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Categories: Beer, Wine & Spirits, Japanese [Edit]
Neighborhood: Pioneer SquareTue-Sat. 2:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Walking around the waterfront after 3 dozen oysters at Elliot's landed us at this hidden gem of a place.
We got two different sake flights with 3 tastings per flight. 2 ounce pours per sample was just perfect to share with another person, so bring someone you don't mind sharing cooties with.
Johnny is knowlegeable and very courteous. He entertained many questions and even showed us the manga that was drawn of him and the store. Ooohh, he's my hero.
Had a great time and look forward to checking the joint out again.
Made my way back to Sake Nomi this weekend. Glad I did. Had another tasting and I highly recommend Wakatake Onikoroshi "Demon Killer "Junmai Ginjo. I think it's the first time Sake has made me say "Wow"out loud. It was smooth with a little sweetness and pinch of spice. Tasty.
The only sad thing is Johnnie was pouring out of his last bottle of it. Johnnie showed me to some other bottles that he felt were similar to it and I left with a really good bottle of Kaiun Junmai Ginjyo. Has a really nice coconut sweetness to it. Try it.
Once again this is definitely the best place I have found to go for premium Sake.
While wondering through Seattle I saw a sign on the road that said Sake tasting. I am a big fan of… Read more »
Speaking with the owner, who is very knowledgeable and passionate about sake, this place is more of a retail space rather than a bar or restaurant. There isn't even a place to write in a tip on the receipt. It's very much like a wine shop that conducts tastings upon request.
The owner will give you a taste of all the sakes on the weekly rotating menu for just $5, which is pretty much waived if you purchase a full pour or anything from the shop. It's a great deal since he serves up the high end stuff, even "vintages" that go for over $70 a bottle. Johnnie is very attentive and friendly; eager to share his broad knowledge of the history and sake-making technique. It's very educational.
The ambiance was quite pleasant. The exposed rafters, hardwood floors, and dark wood IKEA display shelves created a tasteful and comfy environment. The tv behind the "bar" was showing a Japanese movie and we participated an enjoyable running commentary viewing of it with some of the other patrons.
The tasting was phenomenal. Johnnie presented the sakes like a seasoned sommelier with descriptive tasting notes. It was quality stuff that was far above and beyond what I would just haphazardly order with my sushi.
I'm quite sure they don't have a kitchen, but he did offer a bar snack of asian rice cracker trail mix you can get from Costco. Mmmm....tasty. They didn't adversely affect the enjoyment of the sake. I love the spicy glazed ones.
It was a very chill place to hang on a weeknight and we will definitely return.
It's great to read so many glowing reviews of Sake Nomi. I've had this place bookmarked for months, just waiting for the right time to check it out.
Last Saturday, 4 good friends and I made plans to visit Sake Nomi before dinner. Upon entering the charming little shop, the owner asked: "Are you lost?" Hmm, what an interesting greeting. Perhaps we didn't dress appropriately??
"We're here for your sake tasting," I said.
Johnnie, the owner, paused and frowned: "Uh, have you been here before?"
There were 5 or 6 people at the bar, sipping sake and watching whatever was on the big screen TV. No one flinched.
Johnnie finally came out from behind the bar and approached the small tall table by the front window. The lady sitting there got up, gathered her things and walked toward the back of the store. We thought Johnnie was making room for us. Without so much as a word, he and another guy moved the table and stools right past us, situated it so that the lady had a better view of the TV. My friends and I were left standing in what was now an empty space between the bar and the door.
I spent a few minutes browsing the shelves and reading the brochures, hoping Johnnie would offer up *some* gesture that resembled customer service. Nothing happened. We finally gave up and started walking out. I waved at Johnnie and he returned a blank look.
I'm not a believer of the "Seattle freeze" myth, but apparently, it does exist in little pockets like Sake Nomi.
For what it's worth, it's a very small store. The bar seats maybe 6 or 7, and a small table seats 2 to 4. A big screen TV is right behind the bar, which pretty much kills the atmosphere.
It's like wine tasting, but it's yummy sake instead.
Very fun. You taste 10 sakes for $5. A good bottle of sake can be around $25. So it's not as expensive as a typical wine tasting experience.
The owners are relaxed and charming. They plays cult classics like Karate Kid and Shogun.
And I don't really like sake that much. (As a Japanese person, I should be ashamed of saying that. I shall commit sepuku.)
A very chill and soothing place to buy and taste sake. The owner's wife was manning the bar when we arrived and she helpfully explained the menu (we know very little about sake). They have a few different sampler menus, and we tried two of the super premiums and three of the regular sakes. I used to think that all sake tasted the same, but found that I could clearly taste the differences when I sampled side by side.
They have a huge selection of sakes at a wide range of prices (starting at less than $10 for a small bottle), with helpful descriptions under each one. The owners are clearly passionate about sake, holding different tasting events and bringing in different sake brewers from all over Japan for special pours. We ended up buying two bottles of sake and will definitely be back again.
Awesome little place tucked away in Pioneer Square. It's nice to know you don't have to leave Seattle to experience this. Great customer service, but even better selection of sake.
What a find! Hidden in Pioneer Square... this gem is a retail store/ tasting bar/ Sake museum for Sake lovers! Nothing but Sake... rack after rack ranging from $20-$250 per bottle! Lots of informative books and brochures too so you can learn better about Sake. The owner Johnny... a very knowledgeable Sake sommelier is a nice fellow... always willing to talk about Sake.
The ambiance is cool, plays hip jazz, & old school Ultra-Man on the tube! I enjoyed my visit! Next time I head out to Pioneer Square, I'll just pick-up my sashimi to go and head straight here! ;)
I was under the distinct impression that I did not like sake until I discovered I loved all three sake samples I was offered on tasting night.
This store is run by a guy who is quite clearly passionate about sake and lived in Japan for seven years learning the sake ropes. Sake Nomi is the equivalent of me, a Type-A efficiency consultant, running a store of checklists/notepads -- I'd know every nook and cranny of every item and get a personal thrill out of helping customers find what works best for them.
Same here. He's got lots of great sake - not the warm, yucky stuff you'll find at sushi restaurants - and it's delicious.
Bonus points to Sake Nomi for having an AWESOME website. It takes you through pronunciation of various Japanese terms and explains everything you could possibly want to know about sake in an engaging way.
This is not an official bar, it's more like a sake store with a menu of sake drinks ... so stop by with a few friends and get your sake questions answered.
Sake Bomb! Sake Bomb! Sake Bomb!
Shut up and grow up already* it's time you took your appreciation of sake to the next level and there is no better place to do this than Sake Nomi.
We stopped by for a sake tasting tonight where we were able to sample four different types of sake. Four very different types of sake. Two of them I liked well enough, one of them was gross (to me) and one of them absolutely blew me away so I bought the bottle. Those samples worked!
They also have flights of sake where you can pay for a bunch of small pours to really explore the world of sake. Of course you can always just just sit at the bar and enjoy one of your favorites. There are about a dozen sakes to choose from at the bar and tons more to be purchased by the bottle.
A truly fun sake shop/bar to spend some time drinking out of little cups. The experience was greatly enhanced by the playing of a patently awful Godzilla movie** on the lone flat screen T.V. behind the bar.
*If you thought to yourself "I don't shut up, I grow up, and when I look at you I throw up" then you should probably layoff the Pee-Wee Herman movies.
**In one scene a Power Ranger wrestled a rubber Godzilla toy! I was rooting for the toy.
I love Sake Nomi.
As if having such a wide variety of great Sake on hand wasn't enough, The atmosphere in the bar is extremely relaxed and friendly. Johnny and Taiko have always been very good to me, and from what I've seen they treat all of their customers in a similar fashion. Johnny has excellent taste in music to boot; on a given day in the bar you're likely to hear everything from first wave Ska to 1930's Delta Blues, usually with some sort of sake documentary, Sumo, or giant rubber monster destroying Tokyo as silent video accompaniment.
Great service, great atmosphere, great people, great Sake. What's not to like? Sake Nomi is, hands down, my favorite place in Seattle. !
As some have said, it is the only saké store in Seattle. Other than what Uwajimaya sells.
Johnny and Taiko are awesome! They really care that the people who come in leave knowing more about saké than when they came in. They are the kind of people that make great teachers. They have a love and a passion for their trade and want to impart that to others.
I'm on their email list and keep hearing about all the fun events they do that I haven't been able to make it to for one reason or another. Wii bowling and movie nights! Learn how to make sushi classes and saké golf tournaments. What other business does that for their patrons!?
Hands down a favorite place of mine. I just wish I could go in and not buy saké, but I love it too much and they always have something new and exciting to try.
Two thumbs and two big toes way way up for Saké Nomi!
This is one of only THREE dedicated sake retailers in the US! The others are in New York and San Francisco... I think they have a nice little niche.
This place is all about educating folks about sake, from the right way to pronounce it (I don't think it's been too long since I was mis-pronouncing it sahkee!) to the fascinating process of how it's made. The owners are very friendly and helpful. I really enjoyed the tasting (free, and three kinds) and the clean ambiance. I think it is a great place to pick up a thoughtful gift , it's just like a wine bar but with sake! You might not pick up a bottle to go with dinner, but you might pick something up to bring to a dinner party.
The only thing that gave me pause was the way the space itself is laid out. I didn't feel comfortable at the bar... because you are literally right next to the retail space where there are people wandering looking at the shelves of sake. I think that they would get a nice crowd in there if they actually made it more of a bar... I think people would hang out and probably buy more sake. :) BUT, that is just my two cents! I think it's a lovely place. The end.
Sake selection is really pretty nice. I'm very excited that we've finally gotten something like Sake Nomi here in Seattle. Now I don't have to rely on relatives and friends visiting from Japan to lug big ol' bottles in their suitcases for me. Having lived in Japan and being a lover of sake, I found the transition back to living in the States painful considering the paltry selection of sake that had been available to us -- that is until this place opened up. Better yet, the proprietor informed me that they are working on getting a number of especially FREAKIN' AWESOME sakes in before long (at least they are some of my favorites). You guys rock!
There goes my tax refund...
I was taken here on a date, and I had a great time. I knew nothing about sake going in, but the two owners were extremely friendly and helpful. Taiko was even serving her home cooking to the folks at the bar. Her husband taught me the basics of sake and explained different grades, offering tastes of several varieties. Then my date and I amused ourselves by watching a video they had going behind the bar of the sake process--it was really funny, trust me. If you go in and have some time, ask to watch the "sake aerobics" video.
I'm not a huge sake convert, but the owners were so friendly and the atmosphere so welcoming that this is where I'd come if I were.
Small, unpretentious sake merchant, offering free and paid tastings. Johnnie and Taiko explain the differences between different varieties of sake for sale by the bottle, and offer a rotating menu of selections to taste at the bar.
It seems like an unlikely place to open a retail shop, and it's possible that the space will eventually transform into another Pioneer Square bar. But you probably won't find another place in town selling sake by the bottle with a staff as passionate and informed about nihon-shu as here.
I love sake I love sake I love sake. Ok wew so I have heard about this place for almost a year and was very glad when I heard that is opened.
We unknowingly arrived about 5 minutes before closed but weren't rushed out and infact were offered snacks and given a number for a travel agent for Japan. It is great to talk to people that share a passion for sake. There is a noce variety of sake and at reasonible prices( I have ordered from distributors for more money)
Get it!? SAKE NOMI! "Only Sake"! "Sake Drink!" AHAHA I love it!
I swear to god its funny if you speak japanese. and if you like old man humour. yeah, its funny if you're those two things.
Thats not the point though!
This place is incredibly unpretentious! And its a specialty liquor store!
I've been in here and seen yuppie after yuppie come in bawling about how much they love (or have never liked before) "SAHKEEE" and they're like, totally excited to find a store about it! and seen the people working here not even bat an eye and direct them, not just to good sake, but interesting sake, sake that doesn't taste like perhaps most people expect... The shop owners excel at creating more sophisticated customers, and seem to marvelously be able to do so with out being patronizing. I remember one of the first times I came in the lady behind the counter asked me if I liked sake and I said "oh yeah, I really dig like, Hakutsuru and Ozaki." - Her facial expression didn't change a bit. She simply turned, poured me some Oyama and gave me a tasting. It was smooth.
(For those who don't lace their boots: Hakutsuru is . . . well I guess you can cook with it. Like Carlo Rossi! and Ozaki is what hobos in Japan drink. It comes in a jar and costs about a dollar. It tastes kind of like paint thinner smells. These aren't really things that you 'drink')
prices are good. selection is excellent.
My only complaint is that they have some hang up about not carrying any Ume-shu or Shochu (yet they do carry flavored sparkling sake . . . huh?) I mean, they have some amazing sweet Sakes, some that is just as good as Ume-shu any day, and some stronger Sake's too... but sometimes you just want Ume-shu (especially on these clear spring days . . .) and sometimes you just want Shochu. Speaking of which, if not here, where am I supposed to get Shochu? Uwajimaya doesn't sell it apparently as its too high in alcohol content, and your neighborhood liquor store certainly doesn't have it... I realize that Soju is wide-spread in this town, but seriously, sometimes I just want my shochu! bah.
Disclaimer - the owners of Sake Nomi are friends of mine. But let me tell you that I never appreciated sake before I met them. Educating friends and customers alike is what excites Johnnie and Taiko, and you'll see that they do it well. It is what makes Sake Nomi so unique. I've directed many friends and colleagues here, and they all come back with their minds opened to a new kind wine that deserves a place alongside their favorites. Yes, I'm biased, but Sake Nomi deserves all the high marks they're getting.
We dropped in by chance to check it out and its in an unusual spot amongst the usual pioneer sq bars. Sake Nomi is a smaller location but with a huge range of Sake ordered by region. They also sell all the needed accoutrements to go with. The space is very pleasant with a bar counter that has seating for about 10 people. There are free and charged tastings which come with snacks to help the palate. Both hosts were extremely friendly and knowledgeable. if you like or just interested its worth going to - if you're a sake hound you have to go!
Keep in mind it's really a shop, not so much a bar. That said, it's a great spot with a nice interior, and the couple who run it are really interested in helping you know anything you wanted to about sake. Curious about why exactly they mill the rice down? Want to taste a wide variety of sake and figure out exactly what it is about this near-mystical drink that's so intoxicating on a more than impairing level? Head to Sake Nomi. But do it in the daytime; they're more a shop than a bar.
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I am not Asian but the majority of my friends are.…
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