Kozue

Neighborhood: Wallingford
Address: 1608 N 45th St Seattle (map)
Phone: 206-547-2008
Web: www.kozue-on-45th.com
Parking: Street

Overall Rating: 8.5 / 10pts

ATMOSPHERE:
Kozue is a small, casual restaurant in Wallingford (on NE 45th St). It’s not as expensive as many other sushi restaurants in Seattle, and you notice this as soon as you step in the door because the atmosphere is more or less like a cheap Thai restaurant with a mom-and-pop feel. But don’t let this discourage you because the food is good, and it’s cheap. If you are a student with a tight budget but still want to enjoy decent sushi, you will fit right in with the rest of the crowd.

SUSHI:
Although nothing stands out as superb or memorable, overall they serve fairly fresh and decent tasting sushi. They stick to their menu, and don’t go out of their way to get seasonal fresh fish. If you ask them, “what’s fresh today?” they simply respond, “everything is fresh” and offer no recommendations.

OTHER DISHES:
They offer a lot more traditional Japanese dishes than most places, and you may have a hard time choosing what you want to eat. Their tempura is pretty good, but sometimes, it is coated in a little too much batter. Hamachi Kama (grilled yellowtail cheeks) is offered at a decent price, and sukiyaki is always fun to try. But if you are new to this place and want to try various things on the menu, try a combo meal.

SERVICE:
Service is usually pretty good, but some of the waitresses are more knowledgeable about the menu than others. Kozue is usually not too crowded, so the food comes out fairly quickly.