a certain round of drinks people would covet this strong taste so don’t think that I had a bad experience. If you crave for salt, I can see how good this salty-​sweet goodness would work its magic.

another kotteri style ramenya, but the broth is not as heavy and in-​your-​face as other ramenyas like Ramen Man, 4649, and Biwa (portland) and may be more acceptable to those of us seeking a lighter, assari style ramen.
the «black» rich shoyu succeeded in not over whelming me but the «sakura» traditional shoyu was not as clear and light as i would have preferred but i didn’t hate it.
the «red» spicy miso ramen was delicious. the heavier broth held it’s own against the spicy seasoning and i could still taste the broth beneath the spicy seasoning.
the ramen combo is a great value: ramen and choice of selected appetizer for an additional $ 3.00.
during happy hour the seasoned egg isfree, otherwise there is a $ 1.00 additional charge. the happy hour prices for selected appetizers are another good value.
seasoned egg: outstanding! perfect egg every time and the seasoning is light instead of the heavy marinade.
the pork: cooked and seasoned perfectly.
appetizers: edamame, shrimp and vegetable tempura, japanese pork sausage, crispy gyoza were average.
stick with the ramen. it’s worth the drive for me from lynnwood to northgate for this ramen.

Ramen is just getting more and more popular. By browsing Unilocal daily, my crave for ramen is just unstoppable. I saw a couple of my friends check in here and post pictures of Ramen. I was like… great! This place is walking distance from me!
I had their ramen combo (combo upgrade is $ 3) with shrimp tempera and added soft boiled egg (this is side order $ 1). The amount of the food just lightly less than what I normally have at Aloha but it’s just right! I am not a pork eater. But, their braised pork in the ramen really reminded what my mom used to make back in the days. I really enjoyed. I feel the broth (pork and chicken) wasn’t bad at all.
The service is friendly as usual. I’d love to come back here and bring my friends over to try the ramen.

I came here after a friend recommended it to me. It beats Kukai Ramen in Bellevue and Aloha Ramen in Greenwood. The servers are Japanese, cooks are Japanese, and customers are Japanese! I was so impressed everybody was speaking Japanese!
I had the black garlic broth with my ramen and it was very filling and yummy. Also tried a bit of the spicy red broth but it was too spicy for my liking. I will definitely be back, to have more ramen and try other traditional Japanese dishes. :)