Japonessa Sushi Cocina - Seattle

I tried several dishes at Japonessa, and overall it was a great experience! • The cheesecake was super light and delicious definitely one of the best I’ve had. • I absolutely loved the calamari salad! The dressing was fantastic and paired so well with the crispy calamari. • The Seattle Crunch Roll was slightly undercooked this time not as crunchy as usual. But I’ll chalk it up to how busy they were that night, because this roll has never disappointed me before. • The edamame was just as good as always fresh and simple. • I also tried the fried tofu for the first time. It was flavorful, but not really to my personal taste. Will definitely be coming back again this place rarely misses!

Great sushi joint with plenty of varieties. Sushi was fresh and delicious. Food came fast and service was great. Definitely recommended if u craving for some sushi, sashimi and udon noodle.

Stopped by for an afternoon cocktail and snack. They had happy hour going on. Service was amazing. The food was delicious and fresh.

Had a great experience at this sushi spot near the Seattle harbour. I ordered The Union roll — absolutely delicious and beautifully presented. The ambience was cozy and modern, making it a nice place to relax and enjoy a meal. Staff were friendly and attentive without being overbearing. Convenient location if you’re exploring the waterfront area. Would definitely come back!

Not very often that you come across a 5 star worthy sushi place. But Japonessa takeaway the cake!! That Ladybug Samba roll is still exploding with all its flavor complexities in my mouth (not for the faint of heart spice wise!) And the hot sake just topped it all off. Would love to come back again

Fusion delicious Fresh, beautiful presentation Strong service presents Major rush at happy hour Says reservations suggested, we (2) were able to get a table in the bar.

This was our first visit and we were surprised how amazing this place is. It is warm, inviting, and very comfortable, with a touch of class. The staff is helpful and friendly, some of the best I’ve seen. The food was beyond delicious! We had the spicy yellowtail, the salmon skin roll, the shrimp tempura roll, and the California roll. I love great sushi and boy did they deliver. As if all this wasn’t enough, it was happy hour! If you live in or visit downtown Seattle, you have to visit this place. Trust me, I will be back!

Food and drinks are 💯. Staff is tentative and personable. Didn’t catch the name but bartender gentleman was a class act! ✨🌟Worth a visit! Heart of pike market. Definitely try the sashimi!

A great place to eat downtown. I was so intrigued by the concept I had to check the place out. I can’t say I’m a sushi connoisseur but I really enjoyed what I ate. The menu is decidedly Japanese with lots of Latin inclusions. From what I had they’re making smart connections and not mixing cuisine just for the sake of it. The sushi rolls I had were all great and looked beautiful. I had a “sake sangria” drink at the bar that was a fun idea and very tasty. They’re having some fun with the menu while delivering quality dishes. The decor is very nice. They fit a lot of tables in a moderate space but the color choices keep it from looking or feeling cramped. The staff were all lively, friendly and attentive. I’d be more than happy to dine again. I’d say great for a meal or a quick bite/drink if you just visit the bar.

Japonessa is hands-down our favorite sushi spot in Seattle. Every time we go, we devour their massive omakase boards like it’s a ritual—and they’re absolutely flawless, every single time. The quality, variety, and presentation are all top-tier. It’s like a sushi adventure on a platter, and we love every bite of it. What really puts the experience over the top is the service—especially Misty, our go-to server. She’s an absolute gem: warm, attentive, and always one step ahead with recommendations and great vibes. She makes us feel like regulars, even when we haven’t been in for a while. The fish is melt-in-your-mouth fresh, the rolls are creative without being gimmicky, and the whole atmosphere has this perfect blend of energy and elegance. Whether it’s a celebration or just a Tuesday craving, Japonessa always hits. Easily a five-star spot, and we can’t wait for our next omakase feast.

Just driving here the views are amazing. The atmosphere has a very cultured taste to it. Great customer service as well. The sushi was the best ive had in a long time. The Mr. Wonderful was my favorite and definitely my new favorite

Casual vibe with great happy hour deals! I've been frequenting Japonessa including the Bellevue location. Their HH deals are pretty solid. The sashimi and rolls are solid as well. It's not the best quality but gets-the-job-done quality.

Visited Seattle for a conference. I found myself eating here twice for dinner in a 3 day span. Best sushi I've had in a very long time. The food was amazing, super fresh and they have unique sauces that take the sushi to the next level. Highly recommend the Emperor's and Mr. Wonderful Rolls. Both 10/10. Can't rave enough about the Jalapeno Citrus sauce. Also tried the beef short ribs, and the ramen. They were both good. The ramen was a little different than ramen you would get at a regular ramen place in that the boiled egg was boiled hard. I will miss this place. The coconut cake was also very light and fresh. Ross D was my server on my last visit and the service was 10/10.

Visiting from Canada, found this place later on a Saturday night. It was fairly busy but we were seated pretty quickly. The atmosphere was nice, our server was great and our meal was fantastic. Prices are more than reasonable and the sushi was extremely fresh and delicious. Everything we ordered we thought was outstanding. Highly recommend to anyone in the area downtown Seattle. So good.

This was hands-down one of the best and most memorable sushi lunches I've had. Japonessa is a special place that exceeded all expectations, and I highly recommend putting your trust in the chef with the Omakase. Every single piece of nigiri that came out was a work of art. The quality of the fish was immediately apparent—the tuna was rich, the salmon was buttery, and everything tasted incredibly fresh and clean. The rice was also perfectly prepared, which is the foundation of great sushi. What makes Japonessa truly stand out is their unique blend of traditional Japanese technique with subtle Latin influences. You'll notice this in the creative toppings and sauces that complement the fish perfectly without overpowering it. The seared pieces in our selection were particularly phenomenal. A must-visit for any sushi lover in Seattle, especially if you appreciate creative, high-quality preparations.

Had Dinner last night before we heading back to Birch Bay. We're from San Francisco Bay Area on vacation, and sushi is our favorite food. This Japanese/Mexican fusion is extraordinary fabulous. The cocktails 🌶🌶 was awesome, the Sushi/Mexican fusion 🌶😋 was excellent 👌😉 and the service was magnificent 👌. I do recommend trying the Aztec Xspresso cocktail.

Work trip to Seattle and no rental, so DoorDash it is! First meal was not disappointing at all! Delicious sushi, but my favorite was the short ribs! Incredibly flavorful!

delicious sushi and miso soup. loved the salmon tacos on the happy hour menu

The best experience with sushi I have ever been to, and I look forward to coming back. It was great. The fish was so fresh the chiefs were all of the right people for the job! The people bringing the food and drinks don’t know much it’s the waitress’s and waiters who know the go to things!! Just amazing a I will be back for sure best place to bring a Asian date she will melt in your mouth…. Thanks so much says the tiger!,

Best sushi I’ve had so far. We got the Diablo and the street fighter and wow were these spicy. Spicy but delicious. Unique flavor combinations. I’m from Philly and I’d be here all the time if they had a Philly location because I want to try their other rolls Drinks, we also got some sale and wow it was the smoothest sake we’ve had. I also got the sundress cocktail and the sake sangria. Both very delicious and not too sweet or dry

Sunday open at 12:00 sharp. Happy hour until before 5pm. It s a must when come to nearby Pike place Seattle. Waiter and waitress here are very neat and handsome/beautiful. Food are well presented and tasted excellent.

Absolutely loved this sushi spot! The quality of the fish was incredibly fresh. The ambiance of the restaurant was cozy and inviting, and the staff were so friendly and attentive. Can't wait to come back for more.

I am a regular here and totally love it. I always order the ginger chicken, calamari apart from the sushi rolls. I have almost tried every one of them. Highly recommend! Location is a plus, in the heart of downtown and even can see the Seattle wheel from the tables. This time went for dinner here with friends out of town. All the dishes were perfect.

Ordered takeout on recommendation from our Uber driver. WOW this place was amazing. Incredibly fresh and the flavour was out of this world. Everything we ordered was delicious and better than our expectations which were already high after the praise from the Uber driver. The menu was significantly more robust than a normal sushi restaurant you would see. The use of lemon and jalapeño and other garnishes put them beyond other sushi restaurants we've been to.

Amazing staff and the food was to die for. Our server was very attentive and friendly. Sushi was DELICIOUS but the star of the show was the calamari salad. Very good portions amazing drinks. Can’t wait for my next visit

The restaurant had a nice, fancy atmosphere and a very kind server. I ordered two sushi dishes: one which was simply four choice cuts of fish on rice (that I assume was more traditionally Japanese) and another which was a more Americanized sushi roll. Both were good.

We came in to get a take out order. Staff were wonderful. Food came out fast and was really good. Bartenders were crafting some delicious looking cocktails. Excellent prices and decent portions. Will definitely come back when we're in Seattle.

We had a nice little group with 3 adults and 2 kids and our server (Jessica P.) Did a fantastic job especially handling the kids questions. She was wicked attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. The only bit of feedback I have is making sure the ramen comes out a bit sooner because the table was done eating while I was still waiting for it. Overall I would be more than happy to go there again!

Great and varied sushi rolls available at this convenient location. Atmosphere and service were nothing extraordinary, but fine. Sushi portions are good (we got 3 rolls and edamame for the 4 of us). Flavors are excellent. Rolls are well made/rolled/cut. Nothing falling apart when you pick it up. Fish is fresh and like I said, lots of interesting choices of rolls.

I had the lucky 7, a chefs choice Nigiri and a Mexican ninja roll. Both were fresh and delicious. The only downside for me was one of the Nigiri was raw shrimp which I am not a fan of (strictly personal)The miso soup was piping hot and very tasty. I happen upon happy hour which is 9pm to close. 7 dollar glasses of wine and a whole menu of happy hour things to choose from. I would say not kid friendly because the ambiance is very low lit, nearly dark except for where the sushi is made. It was a short walk from my hotel. Parking didn't seem very good, it is downtown Seattle on a Friday night. Service was very good as well! If you like sushi 🍣 I say go for it!

ORDER THE SPANISH LOVER. You’ll thank me later — it was one of the most delicious and interesting sushi rolls I’ve ever had. The Spanish Lover was surprisingly creamy from the scallops with a vibrant yet mild flavor from the avocado and cilantro. The other rolls we tried included the Last Samurai, Spider Roll, and Love Hunter — all solid choices, flavorful and filling (the fish was good, but more watery than what we expected fresh Puget Sound fish to be). We also ordered the Seattle Crunch roll; we saw a lot people mentioning it in their reviews, but felt it was over-hyped (the breading was doughier than we would’ve liked). You can skip this one. Also of note, some of the rolls weren’t particularly tight and on several occasions the pieces fell apart as we tried to eat them — it’s an inevitable outcome when eating sushi, but we still thought it happened more than usual. The restaurant’s best feature is its location, close to Pike’s Place and near a lot of hotels. The restaurant is very clean, but the decor is a bit tacky — the black chandeliers and striped wallpapers creates a gothic/art-deco feel, which doesn’t exactly match the modern Mexican-Japanese-fusion fare. The service was okay, although we waited about fifteen minutes past our reservation before being seated. The host and waitress were both professional but cold — you could feel the staff was stressed behind the scenes, so we did our best not to make things more difficult for them. All-in-all, this would’ve been a 3/5 for me were it not for the Spanish Lover roll — it was seriously that good. I’d brave the negative aspects again in a heartbeat for another taste of that delicious creation!

Really friendly service. I think our server's name was Alejandro. He was lovely. Nice Latin inspired flavors with Japanese dishes with some creative dishes. Some worked better than others, but all decent. Busy and lively atmosphere.

My family and I visited Japonessa following a visit to the Seattle Art Museum. The menu was large and varied, offering a number of options. Our server was attentive and helpfully suggested some menu items. The restaurant itself is large, but not especially noisy.

Tasted better sushi at other places. The food was very mediocre, and the karaage chicken was not at all authentic. Definitely expected more for the price.

Its a good place but food wasn't that good. Have to be honest. Non-alcoholic drinks were great, it's a must try!

This restaurant used to do more fusion items and had a more creative menu. I remember wanting to order everything and being impressed with seasonal items. The echoes of it's inspiration are still there, but most of the menu is a typical sushi restaurant now with 3 tacos and jalapenos on random rolls. The sushi is good but I just don't feel that a lot of what is served here is any better than other sushi restaurants in the area. The prices are pretty high and I don't think there is anything justifying that anymore. The happy hour used to be legendary, but now is only $1 cheaper for every item on it. So it's essentially the same cost. Atmosphere feels nicer than average, and the restaurant always seems busy.

Just subpar, v mid tasting sushi (benchmark against FOB sushi) Don’t understand why you would put onion strips on sushi…completely overwhelms the taste - Signature roll: Lover Samurai. -forgot name of the two classic rolls Total $66 Get better sushi n better price elsewhere

got take out here and I won’t ever be back to try it in person! The salmon was disgusting - I’m really not sure how you can screw up salmon but they did, it was warm (from the rice being overly hot), wet (from water, not properly draining out the moisture from it being frozen for so long) and this was just the first bite. The rice was unevenly seasoned and from someone who didn’t know how to make sushi rice. Please, for a restaurant that is advertising omakase on the menu, are you aware that sushi rice is the essence of the craft? oh yeah also for the price they charge they are not even using short grain rice. Very, very disappointed.

I ordered sushi — the deluxe nigiri plate, one of their specialty rolls, and a tuna sashimi side — and the experience was honestly very disappointing. To begin with, the order arrived without chopsticks, without utensils, and without a single packet of soy sauce, which is unacceptable for any sushi restaurant. That already set a bad tone. The sushi itself was even worse: the rice was hard and old, completely flavorless, and in other pieces it was watery, as if poorly prepared. The salmon had bits of skin and white fatty parts that should never be there if it’s properly cut. And the tuna tasted like frozen supermarket tuna, bland and lacking any real texture — nothing like a quality sashimi. Overall, very poor quality for the price and the presentation. I wouldn’t order again and definitely wouldn’t recommend it

My family of 4, including a baby, felt extremely unwelcome in this restaurant. It’s like our server judged us because we had a baby and decided he was not going to provide us with good service. He came to get our orders and drop off our food. He did not check in on us and was quick to make comments like ‘I know you guys don’t have much time’ and ‘do you guys want something else, or no?’. It was the WAY he said these things, in a condescending manner. The restaurant gave us an hour and 30 minutes before our table was to be reserved. This is true, but our server could have said MANY different things, he could have started off his greetings in manner different ways. Instead, it was as though we were an inconvenience to him. And the patrons next to us were giving us the side eye, because our son was dropping food. It didn’t matter that I got on my knees and cleaned the space under him as best as I could. It didn’t matter that we left our server a $50 tip when he did not deserve it. Sorry we brought a baby to your restaurant.