Suika Seattle

It wasn’t bad but nothing amazing. Guess I had higher expectations based on the Unilocal reviews. I tried the fried chicken (it was good but gets too greasy– couldn’t eat more than 3), ate unagi bibimbop and pork bibimbop and it was ok. They were both pretty bland and the amount of unagi was barely there. Ratio of rice and inclusions are unfair. Then I ate the fried yellow tail… Barely any meat didn’t look like the Unilocal pictures. The miso ramein was pretty good!
It was good to try but probably won’t crave it.

My friend and I stopped by Suika Seattle last night. I planned on visiting for a while and just happened to be in the area so I decided, why not!
However, it didn’t really meet up my expectations.
Indeed, the interior design was creative and eye-​catching, the staff was really nice and the service was great. However, I find it on the pricey side. It’s not that it’s expensive, it’s just that the food isn’t as good. Sashimi wasn’t really that fresh! I would have paid a higher price and go somewhere else nicer! Their other items are average at most as well. So I probably won’t come again though there’s a crowd in the restaurant!

it was beauty in my mouth.
The UNI IKURA QUAIL EGG SHOOTERS R SO BOMB
regular price is $ 7 but if you go during happy hour its $ 6.
Totally worth it.

I’m drooling over this place. It’s as good as everyone else says. Trust me. I highly recommend ordering some of their more special and less average dishes that you might be able to find at other Japanese restaurants! Also, if you can, help your wallet out and come for their happy hour! Sharing 4 small plates with a friend, it came out to be about ~$ 22 per person.
What I Ordered:
*Tuna Tataki (⁵⁄₅) — delicious, so good. Their housemade sauce is on-​point. I devoured this plate and would gladly do so a hundred more times.
*Chicken Kara-​age (⁴⁄₅) — I really enjoyed this, tender and great big chunks of chicken. I only did not particularly love the spicy red sauce it came with, I felt that could’ve been better.
*Aburi Saba Battera (⁵⁄₅) — I want to eat this again and again! It was phenomenal, I was happily surprised at the quality and freshness of the fish, the rice was seasoned so well and the sauce that it came with was mouth-​watering. I highly highly recommend trying this and their other battera as well!
*Ebi Tempura (?) (⁴⁄₅) — I couldn’t find this on their online menu so I assume it’s one of their changing options, this was good, but I felt that it could’ve been seasoned more. The shrimp however, were not your ordinary run-​of-​the-​mill shrimp, they were high quality and I appreciated that.
I will be back to try their ramen and have more battera! Great and friendly service as well, they open the door for you when you leave. Great interior decoration. Absolutely delicious. :)

I’ve lived across the street from this place for a while and have been meaning to check it out. I finally pulled the trigger and dropped in for dinner with a friend. I’m disappointed in myself for having not checked it out sooner; it’s that good!
We ordered the Pork Belly Bibimbap and Negitoro Battera to share. Both dishes were incredible! We loved the Negitoro Battera so much that we had to order another round of it.
You’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t check this place out.

I was BLOWN AWAY by Suika! The food was absolutely amazing… we had the sashimi 5 piece plate and ended up having to get a second 3 piece plate because it was so delicious. They do not mess around in terms of the quality and freshness of the fish. For the price and portion size, they are killing it. We spent around $ 40 per person and literally drank and ate ourselves into food comas. The jalapeño spicy tuna rolls were probably my second favorite behind the sashimi! Definitely my new favorite Capitol Hill restaurant!

Finally got to try the garlic miso ramen. The flavor was really good and the noodles were thick and al dente. Still think the addition of an egg in general to ramen is a great idea but still not a fan of the egg here — its too soft /​runny for my taste.
Tako wasabi. Surprisingly refreshing with just the amount of spicy kick and love the contrast in flavor and texture with the salty nori.
Uni shooter looked really interesting and pretty presentation. I opted to admire from afar this time around but my friend enjoyed his!
Ma-​po rice cake. This was an interesting twist– almost like tteokbokki, but not –more like chewy mochi with mapo tofu sauce. It was different but I actually kind of liked it. Wish there was more sauce on it though.
Sake was very good. Didn’t think that 16 ounces would have been that big, but it was ample and a great addition to our meal!
Baterra pressed sushi was interesting. We ordered the special tasty tuna with jalapenos. Enjoyed it but not a favorite. I guess I prefer fresh vs baked sushi, but still worth a try.
Overall, I was definitely more impressed by the food this time around and looking forward to trying something new next time!

So authentically great and at a good price too! It is a smaller sized space but very cozy inside.
Walked by on a Saturday night at 5pm and the place was packed. It was still packed by the time I sat down at the bar around 9pm that same night which made me excited. They have a ton of specials to choose from in addition to their regular menu such as daily varieties of miso soup, ramen, and sushi.
The staff are super friendly and they have a variety of really tasty items on the menu. Sushi, ramen, miso soup, pork belly, Kimchee udon, uni shots, etc. We ordered the chicken wings to start which had the perfect crunch and soft tender meat on the inside. Tossed in a delicious sauce on the lighter side with fresh cilantro to let the crunch of the fried wing shine through.
Second round consisted of Hellz ramen with a soft boiled egg, halibut cheek/​collar, and marinated pork mochi rice cakes. They get their ramen noodles from a special place in California that just makes noodles– they were tasty. All things I would order again. Can’t wait to go back to this place soon.

CUTE JAPANESE BAR
(4.5 stars)
This place is a cute spot nested on Capitol Hill. Great place to drink and eat and just hang out. They have a bar setting and table seating — reservations isn’t necessary but might be helpful since the place is small and there’s in and out traffic. When entering all the staff yells out something in Japanese. The non-​Japanese staff say the words incorrectly, its kind of funny but whatever. Service (at the bar) was okay — they can improve in several areas but the food was very good. Serving customers is greater than plucking grapes and prepping garnishes. The menu… IS OVERWHELMING there were like 3 menus that I was shifting back and forth from trying to figure out where is what and what is where. What I do like about their menu, there is a variety: sushi, sashimi, ramen, rice plates, etc.
MISO SOUP — ham broth, miso, watermelon radish. This is probably one of the tastiest miso soups I’ve ever had. Very rich and tasty. They don’t always serve miso soup on their menu. I had to ask if there was any miso soup and when they told me they are serving miso tonight I ordered assuming it was the basic/​regular miso. It was a treat and I hope they continue to put that on their menu daily.
BATTERA — there were different kinds of battera choices. I asked about the picture from Unilocal which was not offered on the menu that evening, however they were able to accommodate my request. The battery had salmon, ham tobiko, uni, and sesame soy. It was good but I felt like they took minimal pieces of each and cut them into smaller pieces and spread it out.
3 KINDS SASHIMI — (3 pieces of each sashimi) since the service at the bar wasn’t on point, i was waiting for some time where the other order was. They apologized for the wait as they apparently forgot and gave me 5 KINDS OF SASHIMI (2 pieces of sashimi each). I really appreciated their efforts!!! I had 2 pieces each of Octopus, Yellow Tail Belly, Scallops, Hamachi, and SockEye Salmon. Their sashimi was fresh and delicate. I love how they didn’t mask their sashimi with garnishes like soy sauce or sauces or wasabi… it was perfect the way they served it and presented it. LOVED their presentation.
Will I be back? Yes! I’ll need to try the rice dishes and ramen next.
JABA APPROVED… Until the next review…

What a fantastic experience!
As far as Japanese food, before dining in Suika, I have only experienced two extremes: more affordable places that serve good sushi rolls and really expensive places that serve excellent sashimi.
Suika falls somewhere in the middle, with quality of ingredients and authentic flavors. I enjoyed everything we ordered: some tapas and some pressed sushi rolls. I especially loved the pressed sushi rolls. They would be your closest bet if you are used to ordering rolls. They are a little thicker (big bite size), but more chewy with excellent compacted sticky rice quality with a little bite of fish integrated to the roll (we had excellent mackerel). They don’t serve soy sauce with it. We asked for it automatically thinking that they must have forgotten about it and they brought it to us, but suggested not using it and trusting chef’s flavor concoction. As you might have guessed– they were right on point with that advice.
Staff is friendly, but really young and casual. It goes with the type of dining this place represents, but I wish they were a little more attentive given that, although pretty affordable, the little plates you get here add up pretty quickly.

Suika is the real deal!
The BF and I have been on a serious hunt for good Japanese food since we moved here from Honolulu a few months ago. We’re obsessed with Japanese food, but were a little disappointed in the variety and quality in the Seattle area until we went to Suika!
Suika is a fun izakaya (a casual place to get your drink and snack on!) located near Seattle Central College and a few blocks south of Broadway. Look for the green melon-​shaped sign! I made reservations by messaging them through Facebook and thank goodness I did this because it was packed on a Friday night!
Here’s what we ordered:
Tako Karaage ($ 8.50): Holy fried octopus! I’m a little picky with my octopus dishes, but this was perfectly crisp and fried. None of that overcooked, rubbery nonsense here!
Hellz Ramen ($ 11.50): The BEST ramen I’ve had in Seattle blends a mix of mapo tofu spiciness, miso, and the fabulous Japanese-​style (firm) noodles! I’ve had a few ramen bowls in Seattle, where the noodles have been overcooked to the point of being soggy! How is that legal?
Aburi Saba Battera AKA pressed seared mackerel sushi ($ 13): Perfectly melt-​in-​your-​mouth saba. I’m drooling just thinking about it.
Shio-​Dare Chicken Wings ($ 9): Japanese-​style fried chicken wings adorned with salt and pepper. So good.
–
A stray observation:
This is one of the few Japanese restaurants in Seattle that we’ve been to where we weren’t the only Japanese people there! Groups of Japanese people were all up in this joint. I almost thought I was back in Hawaii (or Japan!)

FOLKS THIS PLACE IS LEGIT!!! I USED TO LIVE IN JAPAN SO I KNOW!!!
My friend, my fat ass, and I came here last night (Saturday) after downing some large size udon at U: Don not far from Suika (means «watermelon» in Japanese by the way for all of the linguist geeks out there). When we entered, the place was PACKED. But were we surprised? Nope. What WAS surprising, though, is that even though it seemed the whole place was occupied, the server was able to seat us at the counter seats right next to the kitchen. These seats were amazing because you could see the chefs at work, which surprisingly happened to be the owner himself (explained further below).
The first thing you’ll notice upon entering is that chandelier of a masterpiece made of empty sake bottles — pretty cool! The place also has a Japanese izakaya feel, which is a plus in my book. And here’s something kick ass: the bathrooms have toothpicks and mouthwash!
The staff were extremely nice and attentive, and it was not just our server, but pretty much everyone there. You know how servers in some restaurants will only be nice to you for tips and the other servers do not give a shit about you (#bitches)? Well everyone here is just down-​to-​earth friendly, which gave me an OMG moment because it reminisced me of my life in Japan in which there is NO tip system! One of the staff members even opened the door for us as we left!
So after a few paragraphs I haven’t even gotten to the food yet, so that’s how awesome this place is! But here are some items we got:
Watermelon Mojito = STRONG! I like it.
Yuzu Mojito = very subtle yuzu flavor, but my friend loved it!
Cabbage Appetizer = sorry forgot the name… but this was on the house by the owner! It is basically Taiwanese cabbage with this garlic sauce and pieces of dried shrimp on top. Very simple, but flavor was great!
Shio Dare Fried Chicken Wings = pretty much fried chicken wings with salt and pepper, paired with some spinach. I just love seasoning shit with salt and pepper because even though it is simple, it is just SOOO good. The wings were nice and piping hot when they came out, and flavor was more subtler than other places that have super salty wings.
Tako Wasabi = JUST LIKE the ones I have in Japan, except with fish eggs (tobiko?) on top and some pieces of seaweed on the side. Tah-​koh Wah-​sah (how it’s actually called in Japanese) is a typical izakaya food in Japan, so the fact they have it gives them a thumbs up!
So the owner on the night of was actually busier than his staff himself, but he was a good enough sport to let my friend take a pic of him and have it posted on Instagram! The young dude is from Japan, so I was already relieved that Suika was not Chinese– or Korean-​owned lol. Thank you, Kimoto-​san, for this awesome addition to the Capitol Hill neighborhood! I will be back again!

Definitely an interesting experience here. The eats here is not the typical legitimate Japanese cuisine. The dishes here are Americanized and modernized, sure had a hipster feeling while dining here.
Came here with 12 other people so we had quite a large party. My boyfriend and I ordered the braised pork feet! Yummm it was surprisingly good! The meat fell off of the bones and simply melted in your mouth. The flavors were on point as well. It was accompanied by a little bit of spinach drizzled with oriental dressing, so delish. My boyfriend had the Hell’s ramen. Honestly, it was not spicy at all. They topped a bowl of regular ramen with some Mapo meat sauce. Its taste was average and the broth was not as rich and flavorful as legitimate ramens elsewhere. I had the bim bim bap. I guess they put some kind of Unagi sauce or whatever that made the bowl smelling very fishy… not my favorite either.
Now onto the service. It was quite amusing. Our server could be a noobie, but she was super confused the entire time. She messed up some orders and was scrambling to deliver food to the right people. Took a while bringing out my dish too, felt kind of lonely while everyone else was stuffing their faces and I was just like, hmmm. the decors look nice?

Yes!!! A true, Japanese owned/​run Izakaya in Seattle!
Walking into Suika, it is as if I have entered through a worm hole and some how ended up in Japan. Interior is trendy and hip, yet it has a Japanese flare to it. The «sake bottle chandelier» is very cool and unique.
**Happy Hour is from 5:00 — 6:30 PM**
Came in around 5:30 and ordered off both the happy hour and regular menus. Keep in mind that this is an Izakaya, which is basically like Japanese tapas, meant to be shared with each other. Thus saying, portions are a tad on the smaller side, so if you’re super hungry, you better order the whole damn menu.
We ordered:
Lotus Root Kinipira: Great flavor and nice crunch
Shio cabbage: Nice jalapeño, garlic and sesame oil dressing and healthy.
Asian Poutine: Beechers cheese curds, seasoned ground pork on top of fries. Almost tasted like taco meat. An Asian take off of the Canadian Poutine.
Shio Dare Chicken Wings: Fried chicken wings with a strong garlic taste. Good if you like garlic.
Yellowtail Collar: seasoned with salt and broiled perfectly
Smoked tuna takaki: super fresh, soft tuna with a flavorful sesame soy dressing and chili oil.
Unagi Bibimbap: good amount of Unagi in a stone pot mixed with rice and omelette. Awesome flavor and really tasty!
Japanese Snapper (madai) Sashimi: very fresh and soft. The best madai sashimi I have had yet.
Black Garlic Miso Ramen: Ox tail broth with blackened garlic oil and miso, topped with pork belly. A nice broth and rubbery noodles. Not bad but it could be skipped next time.
Overall, the standouts were the smoked tuna Takaki, Unagi bibimbap and the snapper sashimi. The sashimi was extremely fresh and good! Everything we had was excellent but those were the ones that really stood out to me. You can’t really go wrong with anything you order at Suika, so order away!
Service was also very good and attentive. The waiters were always coming around the table asking if we needed anything. Water jug was never empty and refilled without asking.
As a person who is part Japanese and loves Japan, I’m super stoked that I found Suika. This place definitely takes me back to the motherland without having to hop 9 hours on a plane. This is now my go to Izakaya in Seattle!

Things I liked:
— I really liked the décor and ambiance
— kimchi udon was great! brothless noodles and served warm
— Sashimi was very fresh
— beef short rib was tender and juicy (please note that ‘rib’ is singular lol I read it as plural and thought there were going to be slices)
— dishes came out in a timely manner
Things that were eh:
— had to flag down someone to order. they were not busy… yet (or got busy as soon as we sat down!)
— chicken wings were meh. I had to dip it in soy sauce for more flavor and I think $ 10 for 3 wings is ridic
— chicken karaage also unimpressive
— price is kinda steep

Not sure how to put in words how delicious this place is… well I didn’t love EVERY dish… but what I loved paired with the wonderful service made for an excellent dining experience!
Service was top notch! We were greeted right when we walked in and sat promptly. Our server was super cute, attentive, and very friendly. Our dishes were all brought out promptly and explained to us.
On to the delectables…
1. Mapo Tofu Mochi: I loooooove mochi but am very picky about the texture so it must be done right. Sure enough — texture was perfect. It was chewy and had the perfect amount of bounce back. The mapo tofu on top was just the icing on the cake! Must Try!
2. Smoked Tuna Tataki: Hooooooly Moooooly this dish was freakin’ orgasmic!!! The fish was seared to perfection, super fresh, and the homemade rayu and kaiware on top just made the entire dish sing. Om nom nom… still dreaming about this dish even days later…
3. Avocado Oshizushi with Nori Ume Sauce on Top: This was probably my least favorite dish of the evening. The texture of the rice was slightly off putting and the Nori Ume sauce wasn’t quite was I was expecting either. It had an overpowering taste of vinegar and couldn’t really pick up the ume flavors. I probably wouldn’t order this again.
4. Butter Corn: I could love or leave this. The corn was a bit mushy and a bit on the bland side. Love the concept but execution was a bit lacking.
5. Cucumber Kimchi: Basic but flavorful and tasty! Yummy!
6. Chicken Wings: These were tasty but I would’ve liked to have tasted a bit more Yuzu and would’ve been nice if it were just a touch spicier. But overall super tasty!
7. Spicy Ramen: My mom NEVER says ramen places are good because they’re always too salty and the noodles aren’t al dente enough… BUT — she said this place has THE BEST ramen that she has tried so far in the US!!! WHOAAAAA!!! I’ll definitely second that. I’ve definitely eaten at my fair share of ramen joints and this one kicks the crap out of every single one of them so far. The noodles were PERRRRFECTLY al dente and the broth wasn’t oily, super flavorful, and spicy!!! OMG this was BOMBBBBB!!!
Cutest end to the meal is when they brought out the check on the wood platter, it came with a bowl of frozen grapes. So simple but so adorable and what a perfect and light way to end a pleasant meal. THANK YOU SUIKA!!!

Went for lunch. Options were a bit limited: two types of curry, two ramens, one negitoro rice bowl, and an assortment of sides.
Neigtoro bowl had a ton of avocado, a ton of minced white tuna, and topped of with some roe and bean sprouts. I enjoyed this one.
On the specials menu, they had a Hellz Ramen, which is spicy, more like the ramen that you boil in a pot then ramen at a Japanese restaurant. I liked the consistency of the noodles. The broth itself was ok.
We also ordered the hamachi kama. This is probably one of the best that I’ve had, and it was cooked perfectly.
I wasn’t impressed by their lunch (especially compared to Kingyo, their sister restaurant in Vancouver). Prices are a bit steep for lunch, in my opinion.

Just had happy hour and dinner here tonight. Have wanted to visit since pre-​opening and after friends’ recommendations. This place is legit. Servers spoke Japanese to the kitchen workers, busy (glad we made reservations), cute décor (love the wine bottle chandelier), excellent service. Good date spot.
Happy hour:
Sake buck cocktail — sake and ginger beer mix. Pretty good.
Sapporo — standard Sapporo in a glass
Chicken wings — 4 pieces
Chicken karage — came with spicy sauce
Potato salad — came with a soft egg
Dinner:
Kakuni bimbimpap
Smoked tuna tataki
Saba battera — would opt for the sashimi instead as the rice didn’t stick to the fish
Echigo beer — rice beer I think? It was very good. I’d like to buy some for at home!
Dessert:
Matcha trio — matcha ice cream, matcha macaron, matcha mochi. The mochi was my favorite out of the 3.
Matcha crème brulée — this is not your standard crème brulée. It’s chilled, two small rectangular pieces and the sugary topping is not crusty. Out of the two dessert dishes the matcha crème brulée was our favorite.

Sleek izakaya on unassuming stretch of Pine — blink and you might miss Suika. First sign the night was going to go well — ran into a bunch of Japanese Amazonian coworkers, along with several Japanese parties seated throughout the restaurant.
Recommend:
— Pressed mackerel: killer. Best dish we had that night. Not the typical strong mackerel flavor. Super fresh.
— Smoked sockeye tataki: beautifully plated, luscious
— Smoked tuna tataki: distinct smoked flavor without being overpowering. 2^nd favorite item.
— Kakuni bibimbap — pleasantly impressed with their bbimbap. Entrée-​sized and satisfying
— Chicken karaage — tasty classic, can’t go wrong
Skip:
— Ebi mayo: thickly breaded, would’ve been soggy if we let this sit
— Mapo rice cake: didn’t taste mapo flavor, rice cake was heavily chewy unlike other Asian rice cake
Service was outstanding, a great night celebrating with friends.

Must try Capital Hill restaurant. Awesome service that makes everyone feel welcome as soon as you walk in. Neat atmosphere and cool décor.
Interesting selections of food but great to see a variety for a change and it was all delicious!
Been having a hard time finding good flavor at all the restaurants in the hill and this one has surpassed all in my opinion.
Short rib was one of the best I’ve ever had and a lot of meat. The corn was flavorful, easy to eat and seasoned oh so well. The tiger prawns were breaded to perfection and came with mayo/​sriracha sauce — sooo good. The drinks had a good pour and the bar is right there!
They also have mouthwash and little neat station in the bathroom!
Will be visiting this place again as it wasn’t too overpriced and overall great customer service. Also no wait on a Friday night but was still very busy!