Musashi’s

Got the nigiri plate and it was a good amount of fish! The fish was not bad, but I wouldn’t say the quality was really great. You definitely get a good portion for the price. The free miso soup was great and I like that they put pieces of fried tofu in it instead of the regular tofu.
What I didn’t like was the service. It felt like they were hurrying us by picking up plates right after we finished the last piece even though we wanted to pick on the ginger for our appetizer or something and also bringing the check way before we were ready for it. Even though they were doing this, we had to find someone to get a box and refill water. I think this would be a good to-​go place.
Not a good place for parties more than 4, since the restaurant is small and so popular — another reason to get it to-​go.

I’ve eaten here before and its been three times and i always get chirashi bowl. I tell you this, best sashimi whatsoever and the portion we’re humongous size and i especially loved it. Its so addicting and I am definitely going back there again.
You guys are awesome!
;)

Not my favorite sashimi place. Only tried the most popular Chirashi bowl. Feel like all these comments are kinda exaggerated. The fish were not as fresh as I expected. The portion is worth the price tho. Probably would not come back.

I pass by this place often and I never got why it warrants a long line wrapped around the corner. Now I do. Because it’s tasty sushi without frills and for a very decent bill. The fish tasted fresh and the food was served so fast that I was more than happy to fill my tummy with delicious morsels of food. In my book it gets 5 starts because it’s as far away from pretentious as it gets and the food is still delicious.

you ever watch that animé food wars/​shokugeki no souma and think that it’s ridiculous that food can be so good it rips a person’s clothes off???
well thankfully my clothes stayed on cause man that date wasn’t going anywhere but THE SUSHI
FAT SLABS OF FISH MELTING IN YOUR MOUTH
honestly what more do you need to know

I love musashis. They have the best quality and value in the U-​district area. Tip: go right as they open during lunch for extra freshness. My go-​to meal is a Chirashi bowl and three pieces of salmon. You can never go wrong with Musashis!

THE best sushi place in seattle.
Very fresh and reasonably priced food!
Great service every time!

Good for: Experienced sushi eaters who want no frills sushi of good quality and in large quantities.
Bad for: Leisurely eating, inexperienced sushi eaters, anyone without cash
This point is important, so I’ll repeat: Musashi’s is *cash only*. Don’t go without cash.
Ate recently at Musashi’s. Overall the quality of the sushi was good to very good for reasonable price. Left with a belly full of fish. However, the service was sub-​par on several fronts:
— no explanation of the specials
— ordered extra sushi that was not needed due to the chirashi bowls already having that sushi
— dishes were taken away as soon as possible, leading to a feeling of being rushed
— was asked how the meal was but the server didn’t pause even for a second to hear the answer
— ended up with a 3^rd chirashi bowl due to miscommunication. when we pointed this out, we were given a take out box to take the chirashi bowl home
So… at no point was the service ever overtly impolite or unfriendly. However, I ended up with a lot of extra fish that I didn’t need.
Bottom line: Good fish, great quantity, efficient but unhelpful customer service.

There’s a reason people wait upwards of 45 minutes to sit in a cramped, fishy-​smelling glass box; the sushi here is fresh, huge and a great price. When I first started coming here 2 years ago I would order nigiri, but as a seasoned Musashi’s vet I opt for the chirashi with eel and salmon. Super simple, super fast, sushi for breakfast the next day all for $ 15. I have no idea what the tea is but I refuse to leave until the pot’s finished.
Summer’s coming, and if the wait gets too bad just order a box to go and walk it up to Greenlake or the parklet in front of Molly Moon’s. Come prepared with cash!

Musashi’s is my casual sushi place. I make sure to come here every single time I come back to Seattle. It isn’t as high-​end or super-​fresh as Momiji or Shiro’s, but it is a totally budget-​friendly bang for your buck.
We got there around 11:15 am and were let in a couple minutes early. Thankfully, it was spring break, and there weren’t as many people in the ‘hood as there normally is. There was a hot carafe of complementary tea on each of the tables. To start, they offered us a free bowl of miso soup with wakame and puffed tofu skin. Having a serious, almost dire sushi craving, we knew we needed to satisfy that with some chirashi bowls… STAT!
Their chirashi bowls more than quenched that thirst. For about $ 14 for the chirashi bowl, you can get a wide array of rather fresh sushi-​grade fish consisting of thickly sliced salmon, tuna, yellowtail, raw scallops, seared mackeral, grilled eel, butterflied shrimp, and tobiko (flying fish roe). Living in Chicago for the past few years, I was so beyond pumped to find a chirashi bowl that wasn’t $ 20 and upwards and not of dubious quality. Landlocked sushi + sashimi = questionable. We gobbled those bowls down greedily. And then shared a small plate of surf clam and raw sweet shrimp nigiri.
Bottom Line: Lower your expectations. You should come here for a casual, no-​muss, no-​fuss sushi fix. Come here for the relatively inexpensive chirashi bowls, the not-​too-​pricey nigiri and maki rolls, and for the overall nice quality of raw fish for a decent price point. It may not be the fanciest or highest quality fish, but it sure does the trick when you want something belly-​filling and minimalist. I give it an A+ in terms of casual dining.

I come here because my friends love it. I don’t eat seafood so while my friends order the much praised Chirashi Bowl, I always get the Sukiyaki Bowl. Although some might think I’m missing out, the Sukiyaki Bowl is actually bomb. It’s a very simple shredded beef over rice dish with sukiyaki sauce (sweet, savory taste) that my friends always take some of mine whenever we go. The restaurant is pretty small so not great for normal to larger parties, would recommend getting take out, which is what we do, and eating it in Green Lake, picnic style, or just simply bringing it home to eat! It’s easy to carry, as long as you eat it within 2 hours it’s still pretty fresh, despite how hot it’s been recently.
Also they only take cash/​check! So be prepared for that!

There’s something fishy about Musashi’s and I just can’t put my finger on it…
Though there is a TON of sentimental value to this place, it’s not my fave place to get nigiri/​sashimi.
Everyone comes here for the Chirashi bowl; ya get a bunch of different fishies from the sea for the low low. However, the quality isn’t all there. It’s barely enough to satisfy my raw fish cravings.
The grade isn’t as good as when I first experienced it before. Maybe it’s because I’ve been tainted by better quality food and now I’m a Japanese food snob, lol. The sushi rice I’m not a huge fan of; there is too much rice vinegar for my liking and the texture is a bit mushy.
For an affordable sushi spot, this is the place to go. Get there 20 minutes before opening to hold your spot in line, order your Chirashi bowl and see what the fuss is all about.

CASH AND CHECKS ONLY!
Waits can be long due to limited hours and seating.
We order the chirashi bowl! You won’t see this item on their main menu but it is on the written board inside. It includes salmon, yellowtail, albacore, eel, shrimp and a bit of seaweed all over a bed of rice. I recommend the dish, but also recommend their other rolls because its amazingly cheap for the quality and quantity!

This place is great! I always plan on coming at 4:45pm. They’ll have their doors open and you’re welcome to take a seat, browse the menu, order, and the servers will put it in at 5pm when they actually open. Whenever I’ve ditched this strategy, I’m faced with an hour or so wait, so I’m convinced this is the way to do it! Oops, I’ve spilled my secret (;
Really fresh fish, huge portion with the chirashi bowl (I can never finish, even if I don’t eat any rice!). If you want to try something new, their onigiri is authentic and really good. It’s cooked salmon in a rice ball, served with seaweed and pickled radishes. I can never get enough of the harusame noodle salad (I order two for myself, maybe that’s why I can’t finish my chirashi bowl…) and their hot tea and miso soups are delicious also.
Do not come with a large party. It won’t work, sorry! This place seats 20 – 30 people max.

Despite how tiny the restaurant is, the food really is delicious and it always hits the spot. I recommend getting there a little bit before they open at 5 PM and you’ll likely be able to be seated right away. Arrive with your entire party! I wouldn’t recommend having more than 4 people though. Even when it’s 40 degrees outside, the entire sidewalk will be covered with people. If you’re seated by the door and windows, there will inevitably be people angrily staring you down like you’re in a zoo because they want you to hurry up and finish. Not a good place to socialize and take your time eating. You feel like you need to scarf everything down. I don’t think I’ve eaten for longer than 30 min here.
The chirashi bowl that everyone talks about really is that good. For $ 14, really can’t go wrong. It’s not on the menu but you can ask them to tell you what kind of fish is in it (or look at photos) and you can sub. different types of fish — for ex. I swap out yellow tail for smoked salmon. Their spicy mayo (ask for this) is so good I always want to take the entire bottle with me heh and the tea is also really satisfying!
Cash and check only — another inconvenience about this restaurant. Be prepared! If you get just the chirashi bowl, you’ll want at least a $ 20 bill.

This place is a SOLID 4 but I gave it a 5 despite there being better quality sushi places because it’s so consistent and dependable. This is the place you go to when you want sushi but you don’t want $ 100 quality Shiro’s sushi but you also don’t want conveyor belt sushi. Every Seattle local knows this is the place for your casual sushi fix!
I normally get their chirashi bowl. $ 14 for it? Deals! You just can’t go wrong with it. I sometimes get just nigiri accordingly to what fish I’m in the mood for.
I was also ECSTATIC to find out that you can customize their chirashi bowls! Oh how I wish I’ve known this sooner! Ever since I’ve justbeen getting unagi and salmon and seared salmon. Sometimes hamachi too.
Their fish is fresh enough. it’s obviously not Shiro’s but it’s good enough to satisfy you.
I’ve gotten take out before too and it’s great. their space is very tight and small with only a few tables for seating so take out is pretty common. Musashi’s is dependable and I will always be a loyal customer so long as their fish is decent and does not start tasting like iron or metal!

CASH ONLY!!!
After I finished my meal, I ended up sprinting to the closest Wells Fargo to withdraw money and ran back to pay the bill.
Cash-​only problems aside…
Musashi’s gets really crowded early on. If you’re very set on eating at Musashi’s with people, designate a person to get there about half an hour early to put their name on the list. The later it gets, the longer the wait (aim to be there around 5:30 p.m.).
Chirashi is very fresh, and the portion is good. I was definitely not hungry at all. Service was quick, to the point I was slightly skeptical — barely a minute had passed before I got my chirashi bowl.
Quite yummy — I definitely recommend Musashi’s.

This was highly recommended by a coworker so we decided to try it out. He said it’s one of those sushi joints that is so good and popular that there is usually a line out the door.
Well, I say lower your expectations and you will be satisfied. Fortunately we arrived at opening and were the fourth couple to be seated. Thank goodness because this place was (1) not worth a line and (2) had the slowest service for a sushi joint I have ever experienced. The first couple didn’t get their sushi until about 20 minutes after we were seated… I don’t know what the sushi chefs for were doing but they clearly didn’t start until well after opening.
Ok. So the sushi isn’t cheap. $ 2 per piece. So we got the $ 10 package that included 8 small roll pieces and 6 sashimi.
The only, and I mean only thing good about this place was the sashimi pieces of fish were huge… biggest I have ever had and a nice small amount of rice. But I don’t think that makes it worth visiting.
So after our $ 25 lunch we realized it was CASH ONLY… OUCH…barely scraped by. Never coming back to this location again.
Oh, and the restaurant is small and they cram you in like sardines so get ready for that. I even saw one guy get forced into a corner table that made the neighboring couple get up and move just to let him in. Then he asked the waitress to move and she gave him major attitude. Geez.

I freaking love this tiny place. I swear cash only joints are the best! Every time I’ve dined here, I or someone I’m with gets a chirashi bowl and you should! It’s delicious every single time! The fish is fresh and basically melts /​falls apart in your mouth good and the sushi rice is just delicious with the best consistency!
Aside from having delicious and fresh fish, their service is top notch. It’s a small place, maybe seats 30 people? And so when it does get busy and the wait starts to form, they’ll plan ahead and start to take your order when you’re ready before the next table opens up so your wait time feels shorter once you are seated. They also don’t mind making up rolls to your hearts content and are very accommodating for special food requests. Just recently I was craving spicy tuna, unagi, and avocados and asked if they can make that a roll, they did! And it was so satisfying!
Overall, just a great and wonderful place for real sushi! Nothing too fancy, just really good tasting fish and great service!

YES FINALLY. If you’re ever in Seattle and craving sushi, YOU MUST GO TO MUSASHIS.
Granted that it is a very very tiny establishment, I would avoid going during its peak hours as you may be waiting awhile for a table to clear up.
My recommendation would be to get a chirashi bowl. It’s not on their menu but I believe it’s written on the board as a special. For only $ 14.50, you get a huge bowl of super fresh & fatty cuts of fish. You can order it as it comes or you also have the option to customize your own bowl for no extra charge. You also get hot tea and a bowl of miso soup as well.
I customized mine and ordered seared salmon, salmon, hamachi & unagi. IT WAS JUST AS GOOD AS I HAD IMAGINED IT TO BE. The fish was super fresh and the cuts were thick and fatty. I also appreciated how the sushi rice underneath wasn’t hard or too soft either. The chirashi bowl is extremely filling; definitely worth every penny.
My only complaint was that the waitress didn’t seem like she knew what she was doing which was a bit frustrating. Our table was for 7 people but 2 were seated up at the bar instead. The waitress brought out all 7 bowls and placed them on our table so we had to look and figure out which bowl belonged to who. Eh… but aside from that, I cannot wait to go back and visit seattle; mainly to eat at Musashis again!