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Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: BallardMon-Sat. 4:30 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
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I love the ambiance here. Absolutely great for dates. So many Japanese restaurants in Seattle have a traditional look, but Moshi Moshi resembles similarly trendy restaurants in New York and San Francisco to create a wonderful experience.
My last visit here I had a great variety of Japanese specialties: Short ribs, super white tuna nigiri, shishito peppers, a crunch roll, and of course edamame and hot sake. My vegetarian girlfriend also surprisingly likes coming here, mostly because they have interesting and affordable cocktails and wines, but also yummy salads and vegetarian rolls -- like ume shiso.
We'll definitely keep coming back!
Only place in Seattle I've received a spicy tuna roll and it was actually spicy. Maybe I'm not going to the right places or maybe I was just waiting to fall in love with Moshi Moshi (The life size-lit up cherry blossom tree above the bar makes it way easy).
Warm and fresh atmosphere. Makes you want to sit in silence and appreciate the little things on your table, like personal pots of soy sauce. Food was great from the few things that were ordered like gyoza and salted, boiled soy beans ?
Next time I'd start with a beautifully calibrated cocktail from their menu.
Their sushi is so good. SOOOO GOOD. I've been there twice and we had "Omakase", chef's choice, both time...First time, we had a older guy as our chef. He asked us what we were drinking that night so that he could make sushi that matched our drinks...clever. He started with an appetizer dish with salmon roe and daikon. Then, he made about 20 pieces of sushi. Some of them were seasoned with salt, which enhanced the flavor of the fish. He made us too much sushi, but it was yummy in my tummy. My favorite piece was a mackerel sushi which was seared on top. Second time we went there, we had a younger chef. He was also good. He started with a sashimi dish which included horse makerel, tuna, salmon, and octopus. Then, he moved on to nigiri with scallops, salmon, marinated mackerel, etc. The best one that night was seared sea urchin seasoned lightly with salt. It melted in my mouth...and towards the end, he made us rolls with squid and ume which freshened our palette. He also made us Poke (a hawaiian tuna & octopus dish). I would say he creates more contemporary sushi while the other chef makes traditional ones. Do not forget to order egg (tamago) because it's delicious as well.
Price of Omakase dish is expensive, but it's worth it. If not, just order nigiri dish which comes with 5 or 7 pieces of sushi and the price is about $19, but if you can make it there before 6pm, which is their happy hour), nigiri is about $10. Also, it's hard to find parking there, so that's another reason why I recommend going there before 6.
I'll go there again for my birthday!!
If your hanging in Ballard and craving Sushi - Moshi Moshi fits the bill. It's a very cool place especially if you are doing a large group dinner. Food was good. Top faves: Toro & Escolar (Super white tuna) - fresh and tasty, Agadashi Tofu (cooked perfect!- batter was very light), glazed Teriyaki- Salmon also delish. Friends tried several other dishes, the fried oysters and chicken karaage were all winners.. Service was just OK - we sat on the 2nd floor and there was another large party - our server may have had her hands full as she was a little slow - (our busser however, was very good and was practically taking care of our all requests). Would definitely consider another Moshi visit, especially if I was planning a night out in Ballard.
The lighted cherry blossom tree above the sushi bar is absolutely gorgeous! We started off with some beef strips that were pretty tasty. Very gingery, but not overboard. I had the hamachi, which was the best I've had in a long time. I also had the moshi moshi roll, which had a weird herb in it that didn't taste good to me. The lychee sorbet was the highlight of the meal. It was lightly whipped, sweet and had chunks of lychee.
The service here is really weird. We had a blond waitress who felt the need to touch our chopsticks as she cleared the table constantly. She dropped a fish egg onto my friend in her haste to clear the table while we were still eating. She stacked all the dirty dishes on the table while we were still eating as well. It was a little gross. Then she told my boyfriend that mochi ice cream is traditionally eaten with hands (like we'd never had it before).
If you're looking for good sushi that's (a) reasonably priced, (b) in a cool neighborhood, and (c) hasn't made its way around the restaurant on a conveyor belt then try Moshi Moshi. The white salmon is delish!
Wait times are relatively short (it's a big place) and you can kill time by ordering a drink from the cocktail menu - try a Purple Heart or the Riot Act - yum!
An after work stop to a clean and fresh sushi establishment is all but the norm in Seattle, but a norm in Ballard? This I had to see for myself.
The more than rejuvenated Ballard area boasts more than a handful of food stops for locals as well as the ever wandering Seattle foodie. Moshi Moshi boasts a modest selection of Japanese seafood cuisine (raw and cooked) with consistent and thoughtful attempts at authenticity. I was a little disappointed to find there was no otoro (a personal favorite) and was even more disappointed to find the happy hour prices, not terribly happy. Sure it was cheaper than during dinner hours, but I was expecting a deal. The service at times would fringe on "do you really work here?" to "ok, at least you're nice" but over all did the job. Thel mood was pleasant but in a city bursting at the seams with new and old Sushi joints, this falls well behind on the list of recommendations for folks.
We went here for happy hour on a Tuesday right when they opened at 4:30. From 4:30-5:30 we were the only customers there, and no one else had even walked in by the time we left. For $40 we had 3 generous rolls: spicy tuna, an eel and avocado, tempura shrimp with cucumber; agedashi tofu; braised short ribs; and 2 bowls of miso! Oh sorry I forgot about the large sake ($4), small sake ($2), and the bf's splurge for a non HH Sapporo for $4.50. The sushi was fresh and the rest of the dishes were pretty good.
This is very comparable to Shiku (down the street) but for a cheaper price. Overall, it will be tough to decide between the 2 when we're in Ballard for sushi!
I love the sushi here - it's VERY fresh, and the temperature it is served at is perfect. Yes, that matters a lot to me. I've enjoyed everything I've tried on my many visits, but the sashimi and nigiri stand out as clear winners. I also liked the composed nigiri, although the hubby wasn't a huge fan.
There are two reasons this place doesn't get 5 starts (if I could give 4.5 I would) ...
1. The price - it's just a little too expensive for somewhere fairly casual in Ballard
2. Nishino is better. And for around the same price with better service, more comfortable seating and even tastier raw fish.
This is BY FAR my second favorite place in Seattle to eat sushi though. I am a huge fan. Oh, and the cocktails are pretty awesome, too.
Another day, another sushi review.
Okay, let's just address the obvious right now - there's a large LED cherry blossom tree smack in the middle of the space and it's lovely to look at. It separates the sushi bar (which is on one side) and the alcohol bar (which is on the other side) and did I mention it's lovely? I kept staring at it, much to the dismay of my date.
Ordered kappa maki, tekka maki, and two orders of albacore nigiri, my personal litmus test. Bummer that the cucumbers were not the thin sliced bundles that I adore (they're hard to find!) but it also wasn't a giant chunk of cucumber (which is an annoyance). The rice was actually surprisingly nice that day - a bit more acidity than a lot of places out here.
The tuna rolls had the big chunk of tuna in the middle, which was good. (That's where big chunks tend to do well - with fish.) The tuna was gorgeous and deep red and of good quality.
The albacore - well, it's albacore season (so get thee to a sushi bar, folks!) so the quality was melt-in-your-mouth amazing and the wasabi dollop between the fish and the rice was quite substantial. SO good.
The service was good - we sat on the bar side so we had the bartender as our waiter. He came around as happy hour was ending and did a last call for the HH menu, which is appreciated a LOT. Everyone was friendly to us, so that was nice.
But really, the sushi was great but it's great at so many restaurants in Seattle...in some ways, it makes it difficult to rate them against each other. I think where Moshi Moshi wins over all other sushi restaurants I've been to is the mixed drinks - their cocktail list is a force to be reckoned with and is VERY kindly divided by the alcohol type (vodka, whiskey, rum, etc.). The boyfriend notes that the bar was rather high-end - no strange colored schnapps hanging out that we could see - so keep that in mind when you order your drinks.
Will I return? Yes - the HH was good, the drinks were yummy, and you know, sometimes you have to stare at an LED cherry blossom tree for an hour. The menu is quite large and diversified. The staff is friendly. It's good sushi in a good location.
So my experience at this place was one that just kept getting better the longer we stayed. I went based on a few of the reviews here and was not dissappointed by what I saw. It was happy hour, the best time of the day, and we were there to try out that menu.
Since I was really jonesing good sushi, I was a bit disappointed when their HH selection was limited to just spicy tuna and eel rolls. We ordered both along with an assortment of other items (miso soup, tempura, potato croquettes). It was all tasty and satisfying but nothing that really blew my dress up.
So what tipped the scale in getting such a great rating? Their drinks were lip-smackin' good. We're talking mixology good where you can taste the crispness of the cucumber with that hint of fruit all tied together with the right amount of 'spirit'.
The drinks bumped the score from a 3.5 star to a 4 star. Next step? We ordered two plates of nigiri. I ordered the salmon and my man got the ikura. The salmon was perrrfect!!! The rice was so much better here than in the HH rolls, which I'm guessing were most likely pre-made. Oh and the salmon...insert angelic singing...it was shut your face good. I put it in my mouth and it simply melted. I've had my fair share of salmon nigiri, since it is my standard of comparison when it comes to Seattle sushi joints, and this one was hands down the best I've had. It kind of caught me off guard. So with that it made it all the way to 5 hard earned stars!
You should definitely add this to your going out list of options.
Highly recommend! This place is just wonderful. I'm pretty picky when it comes to raw fish but I'd venture to say that it's one of the best sushi places in Seattle. It's a little pricey...but you won't be disappointed. That's for sure. I highly recommend the negihama roll.
Also - they have a pretty diverse menu. If you want to do something very traditional you can. They also have some dishes/ rolls that will appeal to the non-sushi eater. Again, highly recommend.
Beautiful setting. Attentive service, even where we were upstairs, and good fish. Didn't try any of the rolls. We were mainly eating sashimi.
I like the fact you can have some good sushi AND a can of Pabst. Hilarious.
It can get quite loud in the room, so be aware. I did really like it upstairs.
One of the better Japanese joints in Seattle. The decor looks modern but the menu is down-to-earth.
Good drink menu. A good assortment of traditional and modern sushi. Lots of Japanese fish dishes, which is common in Japan. Some good appetizers. They have Japanese pickles available, which is sort of a rarity in Seattle.
But there wasn't anything extraordinary about the menu and food. Definitely good, but nothing extraordinary.
The service was excellent. The food came quickly. The atmosphere is modern. I love the big glass tree. The seats are hard. The neighborhood is great. Parking can be a problem. Pricey.
In the area, it's probably the best "safe and fancy Japanese" joint.
Everyone talks about the pink tree when they walk in the door so I cannot disappoint you by failing to mention it. It's there and big and enchanting and all "memoirs of a geisha" like just looming over the bar. I was enchanted by the glow but that lasted only until I saw the sushi chefs rolling up raw fish magic and I snapped back to reality.
I came here with a new friend on the recommendation of an old friend. It's Ballard so you know parking was a pain but it all melts away when you take your seat at Moshi Moshi Sushi. That's a mouthful! I ordered a few specialty rolls and the signiture whisky drink and of course dessert. I enjoyed the food as much as the atmosphere. Our server was attentive and full of recommendation. If you are in Ballard and looking for a taste of Japan complete with the cherry blossom charm, make your way to Moshi. The sushi is good. The drinks are good. The people are good. That's what I call a triple threat.
Had a late night dinner here on a Friday after a fashion show at the New York Institute. Immediately I was wowed by the electric cherry blossom tree. Loved it!
I've stated many times that I'm not a sushi connoisseur, but I thought my California Roll (always my benchmark) was excellent. The rice was moist and the nori was tender. I also had the miso and the Kara-age and thought both were good. Chris has the Moshi Moshi roll and the sweet yam roll which he thought were also excellent.
I would have been happy to try one of the Prosecco cocktails but it had already been a long night. The service was not rushed at all, but I agree that it's nice to have one server you know is yours.
The funniest part is I really felt like we weren't even on Seattle....the girls next to us were speaking Franch and the whole vibe was much more cosmopolitan than I expect from little ole Ballard. We could have easily been in SF or NYC.
Our late night snack cost us $34 and that included a Sapporo. Not too shabby!
OK, let me say right off that I judge the quality of a sushi bar on the basis of the fish, which I eat as sashimi, with a squeeze of lemon juice. I don't eat rolls, I don't eat tempura. I eat fish and simple salads, with an occasional grilled vegetable or agedashi tofu.
And on the basis of those items, I give this place very high marks. The ever-so-sligjhtly seared otoro I had last night was some of the most wonderful fish I've ever had in my life...not exactly cheap but worth it if you really like fine fish. Geoduck sashimi was also very fine, as were the scallops.
One reviewer seems to have a grudge against this place because some friend of his got fired. I dont' know anything about that, but I have been very pleased with the quality of both the food and service on my three visits. We are lucky that we have three excellent sushi restuarants in Ballard right now, the others being Oshan and Shiku. They all have excellent food, but I think Moshi Moshi would come in "first" in the rankings, for both the food and the pleasant and airy dining room atmosphere.
What do you get when you mix direction retarded Quinn with someone who barely comes to Ballard? A 10 minute jaunt around Ballard Ave looking for this place. It's not hard to find, we were just turned every which way.
When were hosts allowed to wear jeans and sneakers? I pointed this out and immediately became jealous; as a former hostess, business casual was enforced. He was nice enough. We got a cozy little table adjacent to the sushi bar.
We ordered the Ballard roll, 2 beers and he got the salmon deal and I got the kasu zuke. We were going to get karaage, but .. it's just fried chicken.
The Ballard roll was.. ok. To me it really wasn't exceptional, outstanding and i would say it was mediocre. Ohh, but it had all those big salmon eggs on top.. yeah. No. not impressed. It was good, but not worth the price tag.
Next: Kasu Zuke. It was heavily sake laden. And greasy. it's cod. It was tasty, but ... not impressive. Date got the salmon and that was surprisingly sweet,.. and not in a good way. we shared 1 chowan (bowl) of rice. totally unsatiated. for the prices, this wasn't really worth it to me.
I'm big into sushi so when my boyfriend and I walked past this place out of the blue, and he says he read about it in Seattle Metropolitan (for its cocktails) we decided to give it a try.
The food menu is 1/3 hot appetizers and 2/3 sushi/ sashimi type. I don't care for tempuras much so we dug straight into the nigiri and roll menu. We got the Shiro Sake (white salmon), Aji (spanish mackerel) and Unagi (broiled eel, his all-time favorite) nigiris, and the Ballard roll, Spicy scallop roll and spicy tuna roll ( we both have a soft spot for spicy rolls). The shiro sake and Aji were amazing: very fresh and well cut slice. The unagi was comparatively so-so. The ballard roll was very interesting; neither of us could remember what's in it from the menu, but the ikura on top were certainly fun and works well with the curiously salty taste. Spicy scallop and spicy tuna well met expectation as well.
The best part about this place is its interior design. I love the cherry blossom light tree (can stare at it all night), the color scheme of the place, the candles and lighting. Lovely lovely.
Our bill ended up about $30 for 2, the quality of food and pricing are comparable to Musashi (my fav hole in the wall), and it has awesome decor. Despite the limited selection of nigiris, I would definitely return to try out more of its yummy raw fish (chirashi perhaps).
A girlfriend and I met here last night for HH. The place wasn't too busy at 5:30 so we got a great spot at the high bar at the window. I agree with another reviewer that the food on the happy hour is not overly spectacular in selection. It is mostly a bunch of things I wouldn't really order at full price so why do I want to order them at HH? I ended up choosing the agedashi tofu, vege tempura and the spicy tuna roll. All three were great and along with a glass of cold sake off of the HH menu (it was great sake!) it was the perfect amount of food. I am a sashimi person and there was none to be found on the HH menu. (a suggestion to management to throw some sashimi options on the HH menu) I would return later in the evening when it gets a little more busy and the atmosphere is buzzing a bit. I would also try something off the standard dinner menu.
I love the lit up cherry blossoms. That huge tree, although riding a fine line to tacky, is gorgeous.
I've been here twice, I have a few likes and a couple of dis-likes.
Likes...
Angel's Share-This is my new favorite cocktail of all time. It consists of glazed pecan infused bourbon, navan (a vanilla bean infused Gran Marnier), basil, lemon, agave and egg white. They do a lot of their own infusing. I've never seen this cocktail anywhere else, and I would surely come back, if only for this drink (or several of them).
Kasu Zuke-I had this both times, and both times it was out of sight. It's a grilled black cod that is marinated in white miso and sake curd, soft and full of flavor.
Love the seating at the window. Nice place to grab a drink and a snack and do some people watching.
Dislikes...
The rolls I've had here have just been so-so. Spicy tuna was really nothing special and the moshi moshi roll was actually quite salty.
Also, being new in the neighborhood, the line can get long on the weekends, and you might feel a little rushed. Go during the week, if you can.
We all know I'm a drinky guy, so lets get that out of the way, the cocktail list and execution at moshi moshi is excellent. The cocktails are mature, complex, bereft of simple syrup. Most importantly, vermouth and amaoros are used beyond the perfunctory way in which "we put these in classic drinks."
high five, fucking a, on to other things that normal people care about
The service is attentive without being overbearing. There is plenty of room. There is a late night happy hour, but the cocktails are already cheap. The room is murray mixed with johansen but with better acting...
i'm trying to say, i like the whole package.
Moshi Moshi is Fanci Fanci! While I felt a little out of sorts ordering my $2 PBR with dinner, I needed a little liquid courage to open up my wallet and fork out the dough to pay for this perty-dern-tasty sushi. It took me a little bit to look up and see the most amazing lighted tree sculpture thingy that I've ever seen indoors. Rockin'. While not too excited about spending $3 on miso, I did, and it was nice to have real seaweed to munch munch on. My baseline for all sushi joints are a dip in the California Rolls, Moshi Moshi's were a'ight, but DEF not my favorite. The other rolls we ordered were unique and kinda fantastic! While I was anti-excited that the bill came to $35/person, my tum tum was off and far, far away in sushiland wonderfulness floating on a cloud of fluffy rice and raw fish.
While I probably won't be back because there are plenty of places to get comparable (or even better) sushi for much, much less, I definitely had a positive experience :)
Yes, the giant LED cherry blossom tree is beautiful. Seriously, it really is. The cocktail menu is creative and the sake is reasonably priced.
Eric, the bartender is fantastic and he will totally take care of you and make you feel like you've known him for years. He's a 5 star bartender all the way.
But sadly, our experience just wasn't that good. There is something in the air at Moshi Moshi that feels very rushed. From the moment we were seated to the time we left, things just felt off. I couldn't help but feel like there was a real need to turn tables here, which shouldn't be the case. It's a massive, lovely space with lots and lots of seating.. and lots and lots of waitstaff, I might add. Dining out should be leisurely and fun, especially at dinner time.
The fare here is quite traditional and I was very happy to see gobo on the menu. We happily ordered it up. The bf had some miso, which he thought was decent. The gobo was slightly spicy and crispy- we both enjoyed it.
Now on to the sushi...
I believe that there is a place in this world for all kinds of sushi. Traditional rolls and innovative spins... it's all good in my book. As long as a restaurant does it well, I'm fine with it. Unfortunately, I don't feel like they're doing it very well here. The hamachi sashimi was decent, and the geoduck was geoduck. Great. Good. All fine and dandy.
The rolls however, were disappointing. Not 5 minutes after ordering, they were placed before us. They looked like they were thrown together as quickly as possible, which is a shame. If you're a fan of presentation, this might not be where you want to dine. The spicy tuna wasn't spicy. The spider roll was boring in comparison to the spider rolls I've had everywhere else, and the moshi moshi roll at $12 (the most expensive roll on the menu, I might add) should have been delicious. And while the seared scallops on top were flavorful, the rest of the roll was nothing to write home about.
We both agreed that we felt like we were at a Blue C location, minus the conveyor belt.
Dishes were brought and cleared by 3 different people throughout our 30 minute stay, and while polite and attentive, I'd much rather have just one person take care of me while I dine.
I will note that the rolls are extremely reasonable, many within the $5-8 range, and their HH prices were inexpensive too. If you're fine with cheap sushi and great cocktails, you'll probably be very happy here.
The service is prompt. The staff polite.
Just don't expect to be wowed by the sushi and do expect to feel rushed.
Went on a date here about a week or so after the restaurant opened for business. The interior is fantastic and that glowing cherry tree is gorgeous! We were seated immediately at a two person table in a good location with a decent view of the sushi bar.
The sushi was great and the portions are quite large. I had the kappa roll and the ebi ten and I was really pleased with both. I really liked their miso soup as well.
Service seemed a bit slow, but I suppose that the place hadn't been open that long, so they might have still been getting used to the amount of traffic in and out of the restaurant.
Prices seem a little bit steep to me, but their happy hour menu looks pretty great, so I might have to come back here again and check it out!
My experience at Moshi Moshi last Saturday evening was phenomenal.
As you walk in, you're immediately impressed - the umbrellas, the vivid counter of piscine jewels, the gorgeous LED Cherry tree.... Prompt waitstaff. We are off to an excellent start!
Sitting at the sushi bar is my preferred method and pretty much the only way to go. I think the service and involvement in your dining experience is MUCH enhanced when you watch the sushi artistry commencing before you, not to mention listening to the chefs banter and asking them questions about the plethora of goods behind the glass.
Our waitress was pleasant and prompt with our drinks and non-sushi orders. Our water was always re-filled. Very classy!
We started out with the house sake (not a sake connoisseur, but I loved it!) and the sushi assortment (tuna, albacore, yellowtail, amberjack, & squid nigiri / tekka roll / miso soup)/$15.00. Fresh. Divine. Asked for a salmon roll, too. The sushi was created by the chef directly in front of us and the presentation was lovely.
We followed the sushi with a few oysters - grilled with spicy miso cream. Although the oysters were delicious, I would order them next time without the cream sauce. It was too heavy, and I would have preferred no sauce at all. Or raw, actually!
Wanting to try more (though stuffed by this point), we finished with the "moshi moshi composed nigiri" of toro tartare with scallion, lemon, ginger, & sea urchin ($ 8.00). Never having sea urchin before, the chef related to us that it is typically much better in the winter than summer... Whether he was right or not, I'm am now a fan of the sea urchin!
Apparently the head sushi chef is from Hawaii, and has a penchant for cars. Oh the things you overhear sitting at the sushi bar...! Our sushi chef topped the night by giving my S.O. and I a HUGE chunk of King Crab that we had been eying while he sliced it for a roll. THANK YOU and hello! Way to impress us!! Gratuitous gifts are greatly appreciated by camp Sullivan. : )
I will definitely come back here. Atmosphere is pleasant, service A+, and sushi made for one very pleasant Saturday night (enhanced only by the Volterra Espresso Martini that followed!) .
I would also like to add that they have TWO happy hours, one "regular time" and one late...Mon-Sat 4:30-6pm Mon-Thurs 10-11:30pm. And they are also advertising on Facebook! Great job on using Social Media! : )
It's 7:15pm on a Saturday night in Ballard and we're hungry and undecided on a restaurant. Normally, this lethal combination could prove for a very disappointing night. But suddenly, out of the blue... what was this? Rock star parking on Ballard Ave? A heavenly pink glow falling onto the sidewalk in front of us? We had arrived at Moshi Moshi.
I have to be honest. Pizza was initially on the brain. But lured by the promise of sweet, succulent sushi, I was a goner. The three of us walked in and, despite the imminent onslaught of guests, were immediately offered seats on the far left-hand side of the sushi bar. This, my dear Yelpers, is the place to sit. You have a perfect view of the sushi chefs, minus the glass case filled with fish that normally blocks part of a sushi bar view.
Our server, Camille, was genuinely friendly and just the right amount of attentive. Can I please talk about the octopus sunomono? Perfect. And the miso, by which I frequently rate sushi restaurants (if that's wrong I don't want to be right), had that ever-elusive "umami" essence. Awesome! Between the three of us, we shared the sushi assortment ($15), the sashimi assortment ($18), the spider roll ($9) and the spicy hamachi roll ($6.50).
The portions were generous and the prices very reasonable, especially for the rolls. But more than that, the fish was fantastic! I'm talking melt-in-your-mouth salmon and tuna...you know what I mean. Like buddah. Suddenly, while navigating the perfectly fried claws of the soft shell crab, Mayor Nickels walked in! Crazy. He and his entourage briefly upset the otherwise chill atmosphere, and the sushi chef and I exchanged knowing looks. Very entertaining.
I'm not sure why the quality/service could differ in reviews just a few days prior to mine, but I'm a hard sell and Moshi Moshi delivered. And that tree? I'm just looking forward to the next time I go, preferably on a date, with sake-filtered vision staring up to the ceiling through its electric pink boughs, dreaming of diving for oysters off the coast of Japan.
Fantastic sushi and wide ranging menu across sushi and other Japanese fare. Thoughtful in presentation. Service was prompt and very cordial. Potent mix of drinks served by the bar. Contemporary environment, you can see much thought was put into restaurant design and experience, but one that was flexible enough for my both my kids and in-laws to be in - without having the atmosphere diluted.
Went back last night for sushi only -- that was probably the weakest link in our first visit. Happy to report that it was much better the second time around! That's why I decided to bump them up to 5 from 4.5 stars.
Had aji tataki again -- still uber delicious!
For sushi we went omakase and started off with probably 5 different types of white fish (shiromi). All were excellent. Sat at the counter in front of Yoshi (I think that was his name). The sushi rice was done perfectly and was a good size. The fish was better sized this time around -- still a little too big for my preference. All in all, sushi was a 92.
Only complaint is that it can get REALLY cold sitting at the bar right in front of the door. That's a drag, cuz it can be such a culinary treat to be seated in front of a black belt sushi chef. Probably will become a more comfortable spot as the weather gets nicer out.
Still want to go back to order off of the menu again to see if they still have it going on in the kitchen. Keep it up, Moshi Moshi!
Kore kara mo ganbatte kudasai!
Woohoo, my 1st review. My wife and I went to Moshi Moshi on their 3rd night open and we were duly… Read more »
We've been eyeing this place during the sunday market for months and finally got around to trying it last weekend. I'd have to say, as someone who doesn't eat fish, this is the best sushi place in Seattle. Well, I enjoyed it atleast. I'm an ovo-lacto vegetarian and every now and then find myself out with my sushi-loving boyfriend eating bowls of edamame and overly boring veggie rolls, but Moshi made it easy to have a healthy and satisfying meal without worry. I had the tofu asparagus salad that has a delicious sesame dressing and lots of fresh veggies along with the veggie tempura roll, which was also quite good, and a lovely cocktail. They have a great cocktail list with innovative ingredients, a full menu that will satisfy fish and non fish eaters alike (btw my boyfriend enjoyed his meal as well), and a great atmosphere.
Though, my on warning is that the benches are a little rough down below the seat, so be careful wearing tights!
Oh, Katie S. I should listened to you. My boyfriend had a craving for sushi tonight, so we decided to go out to Moshi Moshi. The hostesses greeted us promptly and our server was very friendly. I noticed that our table was wobbly, but one of the servers quickly fixed the problem for us. Overall, the service was very good.
Katie S.'s review is right on the money. If you like rolls, this is NOT the right place for you. The spicy tuna was NOT spicy. Actually, it was quite bland, but what is worse, the rolls we had were actually falling apart! They were not nice and compact. Also, the sushi rice was just not quite right. The flavor was off and the texture was mushy. I should have listened to Katie, but my boyfriend really wanted to check the place out.
The Gindara Kasuzuke or Black Cod Kasuzuke was cooked well and the presentation was nice, but the miso in the marinade was a little too strong for me; however, the price was very good for the cut. At Uwajimaya, it is about $6.00 for half a pound of this stuff and I paid $9.75 at Moshi Moshi. Although, it was a great price, it wasn't the best. The best Black Cod Kasuzuke I've had in Seattle was at Shiro's, which if I remember correctly, was around $12-$14 for a cut that was a little bigger.
They also didn't have free green tea or red bean ice cream on the dessert menu. :(
Yes, their sushi is cheap, but I think if you are looking for tasty, cheap, imaginative sushi at a restaurant with a nice ambience, then I would head over to Ototo in Queen Anne.
I use to work at a very authentic sushi restaurant before the huge sushi explosion in Seattle so I am pickier than most about Japanese restaurants. That said I had to check out the sushi boom in Ballard even though I don't really have the extra money to splurge on sushi.
The restaurant is beautiful but I don't really get the bed sheet tied above the sushi bar. The cocktail menu is very fancy as in the same vein as Vessel and The Zig Zag which was surprising. The food is very traditional along with the atmosphere. They even have sushi chefs from Japan. The service was great. I had an issue with cold hard sushi rice but the albacore was like butter. It wasn't the best sushi experience but they are new and I'm sure it will only get better.
I think Moshi Moshi will be the place for the most hardcore sushi snobs in Ballard.
Exactly the kind of sushi restaurant that was missing in Seattle! Fun vibe, delicious sushi and sashimi and fantastic service.
We sat at the sushi bar, where we were able to ask and learn about a number of the unique specials. The wait staff was professional and attentive, and the owners were gracious and friendly.
I'll definitely be going back!
I don't think I can go so far as to write that this is my favorite sushi restaurant in Seattle, but I do think this place is excellent. And, depending on what properties are most important to you, this place could make a run to the top. I tend to order a variety of nigiri and use sake (salmon) and hamachi (yellow tail) as the basis for judging a sushi place, in which case Kisaku retains my #1 spot. But if you care about drinks (they have house-made Falernum and their listed-on-the-cocktail-menu Fiat drink is wonderful), rolls, appetizers, or decor then this place definitely moves up the rankings. It is sweet.
We went to Moshi-Moshi on their opening night with a group of eight to celebrate my girlfriend's birthday. We didn't have reservations, but were easily seated upstairs where we had a nice view of the tree.
We ordered quite a few of their signature cocktails, which seemed a bit small for the price, but most of them were really tasty.
The sushi was good quality, and our server was very helpful. Standouts from the menu were the handmade soft tofu appetizer, the really fresh and tasty Spider Roll and the clever Ballard Roll.
There were some opening night challenges, such as items arriving at random times and the fact that our check got combined even though our server offered (unasked) to do separate checks. Our server blamed both on the new computer system which was apparently popping out kitchen tickets randomly and mysteriously merged our checks. (I suspect operator error, but he was otherwise friendly and helpful, so I'll give him a pass.)
We will go back, and I hope to be able to tick the review up to 4 stars once they get their operations down.
I really liked Moshi Moshi the first time I went, so I have been watching everyone's reviews to see how they have been doing. It is also my birthday in a couple of days, and I wanted to go somewhere I liked, but not blow a million bux.
Boy, were you guys scarin' the crap outta me with some of the reviews you have written! But being as hardcore as I am, I decided we were going to get some sushi from Moshi tonight, scary reviews be damned!
Am I ever effing glad we did.
Our service last time was pretty damn fine. This time, it was even better. Our server was absolutely top notch in every way. Efficient, informative, friendly, and amazing.
We had a TON of food. The agedashi tofu again, because it was so good last time. The tofu asparagus salad was fresh and tasty, and the seafood tempura was great. I don't like eel, so I only had a bite of that, but the guys loved it. I thought everything else on that plate was delicious.
Before I go too far, my drink review should be revised. I ordered an "Angel's Share" and I may have a new favorite. Not only was it delicious, but the size was much more appropriate for the price than last time. I had 3. Yum!
We had the California Roll again, and it was still quite good. A Spicy Scallop Roll, something I haven't had elsewhere - also quite good. We ordered a Spicy Tuna Roll - something I've had many a time and many a place! - and while I agree that it is not as spicy at Moshi as at other places, I say that this is not a bad thing. I like spicy and I like wasabi, but I was actually really pleased with the amount of spice in the STR here. It was just a touch spicy, and that was good because I could actually TASTE the ingredients in the roll over the spice! What is so wrong with that???
We had a Ballard Roll - also good, but watch out Foes of Roe! They drop some big fish eggs on top of this baby, but even though they remind me of bait, they don't taste like bait, so I am totes okay with that!
We just kept going. The guys had some Squid nigiri - I ordered it, and our awesome server asked if we wanted an order and a half so there was one for each of us. Good call, but I declined, as I am not a fan of squid and know this. King crab and scallop sashimi = yum. Especially the scallop, for real.
Take into account that I love sushi and have had quite a bit even though I am nowhere near a sushi nerd, but my dining companions are much newer at it eating sushi, to the point where I ordered nearly everything for all of us, but we universally agreed that this was an amazing meal that we all LOVED.
Then we were ready to leave, but you know what? The awesomest server ever overheard something about my birthday and so she gave me a dessert menu to choose a delicious treat from. We got a Matcha "Affogato" Style (I couldn't decide between that and a green tea creme brulee, so I asked her what she thought) and while it was simple, it was very good. That and another round of drinks finished off a really perfect meal.
I do not regret going there again one bit, and I will continue going as often as possible.
I feel really bad for everyone who has not had as good a time as I have had at Moshi Moshi.
Both times we have gone on Friday evening right around 6pm, and sat upstairs. Maybe I just have good luck with sushi and sushi servers? I don't care, go me, lucky me, I had a great dinner tonight.
I've only been here once, but I can't wait to go back.
The drinks on the specialty menu were a little…
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Yes to everything. Try all the crazy drink concoctions (be careful of the repo man). Go during happy hour. Eat all their food. Be nice to the bartenders. The dudes making sushi are awesome. The place is pretty. Great location on Ballard Ave. Love it.
I love this space! It's like an upscale Belltown restaurant, but with out the uh, Belltown. Parking isn't too difficult off the stroll. There is a beautiful and gracious staff, prompt service (despite being a full house on a Saturday night), which contributes to an overall very happy-lively-diversely-colorful atmosphere.
I like the lay-out. Two levels, with an open ceiling plan; a huge LED/metal sculpture of a cherry blossom tree fills the center air space in an awesome/artsy yet elegant way. All together, makes for a cozy space, but retains a modern and clean feel.
The bartender's performance and skills alone make for a good show... sorta like watching Murray at Zig Zag, but in a more shiny atmosphere... which made the 30 minute wait for a table quite pleasant. Good companionship also plays a factor for an enjoyable time, obviously.
The fish is good, presentation is impressive. It tries to compete with best, I need more visits to verify this factor more... but overall, everything matches well with the price.
Mmm... my tummy says, "yummy goodness."
Finally an amazing sushi restaurant in Ballard. The difference at Moshi Moshi is the quality and cuts of fish. We started off with rolls from the Happy Hour menu like the spicy tuna, eel & avacado plus the ebi ten (shrimp tempura). All were tasty and well prepared. A good start, but nothing remarkable. The next order we had nigiri with sockeye salmon, tuna and albacore. This is as good as it gets. Cuts were thick and from prime parts of the fish. It probably helped that this was opening night since I imagine all the fish was flown in on the same day. For my next visit I will definitely try the omakase since the sushi chef knows his fish.
The only lowlight was the tequila drink that I tried that was on the syrupy sweet side. Prices were in the mid tier as far as sushi joints, but based on the quality I consider Moshi Moshi a bargain.
The owner is local to Ballard as well, so it's a great way to support the community. For me, living less than a mile away is a mixed blessing since the close proximity will result in many more visits in the coming weeks. Probably not the best thing in a recession!
I liked it. I did! I really liked it. I'm just saying that cause I realized my review sounds like I didn't like it that much. But I did. I liked it ... I just don't really feel like going back.
The waitstaff was wonderful, the food was prompt and tasty, everyone was really nice and personable. Didn't feel rushed, even though we made three or four different orders and took our time hanging out to eat. One of us ordered from the whizzy bartender, and her drink was awesome. I stuck to beer. I'm a beer girl. What else can I say?
Oh, wait - here's something! I got a booty! It's not huge. I'm not buying two tickets on airplanes or anything. But still, I got a good size booty and for some reason, Moshi Moshi hates a booty. Why else would they humiliate my poor booty by making it squeeze in teeny-tiny gaps between tables to get into my booth? I swear - I had maybe four inches space. I had to pull the table out to get in, then spent the next half hour dreading the fact that somehow I was going to have to maneuver out and hopefully avoid dragging said booty through my neighbors overly-wasabied soy sauce.
It took away from my sushi high.
Every time I go to sushi, I try to order something new and different. Sometimes it works. Sometimes, it's a little traumatizing. It worked here - sea urchin? Good! Who knew? (Well, probably everyone, but now I do too!) But it was pretty pricey and while the food was good, I'm not sure if it was THAT good. Maybe I'm just a cheap-o. But if Ima pop down a chunk of cash, I want to walk out already planning my return trip because I just loved the food so much. And instead I feel a bit more like: been there, enjoyed it ... maybe I'll make it back sometime. But maybe not.
It wasn't just the booty-hate, or the obnoxious dude that shoved me as I was trying to make it out the front door. It just felt a little ... empty? (not literally - it was full on a Friday night). But like Katie S. said, something was a little off. Like there's not a lot of personality, or it's a little plastic. They just opened, so maybe that'll change. Shoot, I'd be happy if they'd lose a table or two for all of us rounded-rumped girls.
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Shoreline, WA
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Seattle, WA
Neighborhood: Ballard
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Ballard
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Ballard
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Neighborhood: Ballard
Category: Sushi Bars
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Category: Japanese
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