Kaname Izakaya

Food is great! I like the small family restaurant atmosphere of the place, and the selection they carry of Japanese Whisky. Happy hour is the best.

Don’t understand what happened to this place. Maybe new management. Not sure. Ordered lunch special at roughly 12:25 only to have them come back at 12:30 that it’s gonna be another 20 minutes. It’s like they don’t prep adequately. Honestly the only thing they needed to do for the order was deep fry a tonkatsu. This used to be the go to place.

I’m sorry Kaname, for taking so long to try your offerings. I’m sorry to myself for missing out on this great quality Japanese food for so long due to my neglect.
Kaname opened in 2007, taking over the space that was formerly occupied by a local legend, Takohachi, which was a homey, little spot with a large, loyal following. There was a lot of grieving at its demise, and I was a part of it. Kaname did everything right in designing the space and creating a great menu, but I made the mistake of giving too much credence to the early Unilocal reviewers (many 1, 2, and 3 stars).I wrote them off and put it out of my mind. My loss because they are serving some of the best Japanese in Seattle.
I bookmarked Kaname intending to hit their Happy Hour, The bartender reputedly provides life-​changing experience regularly, and the HH menu looks interesting.
We were in the ID at lunch time so we dropped in. The Makunouchi Obento was a revelation. What a great combination of sashimi, tempura, kushi katsu, salad, salmon, and some nimono that I get only at New Year. An absolutely satisfying, delicious, knock-​your-​socks-​off experience.
My wife ordered the lunch special Tempura Udon. It came with a bowl of miso shiru, California roll, then the Tempura and Udon. The tempura was as good or perhaps better than I’ve ever had. The udon noodles had great, chewy texture. A great value.
It was obvious that there is great skill and passion in the kitchen. Their dedication to using quality ingredients showed in the taste. Count us in as regulars.

Okay, my rating is affected by the fact that Murray is bar tending here three nights a week. He is a living legend and deserves much of the credit for making Seattle such a craft cocktail haven. He is just as personable and fun as ever. If you have not had his Last Word, you are missing out big time. Overall the place is fine in terms of the Izakaya, but the Murray experience is sublime!

5-​star rating just for MURRAY! The food at Kaname is good as well, and service is friendly and attentive. I really like their agedashi tofu and chicken kara age, and their happy hour specials (Tue-​Sun until 6:30pm) are awesome!
Ever since I came back from NYC, I’d been looking for a new go-​to bar making bespoke cocktails in the style of Amor y Amargo. I found that and much more at Kaname (thanks to Eliza!). Murray is a living legend as Mark W pointed out, but he’s so down to earth, genuinely friendly and witty, you would never have guessed that this was the Murray Stenson of Zig Zag Café fame, the person voted the best bartender in the nation by his fellow bartenders a couple years back. But once you have a sip of one of his creative concoctions, you’ll realize there’s something truly special about him and about this place. Murray has quite a following (as evidenced by the regulars hanging out at the bar Tuesday through Thursday), for very good reasons. I’m super anti-​social, but I always feel really at ease at the bar when Murray is tending the bar (of course, that could also be the alcohol talking) whether I’m alone or with friends. He draws a really friendly, chill crowd who appreciates great drinks and great company.
Be careful, his drinks are potent and he’s super attentive (read: quick to replenish your drink)!

Best Sushi in Washington state! Have been there many times & always love it. Todd is an amazing Sushi chef & with Murray Stenson (from Canon & Zig Zag) as their bartender this is the place to go whether you are out with the family or the boys.
Five stars in my book!

Customer service was suppar but food was delicious

I won’t bother with a detailed review of the food (deep into ultra-​yummy territory for me), or the booze (Murray is the Miles Davis of cocktails, you already know that)… I just wanted to say that this is a really swell bar to hang out at… A dynamic, diverse and swell clientele … In a super comfy setting that’s just perfect for long relaxed conversations, fun, and hijinx in general. It’s endearing. A+.

Cool izakaya décor and Americanized Japanese food seem to dominate this cozy restaurant in the middle of what used to be Japantown in the International District. We came for a few rolls (kappa maki, tekka maki, and spicy ahi), chicken karaage, and drinks during happy hour. The food was alright, but the drinks are awesome thanks to famed bartender, Murray Stenson! We just told him that we wanted something tangy and bitter and he whipped us up a delicious Campari-​based drink!
If you are in the area from Tuesday through Thursday nights and are looking to get some quality drinkage, definitely pay Murray a visit!

Great happy hour menu. The edamame and needle fish was delicious. I also has salmon skin roll that was crispy fried just the way I like it. I also got the beef bowl (gyudon) the meat was tough and hard to chew! Overall u won’t starve but won’t be full of goodies!

Food is ok, drinks are awesome.
Extra star because Murray Stenson the bartender is here at Kaname. He has worked at Canon and Zig Zag, two of my favorite bars and he didn’t fail to disappoint either.
I asked for a refreshing light drink that was more on the sweet side. Choose a liquor. and I chose either vodka or shochu. He chose shochu. He even let me sample my drink while he’s making it to make sure that I like the drink and I LOVED it. Slightly fruity, sweet but not too sweet and strong. I was a bit tipsy while hanging out with my group. Some of the people didn’t like their drinks in my group, but that was because they had chosen gin and the well gin used had an overpowering scent that didn’t’ make it pleasant to drink (must be because it is cheap gin hence being a well drink), but if you’re used to well drinks, you may be able to over come it. I’m not used to well drinks and the shochu used was good.
Paired with it was chicken kaarage pieces that had the right amount of saltiness and was still crispy, although I would have liked them even more crispy. Potato croquette was the typical mashed potatoes that had been fried with panko crumbs. Cucumber and salmon roll was the typical type you could find at a QFC, since the rice wasn’t seasoned too well.
If anything, get the gyoza. I loved the thin wrapping and it was moist. If you love the thin wrapping on the dumplings at Din Tai Fung, you will like the gyoza here. Standard seasoned gyoza meat and sauce, but the thin wrapping makes it a little bit more than just average and it wasn’t bland either.

Time for an update.
Visited Kaname for some happy hour eats. This was my first time trying their happy hour as I have only been here for lunch previously. The happy hour menu is available from 5:00 — 6:30 pm and is full of moderately priced izakaya items ranging in price from $ 3 – 6.
The newest addition to the happy hour is not what, but who. One of the best bartenders in Seattle, Murray Stenson now bartends here on Tuesdays through Thursdays so you can get a quality cocktail to go with your happy hour eats.
I tried an array of happy hour foods and I thought for the most part it was pretty good. The menu is a bit heavy on fried items like Japanese fried chicken and croquettes, so you might want to even things out by ordering sushi.
I did get a drink. Rather than order one by name, I gave Murray free reign on what to make. Kind of like I do when I go to get a haircut in giving just some parameters. Dark liquor and medium strength. Murray made me a variation on a Manhattan which I enjoyed. It was smooth tasting and not too strong. I guess the variation in the drink was that orange peel is used instead of a cherry.
If you are looking for a reasonably priced happy hour in the International District or near/​around downtown Seattle, I would recommend Kaname. Particularly on the days when Murray Stenson is tending bar here as you can have a good cocktail with your meal.

Great spot for after board meetings in the Seattle ID. Kaki fry is okay but the thing I appreciate are the portion sizes. Japanese food definitely has a tendency to skimp on amount of food but they do it right for lots of food. The bar has a large sake selection but no other liquors. Not a huge fan of asahi or Kirin so I wouldn’t recommend if you’re coming for a drink. The bentos are good and the appetizers. Everything else is more comfort food. This place gets the rating for a great local establishment feel. Pretty sure their employees all speak Japanese.

Cute spot. Had the sashimi combination, very good. Stick to that or the tempura. Forget the ramen, this is Izakaya=bar food, so just get that. Kid and Dad had Shio Ramen and it was so bland we should’ve sent it back.

Standard Izakaya. The house hot sake is really not bad at all. We went with the Happy Hour which was a few fried things and some sushi rolls. Nothing special that really stood out.

The service was terrible I had a party of four and although the restaurant wasn’t busy they took over 20 mins to bring two beers a mixed drink and didn’t even have red bull to mix with. The food was okay but nothing worth bragging about. I really had to talk myself into giving them a tip although it was undeserved.

I had the chicken ramen with the soy base. Added an egg to it. Pretty good. I added a little heat to it because I ordered it regular to not ruin the favors. Delish!

Pretty good food, great agedashi tofu. some of the best I have had personally. Good selection of shochu, and about the same price as any Izakaya here for it. The big downside for me was that ive been to Izakaya In Tokyo and Kawasaki in Japan, Vancouver and Victoria b.c. in Canada, and some places here in Seattle, and ive never seen an Izakaya that closes so early… like an hour before most people would think to go Izakaya :/
I think people sort of just treat it like a Japanese resturant rather then an Izakaya. So I guess with that perspective, Its a good Japanese resturant, but a not so good Izakaya for the hours.

3.5 stars
For happy hour I would rate this place a 3. The value is solid, but the food was so-​so. We ordered tempura, croquettes, tuna roll, california roll and a couple of salads. The croquette which was advertised as having beef and mushrooms was more like a fried mashed potato; there was no trace of meat that I could taste. The rice in the rolls was mushy. The best part of this meal was the tempura which had a great batter.
I revisited Kaname yesterday hoping to try their ramen and gyoza combo only to find out that they would not be serving ramen that day. Instead I ordered the tendon. For $ 11 the portion was huge and I feel like I could’ve easily split this with someone else and have left feeling comfortable full. The one downside of the bowl was that the rice was mushy. I will come back to try the ramen as the reviews seem to be very positive for this dish!

I went here with a former co-​worker. He did the ordering and ordered several appetizers for us. As mentioned by another reviewer, I think this is more of a «pub» style of food. I found the food to be just OK.
The service was fine. I just wouldn’t make an effort to return.

Kaname shines at it’s cheap, tasty, and filling happy hour menu. So with this condition I can recommend people to try out this place especially for students. Be sure to try out the tempura which is crisp and surprisingly good for a place
Unfortunately, not all the food tastes good here and there are menu items I’d never order again to be honest. There isn’t much for regular menu items and I wouldn’t choose to come here unless it’s happy hour.

Kaname is restaurant #3 on our International District food tour. (We are going to hit every restaurant in the ID and you can’t stop us!) This spot is really pretty inside as well as clean! The space is not too big & not too small with a ton of varnished wood paneling. (One of my favorite things.) Our service was great too. Nice friendly staff is always appreciated.
We ordered the fried octopus dumplings, Miso Pork Ramen w/​Gyoza and Tempura Udon. All were satisfactory. I enjoyed the flavors in the dumplings and a big PLUS to the chef who put the tempura on the side instead of directly in the broth. Thank you! Crunchy tempura is much better than soggy tempura. The broth in the ramen was really bland– so we won’t get that again.
I think we will give it another shot eventually because well it’s pretty inside. Next time we visit– we will sit at the bar for its neighborhood quality and whiskey! Will probably give the small dishes a shot too!

I had to know. The reviews seem all over the place; and since one woman’s loss is another woman’s gain, then I was hopeful that I would be on the upside of this teeter-​totter.
To me, good service comes in many forms, attentive, no-​frills, kind, helpful, basic-​but-​gets-​the-​job-​done, smiley, etc. No one needs to make the water in my glass part like the Red Sea or any service miracle like that.
Not-​as-​good service is disinterested, and… absent when the restaurant isn’t busy. You can probably guess which way the service goes here :/​
It’s a neat-​looking spot. If the food was good, I’d come back.
Yes; the food. I should address it. We had the spicy tuna roll and salmon skin roll. Tiny. The spicy tuna roll was okay, but the salmon skill roll – you couldn’t even tell that there was salmon skin in it. Not tasty. Did I mention how tiny they were?
The agedashi tofu went to the wrong side of chewy. It was like tofu gum :(Instead of a nice broth, it had a thicker, salty squirt of something in there, which makes the fried bits they put on top the best thing about it.
We also had the takoyaki, and I’ve got to say they were pretty good. I liked the doneness of the octopus balls themselves, and they were drizzled with the… wait a minute, I think it’s the same stuff they use in the agedashi tofu instead of using a broth!
The saba shioyaki (mackerel) was very good. The salad that came with it was fresh and light, and there were 3 pieces.
So that’s it. That was my experience there. I’ll likely not come back, and I’m not sure if I can recommend it with the availability of old and new izakaya places.

They have such delicious and fresh sushi! I came here during their simple happy hour, and I loved how it is small, cozy, and wasn’t that many people there until later on in my meal. I was craving this korean udon, and was hoping they would make it. Unfortunately, they don’t. But nonetheless, it was delicious. I had their nabeyaki udon. So huge! I seriously thought it was for 2 people. I think I paid about $ 12 for it. A bit pricey, but so worth it as it came with fried tempura veggies, shrimp, and chives. I had no complaints at all! I was so full, I could barely finish it!
I also ordered their spicy tuna sushi. I think this was about $ 2.50. I loved how fresh it was. It tasted like good quality sushi, not something rushed, or cheap at all. I definitely liked how refreshing it was.
Overall, they have wonderful service. I love their food because it’s fresh and authentic. Very sweet people here! They have tons of Japanese liquors to choose from as well. Enjoy their food and drinks!

I had the Tonkatsu meal. It comes with rice, miso soup, tossed salad with yummy dressing and potato salad. HUGE! I ate it ALL. OMG.
The Tonkatsu was cooked perfectly. Juicy. Perfect panko consistency!!! Tonkatsu sauce was good. HUGE meal for under $ 10 — YES!!!
Now back to work and attempt to stay awake. Yeah…
Eat here for lunch please.