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Shun - CLOSED
Categories: Restaurants Sushi Bars Restaurants Japanese Sushi Bars, Japanese [Edit]
5101 25th Ave NESte 11
(between Blakeley St & 54th St)
Seattle, WA 98105
(206) 522-2200
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
94 reviews for Shun
Review Highlights
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"The miso soup was probably the best we've both had." In 9 reviews -
"A bowl of sushi rice with the chef's choice of toppings." In 3 reviews -
"...plate of assorted sashimi and nigiri, and all very fresh." In 6 reviews
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94 reviews in English
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Review from Ayumi m.
Seattle, WA
3/26/2012
Came here on a weekday evening. It was empty when we arrived, and packed when we left! Pretty friendly staff, and prompt seating. However, when it got crowded the wait time for our food seemed to take a little long. They had a large variety of different dishes, a decent wine/beer/alcohol list, and also a lot of different sushi to choose from. We tried several different Japanese dishes, all were authentic and delicious! I love that the wait staff and the chefs speak Japanese, it is very reassuring that the people making my Japanese food also speak Japanese. Ambience was nice and would make for a nice date night. Also, the tempura ice cream was amazing! But be sure to share with someone because the portion is delightfully huge.
Taste: 5 stars
Price: 3 stars
Service: 4 stars
Ambience: 5 stars
and as always, a high five for being locally owned and run. -
Review from Betty V.
Seattle, WA
1/5/2012
I love all the real Japanese food here! Good variety, good specials, great lunches and friendly staff.
My parents are Japanese who lived in Japan, and I grew up in Japan so I am a Japanese food snob. I don't like to go to "Japanese" restaurants that are run by non-Japanese people because those restaurants usually only serve your typical "fast food" - teriyaki, tempura (which usually isn't that good) and sushi (rolls that aren't really Japanese like the spicy stuff or tempura stuff).
Shun has waitstaff that speak Japanese and have the kind of items that you would find in a real Japanese restaurant. It makes me feels like being at home. -
Review from Grace C.
Seattle, WA
3/30/2012
I came here around noon on a Thursday with a Japanese-American friend, and on her recommendation I ordered the bara-chirashi. The sashimi was delicious, the portions were generous enough to require a take-home box, and the service was just the right level of attentiveness. My only complaint doesn't have to do with the restaurant itself - it can be a little tricky to find parking in the area. Nevertheless, I'll definitely be back!
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Review from Alice B.
2/25/2012 1 Check-in Here
One of my top three favorite Japanese sushi places in Seattle. Very fresh and tasty nigiri at a moderate price. I also love their Udon and bento box options. Service is always consistent and there is ample free parking in the garage below, although it is a little tricky to find if you've never been there.
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Review from Loralee V.
Mercer Island, WA
9/18/2011
Craving sushi for lunch one day, I happened upon a cozy yet contemporary authentic Japanese restaurant Shun near the University District. Since I didn't have time to dine in, I ordered sushi & sashimi and brought it back to the office. Everything was fresh and very tasty.
The menu looked great so will have to return when I have more time. They also have chef specials and a la carte dishes, as well as a selection of sake and wine. The name Shun was cleverly chosen, as some day they may be as famous as the knives themselves. -- I love using my Shun knives. Descended from the craft of samurai sword making, famous for their long-lasting, razor sharp edges and exceedingly strong steel construction. -
Review from Jon C.
Manhasset, NY
8/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
Had to have some Japanese food to satisfy a craving, and I'm glad that Shun was the first Japanese place I stumbled upon. I was surprised how large the portions were too: the Chicken Katsu should be more than enough food for anyone, and it was fried just right-- both a light and crispy panko breading, but still ridiculously moist and tender, but lean on the inside. Most definitely worth the sub-$11 price for the entree.
Very friendly staff, almost overly so, to the point where I almost felt like they were patronizing me. Maybe it's the cynical part of me who can't fathom genuinely nice service staff. Definitely worth a stop if you're looking for relatively cheap, but still good-quality Japanese food. -
Review from Anne B.
Seattle, WA
10/27/2011
My friend works in the neighborhood, so we eat here from time to time. The service is always friendly, nice ambiance, clean establishment.
The vegetable tempura is the best I have had in Seattle, the veggies are very fresh! -
Review from Dustin H.
Seattle, WA
6/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
Shun's new location on 25th certainly makes it more accessible to passersby, which may be a good and a bad thing. Good because it seems more accessible. Bad because it may get more customers than the awkward restaurant space can really handle.
I've come here on a couple occassions to sample and satisfy a sushi craving. Generally, the sushi itself has not disappointed. From the squid nigiri or uni (although the latter was absent on my last visit) to the typical sashimi or sushi rolls, everything has been tasty. My biggest complaint has been with the quantity of pieces considering the price. Surely $4 or $5 should get you at least 4 pieces...but no, just 2. It isn't that exotic or special a meal for Seattle that they couldn't throw in a couple extra pieces and still do well. That alone would only bring the review down one star, but what really got me down was the service. My water was refilled once...at the end of the meal, and the food came out ages after we ordered while other tables nearby received multiple portions after about the same order time.
Shun, I want to like you more to make you my primary sushi joint nearby, but you'll need to do better next time. It's not as if the quality of options or taste is severely lacking. Just improve in the aforementioned areas and I could be more of a regular. -
Review from Jason P.
7/19/2011
Pretty good Japanese food and friendly service but nothing crazy going on here. There menu features nice variety of the ordinary favorites.
We ordered their cold soba with tempura, udon with tempura , and a spicy scallop roll. All were good but nothing great. In particular, the roll was quite $$$ for 4 pieces.
This is the place to go to conveniently satisfy the hunger (located just down the street) but its not going to be a whoohoo as good as it gets...minus points for the sticky table -
Review from Lita A.
Seattle, WA
7/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
we went here for a friend's bday dinner. He called in advance to tell the owner we were to arrive with a count of 15 guests. The orders were incorrect and the restaurant ran out of fish. At a SUSHI restaurant. Really? The server tried the best he could, and was apologetic.
That was the 1st & last time we'd be eating there. -
Review from Kasia W.
Albany, NY
3/28/2011
So disappointed. So very disappointed.
I've been driving past Shun for years now, and always been very curious about it. So, finally, I've decided to try it, and will never go back again.
The good. The fish was definitely fresh, and the mushrooms cooked into the sukiyaki my date had were delicious.
The bad. I typically love miso soup and can't wait to eat the floating seaweed -- don't do it here, the seaweed tasted off -- very very fishy, so much so that I didn't even finish the soup. The sashimi plate that I ordered had similar tasting seaweed as the only thing to go with the few chunks of fish that were placed on it and there was a tiny bit of shredded daikon.
The ugly. I ended up substituting the octopus in my deluxe sashimi dinner for toro, which made the dinner come close to $30. For this price, at Toyoda sushi I get enough fish that I can barely finish it all. Here, I received exactly 13 pieces -- definitely not enough to fill me up.
In summary, the food is ok, but there is very little of it and you pay through the nose. -
Review from Yvonne C.
Seattle, WA
Consistently good nigiri and very reasonably priced for what you get. For high quality fish that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, Shun is the place to go. Order all the special nigiris on their specials menu and you can't go wrong.
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Review from Maria N.
4/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
It's worth going for one dish alone, their scallop salmon roll: salmon wrapped around a large scallop and then broiled. OH MY GOD! It's amazing. It was a special when I went there last month, but they seriously need to put it on their regular menu. I wanted to order another plate of it as soon as I finished it.
Very friendly staff and pretty good sushi--I feel it can be hit or miss with some of the fish. I do feel that it's a *little* overpriced for sushi.
One major plus is that they have a parking garage! -
Review from Jen A.
Seattle, WA
3/4/2012
This is our local sushi bar and I love it. Their fish is always perfectly sliced and fresh. I would stay away from the rolls though - they have always just been so-so in my book.
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Review from Jodi S.
Seattle, WA
9/13/2010
First of all, there are two entries on Yelp for this establishment. under "Shun Japanese Cuisine." For some reason that is where all of the logical reviews went.
My boyfriend just got back from 4 days hiking in Enchantments and was hungry for a decent meal. We always like ordering the Omakase from other sushi places, so we thought we'd give it a try, because it has so many amazing reviews on Yelp!
All I can say is what a let down. Worst. Omakase. Ever! We got one plate for the two of us, each fish variety had three pieces - for two people! Really? Who does that? I went for the salmon because it's my favorite - and it was FROZEN in the middle! You have got to be kidding me, right? Nope! All of the fish had been previously frozen, the color was bad, and the taste was dull.
We complained and they brought us out a small plate of sushi as an apology. This was a noticeably better quality fish, but didn't make up for the fact about the Omakase. In other restaurants an Omakase for two usually means several different kinds of plates of the freshest fish that leaves you busting at the seams yet wanting more.
We were polite about the ordeal, paid and left, and don't plan on ever returning. Go to the Italian place down the street, there fish was way better! -
Review from Christine G.
Seattle, WA
4/7/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Small place. Friendly staff. Wonderful pickled cucumber appetizer. The miss broth was good. Flavorful. The tofu and seaweed in it however were mushy and bland. As was the green tea. A letdown there.
For my meal I ordered the Seattle Roll, Avacado Roll and Eel Roll. All the rolls were sloppy in composition. Rolled too loose where they hardly held together. The flavor was good, and the size of the rolls quite large but you could go to Blue C and get full for less money. -
Review from Sovannary O.
Seattle, WA
1/15/2011
When I drove by this place, I noticed it was REALLY packed, so I thought oh! must be a good place. Meh, I was wrong.
The sushi is over-priced and won't fill you up. We got a combo plate that had an assortment of sushi that came with miso and salad, and the Seattle roll. Didn't fill us up, SO I got the Karaage chicken. It had no flavor, I cook WAY better fried chicken and I'm only 22.
The server was nice, but it's not enough to bring me back. -
Review from Jeff K.
Seattle, WA
10/16/2010
Very solid, nice sushi near U-Village.
Best thing was the seaweed salad -- there's very very few foods I dislike, and seaweed salad is usually one of them. My wife always gets it and she said this one was particularly good, so I tried it, and -- wow -- absolutely fantastically fresh, a great variety of probably 5 or 6 different kinds of seaweed, gave it the look of a great mixed field greens salad. Perfect acidity in the dressing complemented the brininess of the seaweed, etc. I'm officially a fan of this particular seaweed salad.
Also, the matsutake mushroom "tea" --- big steaming teapot with rough-chopped matsutakes and aromatics, first you drink the tea it creates as it steeps (a soul-warming umami-fest of yummy brothiness), then eat the mushrooms out of the pot when you're done.
the sushi itself was solid, good, fresh -- totally worth going back to, not off the charts. -
Review from Matt M.
Seattle, WA
4/6/2008
So, there's this concept, well, i guess its more a name for a group of people, in Edo era Japanese literature called "tsu." Tsu people (Tsujin) are those who "get it." They try and they succeed. Women want them, men even, are so infatuated by their perfection that they don't even feel jealousy, just awe. The other side of this, is the Half-Tsu (Hanka-Tsu). This is the guy who tries so god-damned hard! and fails. Every single time. just miserably. He wears white after labor day, or whatever that silly expression is. Remember when Uggs were popular? And then you see some girl wearing them now and you're all like 'What the hell!?' The Half-Tsu is like that.
See, I'm bringing this up cause, one of the things about being "Tsu" is, its either effortless, or its gracious. Anywhere in between, that is where the Half-Tsu lies. And isn't life like that? Those grimy teriyaki places on the Ave, they don't try to prove anything - If you find one with really good food, you're thrilled, all the more so because you're surprised. They don't really try, and so they succeed.
See, Shun, the quality of the food is about equivalent to a hole in the wall on the ave I figure. But Shun, naw, Shun has to try. Shun presents itself as a nice place. failure. epic.
I've been here maybe 7 or 8 times now. Why? If I hate it so much why!? well, I keep coming back here, on recommendation; or by pleading, I'm dragged here - and every-single-god-damned-time I live to regret it.
The last time I was in was the last straw. I showed up with friends, we were a party of 8. Everyone in the group either was Japanese or had lived in Japan for a long period of time. I mention this only to point out where I and my group was coming from: we know what a good standard for a sushi place is. We have certain expectations of service and certain expectations of taste.
And they just weren't met. Everyone I was with ordered either a sushi plate or Bara-zushi. I ordered The medium plate and two pieces Kinme-dai (gold snapper).
Service was SLOW. That is to say that the food preparation was slow, the service didn't exist. Every time someone ran out of water we had to literally grab a waitperson by the shoulder to get some more. The first time was just, well, what ever, but this was every single time. Wide hand-motions, standing, yelling at the waiters produced no results. I guess its possible that everyone the restaurant hires is blind and deaf . . . in which case I take everything back and applaud them for their equal opportunity hiring policies.
And it wasn't even a busy night. Maybe, a third or a half of the seats were taken? Why did the sushi take 40 minutes to come out? Why did my Kinme-dai take another 40? The cuts weren't even precise. The pieces were all mishmash and too big. There is a saying in Japanese, "even if its rotting, its snapper." And yeah there's a metaphorical meaning but if you think about it literally right? its kinda saying "you can't ruin snapper." Well, I guess that's not true. Cause they did. Rather than give me two pieces I can't fit my mouth around for my 8 bucks, why not cut it in to real sizes, perhaps 4 pieces - 4 pieces that I can savor. Oh maybe that would take more time to prepare. Those two extra cuts and all. I would hate to slow it down anymore.
And just why was it so slow? They have 2 sushi chefs, what was the hold up? Oh! I know, its because they were busy lathering our sushi in more wasabi than is physically possible to endure! Each bite sent a wave of pain through my sinuses that I have never before had the pleasure to experience. At one point, my entire table (having mostly all ordered sushi plates) was screaming in a painful chorus at the top of our lungs. A girl at my table actually said "What the hell is this? It's like Batsu-game!" ('Batsu-game' is a sort of Japanese 'Jackass' type stunt where as a punishment for losing some quiz or screwing something up a person is usually forced to eat a huge wad of wasabi) Oh, anyways though, at this point thankfully, our waitress came over to apologize and get the sushi chefs to remake our dishes.
Naw! just kidding! That didn't happen! The waitress didn't do jack shit! I didn't see her but twice through the meal!
So naturally we didn't tip. The food was bullshit and the service didn't exist. And to go back to my initial point: We expected so much! Shun presents its self as Tsu. It behaves like Yabo ("bumpkin." Uhh, sorry, maybe thats taking the metaphor too far . . .)
Anyways the lack of behavior and front of pretense makes bad food and service so much worse - so of course we didn't tip!
Well, get this - the waitress actually has the fucking nerve to grab a girl in my party by the arm and chastise her about it "I just want you to tell everyone else that they forgot to tip and thats really rude" ---Lady, we didn't forget to tip, we STIFFED you cause you sat on your ass the whole meal while we writhed in pain. and, aww crap character limit!!? -
Review from Kevin S.
Seattle, WA
6/27/2007
So I've read all the reviews on this place and I'm convinced of a few things:
#1 - this place is not as bad as some people say it is. The service is okay, not great, but more than passable.
#2 - the food's good, but it isn't great
That said, so the pricing here is reasonable and the portions while not huge definitely aren't small. So my take is its not a bad place if you're in the area, but I definitely wouldn't go out of my way to go to this place. As for the food itself the sushi was good, but not spectacular. The tempura and katsu were also nicely done, but similarly not outstanding which isn't a bad things as its very tough to make something that stands out here unless your base ingredients are superb. All in all, worth the money, but there are definitely better places out there.
As a minor note there were a lot of young japanese kids there when I was there which tells me that the foods decent and there's nothing else nearby that's better.Listed in: Japanese Food in Seattle
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Review from Laura P.
Seattle, WA
12/30/2007
A friend was raving about Shun so we all went. It was packed- neither of us could park in the lot and we waited about 10 minutes to be seated. I'm going to guess what draws people to Shun is the value. As mentioned by others, service is just ok. Could be more or less coordinated, but whatever.
It is not fair for me to compare Shun to Chiso, but here goes. The chawanmushi at Shun is cheaper by a few dollars, but it isn't silken soft or subtly flavored like at Chiso. For that matter, everything is less expensive than Chiso but you get what you pay for. . .hell, if I wanted Chiso I should have just gone there, right?
I thought that the rolls we ordered (Futomaki, Spider) were slightly too large. I'd rather have 6 manageable pieces instead of 4 big'uns. It was messy to eat, though tasty. Each of the elements of the rolls were fine- nicely marinated mushrooms, sweet cod flakes, just sweet enough egg in the Futomaki; perfectly fried soft-shell in the Spider. The rice, however, was mushy as mentioned by another yelper. Strangely, that didn't stop us from ordering another Spider roll.
The salmon sashimi wasn't as butter soft or flavorful as I'd like. Moving on, the tempura was a touch too greasy but since there were ample pieces of sweet potato, I'll shut up now.
PS. They also have black sesame ice cream (not made in house). Savory and sweet!Listed in: where I feed the sweet potato…
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Review from Mairead R.
Seattle, WA
12/13/2007
Move over Ha Na, there is a fresher, fishier sushi bar in town.
Sadly, Shun has a bad location, a spot that has seen a lot of turnover in the past few years. No business with a mediocre product and a poor business plan can last on that piece of land, smack between a suburban neighborhood and a busy gas station.
If they keep the quality of their food at the bar they set when I visited, Shun will buck that trend.
Drinks were freshly brewed green tea with nary a hint of bitterness. And they kept our water glasses full throughout the meal.
For starters, this place offers multiple miso soup options. As in more than one! They have yellow and red miso soup base, both of which were nicely prepared. White miso is aged only a few months, resulting in a light flavor. Red miso soup has miso that has been aged longer, making it a touch richer and saltier. Neither was overly salty and both miso soups were not gritty, meaning that they were nicely blended into the broth base. The miso soup had just the right amount of fresh, chewy seaweed and plump cubes of tofu. Again, this soup hadn't been sitting on a hot pot, boiling itself down to a sodium-laden broth with some crusty tofu chunks and leathery seaweed. Fit for a king. Not to mention that you have the option to order you miso soup with large or small clams.
The tempura plate came with two humongous prawns and six pieces of veggie tempura. The night outside was frosty and their tempura plate warmed me up. Although the batter was sweet and light, their frying process sealed so much heat into the tempura pieces. I felt warmed from inside.
The unagi was crisped on the edges and so succulent. It had been painted with a miso sake sauce, which was sweeter than I normally find, though partnered well with the generous wasabi dab on the rice.
They also offer a salmon donburi plate, featuring three types of salmon and salmon roe over thinly sliced marinated mushrooms and sushi rice. One salmon was a pinkish-white, with a sweet flavor, one was a bright orange and one was a marbled reddish-yellow color.
Dessert was mochi, which tasted like the rice flour had been hand pounded. Sticky, sweet rice flour that was so fresh you could feel the gluten give when you pressed a finger against it. -
Review from Derek P.
Seattle, WA
11/7/2006
The University area could use a nice Japanese restaurant and Shun fills the void. Dropped in for lunch with a friend today and the hearty servings justified the steeper prices. Tempura chicken? Who would have thought it would be so good? Black Cod? So good that it reminded my friend of her previous years overseas where real fish is served. Toro? The freshest and most flavorful yet (Maneki?).
Friendly staff, prompt service, regular checks to see if our lunch was ok... Great decor, service, and environment; exactly what the U needs. Entering Shun is stepping into a flavorful Japanese dining experience. U-Village restaurants will have a difficult time winning my business now that I know Shun is right around the corner.Listed in: It's OK to split the bill at…
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Review from Roku T.
Seattle, WA
Shun (means "seasonal" in japanese) serves what's best in the season. This place has won my sushi heart, it is my favorite Sushi joint right now.
The space holds about 50 people, the decor reminds you of chiso in fremont, but more easeful. Sweet shrimp was literally sweet and plump, and tuna.. you just have to try it.
The antique paintings on the wall are handpicked by the owner and his friends in Japan, and plates and bowls are pretty to look at. You taste the presentation by looking at it, then you get to taste the food after. It's such a luxurious way of eating. If you order sake, pay attention to the sake cups! They look like curved ice cubes, they are quite pretty. Their tempura is something that shouldn't be missed, either.
I'm so excited about this new sushi joint. I'd go there every week if i could! -
Review from JC D.
2/23/2009
After a little wine tasting in Woodinville we were hungry and just wanted to get home. Traffic thru Bothell was a bitch, so we pulled a bitch and took the 520 home instead. We ended up passing by Shun like we do many days, but never noticed it until my sis pointed it out.
Shun has a modern feel to it with the clean and earthy tones to the decor and furnishings. The restaurant is warm and cozy, and the service was friendly.
My sister had the steak, and I had the veggie Udon. We shared the veggie tempura and miso soup. The miso soup was probably the best we've both had.
We came here at a good time, because in a matter of 3o minutes the place was packed. The service continued to be good. I don't have any complaints.
I'll have to come back to review the sushi. The prices are pricey, but I was okay shelling out 50 bucks for dinner for two including tip. -
Review from Bryce S.
Seattle, WA
5/14/2008
Call this a spite rating but I'm still at work, it's 8:30 pm, I wanna go home, and I'm hungry. Not a good combination. I call to order take out. Someone answers.
"Can you hold?" she asks sweetly.
Uh oh. "Surrre," I say back to her.
I wait. And wait. While on hold, I access my http://mint.com account. I look at Yahoo news. I pick my nose. I hear rustling noises over the phone; sounds like she pocketed the phone in her apron pocket or whatever. 10 minutes later I hang up. Is this any way to treat a customer, much less a formerly regular one???? Check out this place's rating details. Gee, I wonder why it's trending down? I'm done typing my review and I call back another 5 minutes later.
phone's still busy -
Review from M C.
Seattle, WA
11/20/2008
tucked in the corner of U district, great location and well needed decent sushi shop to compete again the Uvillage sushi shops
Service = when you sit at the bar, how can you go wrong?
Ambiance = quiant, just i what i need w/o going downtown
Food = no toro:( but that probably better then them serve me yesterday's produce. Fish is fresh, good enough for me!
Favorite = sushi chef was very accomdating, some girls are just difficult, what can i say, i know how to pick them
Worst = no toro:(
Final Say = Way better then their neighbor in Uvillage -
Review from J H.
San Francisco, CA
10/5/2007
Shun's a little weird. it's a slightly upscale restaurant in a former fast food restaurant, located a few blocks north of the U Village. It seems to get really crowded during peak hours, and on weekends. We came in around 8:30 on a Thursday and it was practically empty.
Appetizers were excellent. We tried the eggplant and the tofu steak, and the was served warm and salty. I really liked the green tea too.
Sushi was good. We went with a sampler and found all the sushi and sashimi to be fresh and with good presentation.
So why only 3 stars? Well, that would be the service. Waitresses were trying just a little too hard, and seemed to be fighting over us. Our sushi arrived first, followed by soup, followed by appetizers, follow by wine/beer, followed by tea. Ummmm hello?
I'd consider going back, but it wouldn't be my first choice. -
Review from Faye J.
Seattle, WA
10/19/2006
Two friends and I ate sushi here on my birthday. I know I will back, and my rating may go higher. The sushi was okay but service was on the slow side for a weekday lunch.
I have to confess: I may be in mourning for Thai Dusit, the previous incarnation of this space. No, not the recent T.D. which had gone downhill, but at its heyday it was a terrific neighborhood restaurant with delicious food and always dependable as a place to take friends and family.
The Shun decor is more subdued than T.D.'s and the wonderful outdoor shrine (!) is gone. But I will go back for dinner someday soon and let y'all know how it was. BTW, before Thai Dusit this was a vegetarian restaurant, a burger joint, and originally a KFC! -
Review from Joy H.
6/20/2010
So we went here on the recommendation of my Japanese friend who has been to the previously location and described the food as "authentic". We were totally excited since we were craving sushi and to have an actual Japanese person say that the food was good and authentic made us salivate even more!
So we got there and the place looks clean although slightly on the smaller side. There's street parking and an underground garage which is always a plus. We got the $30 Omakase combination meal and the salmon and scallop roll to try. The omakase platter was good with plenty of fresh sashimi, but it wasn't very much at all for $30! The salmon and scallop roll came with TWO pieces! That's it! It would've been nice if they had mentioned how many pieces the rolls contained. My hubby and I were still hungry after this $50 meal, but thought we had spent enough already and decided not to add anything else onto the bill.
Overall the food was yummy but just way too expensive for our tastes. It wasn't that much more "authentic" compared to other places . . . we'll get our fill elsewhere and with more money in our pocket. -
Review from Izzy H.
Seattle, WA
11/9/2008 7 photos
Boop.
._." I wasn't really blown away at all.
The interior is snazzy enough, modern enough and the sushi is definitely a better quality than Blue C and its all quite beautifully presented. But I made the mistake of ordering hot entrees. I imagine you'd be better off with the sushi.
I just ordered a simple salmon sashimi and it was delightful. It was buttery and really cute (see picture! (heart) I love visual references tee hee) but the hot entrees were bleh. Miso soup was also interesting :D it had a significantly different flavor from ones I've tried everywhere else (I'm not sure what it was I was tasting - dashi?)
Service was prompt in the beginning - they dropped off a glass of water and a cup of tea just as you sat down but they kind of disappeared after that. :( I understand it gets busy - but really, they had two waitresses and the restaurant wasn't all that big.
Oh well - if I'm ever in the area I would still choose Shun over Blue-C. -
Review from Kenny P.
Seattle, WA
10/19/2011
When I get a craving for some REAL REAL sushi, its here. Service here is always really good and my cousin speaks japanese so they make it fun and order and talk back in forth in japanese lol.
BARACHIRASHI all day baby, cheap, filling, delicious!
The locale and price is a little eh makes me sad I can't come as much as I would l like to but when I do, its been great so far! -
Review from Kim C.
3/7/2007
Finally, I have a place where I can vent my frustrations for this restaurant.
I used to live in Blakeley Commons, the bright newer condos that are within viewing distance of Shun. I used to go to that restaurant when it was a thai place, and as a Japanophile, eagerly awaited the opening of Shun as soon as I saw the first sign for it.
My three visits there were so much of a trainwreck that I will never, ever go back.
Visit 1:
I had previously visited Shun, I believe on day 2 of their opening, to get a take out menu. I then called in the order: a black cod dish, and a vegetable tempura (I specifically said "the 5 dollar tempura"). The menu listed the tempura at around 5 dollars, and the black cod around 9.
I show up, and my bill comes to $20 something. When I asked for the bill, I see that the tempura was charged around 10 instead. As it turns out, their menu listed it as ~10, yet my menu listed it as ~5. I politely argued that this was not the price the menu said, to which I got a very, very halfassed and insincere apology that they are new and the menu was probably printed wrong, etc.
Fair enough, right? I waited for them to offer SOMETHING to make up for it, and got blank stares. I don't know, maybe charging me a little less for their mistake? No cigar. I walked away and said I didn't want any of the food, and swore to never go back.
In a moment of weakness (and/or I was sick of everything at U Village) I decided to break my own pact and go back. This time I ordered a california roll order, and I forget what else. Without a doubt that was the nastiest california roll I've EVER had, and the most unusual; so unusual that I was convinced the waitress couldn't understand me and I had been given the wrong thing. Maybe there's an area in Japan I haven't been to that has stuff like this, but at every restaurant I was at in the Tokyo region, it was not. Imagine mayo and crab mixed together, but then turn it orange and give it a very odd rotten flavor. I literally threw it away after eating one piece... it was that gross.
Moment of weakness #2 was the final straw. I went in and personally asked the waitress if the california roll were standard, to see if I had ordered the wrong thing before. She assured me that these were typical, with big pieces of crab (aka surimi-style), not orange, etc.
I get home, open the bag, and what do I find? The same thing I ordered before.
Never again (for real this time) will I go back. Nothing I've had, food wise, has been exceptional, and the service makes me very irritated. They had no desire to keep my business, even though I am a very polite, never-causes-trouble-and-tips-super-well individual. :/ -
Review from John J.
1/27/2008
Shun is nothing fancy, but it has a pretty good selection of rolls in the $4-7 range (California rolls are $5.50, I believe). The rolls I ordered were all pretty good and the fish tasted especially fresh compared to some other Seattle sushi places I've been.
I also tried the albacore sashimi and it melted in my mouth with no taste of roughness. My friend's chicken teriyaki was pretty plain, though, so I would avoid that.
Shun was also the only sushi place we knew of that could fit a group of 7 in on Saturday at 8pm, so bonus points for that. -
Review from Sophia L.
Seattle, WA
8/31/2011
3 1/2 stars. I'm kind of shocked at how much I enjoyed this place. A lot of the reviews are all over the place but I always can appreciate a place that has super fresh sashimi. Usually in a roll you can get away with not as fresh fish but with sashimi there are no secrets. I was with some friends and we got the nigiri/sashimi combo, a salmon skin roll, a spider roll, some eel nigiri, and some edamame.
The only reason this place didn't get four stars is because of how expensive it was. For the three of us the bill came out to be $67, minus tip. It just didn't strike me as a ton of food for the price paid; but I suppose for fresher than normal fish it's to be expected. -
Review from Tanya H.
Seattle, WA
8/28/2007
Oh Spider Rolls. How much I've missed you.
The last time we saw each other was when you were on your way down my throat.
I shall see you again. Soon soon my love. Well, maybe not you, I guess your brothers and sisters aye? But though shalt not be jealous, for you will be reunited with your siblings once again. -
Review from Cameron W.
Seattle, WA
4/29/2009
I remember a time when Pho places and Sushi places were few and far between in this city. Now, everytime you turn around you bump into a pho place or there is a new sushi bar opening up.
Like many other places, Shun is a great sushi place with fresh fish and good service. I just don't find much about that stands apart from any other Japanese restaurant. I do feel like their prices are reasonable compared to having sushi in downtown Seattle or some other hip spot.
They are located just a bit north of U Village and right off of the Burke so if you're peddling by and need a quick shot of pure protein, stop by Shun! -
Review from Angie B.
1/25/2009
I give this between 3-4 stars. Went here last night w/ some friends & it was lovely. The food was fresh & satisfying, the wait (for a table) was short & overall the service was good.
It is a family-friendly place (not needed last night as I was kiddo-free) and was busy but not crazy loud.
I enjoyed the nigiri & roll I had, but it wasn't spectacular. The service wasn't slow, but wasn't super friendly. The price for 3 of us, each w/ plenty to eat & a "box" of sake was around $85 I think. Not too bad for a decent sushi dinner & drinks. -
Review from Jason T.
Seattle, WA
2/5/2010
Just fine. Some hits, some misses. The zousui (rice porridge) that someone else didn't look promising, but my little homestyle dishes were all exactly what I expected (kimpira gobo, some tofu salad, a few other things) and Hiromi was reasonably happy with most of the fish. It's not going to win a lot of awards, but prices are fair and it's a nice mellow spot. Portions are mostly conventional (by Japanese standards), but not oversized... Don't expect mega-fat nigiri with a ton of rice or whatever. Service was competent and reasonably gracious.
The shochu isn't a very good deal, as it's roughly $5 for what amounts to a hard liquor 1.5 ounce pour; spring for the double, or go to the less elegantly decorated Maekawa for a more generous pour for a similar price.
Some internet sources still have the old address for this place, but Yelp has finally corrected it to the new 25th Ave location. It's close enough that you can walk if you end up at the wrong place, though. -
Review from Kate W.
Seattle, WA
9/22/2007
Shun is one of my favorite sushi places in Seattle. (Actually, it's my #1 favorite, but I haven't been to Mashiko or Maneki or Nishino yet, and I suspect one of those might edge it out.)
The rolls and nigiri are really nice-sized and have always tasted super-fresh. I discovered that I love mackerel here! The miso soup, tempura, and baked eggplant appetizer are delicious.
I've never had problems with the service. It can get crowded on a weekend night (and some weekdays too), so you might want to get there on the early side.
My only complaint - the last few times I've been in there it's been COLD! Brr. Bring a jacket.
