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Yuzen
Rating Details »
Categories: Japanese, Sushi Bars
8451 SE 68th StreetSte 104
(between S 84th Ave & Island Crest Way)
Mercer Island, WA 98040
(206) 275-3310
- Hours:
Mon-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Mon-Sat. 4:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sun. 4:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
10 reviews for Yuzen
You gotta check out Yuzen's a la carte menu. It's excellent!
Unless you are from Mercer Island or have explored the island, you would have no idea that the strip mall containing Yuzen even exists.
The owner is obviously a Mariners fan. On top of one bookcase resides a long row of bobbleheads. Other shelves are covered with assorted chotski.
The overall menu is quite large. Of course, there is sushi. In fact, I was automatically seated at the sushi bar even though I didn't plan on ordering sushi. They have a sign on the outside advertising a $1 sushi special.
I highly recommend the a la carte menu. Many of a la carte items come with a tossed salad so you can get a very decent meal at Yuzen for under $10. I was wowed by all the flavorable-looking options on the a la carte. And that being the case, I couldn't help myself and ordered three items from the a la carte menu - the katsu oysters, the beef/asparagus rings and the crab croquette.
All were fabulous!
The oysters were very fresh and had perfect breading. They came with a pungent katsu sauce and a absolutely perfect horseradish "tartar" sauce. The plump oysters came with a tossed salad with nice greens including grated cucumber (this is the first time I have ever seen grated cucumber). However, while salad dressings are usually wonderful in Japanese restaurants, Yuzen's had a rather run-of-the-mill sesame oil-flavored dressing.
I loved the beef and asparagus rings. A ring was a thin strip of flank steak wrapped around a couple slices of tender but still somewhat crisp asparagus. The rings were served atop a delicious jelly-like sauce that reminded me a bit of sukiyaki.
My crab croquette was beautifully presented. The two crab croquettes rested on a rice and currant mix surrounded by a moat of a delightful bisque-like cream. The croquettes were creamy and very mild in flavor. The only off-note to this dish was that there were two strips of crab meat, lying in the bisque sauce, that were still cold from the refrigerator. The cold crab meat didn't harmonize with the rest of this hot dish.
While the servers were friendly, they were young and seemed inexperienced. My waiter did not check with me on if I liked my food nor did he offer a water refill.
But I can mostly overlook that shortcoming, because the a la carte menu has some dynamite options! Just about the best a la carte menu I have experienced in the Seattle area.
This place has DELECTABLE SUSHI!!! Like, melt in my mouth good-ness... Oh man, I'm salivating already.
I've only been here once, but man, I know good fish when it touches my taste buds. And this place has got it! I realize I'm probably over-hyping everything, but really, the chirashi zen that i had, was probably one of the better ones I've tried. The seasoning on the rice actually tastes good, and isn't too over-powering nor underwelming that you just eat sushi rice on the bottom. My partner had the beef sukiyaki and that was pretty good too. It wasn't too salty like other places, and the broth was superb.
The decor is pretty good... altho I gotta say that I never woulda expected it on the south end of MI, lol. I mean, normally you think of fast food or teriyaki places, but the inside of this place is actually surprisingly pretty nice.
So why only 4 stars? It's a little on the expensive side... but I think it's worth it for the quality of food you get. It definitely feels authentic and the portions are good. Not to mention the $1 sushi I have yet to try! Worth checking out!
A friend brought me to this obscure japanese restaurant tucked away in a strip mall deep inside Mercer Island. And I'm glad.
The best deals here are during lunch. The $15 bento box is a killer deal as it comes with so much food! It starts with miso soup and a salad then you get a great portion of vegetable tempura with 1 shrimp tempura (I always order just onion and broccoli tempura here as the broccoli is unusually great here and who doesn't love onion rings?). Then you get the bento with some Ebi (shrimp) and Sake (salmon) pressed sushi with a small sashimi plate of salmon, tuna and hamachi. You also get decent sized portions of their version of a teriyaki salmon and chicken "savory." It doesn't taste quite like teriyaki, but really good. Add a couple thick cuts of tamago and some green beans in a peanut miso sauce and that's the meal.
And if that isn't filling enough (you're crazy) then they have a great lunch deal where you can get $1 pieces of about 8-10 different kinds of sushi. One of my favorite things here is the hotake (creamy scallop). They slice up some nice pieces of large sea scallops and mix it with a little mayo sauce and sear it just a bit with the torch. Tastes amazing and only $1.75 a piece.
They do charge $1.50 for just some econo green tea that isn't that great. And the open kitchen can get kind of smelly on your clothes if you care about that. Also the service can be hit or miss and also usually just one server there.
Our favorite restaurant on Mercer Island.
Friendly, family-run atmosphere tucked away in a strip mall on the southern end of Mercer Island, features a pretty wide range of both sushi and cooked full-course Japanese meals. The lunch menu features specials that are less expensive than the dinner features.
Nice decor - simple, elegant, definitely a cut above your typical shopping center restaurant.
The small staff can get a little overwhelmed at busy times -- like dinner time on weekends, when the restaurant is typically full or nearly so. But their friendliness and the quality of the food compensate for the sometimes random appearance of dishes.
We go here lots, and like it.
I've been back a few times now and noticed something over and over again. The knife work that goes into the fish probably is not up to par with the quality of sushi they use. It could be that I'm ordering off the 1 dollar sushi too much. Oh well, I still love the place and would go back in an instant.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
6/8/2009
This place RAWKS! Who knew Mercer Island could hide a nice Japanese restaurant inside all those… Read more »
I have only had the sushi here, so I can't vouch for the hot items.
The $1/piece sushi is one of the best deals around, as they are generous servings, fresh, and impeccably prepared. Thinking about it, that's a much better deal than Sushi Land, or any of the other conveyor-belt restaurants. The rolls here are a bit so-so, just because of some of the bizarre flavors and combos. (Garlic sushi???)
And yes, the service is a bit slow, but I'm in the camp of you know, actually sit and enjoy a meal, so it's no big deal.
These comments may not be the most complimentary, but I have always left the restaurant satisfied and feeling like I got a great meal for a small price.
Authentic Jap food provider, especially when they offer $1 sushi. The sashimi is perfectly fresh, and their cooked food is very jap's yummy. Highly recommended. Some people complained about the slow service, however, they make everything fresh, so it deserves to wait for the best Jap cuisine in WA
Not sure what's Henry is talking about. This place is great. Sushi always fresh and other dishes are great too. Yuzen is a family restaurant and from what i know the sushi chef is JAPANESE. They been doing this for many years. It used to be in Oregon until they moved to Mercer a couple years ago. Great place if you're looking for good fresh sashimi and rolls. The waitstaff can be a bit slow sometime, but always very polite. It's in mercer so expect it to be a bit spendy.
Had a bad feeling about this place as soon as we walked in. Only two other customers there at 7pm, non-Japanese sushi chef and Hootie on the stereo. We ordered a few pieces of sushi to start and they confirmed our suspicions: chewy tuna, flavorless salmon, and unexplainably slow service considering there were more employees present than customers. We got our check and headed for Maneki, because life's too short for mediocre sushi.
FYI Yuzen is Mercer Island's best kept secret. The food is clean and executed perfectly. The sushi is fresh and delicious. Once you eat here, you will crave sushi all the time! The reason I only gave it 4 stars is because on really busy nights the staff often seems forgetful and are ill equipped to deal with pressure. Though, if you go on a weekday or night you will have great service!
