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Mio Sushi
Categories: Restaurants Japanese Restaurants Sushi Bars Japanese, Sushi Bars [Edit]
120 Westlake Ave N(between John St & Denny Way)
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 971-0069
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11 am - 2:30 pm
Mon-Fri 4 pm - 9:30 pm
Sat 12 pm - 3 pm
Sat 4 pm - 10:30 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Trendy, Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
Carl L. said: "I finally decided to drop by here as I always pass by it on my way to the office. They have a wide variety on their menu, ranging from Katsu-don to all sorts of sushi. I decided to try the Chirashi, which was an assorted mix of sushi…" read more »
36 reviews for Mio Sushi
36 reviews in English
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Review from Sarah E.
3/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
I saved my 300th review for this awesome lunch spot. With a few sushi options in the area, I gave this place a try since it was the closest one to work. I browsed the menu online and was prepared to give my to-go order when I arrived right as they opened at 11.
I ordered a bento box with teriyaki chicken and a cali roll for a grand total of $9! It came with a lot of food including two veggie gyozas, miso soup, salad, and rice. They have a bunch of options to choose from as well. My order was done within 10 mins and I was off.
The teriyaki chicken was a bit charred, but still pretty good. The gyozas and soup we really good, but my favorite was the Cali roll. I know for all you sushi people this is the most boring basic roll ever, BUT it was still super fresh and really tasty. They even give you about 10 rolls which is a nice bonus!
Overall I am very impressed with the value of their bento box selections. For $9 how can you go wrong!? I will make this a weekly lunch trip! -
Review from Ryan N.
Seattle, WA
Budget Japanese cuisine. So you get what you pay for!
Dine-in service is slooooooow.
Food quality is ok, presentation (which is KEY for Japanese cuisines) looks rushed.
You're better off driving the extra 5 miles to the Int'l district for authentic Japanese food.
If you do plan on trying this place out, I'd recommend coming during lunch (if you can beat the Amazon rush) since you'd get the same size portions as you would for dinner but for less.
Majority of the ratings are relative in my opinion since there aren't any Asian, teriyaki-like restaurants around the SLU area.
Maybe I'm just bitter that every-time I order rice, it looks like it's been half-eaten! -
Review from Stormy R.
Seattle, WA
1/16/2012
Love this place!
I eat here at least twice a week. Great food, service and atmosphere.
It's about time South Lake Union got a place as great as this!
Oh, and ask for James- he's extra cool :) -
Review from Kevin D.
Seattle, WA
5/23/2012
Very good food, takes forever and you must be very specific with your order. As long as you follow these steps you are in for a good meal!
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Review from Norm M.
Seattle, WA
Updated - 3/18/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Wow, sad to say but my visit today to Mio for Miso Chicken Ramen was sub-par and was less than what I expected from this place. Really? Bad ramen? Back to Samurai in the ID, I guess. I may have to make my own at home, I always thought ramen was like other Asian noodle soup fare; you have to really put effort into doing a poor job. Mio you have left me reflecting on the original review I wrote a few months ago. I am unlikely to return knowing I can make or get better ramen elsewhere. Breakdown: Bland broth, bland ramen (worse than Maruchan or Top ramen) and lukewarm to boot.
I sampled a few things during my last visit which were all decent, not so much today.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/30/2011
Mio is a casual place on Westlake that serves decent Sushi meaning better than Genki/Sushiland, not… Read more »
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Review from Sandy L.
12/29/2011
I highly recommened to sit by sushi bar to order Omakase with Terry San, you won't be disappointed. He is a very talented and experienced japanese sushi chef in Seattle.
I have been following him from two other restaurants and Mio is his 3rd one during the last few years. ( I know it may sound crazy but it worths after I tried other sushi chefs and found out the rolls are too spicy, lacking of favor, making food too slow or being overcharged too much for what i got...) He always prepared the sashimi the right portion & cut plus thickness for us with nice presentation. I also like the sushi rolls from him always good and sometimes very creative. Since the restuarant is very new, they only have most popular fish available at this moment and the sauce tends to be too sweet. Not too many sake selection yet. However, Terry San realized the issues and he is working on them!
The decor in the restaurant is very comtemporary and clean. Service from wait staff is prompt. The menu is huge there are lots other hot food available such as raemen. Price is very reasonable and somewhat on the lower end.
The only drawback is parking but i guess this is common in Seattle. -
Review from Sean R.
Seattle, WA
4/12/2012 1 Check-in Here
The service is not the best and it's very slow during lunch hours. The sushi has always been good and you will pay for it.
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Review from Stephan J.
Maple Valley, WA
4/7/2012
This is a slight step above the sushi you can get from safeway. The food lacked flavor and for the price I would have been happier going elsewhere. The server was nice, but unfortunately he can't compensate for mediocre food.
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Review from Laura M.
12/6/2011 2 photos
Seattle quality with Portland prices!
Mio moved into the hood and I had to try it. Lunch bento was great - with shrimp and veggie tempura AND grilled teriyaki salmon (plus all the regular bento goodies) for $7.95. I don't know if you can get a better bento deal in Seattle near downtown.
I enjoyed my meal there and will be back! -
Review from Jen T.
Recently went back- Ordered a bento box during lunch time. It wasn't even busy as there were empty tables. The order took 45mins- at 45mins I decided I had to leave to get to my meeting. I went up to offer to pay for the miso soup and all they said was that they would comp the soup.
Went back the next day- because I believe in second chances. Sushi quality has definitely gone down hill. A sign of a bad sushi place is when all sushi tastes like imitation crab salad. It's a way for sushi businesses to hide their sushi and make it look more bulky with imitation crab salad.
Salmon Sashimi was not fresh. It had no bounce or texture to it. Its almost as they had pounded the crap out of the salmon sashimi and stuffed it into the roll. Instead of having a solid chunk of salmon. meh.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/16/2011
Super excited that there is an affordable and delicious sushi place near work.
YOWZA the lunch wait… Read more »
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Review from Andrea J.
11/17/2011 ROTD 5/8/2012
First Stumptown, and now Mio--I'll never need to go home to Portland now.
Between the three of us, we probably ordered way too much food--yet somehow there wasn't a scrap of rice left on our plates. We had Unagi and Hamachi nigiri, and the following rolls: spicy white tuna, Mt. Fuji, Kanihama, Yellowtail, Tempura roll, and I think a couple of other ones thrown in there. All of the fish was super fresh. I could have eaten plate after plate of Hamachi and would have left happy.
I wouldn't order the Mt. Fuji again though; I don't like uncooked salmon, but love cooked salmon, so thought that the Mt. Fuji roll would be nice to try, but it had way too much mayonnaise on it--especially considering that salmon is already so oily.
The simpler and more traditional rolls are the way too go.
Service was friendly, efficient, and unobtrusive. Our tea was refilled frequently and we felt well taken care of. The decor is a little sterile (I prefer the tiny Victorian house in the Alphabet District) and looks a lot more like a lunch spot than a dinner place.
Mio is definitely going to give Maneki and Umi a run for their money. -
Review from Matt H.
Seattle, WA
12/5/2011
I'm generally caught off guard when I read a Yelp review that provides details like "slow service," "harried staff," or "decent/not great" food, but they still give it 3-4 stars. So, I'm going to call Mio Sushi like I see it (and like the 2 star rating says): "Meh. I've experienced better."
Went in during their first week in SLU. Unbelievable wait for a table, which isn't their fault. People want sushi in SLU and it's lunch time. Unbelievable wait for a server to bring water, take drink orders (8+ minutes). OK, it's their first week; they're getting things ironed out. Next up, a 25+ minute wait for food that did not require cooking (several roll options and some nigiri). Again, chalk it up to the learning curve. But the kicker was the sushi itself...bland, flavorless, and/or stale ingredients (how can you screw up the seaweed?).
Second trip back, two weeks later, hoping they've worked out the kinks: still incredibly slow service, still not really sure who my waiter was since there were 2-3 people stopping by our table at random intervals, still a long wait for food (again, coming about 20 minutes after ordering), and still not great sushi (different rolls, same result).
Today: 3rd time's the charm, right? They've been open for more than a month, the onslaught of sushi-crazed SLU workers has died down a bit, and today I didn't have to wait for a table. Yet, we still waited more than 10 minutes to order, and another 20+ for all of our food (for three people total: two avocado rolls, a spicy tuna roll, two bowls of Udon, and a bento box with beef).
If the majority of the time I spend away from the office during lunch is just sitting in a booth listening to Boyz II Men's "On Bended Knee" (seriously Mio Sushi...a chain from Portland playing bedroom R&B from the 90s...you can't do any better?) instead of actually enjoying my meal before going back to work, then please at least blow me away with the quality of the product you serve.
I like that it's supposedly sustainably caught fish and I like that it's the only real viable sushi option in SLU. But, after three near fails, I'll continue to go to the places that have great fresh fish AND prompt service (Moshi Moshi, Aoki, Chiso, hell...Sam's...I'm looking at you). It's just too bad I can't get to a single one during lunch. Back to Whole Foods deli I go... -
Review from Casey Y.
Redmond, WA
12/8/2011
Price is good and the ingredients aren't bad either. The technique for making these rolls are kind of embarrassing- Some of the rolls fall apart if touched. Their bigger, and more unique rolls do this, along with their nigiri (which is unacceptable). Maybe it's because I'm Japanese, but I have a standard, and it isn't being met.
Oh, they also forgot water- and didn't bother to ask about tea (which everybody else somehow got). The folks next to us had to track down a waitress for their order to be taken.
If there isn't enough staff, they shouldn't be taking more customers. Over time, their service will get better- but for now it's a 2 out of 5 sad sad stars. -
Review from V Z.
Seattle, WA
12/30/2011
Came here for lunch on Thursday and surprised by how busy this place is!
Ordered Mt. Rainier roll, Philly Roll, California Roll, and sunset roll. This was a lot for 2 people! Note to self next time: only order 2-3 types of rolls next time for just two people.
Prices here were average. Ingredients were very fresh and tasty and the ratio of rice to sashimi and other ingredients were equal. Place seemed authentic. Servers there were very friendly and attentive. Presentation of the sushi was excellent.
Felt that the tables that seated 2 people were all placed too close together and felt that the people sitting next to me were so close that we might as well be having lunch WITH them. I was so close to the people near me that i could have stretched and been able to touch the people sitting to the left and right of me.
Would come back here again but at a time that wouldn't be as busy. Might try the bento box next time along and would definitely order the Mt Rainier roll again (yum). -
Review from Frank E.
New Sushi to the neighborhood... Score! I no longer have to go to Whole Foods for a quick bite.
When we first arrived it was not busy at all. They were playing some sort of Japanese pop/techno/video game sort of music which I thought was interesting.
We promptly sat down and started going through the sushi menu. Also, they have noodle dishes and a great deal on some Udon noodles (without meat) is only $6. I personally would recommend for two people to order one bowl of soup and then about 4 sushi rolls.
We had some classics but the Mt. St. Helens stood out. It was really really good. I'm not a fan of the entire deep fried tempura rolls like at Japonessa or Umi because they are just too rich. Apparently, I'm too poor for that.
This is a nice goto sushi spot with prices that aren't amazing nor bad. If I'm hungry, and feel like soup n' sushi, you'll find me here. It's A-OK. -
Review from Will M.
I tried four random things off the menu and all were some of the best sushi I've had in Seattle since Yoshinobos closed 6 years ago.
I highly recommend trying some of their unique rolls. They do a great job of balancing sauce with the fish, so that you can still appreciate the fish while getting a complimentary flavor from the sauce.
And the staff is out of this world. It may be because they just opened, but the service made you feel like a rock star in Japan. -
Review from Dennis D.
12/8/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Sushi is alright.
Ramen is pretty good.
Ordering could be done better though, because it's not uncommon for them to totally miss something you marked on the menu. (They totally missed my Nicksan, which was made worse by the fact the waiter didn't ask about the meal before dropping the bill in front of me, unprompted. "No rush" O_o )
Their Gyoza(Jiaozi) is also on the low side of mediocre.
They DEEP fry them! (Such a pot-sticker faux-pas! :-\ )
So, go for the ramen or noodles.
If you want sushi, recite your order to the server's face so they don't miss anything.
More info (SPECIFIC info on individual food items).
You can see what items I reviewed there: http://www.nosh.com/re... -
Review from Julia W.
I am not usually a fan of sushi but I have to admit that this place may have won me over with 'other' food they serve.
They have kind of a lame happy hour (only about $1 off on appetizers).
I had the shrimp tempura and rice which came with a side of rice. It was crisp and delish.
One small note: They have sodas listed differently on the menu. One is $1 and one is $1.50-$2. I guess the reasoning is that the $1 is not refillable and served in a can. They warn you when ordering but found to be a bit odd. I appreciate them not charging as much since it's not refillable but odd to have to explain each time.
Gets wicked busy during the lunchtime hour so prepared to wait for a table if eating in. -
Review from Sarah C.
Seattle, WA
10/31/2011 1 photo
I'm so excited for Mio Sushi, or any sushi for that matter, to be in South Lake Union. I went here for takeout lunch today on opening day and thought that the food was great! Two thumbs up.
I ordered a bento box with two choices - grilled salmon and California roll. It came with a side salad, rice, miso soup (in a takeout plastic container, and a choice of either two little gyoza or tofu. And, for some reason (?!?), they thought that one scoop wasn't enough so they gave me a container of rice, too.
Overall, the food was good especially for all that food for only $9.
In terms of service, the waiters and sushi makers were pretty harried but that's probably to be expected on an opening day.
I recommend Mio Sushi especially if you work in SLU like me. :) Yum! -
Review from Opal D.
11/30/2011
Clean, small, not much for decoration. Good simple sushi at fair prices. Pretty average all the way around.
Unlimited refills on the mango iced tea? That earns the extra star. -
Review from Luca T.
West New York, NJ
12/9/2011
I got 3 premium rolls and honestly they were nothing special although the ingredients were fresh.
Just average. -
Review from Lilani E.
11/26/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Clean. Fair prices. Kind staff. Decent/quality ingredients. I wouldn't really "complain" about the happy hour as their prices are already pretty darn affordable.
I'm not a huge fan of the modern, crazy creative rolls and keep it simple. They have both to appease either person. I'm pretty sure a "sushi snob" would not like this place based on appearance (modern/trendy interior) but honestly, don't know it before you try it. you might be pleasantly surprised. good sushi does not always have to come from a non-discrete hole in the wall. -
Review from Jen C.
11/1/2011
Just what SLU needed... another sushi place. Oh wait, a sushi place is exactly what SLU needed! Finally!
Since I've watched this place develop from nothing I decided to go grab food on opening night. That can be a risky venture, but overall it was really smooth sailing. Everyone working there was fantastic, as was the sushi.
Their happy hour, between 4-6 has some good deals, including the amazing volcano roll!
I'm also so happy to have zaru soba mere steps from my front door! Is this heaven?! -
Review from J K.
Seattle, WA
11/27/2011 14 photos
It's a small chain of fun Japanese joints. Clean and hip. Good food. Great service. Nice atmosphere. I think it's one of the only Japanese joints in that neighborhood. I really appreciate the longer-than-normal menu. Good cheap bento. The super-veggie role is cheap and super-yummy. They have cheap ramen, but I didn't try it. However, as with any Japanese restaurant, the bill can escalate quickly before you know it.
(My 101st review of a King County Japanese joint) -
Review from Trisha D.
Seattle, WA
1/6/2012
I've been the place once a week.
This place - lunch time : quite busy!!!!!!
Dinner time : good to enjoy Sushi!!!!!
And one of my friend really suprised that they're using all gluten free sauce!!
(The sushi guy says not totly all but almost of their sauces except ramen, udon)
Quite busy at lunch time but we got all foods soon and the Volcano roll - just same as the photo!!!!!!
But still some servers missed my chopstic and plates....
However, the head server brought thoese with our food soon and apologized.
Especially, I really love the place that experienced head sushi guys works.
If ou go there for lunch, enjoy bento choices
and
for dinner, exjoy Sashimi & Sushi with a bottle of hot sake!!!! -
Review from Krishna S.
11/5/2011
This restaurant is exactly what this area needed. The sushi here is great for the price. The lunch bento is a fair amount of food for about $11 after tax and tip.
If you are doing the bento I generally prefer the gyoza over the agedashi tofu. I also tend to switch the california roll for a different roll, the simply charge you the difference. I usually get the spicy salmon maki which is quite good. -
Review from Iris S.
Seattle, WA
2/10/2012
Con: You won't find tight roll. The size is ridiculous. I had largest "sushi" piece ever in my life!
Pro: Price is ok.
Bottom line: a lunch place to fill you stomach but not a place to enjoy Japanese food. -
Review from C M.
Seattle, WA
4/14/2012
Ordered their Mio Ramen, a bowl beef ramen. Beef came out as beef thunk that tasted like rubber. Soup extremely salty without much favor with barely any vegetable in it. Hot tea is not hot at all...the bill came out to be $11.50 for a bowl of beef ramen. What a ripeoff...
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Review from Marilyn V.
Seattle, WA
1/20/2012 1 Check-in Here
I've added this place to my Asian restaurants in SLU list. This place can get pretty packed during lunch, so go slightly before 12pm if you want a table. Their decor is Japanese modern and appears quirky. Their menu seems okay, really typical for any Japanese restaurant (that's not a teriyaki joint) you'd step foot in. I haven't had anything spectacular that's stuck out so far, but the bento box is worth my lunch visits. The wait staff is nice, but they appear happy yet flustered at times during lunch. You can also order to go if you don't want to wait for a table.
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Review from Tyler R.
Seattle, WA
2/8/2012
I really wanted to like Mio Sushi, but it was just OK. The ambience was good and the place was nice and quiet, but the food was lacking and on the pricier side. A+ for service--our server was attentive and polite. If you're just looking for decent sushi without having to trek outside of SLU, then Mio fits the bill.
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Review from Yvonne C.
Seattle, WA
12/22/2011
Their sushi (nigiri and rolls) are really sub-par. The problem is their rice is too bland (not enough vinegar and sugar) which makes any sushi you have there just taste really bland. Their nigiris are very reasonably priced, but you get what you pay for. The albacore was super dry. The one nigiri that was good was their yellowtail....well the fish was good - the rice was just off.
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Review from Ross H.
11/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
Quality sushi, fair price. I walked in at noon for a to go order and waited about 15 minutes. Not too bad for during their lunch rush. Next time I'll call ahead. Lunch Special (tuna roll, California roll and cucumber roll) was very filling and a better deal than the Whole Foods offerings next door.
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Review from David S.
Seattle, WA
11/4/2011
Just had a quick, small, late lunch with a couple pieces of Nigiri, a roll and miso soup. The Yellow Tail was tough (had to eat the whole piece at once, as I couldn't bite it without making a huge mess), but the Tuna was perfect. The Negihama roll was simple and perfect.
Everyone was very friendly and welcoming and when they accidentally brought me an extra roll, they told me not to worry, but to enjoy it and that I wouldn't be charged.
The service was slower than expected. I sat at the bar, which is usually quicker, but it was slow, especially given that there had to be 12 or more people working there at the time (3-4 sushi chefs, a couple people in the hot kitchen, at least 4 servers, a host and whoever else was in the kitchen). Also, either the owner of the chain or a senior manager of some kind was there... I would have liked him to stop by and welcome me since there were only 2 other people there at the time, but maybe I'm just being vain.
The restaurant seems quite small for a lunch spot in South Lake Union these days. I'm concerned they will have a very long wait during the lunch rush. They do, however, have a series of tables along the window which seems like it will be able to accommodate a rather large group of about 20 people. Not sure if they'll offer reservations.
The space is very clean and modern looking but not cold. The bright white and splashes of color fit in nicely with the neighborhood. Even the TVs, which usually drive me crazy in restaurants, were a welcome feature.
It was a darn good showing for day 2 of business. I guess the experience of all their other restaurants came in handy! I will be back soon! -
Review from Laura G.
Seattle, WA
11/19/2011
I rarely post reviews but felt the need after my first dining experience at Mio Sushi. I live in SLU and really was (still am) rooting for this place. Positives were proximity, very friendly, attentive service, and tea (though genmaicha is hard to screw up).
The only negative was unfortunately most of the food - not fishy or anything, just not very good. I honestly think I would rather eat grocery store sushi. While I did like the pretty inexpensive price, I didn't like getting what I paid for.
agedashi tofu: tofu was nicely fried with a good texture, but the dipping sauce tasted like watered down teriyaki sauce rather than typical agedashi sauce.
California roll: ok flavor, i think fake crab, zero texture - mushy, no onion or cucumber or anything in it to make it a bit more interesting/pleasant.
Seattle roll: actually real crab but with no flavor and kind of dry; liked the asparagus; had to kind of chew through the salmon sashimi on top.
shrimp tempura roll: ok but one of the slices literally had a tail and 3 mm of shrimp total. best roll we tried.
veggie ramen: came in a cute ceramic pot with noodles, broth, and some sliced veggies - noodles and veggies were good, but the broth was very dark, sweet, and not really something I felt an urge to drink much of (as one would plan to do for most noodle soups).
Now I'm feeling like a whiner; this review was honestly not meant to dissuade people from trying Mio; I like that the majority of other comments were satisfactory/excellent, so hopefully this was an off night or they can just work out the kinks and get tastier. -
Review from Drew S.
Woodinville, WA
11/7/2011
Best sushi in Seattle. I've been to them all, and this is by far the best. I highly reccommend the Mt. Rainier roll and the Beauty and the Beast.
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Review from Kitty C.
Seattle, WA
Updated - 12/12/2011
We gave this place another try last week and the experience was greatly improved. There are still some service issues (long unexplained or unexpected waits for the second half of our order to be served) which keeps me from giving them 5 stars. I'm sure they will continue to improve as they are open longer and its defiantly in the rotation of places for lunch.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/3/2011
My office mates and I were very excited that there was a new sushi place opening close by, so… Read more »
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