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Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese [Edit]
Neighborhood: West SeattleMon-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Mon-Sat. 4:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sun. 4:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
We ate there tonight, my wife, daughter, and me. Some sushi, chirashi sashimi, and a vegetarian bento box.
The food was good, the service slow at best. Waiting a half hour for a table was tedious but unavoidable, the waiting area was small and others were waiting as well. Someone from the table next to our had to walk to the back to flag down a waitress so they could order. Two waitresses were simply not enough to service the tables.
The table in the corner was cold - I wore my jacket and gloves most of the time. When our food finally came, the bento box came 15 minutes before the sushi and sashimi. For some inexplicable reason my daughter would not start her bento until we were served, leading to lukewarm tempura. We had to remind the waitress a couple of times to get tea.
It may be fine when less busy, and better when sitting closer to the kitchen, and the sushi did taste very fresh.
I've been here a few times and it's been good until....
I would consider myself a regular. The food is good, both sushi and the beef sukiyaki. I've enjoyed many meals until the last time when I noticed the sushi chef with dirty nails. I was a bit taken back but I went ahead and ordered my usual lunch.
I did not have anything else but in a few hours I was sick. Food poising, I've only felt this way once before and I knew exactly what it was.
I hate to base my review on one meal when I've had several dozen good ones but I was so sick.
I worked in several kitchens and basic hygiene is so important when your working with peoples food.
I have not returned.
Azuma Sushi... uh-zoo-muh sue-she... cool phrase.
After meandering through burien and west seattle on the 560, finally i get off at the junction...
i like this place. great wood use and jpn art. is it just me, or are they chinese? it just made me wonder out of curiosity, since i'm used to hispanic, japanese, or korean. a first if they are chinese. the waitress seemed like she had that aged-pleasantness about her. idk, kind of like, "oh just another customer" but also, "welcome, thank you for coming," if that makes sense. a rather homey atmosphere.
thee sushi was great. the dynamite was satisfying (although izakaya's seemed better) and sake had put-in-your-mouth-but-sticks-out sized slices which were amazing salmon (it's one of those simply beautiful nigiris). i just wanted to start ordering more left and right.
the b-room wasn't anything special, and overall, i wouldn't mind going back.
We got our food quick and it was nicely presented. The price was what I expected. However, they never came back to refill our water. Also, a couple people in our group thought the fish was past the pull date in one of the rolls we had. I would personally rate higher, but the rest of my group disagreed so take this score are our group average.
i heart me some good sushi and this place has it...i think everyone should eat here a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
take your family ,friends and people you may only like a little worth every penny!!!!
and the prices are not out of line.
Rarely do I go to West Seattle for anything, but a particularly haughty friend of mine derives great pride from creating itineraries for weekday evening outings, so in an effort to humor him I tagged along.
Tried the Chicken Teriyaki Bento w/ California Roll. Teriyaki was standard, and California roll was equally so.
There was nothing particularly wrong with the food here, but nothing particularly right either. They got the basics down, and thats about it. I would probably err on the side of saying I overpaid for the food I got, but after being in Seattle for sometime I realize that this is not entirely unheard of.
a big resounding MEH.
When I spend this much money on food, I expect it to be a treat. But I walked in at 9 when they were closing at 9:30 and they were clearly in a hurry to get me out the door. The waitress was asking me what i wanted before I could even put down the menu.
I had some spectacularly unremarkable chicken curry with rice, some miso soup, and a pretty tasty but absolutely tiny side salad.
the best part of my meal-- the Andes Candy they gave me with my bill.
Excellent food. Love their scallop spicy hand rolls. Fresh and just the right spice.
Love this place. Bento boxes are awesome value and very tasty.
Great service, nice friendly people.
When we lived in South West Seattle, Azuma was our neighborhood sushi place when we did not want to travel far. The price is reasonable and the food is above average. Nothing to write home about but better than your standard Teriyaki places. It is a small family restaurant, parking is somewhat tight in the alley but parking is also available on the street. We always had decent service.
Azuma is definitely my favorite sushi restaurant in Seattle. I had never eaten sushi before moving to Seattle so I was definitely a "sushi virgin." After going to a couple places around town I began to love sushi, not only for the flavor but for the experience. Having lived in West Seattle, I was told that I had to try Azuma because it was the best- that was NO lie.
When I go to Azuma I am always greeted with a smile and a warm welcome. The service is amazing (just like the food). On a weekend, I will usually pony-up to the sushi bar with a paper and an appetite and I am never left unsatisfied. They have great rolls but my favorite is the eel- the flavor and texture is perfect.
So look no further if you want to try some great sushi. You won't be disappointed by the experience.
Two stars only for the food. The food was delicious. That said...
The service is simply AWFUL. I went to Azuma's with a friend today and after we were seated, it was ten minutes before we were even brought a menu. There were two other tables occupied in the restaurant.
The table that that waitress was paying attention to must've been a big ticket or something, because she checked on them five or six times before she even took our order.
When it was finally time to order, my friend asked the waitress a question about one of the menu items and then started to order. Then, I'm not even kidding, in the middle of my friend's order, a person at another table called our waitress's name and our waitress TURNED AROUND, leaving our table and proceeded to chit chat with the other table for a few minutes. In hindsight, we should have left right then.
She came back with no apologies and treated us like taking our order was an inconvenience to her. She didn't really seem to ever be paying any attention to us. We had to repeat our order twice (which would not have bothered me if it weren't for our "warm" welcome earlier) and when she "got it", she dashed off, only to be seen again when our food was ready.
She sure was nice when it was time for us to pay (and tip).
Neither of us tipped, which is uncharacteristic of us.
Other highlights include- my friend ordering miso soup, our waitress dashing off in the middle of the order, and her bringing us both miso soup. I assumed it was complimentary, since I didn't order it. It was not. I should have brought up the charge at the till, but was too frustrated to do so. Consider that unwelcome charge your tip.
I could go on, but you've got the idea, so I'll stop.
ETA: I have to amend my review to add that although my experience was poor, I am impressed at Azuma's response. I was contacted the very next day to ask how they could win my business back. Given that the food was so good, and the response to my complaint was so genuine, I am willing to give Azuma another try. When I do eat there again, I will gladly erase my initial review and post my final review. It's amazing that this business cared enough to email me, and cared enough to check their reviews daily. I think that they really *do* care about my experience, and everyone else's, and that definitely counts for something! Thanks Azuma!
Me and my friends had a great time eating and drinking there with mediocre service and a big fat bill, then we all got violently ill the next day with vomitting and severe diarrhea. We finally were able to recoup our money(after a struggle and the city examiner involved)from our bill and they made sure not to recoup our entire bill(i guess they thought the sake and kirin should be on us).wont ever be going back here again.
I heart Azuma. I was brought here by a friend about 2 years ago. Now I take everybody I know to eat there with me. Prices are reasonable, the Dynamite Rolls are to die for and the staff always remembers me. I'll even go by myself and get asked, "You didn't bring a friend today?" During the summer, you have to try the Mango Fandango or the Tropicana Rolls. Mango on a hot day is just so refreshing (especially combined with sushi!). My girlfriend and I go out of our way to eat here! Only bummer is that they are closed for some weird hours between lunch and dinner.
This place has the best house salad! They sell their dressing for $4... Been here a few times just for it. Very high quality fresh sushi had the dynamite and philly roll. Salad and 2 rolls came to only $24... Always friendly service... plenty of seating. 4 **** for me.
Called in for take-out tonight. I ordered the Chirashi Sashimi, a spicy tuna roll, unagi and edamame. It was all excellent, the sashimi was well-portioned and fresh and given my one time experience at mashiko, would choose Azuma over Mashiko's sashimi any day.
My friend ordered the beef teryaki which was fatty and of poor quality. He was disappointed but said he would give it another try with the chicken teryaki next time.
The staples (rice, miso soup, and edamame) were fine.
I will return and think this is the best sushi that I've found in West Seattle thus far.
It's OK.
Sushi's OK, but the space is cold and the ambiance non-existent.
Compared to the we're-too-hip Mashiko? It's a wash.
mmm.... eating their sushi makes me want to close my eyes
Azuma is the place in Seattle for sushi! It has a relaxed atmosphere with friendly and accommodating staff. The sushi man, Harry, is excellent and always has time to crack a few jokes.
And lets not forget the sushi which is to DIE FOR. You must try the Dynamite, Spider, and Dragon Rolls. Again, I close my eyes every time to savor the flavor.
I've quickly become a regular with their great value on bento boxes. Five Stars!
Always sweet service, FAST sushi made before your eyes, and yummy food. Not my fav place ever but definitly a great go to place.
The soup bowls with egg on top are amazing, except for the fishcakes in them. I'm not so into fishcakes....
Ate lunch here today, as it's conveniently located to my house. I was very impressed. Friendly staff, expansive menu, and very good food. Its my favorite sushi place here in Seattle so far.
Service was good and they have an interesting menu...but when the 3 of us who were sharing various rolls all got sick the next day...not as impressed. Will not be returning.
On Saturday afternoons when I'm craving sushi this is where I go. It's always fresh and full of flavor. Their Tropicana roll made spicy is delightful I can't get enough.
Their bento meals are also very tasty I've never had a bad meal here. A few years ago my brother was in town and I took him here he still talks about their teriyaki beef he claims it is by far the best he's ever had (I don't eat beef so I can't confirm this), I will mention my brother also loves Taco Bell.
Need a recommendation on Saki (face it...it takes some experience to even begin to understand the stuff), or perhaps even how it is best served? Looking for a kick-ass any kind of traditional roll or nigiri?
Look no further - this is your place!! Forget the trendy sushi "clubs" and/or bars. These guys have been doing it forever. THESE GUYS have the knowledge and experience!
And it doesn't end there. I have never had to wait and their wait staff is very attentive and friendly. Prices are quite reasonable and take-out service is fast.
Look no further...whether sushi virgin or connoisseur...you are HOME!
Azuma isn't the kind of spectacular sushi restaurant that will wow you at every turn. There's no perfectly maintained salt water fish tank or fancy decor. The staff isn't going to make a big fuss over you. There's no tatami room. You won't find a billion yuppies here disussing their most recent scuba adventures. It's not the place that will bring you the most exotic fish or the most avant garde rolls.
Despite all that, Azuma is by far my favorite sushi place on the planet.
The sushi is consistantly delicious and fresh, served up by one of the friendliest sushi chefs around. Watching his hands work miracles with fish, seaweed and rice is poetry at high speeds. (Sit at the bar to get the full effect.) Your sushi will never be fishy or otherwise unpleasant. The edamame is always fresh and tasty. The miso soup is sublime.
The staff are friendly and efficient. You never go long without having your drink refilled.
Sure you could go someplace fancy and spend a lot of money, but if you're like me you'll love the balance of price, quality and service you get from the most unpretentious purveyors of raw fish in West Seattle.
There's no one to impress here but your tastebuds.
Sushi was a highlight of my weekend...again.
Any time of the week Azuma is my prefered sushi in West Seattle. The service is great, owner & chef is polite & present contributing to the experience with his fabulous sense of humor. Everything is fresh & it can not be said enough the Bento box is solid, especially for the Japanese neophite or anytime you want a little of everything.
I love bringing my friends here to show them that West Seattle has great sushi too.
This is my favorite sushi place in Seattle. Everytime I go in, it's the same sushi chef, and he is a professional. It's not elaborately decorated place, you can tell they put their money into their food. The salad has the best dressing I've ever had. The rolls are all excellent and large, so you're sure to get your money's worth. My favs include the dynamite roll and spicy tuna rolls, super high quality and quantity for a reasonable price. You never go wrong at azuma.
This review is almost completely based on what this place calls "Shiro Maguro" but is in fact something other than Albacore (my personal favorite). Butterfish. I had it at this restaurant over a year ago and found it to be the best piece of nigiri I've ever had. Upon returning, I was not disappointed at the repeat performance.
Let's talk about the kind of sushi I like. Frankly, everyone has different tastes and sushi is even more extreme when it comes to personal preferences. Some people like very complex rolls that involve multiple types of fish or many flavors. I don't enjoy these as much as simple rolls. I enjoy sashimi.... surprisingly a lot of people that "like" sushi don't actually like raw fish and are more interested in fried rolls that only look pretty. Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed my fair share of fried rolls... I just think that it's important to make the distinction in this case. If someone goes to this restaurant expecting fancy rolls they wont be disappointed per se, they just wont have gone for the right reason. Tried the Tropicana Roll as recommended by someone else. The mango certainly was unusual and I would get it again, only I thought it overpowered the rest of the ingredients in the roll. Dynamite roll was pretty good and the caterpillar roll was decent. The Poki roll was disappointing, but good. It has a flash fire kind of burn to it, but I prefer a slow burn that accents the fish instead of stealing the show.
Back to the butterfish. I've never had it anywhere else, have asked all my regular sushi places and nobody else seems to carry it. Poor me ;-)
I make sushi and used to work at a sushi restaurant in Seattle (only 2 months before unexpectedly having to move from Seattle to Berkeley, but have been making sushi for 4 years now). I am particular about fish. I like the kind of sashimi or nigiri that melts in your mouth. Some salmon does this. More frequently albacore. Occasionally hamachi does this and takes the cake.
I despise cold fish. I understand the health reasons for keeping fish cold and strictly adhere to that, but when fish is served to me I will let it sit until it has reached it's flavour peak. Eating cold nigiri is a crime and the only victim is you. The flavour is completely dead until the fish has warmed closer to room temperature. Flavourful sushi that melts in your mouth as you press your tongue up to the roof of your mouth is what I am after. Azuma's butterfish delivers in the best possible way.
Allow me to make an analogy. Azuma's butterfish resembles opium. I just want to chase the dragon over and over. Each piece brings me that much closer to catching it. You can swear you're going to grab it's tail if you have just one more order.
Go here for the butterfish!
The first time I tried to go here, instead of being greeted with sushi, I was greeted with a sign on the door that indicated they were mysteriously closed for the day. I'm not sure how often this occurs, but it was a bit odd as it did not state any reason for the closure.
The second time a few weeks later, I succeeded in dining here. The best adjective I can use to summarize this place is ok - it describes both the chirashi I had and the "love boat" sushi combination my dining companion had. Service was fine, decor is decent but I don't have particularly high standards for that.
It might be unfair to compare it to Mashiko down the street as opposed to standing on its own, but with their excellence a block away, it was hard not to be disappointed by their average fish. It is cheaper than Mashiko though, but I'd rather go to there once than here twice.
I love Azuma when I have had a long week and I want sushi, but I don't want to deal with the hustle and bustle of going to Belltown with having to find parking and dealing with crowds.
It's only a few blocks away from where I live and the staff is always friendly. Sitting at the sushi bar is always the best seat in the house and the sushi chef is always funny and is always willing to give you suggestions when you don't know what to eat. The rolls are alright, nothing mind blowing. Its just a place that is simple and good.
There are a few sushi places to choose from on California. This place is great for nigiri, the fancy rolls are too big. The sushi chef is wonderful, funny and talented. TRY THE BUTTERFISH! Not every place has it! I found their hot house sake to be sour, but my tablemates enjoyed it.
My choice for sushi in West Seattle. The staff is friendly and helpful, the sushi is delicious and they've got some nice Saki and good beers.
What's not to love??
Best place to get Sushi in West Seattle so far (haven't been to Mashiko yet). Great, fast service and friendly service. Their Salmon Teriyaki was good, but one thing i must say that isn't so good is their Ramen. I'm really big on Ramen and i must this place is probably one of the worst places for it.
I just moved from downtown to wseattle and went out to c if wseattle had ne sushi spots. So I came across this one and it was awesome. Me and my friend ordered the tropicana roll and the spicy california roll. I gotta tell ya never thought of eating raw fish with mango but its freaking amazing and the other roll was good as well. I will be back for sure.
One of our two favorite sushi places. It's small, and nothing flashy, as in no hip modern trendy BS type decor. It's just a simple small town West Seattle type of place, with good service and decent to good Sushi.
Much less spectacularly original than Mashiko just down the street, but solid comfortable sushi, great people and fast service make this nearly as good. It's a good choice if Mashiko is too crowded, which it often is, but this really can be a destination in and of itself and the prices are more reasonable. Try the bento box and any of the seafood items.
Cute place, clean and simple. A good overall value and fast service. Would be a great place to stop in with family or to grab some take-out if you need your sushi fix. I wasn't blown away by the rolls but perhaps it was just me. The negi hama maki was adequate, the fish was fresh, I just didn't love it. And while I'm normally a big fan of all things spicy, the poki roll was way too hot for me to eat and i didn't finish it. I'll be back, but next time I'll try something different...
sushi is served with wasabi on every piece, not a huge fan of that style but eh. big fat pieces on every sushi order. kinda pricey for your hole in the wall styled sushi joint but was still good. loved the crab because it was real crab!!
Friendly service, good fish and very reasonable prices. One of my West Seattle favorites.
This best thing I can say about this place is that it was adequate in every way. The problem is, I was promised spectacular, in the form of Mashiko, but then their HOUR-LONG WAIT ON A TUESDAY EVENING brought us here. Had I not been all worked up for "wow," I think Azumu might have merited 4 stars. As is, well, it's clean, simple, almost suburban-looking. The service was fast and thorough, but not engaging. The sashimi was fine, but nowhere near the great cuts you can get elsewhere (and I'm not just talking about the pricey places). The rolls were unimpressively good. If it was in my neighborhood, I'd probably be here regularly. No way I'm driving to West Seattle for them again, though. Sorry, guys.
For Japanese food in Seattle, this is great. Sushi is really good and always super clean and fresh, not been sitting too long like all the other places I've been to even the pricey ones in Seattle. Prices here are not bad, service is great.
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