Matsu Sushi

I have been to Matsu Sushi several times and have always had a great experience. I don't know how they could get any bad reviews! All the waitresses here have been very sweet and accommodating to my boyfriend and I and the food we have is always amazing. I have never seen them be rude to anyone! I think the other reviewers about the food must not know much about sushi. Yes, their sushi is simple, but it is the freshest and most authentic that I have ever had. My math teacher is from Japan and he says that it is the best sushi he has had outside of his homeland! Japanese cuisine is about simplicity and freshness, which perfectly describes Matsu. Also, since this is such a prestigious restaurant where the chef is proud of his food, I think they expect a level of behavior from their customers. more

I first have to so say that I'm a little surprised by all the 4 & 5 star ratings. By the way, this is the very first Citysearch review I've ever written. Never before have I felt so compelled to write a review. The food is decent, but not exceptional. Especially for the price. The Tempura was good. The spicy scallop roll was good, but the sushi wasn't. Also, it shouldn't be considered a ""Sushi Bar"", since there isn't a bar to sit at. I really like to watch as the chef makes up my sushi. Also chicken teriyaki should be grilled first. Ours tasted like it was baked & then teriyaki sauce was poured on it at the end. \r \r But, I do have to say....the reason for the 1 star is for the horrible service that we received. They were just down right rude. We arrived just at 11:30 when they opened. Our waitress opened the door a crack & said ""how many?"". No hello, or smile or anything. Then, after we told her 3 adults & 3 children, she promptly shut the door in our faces. It was very awkward. A few minutes later, she comes back, opens the door & says ""ok"" & lets the door shut again. We hesitantly went in and she pointed to the very first booth, next to the door, which was chilly. Weird. When she came back to take our order, I asked a question about the Udon (wondering if it was a good choice for the kids). She VERY rudely says ""Its noodles & broth, good for kids"". I was speechless for a moment, but the kids were very hungry & I went ahead and ordered. We were one of two tables in the whole place, so we didn't have to wait long for our food. But, just after we paid & were getting ready to leave, my friends son (who is a toddler) started banging together the little plastic tray (that holds the soysauce, ect) & a little piece of wood that was sitting on it. I hadn't even really noticed that he was doing it, until a young girl started yelling from the kitchen....she yelled ""HEY, HEY....have him put those down, they are NOT toys!!"". I was stunned. I've never been yelled at by someone working in a restaurant, not to mention, I've never been yelled at by a young kid, so I was completely offended. I would have probably yelled back some choice words, if there weren't for the 3 young children with us. We will NEVER go back! \r more

The jist of the story is I would not recommend this place to anyone. There is a sushi restaurant across the street next to Sport Authority that you should go to instead. My friend and I decided to find a new local sushi restaurant and saw that this place had 4 stars so we decided to try it. I am a 30 year old female and my friend is a 40 year old male. The place is very small and not cute, but we sat at a booth and were optimistic about the food. Once seated, it took some time to get our drinks so we sat and talked. As we chatted, my friend had his chop sticks in his hand. He wasn't making any noises or being obnoxious (he's 40 after all and knows his restaurant etiquette) and to be honest, I didn't even notice UNTIL our server came to us and told him to put his chop sticks down and that the chef does not allow that type of behavior! Can you believe that?! So of course, we were ready to leave at this point and completely offended that they had the nerve to approach him in such a manner. But we stayed as we were curious about the food. We ordered lots of different sushi and sashimi - nothing spectacular here. Some of the sashimi was too thickly sliced so it didn't go down very smoothly. All and all, I give the service a 0 and the food a 2...out of 5. Cons: The service is extremely rude more

My husband and I went here last night after a trip to Joe's - and I will start by saying that the location is very deceiving! From the moment we walked in the staff was courteous and conversational - very polite and everything was clean and quiet. We ordered several of the rolls and by the end of our second round, we decided that the fresh spicy salmon roll and the tempura prawn roll were our favorites, but we tried six different ones (spicy scallop, spicy tuna, spider and fresh eel). I also had ikura that was fresh and delicious! The house sake was fantastic and we had a Saporo between us. Honestly, it was a great ""date"" night and this place was a perfect spot for just that....\r \r That being said, I wanted to take a moment to address the people who brought their children here and chose to give this place an OVERALL score of one star. As I indicated, this is a great DATE night place, it's NOT a family style restaurant with a large capacity. It's small and intimate, and believe me, it wouldn't take much to make noise in this place. My suggestion if you have children is to either 1. get a babysitter and enjoy some quality time with your significant other, or 2. opt for take out. Because honestly, I understood their desire for a quiet atmosphere and truth be told (and I know tons of you will tell me your child does!) what two year old enjoys sushi? Pros: Wonderful sushi and excellent client service! Cons: Nothing! more

Before I say anything about this restaurant, let me state that when we go out to restaurants, we expect our toddler to behave - and she does. We can't stand rude, noisy, ill-behaved children. It is not appropriate behaviour anywhere, but especially somewhere that you just want to have a nice, quiet meal. However, nor is it appropriate to discriminate against any group of people based on the behaviour of the few. Especially not in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave! \r Whenever we go to Matsu, we are automatically shown to the booth right next to the door, where it is freezing cold. Last night, shortly after we arrived and sat shivering in the worst seats in the restaurant, the booth next to the sushi bar became vacant. When we asked to move, our waitress retorted ""NO! It's against the rules because children are too noisy and they bother our customers."" Gee thanks. Nice to know that WE are NON-CUSTOMERS because we have a 2 year old, even though she has never sung, danced or run around screaming in any restaurant, let alone theirs. When my husband complained to the owner, he shrugged and said ""WE DON'T WELCOME CHILDREN"". So there you have it folks, from the owner himself. Perhaps they should post it on the door. And maybe childless people should watch out too, in case Matsu decides that they don't like people who talk too loud or who are the wrong age or race as well. Cons: Discriminates against families more

This is the real Japanese restaurant. I'm Japanese, so I know what I'm talking about. I read other viewers' comments about waitless shutted up kids. Well, I happened to be there when very similar thing was happened, but I must say, we all appreciated to the weitless or owner. We were enjoying great foods and conversations but the kid started getting laud and the typical luck of commonsense parents let the kid whatever he wanted. That was why the waitless has asked to keep the kid quiet.\r If you are looking for something fancy Americanized Japanese foods(may be they are only Japanese foods that you know...we didn't have California rolls or even Chicken Teriyaki when we were growing up .....), then Matsu Sushi is not the place for you. It's REAL Japanese foods that they serve. Although according to my mother, prices and portions are Americanized. I totally agreed with her. Fresh and high quality Sashimi is great and all warm dishes are very tasteful. Pros: Service - Thumbs up more

Matsu Sushi is my favorite Japanese restaurant and I have tried plenty of them (even in Japan!). From the delicious hot foods to the high quality sushi, I can always find something that fits my mood and I've never been disappointed. The black cod is AMAZING but my favorite has got to be their fresh sashimi! I also love their agedashi tofu, miso soup, chicken karage, the list goes on...And how can anyone complain about their awesome customer service??!! The friendly servers are attentive and you are always greeted with a smile. Why in the world would someone bring their singing 2 yr old?! That made me laugh because they got mad for being inconsiderate themselves. This is a cozy, classy, quiet restaurant where people come to enjoy a tasty meal, not to be disturbed by loud kids. And um...they do have avocados... Pros: Great food, great service, great atmosphere Cons: make reservations for large groups more

Matsu is a cozy, family-run restaurant that has never failed in fulfilling my Japanese food craving. I love... more

Matsu is a cozy, family-run restaurant that has never failed in fulfilling my Japanese food craving. I love their hot dishes (oyakodon, tempura, n... more

Matsu is a cozy, family-run restaurant that has never failed in fulfilling my Japanese food craving. I love their hot dishes (oyakodon, tempura, n... more

If you want another Yuppie sushi only restaurant, this is not the place. If you want a place for your child to sing their lungs out and bother the other patrons, then no, this is not a place for you. What this restaurant is a place for you to come enjoy a nice variety of both raw and cooked items, it is in fact one of the BEST overall Japanese restaurant north of downtown Seattle, in my opinion. \r \r What I like about it is the home-style flare the restaurant provides. The nice touches of the hot towel before you eat, to the multiple side dishes they serve along with your meal and the outstanding wait-staff that always takes care of our three kids and brings our youngest child a special Hello Kitty cup and plate to use at dinner. \r \r They also have one of the finest sushi chefs around, always amazingly fresh fish selections, beautiful presentation and the miso soup is very worthy of high marks for taste, almost as good as my Aunt's! And that's saying a lot! My family always enjoys their time spent here, outstanding food for all, as most of my family doesn't eat raw fish, I know, for shame, but the teriyaki, tonkatsu, and broiled fish selections are very good and presented well. My son, a picky eater, loves the Tempura Udon, I found the broth to be perfectly balanced and flavorful.\r \r Over all, this restaurant reminds me of many of the old family-run Japanese restaurants in the ID of Seattle, most of which are long gone. Only down side, but should be noted the waiting area is very small, but to make up for it, and what is nice, they will come out to your car and invite you in, if you decide to wait outside. A nice personalized touch. \r \r Worthy of trying, in my opinon. I rate it 5 out of 5 stars and it's on my personal favs list. Pros: Nice selections of both sushi and "cooked" items. Plenty of free parking and priced right! Cons: Small-ish waiting area but they'll come out to your car if you decide to wait outside. more

There is nothing wrong here - and great Miso Soup, but nothing exciting or new. If you just need a sushi fix - or like to stick to a few simple favorites, this place will please you. If you are like me and like to be adventurous, try new things, and don't like the blood line in your fish, give it a pass. There are no avocados in this restaurant (this is not a metaphor, just a fact). But they *are* nice to kids. Don't know what was up - maybe the waitress was having a hard day? Kid was really loud? Pros: great salmon, nice sized pieces Cons: limited menu, bloodline in the ham more

We had already decided we would not return based on the mediocre sushi, but what sealed the deal was when the waitress -- inexplicably -- shushed our 2-year old for singing (to the waitress!) in a near-empty restaurant. Folks, this restaurant is in a strip mall, not the sort of place you would hesitate to bring a child. more

We've eaten here for the past several years (both lunch and dinner) and have never been disappointed by the food quality, service or value. Tempuras are always crisp and non-greasy and they're decent-sized -- you'll get a whole prawn and a thin slice of veggie instead of the fried julienned portions you find at some other places. Sashimi is always fresh, sushi is done correctly with just the perfect amount of well-seasoned rice. The service is always friendly and prompt. Although it's located in an old strip mall, once you step inside the ambience is terrific, with soft Japanese music playing and dimmed lighting. We prefer Matsu Sushi over other sushi places in Seattle and Bellevue.\r \r By the way, this is a very family-friendly restaurant. The servers have ALWAYS been kind and friendly to my two kids, who have visited this restaurant since they were babies. I often see other families eating here and the noise level is not so quiet that you have to worry about your kids talking. The toddler who got shushed for singing must have been REALLY loud. Pros: Great food, Great service, Good value Cons: In ugly strip mall more

Matsu has great sushi as well as good cooked dishes.... the black cod kazasuke is amazing. The tonkatsu with the homemade tartar sause is also a winner.... really i can't think of anything that i don't think is great. Try it and you will see. Pros: food, service, friendly more

I go to Matsu Sushi at least once a week. They have the best sushi, always fresh and made to order-the way it should be. I especially love their bento box lunch that includes teriyaki chicken, sushi, tempura, plus salad, miso soup and tea for a great price. It's absolutely delicious. Service is always top notch. Pros: Good parking, Great Food, Great Service more