Rumble Fish Sushi Cafe

I don’t normally write bad reviews — the staff was not the greatest and my water took forever to be re-​filled — and no they were not busy. I thought this place was closing down soon or something for some reason. They have ridiculous hours and sometimes it doesn’t correlate with Unilocal when Unilocal says open and this place has a paper that says sorry we are closed on their door.
The food was pricy, which was expected, but the food was so — so. Service was ok – and I will not come here again.

I haven’t been here in awhile but my Unilocal homepage keeps asking me to review this place. I just want it to go away so here it goes…
From what I remember, it was alright. And too pricey for just being okay. I had a coupon so it wasn’t that bad. But I’ve DEFINITELY had better. But then again, there aren’t many choices in the Shoreline area. Go south more to seattle or even north to lynnwood for better sushi.

Grade: D+. Difficult to stomach. What restaurants are closed on a Friday? One that isn’t good. Now I hear that they’re temporarily closed — with good reason.
We tried this place out once and thought the sushi/​sashimi were pretty bad, but we decided to give it a second try wondering if the first time was an «off night.» No, it was really that bad. We had the «Tuna Crunch,» «Oasis,» «King Kong,» «Volcano,» «Hurricane» and several others. A lot of them tasted quite the same and too sugary or had too much mayo. The sashimi and fish in the rolls had an aftertaste which is never a good sign for raw fish. By the end, we were forcing ourselves to eat the remaining pieces so we wouldn’t waste so much food.
We actually thought the service was quite good and friendly. The restaurant ambiance is decent too. Seems like it is family run. Just not the food — we will not be going back.

We went to Rumble Fish since we had a coupon. It wasn’t a place I’ve heard, but we wanted some Japanese food.
Access was a little tough since Highway 99 north bound had the barrier, so I had to swing a U-​turn to get there.
Walk into a decently decorated place with a funny layout. As you enter, there’s a bar to your right which isn’t used, so it must be for people waiting for seats.
We get seated quickly by the only waiter in the place. A little strange to have only one waiter in a restaurant with 25 tables. Not a good sign for a new restaurant.
After being seated and waiting for around 15 minutes we finally place our orders. Nabeyaki udon, katsu don and tonkatsu.
I like ordering tonkatsu or tempura in Japanese restaurants that I have never been to. The reason is with tonkatsu you can find out if they are skimping on the quality of the pork and if they know how to fry food correctly. Tempura is the same since you can find out the cook’s ability to make a good batter and fry it right.
The pork was pounded a little thin, probably because they are not spending a little more and buying a better grade of meat. It was tough and a small portion (about 6 ounces uncooked).
The coating was salty. And for me, if its salty, then its really salty for most everyone else. It was fried well but they must not have dried the meat before dredging it in the flour since the coating kind of crumbled off.
Comments on the katsudon was that it looked a little different as they added more vegetables and the dashi (soup base) was a little different tasting. Same issue with the pork as above.
The nabeyaki udon had a single piece of beef, not a slice of beef, but like a small piece that escaped from another dish. It also had one mussel, why not put two or none at all.
We also had the green tea mochi ice cream. Normally this is a good choice, but for some reason they decided to drizzle fudge chocolate sauce and condensed milk onto the mochi ice cream. This was a real clash in flavors. The person that created that cold mess, needs to rethink that idea.
Our waiter was nice but the time between visits was excruciatingly long. Time between ordering and serving was almost 30 minutes. One visit to ask if everything is fine and to fill the water.
I’m being kind with the two stars, mainly because they were nice. But my recommendation is to not go to this restaurant. If you want good Japanese head north to Taka in Lynnwood.

We went last week and the service was absolutely horrible. There were over 20 customers, one waitress and one chef so the service was extremely slow. There was an older couple who came in to the restaurant and shuffled around behind the counter for a bit then quickly left. I assume they could have been the owners. If they were, they should have rolled up their sleeves and helped their employees. Instead they left the workers to struggle to scrape up some sort of customer satisfaction. After 10 minutes, the waitress finally came to our table and her greeting was «OK» and she held out her paper to write down our order. This was the last time she came to our table except to bring the bill. seriously, one word was all we got. I had to get up to find myself some water and ask the chef for more wasabi.
There were three large groups that came in and were left to stand at the front without any regard from the hostess/​waitress/​busser. Most of them left in disgust. There was a sign in the front saying there was no alcohol that day. That would have been tolerable if the service wasn’t so painfully slow. The sushi Chef knew his stuff but we won’t be going back.
I’ve been here once before and it was staffed adequately. The service was not great then either. Someone’s cutting too many corners and I’m thinking this place might not be around much longer.

My friend raved over this place and we went a while back. I can’t wait till we go again, the Sushi is amazing here. It’s the best Sushi I’ve had in the area. They have great service and ambience is nice.
From the rolls we tried, I loved:
–Godzilla Roll
–Yummy Roll
–Baked Scallop Roll

If you want authentic sushi, this may not be the place for you. BUT if you want southern-​California/​Arcadia-​style fusion cheesy-​saucy-​fried-​fake sushi, THIS PLACE WILL BLOW YOUR MIND.
First off, you get complimentary miso soup when you order your food.
Unlike some similar southern California sushi fusions, they don’t have an all-​you-​can-​eat option for a flat fee; their sushi rolls range from $ 7-​$ 15 and many of them have cheese and incorporate tempura. They also have plenty of noodle options like Udon, yakisoba, and and more, plus rice dishes, more traditional sushi options, and other entrees.
In fact, it’s a pretty extensive menu that ranges from more authentic to extremely fusiony, with a small selection of sake and beer.
It’s in a weird place on highway 99 in Shoreline, and consequently, there’s almost always nobody there… so you will have great service. Not too much in the way of parking, but I’ve never had a problem with that.
They don’t open for lunch anymore (bummer) but hey have a good happy hour and are a great place to linger.

The décor at Rumble Fish is really nice. It’s kind of fancy, but the server was wearing jeans, so you don’t feel underdressed if you are, too. They have TVs over the sushi bar, so you can see music videos for the songs that are playing. That was pretty cool and entertaining.
The server was extremely friendly, and everything came out just the way we ordered it. I got the Lion King Roll and the Godzilla Roll. The eel/​eel sauce in the Godzilla Roll had good flavor, and the tempura shrimp was perfect. The salmon and crab in the Lion King Roll tasted clean and fresh, and I loved the vanilla mayo.
The eel sauce was a little more teriyaki-​based and not as sweet as I’d like; I’m still looking for a sushi place with the perfect eel sauce. The sushi is also really expensive, so there’s no way I’d be able to eat here without a coupon.

Sooo I’m glad I gave Rumble Fish another chance. Their specialty rolls are fantastic! Loaded with fresh ingredients and full off flavor. My bf ordered the King Kong Roll and it was just awesome and so was the Spicy Scallop Roll. I noticed that all of their spicy rolls have great flavor and a pretty good kick (spicy tuna, spicy scallop, etc…) The Seattle Roll was pretty lame, very bland and lacked ingredients.
We also ordered the calamari which was okay, it was a little hard to eat. The Sashimi here however is excellent. I had some yellowtail and it was super fresh and melted in your mouth.
Bottom line the specialty rolls, sashimi and service are excellent. The appetizers and traditional rolls not so much… Pretty average or lame. I will definitely be back to try other rolls and sashimi though!

I don’t know what was going on with this place but we came on a friday night and only 2 servers were available to serve this entire restaurant. The restaurant probably had about 20 small tables. I really felt bad for these servers. Not only did they had to host and seat from the front desk they also had to bus their tables, bring out the waters, order, and serve all the meals. I think my husband and I waited 1 hour for our food to be brought out… and we had to ask for water.
On the bright side we, along with everyone else at this restaurant, brought their groupons etc… to get a good deal on a sushi meal. I am not sure whether this was worth the wait we had but the rolls and the food we had was fairly decent. We ordered tempura, nabeyeki udon, and 2 different rolls. I would have to say that the food was pretty satisfying at least.
I haven’t decided if I will come back to this restaurant yet however I can tell you I will probably not come back on a friday night when i am starving after work. Either that or come prepared by snacking ahead of time before. :)

Good decoration and good service, but nothing more…
Food was definitely overpriced considering the quality and quantity.

fun asian clubbing music and great presentation of food– sashimi was subpar but kudos for the avocado bomb and beef teriyaki.
The pork katsu bowl that came with the eggs/​onions reminds me of homecooked comfort food
Also I like the corn/​barley tea they serve!

Most Americanized sushi restaurant ever!!! Their sushi menu were Americanized as well! Nearly all of their rolls were a version of the infamous California rolls and had cream cheese. Oh well, it was good sushi. But it is definitely not something I would be craving.
The décor were extremely trendy and resembled many Japanese décor such as sliding doors to private room. The restaurant played hip music such as a dance version of a pop song. It reminded me of a cool lounge you would go to before going out for the night… Which would be good if that were the purpose. But it felt out of place as we were here for an actual sushi experience.

This place is an awesome find! It’s opened really late, has a great and cheap selection of happy hour sushi rolls. The small sake is only $ 1 and large one is $ 2. Very reasonable pricing, great for late night craves. The only down fault was the poke salad. The poke was separated from a soupy/​cheviche like bottom, but the consistency was too watery. There were also a few fruit flies flying around our table that was quite annoying but the atmosphere is really nice.

Unsure of exactly how starving I was, I ordered two pieces of tuna and two pieces of salmon sushi, ready to order more once those came. I did not order more. In fact, I left and went to Burger King, which I would give a higher rating (and I don’t like Burger King).
My tuna was … mauve. Red turning grey in front of my eyes. It was super unappetizing and it didn’t taste awesome. It didn’t taste terrible either, to be fair. But they charge $ 7 for a plate with two small pieces of fish. So, per dollar, it was awful.
My salmon had blotched of brown color. It also had peculiar white fatty-​looking bumps growing on the top of it. I kid you not. Who would serve that?! Gross. Poor judgement and even worse fish supplier.
Disgusting.
The people I was with who ordered sushi seemed largely grossed out, but the people who ordered chicken terriyaki and other cooked dishes seemed OK. It was all very expensive for how badly it tasted.

Let me summarize this trip in one word: WAIT.
We waited to be seated (no one even came to greet us until I asked a staff member if I was supposed to wait or seat myself. Even when told to wait, I was ignored).
We waited for our order to be taken. I was starving and asked if she would take my appetizer order. The waitress said no, she would have to take another tables order first. Once she did that, she disappeared for another 10 minutes before taking our order and then didn’t understand I wanted my appetizer first before the sushi.
My water glass was cracked. Took forever to get it replaced.
Sushi was smalllllll for the price and quality. 4 pieces for a $ 12 roll? Disappointed.
Some unusual summer creations I will give them that. Otherwise, everything seemed subpar. Working downtown, I was surprised that I could get more food for cheaper and better quality in the heart of the city!
When it came time for the bill, it took forever to get my card back. So, we payed to wait and wait and wait…
The restaurant itself is quite nice but service is horrible and portions are disappointing. Won’t ever return.

This is dangerously close to my new house, especially with the good prices.
Came here for a light dinner and got more bang for our buck than we had expected.
I ordered the Rainbow Roll, the fiancé ordered his ever-​exciting California roll. I also ordered a seaweed salad. With our rolls we got 2 bowls of miso soup as well as a side salad with some kind of miso vinaigrette. He ordered a bowl or rice, too.
The fish tasted fresh or at least not like it had been frozen for a long while and then thawed. My seaweed salad was very good.
Service was prompt, if not kind of rush even though it wasn’t rush hour in the restaurant. These servers need to relax and breath a little.
I hope to come here often once we get all settled. Finding good sushi in Seattle has been a daunting task.
I’m not meeting the right people to get the secret knock on the secret sushi doors.

My overall dining experience was good. The service was polite and prompt and the sushi was fresh. I was able to step out of the common sushi goers level and into the next tier with the not so common uni! They also have a very enticing happy hour menu that is offered daily from 9pm until close. On a highway with what seems like thousands of restaurants, diners, and food options, Rumble fish definitely made some noise!
To see pictures and descriptions of what we ate, check out my blog:

I’ve since been here many, many times over the past year. The consistency of their food and service has been amazing even after change in ownership. That to me is a true test to an establishment’s greatness. The new owner is also very informative and educated about the imported beers that they serve from Korea.
Like I promised in my first review, I’ve brought all my foodie friends here and they are in love with it! They like it so much that they drive up from Tukwila and downtown Seattle just to eat the sushi here. We have all enjoyed every roll, drink, beer, sake, and hot dish that we have ever ordered. So fresh!
There are busy and quiet times. Somehow we usually manage to get there when we are the only ones in the restaurant and get our favorite booth, even at 5:30pm. Other times, it’s so busy that we’ve sat in the middle. Usually after 7pm is busier and I don’t know why. Either way, it was amazing and surprisingly quick.
To make things even better, in addition to their normal specials, they offer deals on Unilocal,Groupon and Living Social! I’m in love…

This place is Waba, but with a name change. Except not a complete name change because it still says «Waba» on the walls and on the chopstix. But everywhere else it’s called Rumble Fish. So it’s kind of like I’m writing a review update, but I’m not. Unilocal!
The new Rumble Fish is identical to the old Waba, so it’s not worth rehashing. I don’t do drugs anyway, let alone twice. You can always go back and read my hilarious and modest Waba review. There are jokes. But one thing that is interesting about this «new» place is that it is a market researcher’s dream.
They have social media information on every table, offering free stuff. They have birthday giveaways. They have surveys they hand out to every table after the meal is completed. They don’t let you put your name on the survey and they turn the survey upside down before taking it from you. They also don’t take it with your card.
I don’t know if you, dear reader, know anything about how survey research is supposed to be conducted, or the newest trends in marketing, but that’s pretty much spot on minus the random sampling and double blind aspect. Pretty cool.
Oh, and they had food. It’s still Waba, and I wrote that review already. Here you go, champ: