Maneki Restaurant

Probably the best Japanese restaurant this side of the world out side of Japan. Most Japanese restaurants here are either run by Chinese or Korean owners, but this is real authentic Japanese chefs => which translates to authentic flavour and preparation. Make sure to call in advance to get reservation or be ready to wait for an hour! more

Maneki has rave reviews throughout the papers, and through word-of-mouth of my asian (and non-asian) friends. Plus they've literally been around for a hundred years. But both times I've visited their service has been inconsistent (try the other night where we waited for 10 minutes for someone to acknowledge us while a woman proceeded to talk on the phone--she turned out to be the owner) and their food is just not that great. I mean, it's good, but it's slow, and I feel sort of heavy afterwards. Not how I like to feel after eating sushi. more

A week or two ago I helped out TWC at hot import nights. (local car show). I was asked to help out TWC with 6 cars they had trucked up from CA. Originally they were going to be dropped off at my house for me to prep last week. The Hauler decided he needed a 3 day layover in Portland, where he parked his trailer under pitchy Doug fir trees. When they arrived in Seattle they were laden with pounds of dust. I had to wash, wipe down, and do minor clean up at the venue on 6 cars. 3 M3's, 1 b5S4, 1 MkIV GTI, 1 ist Gen IS 300. Now your asking yourself what does this have to do with Maneki? Well as a gesture of thanks they arranged to take me and my family out to dinner. So we made arrangements and met up at maneki for our reservation. In total there were 6 of us. We were seated promptly after all of us arrived. I have to say they were very accommodating for my two young kids. My daughter 3.5, and my son 2.5. As we sat down they brought a bit of tofu in miso for the kids. (very nice) My kids are tofu hounds. In miso it is one of their favorite dishes. I am having a hard time remembering everything we ordered. Yamakakke, monk fish liver, Aji, hamachi kamma, kappa maki, tekka maki, taukan maki, tori karagge, Please forgive me on the spelling. Add in a few more dishes here and there. All in all it was a wonderful meal . The dishes were served promptly without haste at the proper time. It was orderly, quick and polite. It’s hard to stress the difference quality serving can make in a dinner of this sort. How would I rate it against the other Seattle Japanese restaurants I have been to? I would definitely consider it for top slot. Our dinner was fantastic, it was fresh, wonderfully prepared, with all of the accompanying side morsels I crave in a good Japanese meal. Take the time, make a reservation, park on the hill and visit maneki for a few hours with friends and family. more

I hate to write a review raving about Maneki as it is really hard to get a table. The sushi is beautiful and fresh. I have never had anything that wasn't top shelf. I also love to hang out at the bar surrounded by the waving good luck kitties. more

Someone told me that this is one of the oldest restaurants in Seattle. If that's true, you would have thought they'd have figured out by now how to get a full party's dinners out at the same time. Admittedly, we were a party of 8, but it doesn't excuse the fact that, an hour and a half after the first dish was served, we finally gave up on the last person's dish (chicken teriyaki) and requested the check. The sushi did seem to come in a fairly quick manner, but every non-sushi item came very slowly. So all of us were eating at different times, and some were finished early while others felt rushed to finish. As for the sushi itself, I didn't feel like they had a very creative roll selection. What they did have was fine, but I've had better sushi elsewhere in Seattle (most notably at Ayoki or Chinoise). I won't be going back. Seriously, how long does it take to make teriyaki? There's a place down the street from my house that does it in 10 minutes. more

I can't help but gush about Maneki. The food is very authentic and the sushi is very fresh. I love the service and atmosphere. It's tucked away in a corner of the I.D. and is always an enjoyable experience for me. more

If you're looking for a fancy, ritzy Japanese restaurant this is NOT the place. The decor is dated, the atmosphere is pretty generic, and the seats and tables are nothing special. However. If you want incredible Japanese food this is the place to go. Their sushi is first rate - always fresh, and always amazingly presented. Their food is also true authentic Japanese cuisine - nothing fake here. This is a well known hole in the wall place. Get there early or don't get seated for over an hour! The prices are also very reasonable for Japanese food. more

Maneki is consistently one of the best sushi places around. Their fish is always fresh and delicious! Sometimes there can be a wait, but it is always worth it! more

Maneki is fantastic. The sushi is great and quite cheap compared to equivalent establishments. Conveniently for your non-sushi loving friends and family, Maneki also has a large menu with all kinds of Japanese food, including some rarely seen, homestyle Japanese dishes. It's a great place to explore new things or find your old standbys. Incredible value. more

In my opinion this is the best bet for sushi in Seattle. Maneki has a knack for finding the freshest fish and putting together tasty variations of traditional favorites. One of my favorites is the spicy tuna roll - they do it right - really spicy and large chunks of tuna. Another favorite of mine is their salmon sushi. I don't know where they get it but it's amazing. Most sushi places use farm raised Atlantic salmon but Maneki always seems to have deep orange-red wild salmon that is soooo tasty with a splash of soy and wasabi. It's so lean that it has to be wild and why shouldn't it be?! I mean, we are in the Pacific Northwest after all. The atmosphere is definitely casual. You'll find a very diverse crowd of folks and a lot of them stacked up by the front door. Maneki never fails to be busy. I guess in that sense it's not so much of a secret but it's always been worth the wait. They have been at the same location for around 100 years (possibly more) and there's plenty of history in the place. The service isn't the best you'll ever have but it definitely mirrors the casual feeling of the place. Don't get me wrong, I've never had a bad experience I just think of it as casual. They do take reservations and if you have a large party they do have a couple of private rooms for 6-8 people. ...don't forget the salmon and spicy tuna rolls! more

The atmosphere is great, the food superb, and the service stellar. All that, and the prices are really good. Seriously, I can't say enough good stuff about Maneki, which--as we were informed by the propietress--"is the oldest Japanese restaurant in Seattle, but has only been in this location for 60." Make a reservation, though, because they're always packed. more

OK. So my friend turned me on to this place a couple of years ago, and I tell you what...it still rocks. The food is excellent and their tatami rooms are great for groups. The service is sometimes slow, but it is always well worth the wait. They do an amazing oyster rockafeller and their sashimi is always fresh and melts in your mouth. ALWAYS make a reservation. They are busy, even on a Tuesday night at 6pm. more

We love going to Maneki, just off Jackson in the I-District. It has a history going back somewhere between 70 and 100 years! Ok, so sometimes you smell cigarette smoke from the bar and sushi service can be marginal during peak times, but the owner is fantastic - treats our 2 year old like a prince. The selection is unique enough to be notable - they have a number of traditional Japanese dishes that you definately won't see at I Love Sushi. more