Absolutely stunning food. The tempura was fantastic as well as the soba. We ended getting about 8 dishes in total and left totally stuffed. Staff was friendly and attentive, sake was wonderful, will be coming back soon but definitely not soon enough! read more

Best soba I've had in Seattle! The noodles are made fresh and the dishes are simple but have great flavor. Most soba you can get in hot soup or cold with dipping sauce, so it's great for both chilly days now and when summer rolls around! The habanero plum sake was pretty spicy but really unique and enjoyable. We almost confused it with the complimentary carrot-dashi soup, served in shot glasses. The shrimpcado was tasty, and you can't go wrong with the signature kamonegi! read more

Kamonegi - Shrimpcado and Kamonegi soba - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I have a hard time rating soba since it's never really blown me away the same way ramen has. But when I think of what an ideal soba place would look and taste like, I feel like Kamonegi is very close to that vision. We had a reservation for 4pm and were promptly seated after the restaurant opened. I like the ambiance of Kamonegi. It's a small place; I could see every seat in the restaurant from here I was sitting. But that gives it a cozy hole-in-the-wall vibe I like. Another plus, they have happy hour on the weekends so we took advantage and got the foie gras tofu as our appetizer. The foie gras was a showstopper. It looks exactly like tofu, but had the consistency of mousse which really threw me off. It tasted very nice and creamy almost like a nice cheese (I found out later from the waiter that the foie gras is cooked with cream and truffle oil). The sauce + wasabi + shrimp were all nice complements to the "tofu". For soba, I got the Kamonegi soba which has three slices of duck breast, tsukune (meatball), and slices of leek. The broth and soba were nicely cooked. The duck breasts were a little tougher than I would expect but had nice game-y flavor. I got mine nanban (combined with hot broth) though I do wish I tried it seiro (dipping sauce). I also got a sous vide egg (poached/onsen egg) which I liked just because it was another flavor for the soba. If I lived in Seattle, I would definitely come back. Legit soba places are hard to find. read more

When we heard Chef Soma (literally the only chef making Soba on the west coast... and also a woman chef!) was leaving Miyabi 45th and opening this little gem, we rushed to support it on Kickstarter. It's been open for a minute and I've been meaning to review it, but have instead been eating a lot and not writing. Can you imagine the skill, the time consumption, the deep knowledge of culinary binding agents involved in making soba noodles the traditional way, from scratch? It's lonely at the top... and delicious. Let me just say, Kamonegi does NOT disappoint. In fact, quite the opposite... this place dazzles in its simplicity, understated presentation, human sized portions, and commitment to perfecting old things. FOOD I personally like to keep things simple, often ordering the zaru soba and tsukemono (pickled vegetables). I have tried some of the other dishes like the kamonegi nanban, a hot duck and soba soup, which is also quite delicious (and slightly more decadant than the plain soba noodles I usually get). I guess I'm a purist or something? The zaru comes with dipping sauce, wasabi and green onion (for when you need salt or a kick... or a salty kick), which reminds me of soba dishes I get in Japan. Per tradition, the zaru is finished off with a small kettle of hot soba-yu, the subtle, but flavorful, water the soba was boiled in. You're meant to mix it with the remaining dipping sauce, but sometimes I sit there sipping it plain, hoping to make the nuttiness of the noodles stay longer with me. Each meal is a mini ceremony, a tribute to understatement, to classics. Frankly, this all makes me very very happy! SERVICE Fast and friendly. The food comes out of the kitchen in a timely manner. However, the space is so small, sometimes your table won't be ready even though you have a reservation. LOCATION Fremont-ish. Located off Aurora, there's plenty of parking. It's actually more convenient than their old location on 45th. AMBIANCE The restaurant is super intimate and unpretentious. The kitchen is open and Chef Soma herself will give a friendly hello when you come in the door. They open the windows in the summer and let it get toasty and cozy in the winter. But nomatter what, it always smells delicious. BANG FOR YOUR BUCK Yes. PRO-TIP(S) 1. Always be reservation-ing. Y'all know what I mean. 2. Like with Miyabi 45th, if you sit near the kitchen, it's possible that your clothes may come away smelling a bit like oil. Dress accordingly. read more

Kamonegi was recently named one of the best new restaurants in the US and for good reason! I had a great experience here and the food was incredible. I will definitely return next time I visit Seattle! I came at opening on a weekday and was able to snag a table for 2 at the counter. The place itself is pretty small and cool being able to see into the kitchen! The menu has some extremely unique offerings. My favorite by far was the fois gras tofu -- so smooth and creamy!! A must order! Another standout was the heirloom tomato kimchi bukakke soba, which was on special. Very unique and tasty! Overall, I highly recommend Kamonegi if you're looking for a unique, fresh and delicious take on Japanese food. They also offer happy hour specials from 4-6 and 9-11 on fri/sat! read more

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Everything was amazing, beautiful, And delicious. Super good service and a clean space. read more

The food is worth the parking that may be difficult and small space. Either make reservations, go early, or be prepared for a wait. Also they do have a happy hour but there are only 4 seats for it. Also, be sure to not go too late or you may be turned away or they may be out of soba noodles - especially on Saturday nights they tend to run out of food since they are closed Sundays and Mondays. We got the yellowfin which was 5 good sized pieces. It was seared and delicious. The eggplant tempura was good as well but nothing too special. The Eel tempura was so good. It was cooked perfectly and super fresh. The soba dishes we got were the kamonegi seiro, which was the most traditional of all the dishes we got. It had duck and a duck meatball. Karee seiro - curry style which was less thick than I expected and Shogatsu Bukkake - the shrimp tempura was the best part. It was like a cold salad which I would prefer in the summer. Out of these 3: the kamonegi was the best. The portion is not large and it is pretty pricey but worth it for fresh soba noodles. To finish the meal we got the fried oreos which were perfectly fried and were not oily. read more

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Wow. Amazing food. No misses, and we bought the majority of the menu. The foie gras "tofu" was THE most creative foie dish I've ever had. The wasabi sounded weird to me, but it really worked. The fermented beet tonkatsu sauce with the fried tongue was really creative and reserved in an artful way... it could have gotten heavy, but ate light. The mushroom and eel tempura dishes were well breaded, well fried, and paired perfectly with the accompaniments... curry salt with anago was particularly good. The soba were the best I've had outside of Japan...period. We got the namesake kamonegi and the standard cold broth dishes. Love the addition of the cooking liquids to the broths after finishing. Not only is this tasty and a value add, but aides in digestion. My wife and I experienced this for the first time in Morioka with Wanko Soba...really nice to see stateside. Sake menu was also really well curated. Wish we could come here more often, but since we live in NYC, we'll just have to dream. read more

This is such a cute and cozy tiny restaurant. There are literally only about 10 tables or less. So make sure you make reservations and be prepared to have no personal space :D. Everything was amazing and our server explained everything dish that came out. My favorite was the uni shiso bomb tempura. So good because I love uni. For myself I ordered the most simplest soba on the menu because I came to try the noodles itself. I heard great things about their soba so I want to only focus on that aspect. I ordered the zaru noodles which are served cold and you dip it in the cold broth w/ wasabi. The noodles had great texture, but the broth was very mild on the flavor side. But I would definitely come back to try their other sobas. read more

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Just outstanding oishi. Very helpful staff. Truly enjoyed the food, wonderful surprise of flavors.

Wonderful service. Attentive waitstaff and kitchen. A cacophony of flavor for your taste buds. And the tempura Oreo was pretty special. Need to go more often. read more

Service was embarrassing to say the least. Food was pretty good but not a great. Certainly not worth the hassle to deal with there reservation process. I think the service was what sparked my bad review mostly. read more

My friend and I came here around 10pm on a Saturday night. We had both wanted to try the food here for a long time. At first I was worried that it might be hard to get a table regardless of time of day, but we were seated immediately. Since we live on the eastside and don't come to this area often, we were really excited and wanted to try as many things as possible. We ordered a yakitori duck appetizer, eggplant tempura, zaru noodles, and kamonegi (nanban). Also we ordered two small sake - spring snow and dewazakura. We were quite hungry, and expected the portions to be somewhat small. But we were proven wrong... The tempura came first, and we were impressed by the size of the dish and amount of chanterelle in the soup. The flavour was great and the tempura was battered and fried perfectly! The duck tsukune arrived soon after, which was also flavourful and delicious. When the soba arrived, we realized that we understated the amount of food we ordered... But in the end, nothing was left behind! The nanban kamonegi had a great balance of flavours from the ingredients, I loved how everything came together naturally. The only nitpick was that the duck breast was hard to chew - once I picked up a piece, I couldn't take a small bite, it had to go in my mouth completely, and it'd take me 2 minutes to chew and swallow it. The flavour (esp the skin) was great though. The zaru noodles stuck together after a little while (maybe 10-15 mins) so I suggest you eat it or toss it around a bit every now and then. The cold noodles and dipping soup was quite refreshing. At the end, you can add hot broth into the cold dipping soup and drink it. At the beginning, we asked if the chef had extra duck fat that we could take home. At first they said no, which was understandable because we didn't call ahead. But when we were about to leave, the chef came out with a small box of duck fat for us! Amazing! Overall, we loved the experience! The server was super nice, she answered all our questions and provided her recommendations. The food was excellent and really showed how much respect and passion is involved in this restaurant. I can't wait to come back again! read more

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Can't wait to return. Food was fresh, interesting, and complex with loaded flavors. The cold soba is awesome on a warm day and the warm nanban soba was delicious, rich in flavor and still light. We loved the foie gras "tofu". Just amazing!!! The special tomato kimchi was very different and nuanced. Really special. Can't wait to return. read more

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My sisters and I came for dinner yesterday and had a great time. We were seated at the counter and enjoyed the view of the kitchen. The service has nice and friendly. I still love them tempura so much! The oreo tempura is a must have. The soba servings are quite generous so keep that in mind if you are getting additional sides. read more

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For the money you pay and the media hype surrounding this place, Kamonegi was hugely disappointing. My dish was soooooooo bland and tasteless; although, my dinner companions' dishes were more flavorful it was still disappointing coming to this place. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be coming back here :( read more

I wish that I could give Kamonegi six stars. Kamonegi is a soba noodle shop, located just north of downtown Seattle that serves amazing Japanese dishes in a simple, beautiful setting. I visited for dinner and was amazed by the food. First, I began with Hokkaido, which is a Japanese sea urchin dish cooked tempura style. Next, I had the oysters cooked tempura style, which were savory, salty, hot, and bursting with umami flavors. Honestly, the fried oyster tempura was one of the best dishes that I have ever had. Next, for my entreé, I had the Shrimcado bukkake soba bowl. Last, to finish the meal, I had an Habeñero infused sake drink. It was all amazing. I hope to visit again. read more

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Good food, nice folks and creative dishes. The foie gras made to look like tofu was pretty amazing. read more

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Underwhelmed. We made reservations which I recommend. No wait. Started with the stuffed squash flowers which were a little denser than I expected. However, the asparagus tempura was by far the best tempura we've ever had and the star of the night. I had the shrimp bukkake (feels odd to admit that on Yelp) and it was heavy with seaweed. Not bad but overwhelmed the flavor and awkward on a date night - flecks of seaweed in my teeth for some time! Husband had a dipping noodle dish.. he enjoyed it but we both agreed it was a underwhelming for the cost. Finally, we felt very rushed by the staff. Dishes removed as we were still finishing them and we were in and out in less than an hour. Super glad we went but not the date night I was hoping for. read more

Unfortunately I have to give 1-star. We did not eat here, but two days before our reservation (which we made a month in advance), we found out that two of our friends were interested in joining our reservation for two people. We found out Wednesday night, and our reservation was for Friday. We figured we'd try calling the next day, but found it they didn't be open until 4, so we sent an email. We tried asking on Thursday to get seated at a 4-person table, but they said they couldn't accommodate us and since it was within the 48-hour cancellation period, they would charge us the cancellation fee. It's worth noting that this is a pretty sneaky feature, since you can't make any changes to the reservation online, you have to call them in person, which we found this out too late on Wednesday to do. We sent an email and then we tried calling the next day, figuring they would be lenient since we notified them 36 hours beforehand that we wanted two extra seats, and only going out afterwards that we'd have to incur the cancellation fee. I spoke to Matthew Thomas, and although he was professional, he was not really understanding or lenient and ultimately it felt like a cheap way of taking our money. He will comment on this review saying that they usually do the best to be lenient but ultimately this didn't seem like the case: we do really want to go! However the service is unreasonable and for such a high quality restaurant, I expect much more. Disappointed. read more

A must dine restaurant when in the Fremont neighborhood. A limited menu but the quality of the food and care that goes into preparing them makes the food taste even better. Chef Soma is usually there at the helm of this almost shoebox of a gem. The buckwheat soba are the stars of the show to me, but the tempura and chawanmushi are outstanding. Prices for each dish is appropriately marked. Please call to make a reservation. read more

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I had super high expectations and that's the only reason why I didn't give a full 5 star. The atmosphere and service was great. For appetizers I recommend the yellowfin zuke. It's super unique and has a hint of sweetness. I am used to cold soba so the cold soba dishes were more my taste. The soup was good but the cold soba was better. read more

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I was visiting my friend from San Diego, and she took me to this place since it was in her neighborhood. Soba is my favorite over any other noodles (and healthiest) but it's very hard to find any place that makes from scratch outside of Japan or at least in San Diego, it doesn't exist. so I was super excited when my friend took me here while visiting Seattle. The place is kind of weird shapes and it's not big, she did make rsvp on Thursday night but my flight got delayed so she ended up having to cancel the rsvp. Still, we went around 9 and was still busy so we waited at the bar next door (which apparently same owner) and had a drink. We got the seats at the bar which I liked, you can see the kitchen and how they are prepping the food. I like to keep it simple so I ordered zaru and eggplants and Anago tempura. They were both so good but eggplant tempura was my favorite. It was in dashi broth and it had very good flavors, my friend ended up drinking the whole thing. My mouth is watering just typing about this. Anago tempura was crunchy and light,like good tempura should be. I hate heavily breaded tempura with saggy panko fried in cheap oil. We also ordered beef tataki which was tender and had ponzu which I love, very refreshing. They also give you soba-yu like real soba place in Japan. We finished with Osaka baked cheese cake and was delightful. I am not cheesecake person since it's so heavy but baked ones are so light and fluffy, completely different texture from the regular cheesecake. I wish we had this place in SD! I will have to come back for sure when I'm back in Seattle again. read more

Perfect for a hot summer day in Seattle. I got the Zaru noodles with cold broth and wasabi w/ sous vide egg + tempura fried mushrooms on the seasonal app menu. They also gave you a shot of soup which was refreshing. The server was helpful explaining all the different items on the menu. I would not recommend for larger parties of four because I can see the wait taking a long time. I liked how you can see the chefs preparing all the dishes bc there is a cut out of the kitchen. read more

Kamonegi - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I came here on a Saturday night, and I impressed by the staff and the food. On the staff, our waiter had a solid technical knowledge of wines, and the dishes themselves. He could go into the details of how the dishes were made, and he did it with a passion that I haven't seen in a while, which was very refreshing. He was also very approachable, which isn't always the case at nicer restaurants. He will be one of the few waiters, I will be able to remember after the fact. The food is excellent as well. My own personal recommendation would be to go with a group of four, and order as many appetizers and tempura as possible. You'll taste a lot of unique, and excellently coordinated flavors that show restraint. This place takes reservations, so I recommend grabbing a drink at Bar Charlie beforehand. read more

Food was great. The wait is impossible. Don't even try walking in lol. Reservation is a good idea.

This place is located at the edge of a neighborhood and looks just like a hole in the wall place. The food here is good but very pricey. Their small portion sizes do not fill you up so you have to buy double of everything. Seating is also limited so be sure to make a reservation ahead of time. read more

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This place is so tasty! The biggest challenge is trying to decide what to order. Come in a small group and share - that is my advice. Order lots of the apps, and the Shiso Uni Bomb is THE BOMB. I tried four of the sobas. I was surprised by how much I liked the cold shrimp bukakke, but the mushroom was my fav. Server was fabulous too! She was super friendly and came back with fresh ice for my water after learning I like ice water (yes I know room temp is better for you.) Must go place!! read more

First of all, the Soba here is absolutely not authentic. It has nearly no taste of "Soba", and the feeling in mouth is very dumb. I was expecting something flexible and with fresh taste, not the Soba I had here which was sticked together like a spaghetti. Also I did not see any "black spots" in the Soba noodle. Even some $5 dry Soba I buy in the Japanese supermarket would not miss that. The Shirmp tempura is not good, shrimp is apparently overcooked and not very refresh. It is far worse than the best you can find in Greater Seattle Area - I mean the tempura at Izumi. The duck breast is okay, but the soup is just too disappointing that I cannot taste anything from it. Last thing, they even charge you 18% service fee without notices on the menu (maybe I missed that), even for two people. We just ordered a very basic cold Soba, two pieces of Shrimp tempura and a duck Soba, which in total cost us $51. Ridiculous. Will not come again for sure. One star for the food and one star for the good store decoration and modeling. read more

On the cusp of 3/4 stars. Came here without a reservation on a Saturday night and waited about 1 hour for two seats at the bar. It's a cute and intimate space and it seems often packed. The service is attentive and friendly - they automatically charge 18% tip. Food was hit and miss for us: -the cod eel tempura was delicious -the asparagus tempura dish was wah wah. Not worth getting. -The kake noodles were flavorless. Like eating noodles in hot water. -eggplant tempura in broth: the broth was too sweet. Tempura is meant to be served dry with broth on the side to dip it in. Here the tempura is served in a pool of broth, rendering it soggy almost immediately. -Osaka cheesecake was meh. Get it if you like sour/tart flavors. -BEST dish hands down goes to the HEIRLOOM TOMATO KIMCHI (only avail in the summer tho). It's a tomato lover's delight! This was so packed full of flavor that we had to order a second one. I'd return for this alone. We didn't order any soba because we're not fans of cold noodles, but our server told us the tomato kimchi bukkake is pretty amazing, so I'd like to try that next time! read more

I love this place. The handmade soba is delicious. If you go at a normal dinner hour--the wait is generally 30-60 min. Theres a cute sake bar next door. The foie gras tofu is amazing. Its really good on the shrimp bukake. I also love the uni which isnt always on the menu. The menu frequently changes--which is nice they like to keep things fresh. Overall I would frequent this place even with the wait. read more

awesome spot delicious soup, wonderful soba noodles, good drinks, fun atmosphere can't go wrong here gotta get a reservation come alone or with friends the choice is yours read more

Loved this little spot; we came for the famous handmade soba noodles but instead fell in love with the eggplant tempura! Quietly shuffled into the place during a Husky game and didn't even have to wait in a line! Pro-tip for any restaurant in Seattle. Got seated at the back bar and immediately set to ordering. We knew that we wanted soba, so we chose the Spicy Natto and the namesake Soba with the eggplant tempura as our app. Well the eggplant Tempura came and we were blown away. By far some of the best I've ever had. It was flavorful, had all the desired umami and all the silky broth... mmmm. We wanted to just drink the broth. After polishing off the last mushroom, we were beyond excited for the soba to follow. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if soba is our thing now. The Spicy Natto was good, and do not mis read, the soba noodles were made and cooked perfectly!, but the flavor of the namesake soba wasn't hitting it for me. It seemed bland, not nuanced. The duck was good, and the noddles, but I left almost all the broth. The Spicy Natto however was good enough after stirring, but again, it wasnt anything close to the level of the eggplant tempura. All in all, quality food and we will be back for the tempura and other apps. Otherwise, we might stick to ramen! read more

Great food, great service and great soba. What more could you want? Definitely try the foie gras tofu.

We were able to get seats at the bar without a reservation in the early evening. We tried a number of dishes and everything was great! We will definitely return! read more

Food is legit. Service is polite, knowledgeable, and fun. Ambiance is perfect for a date, night out with friend, or a nice dinner to treat your folks to. read more

Food was bland, service was meh. Charged 20% tips automatically and had decency to include a line said "Additional Tip"

I honestly never write a review before but this time is kinda of too much. I visit Japan at least once a year or even sometimes twice a year so I am pretty familiar with soba taste. The bottom line is that the soba that I ordered doesn't worth $20. It is way too expensive. I am even more frustrated to think that this type of soba will only cost me $5-$6 in Japan. I don't expect that Kamonegi would charge the same as restaurant in Japan but $20? $10-$12 is fine. It is my fault somehow that I didn't check the menu before I went there but I was at least expecting a better taste for a $20 soba. It turned out to be pretty disappointing. Just an overpriced soba. The uni sashimi? $12 for I think even less than one uni is ridiculous. You can get way more with the same price in Asian supermarket. Tempura? $9 for two pieces of tempura shrimp. Another Japanese restaurant near Kamonegi serves the same taste of $12 tempura-don that already includes 2 pieces of tempura shrimp, veggies, mushrooms, and rice. Unless you do not have any budget restraint, this place may suit you! read more

Just okay level soba in SUPER overprice and mandatory 18% tips. I have lived in Japan for 20 years and soba is one of my favorite food. Soba is fast food in Japan and Kamonegi serves just the same level soba or even worse than "Fuji-soba," which is franchises and all soba around 5 bucks. I also ate many good soba in my life that more flavorful of soba-ko, but Kamonegi is far away from those tastes. For this level of soba 20 bucks?? You gotta be kidding. I would rather go to Uwajimaya's and get frozen soba, which is much better and cheaper than here. Seriously. read more

We used to like Kamonegi and frequent the restaurant before COVID, but it was our first time ordering their delivery, and it was just bad. I'm Japanese and I grew up eating soba. It is a known fact that soba needs to be eaten fresh. Due to this reason, Kamonegi recommends to eat some of their soba dishes within 30 minutes of delivery. We were all prepared when the delivery arrived, and ate the dishes as soon as it was delivered, but the soba was already losing its moisture, lost its freshness, getting hard, and it was just disappointing. Adding to that, unfortunately, our Sukiyaki Matsutake soba arrived without Matsutake, which was missing the whole point. Matsutake mushroom is a Japanese delicacy like truffles, that is only available during a very limited time of the year. Kamonegi was promoting this limited culinary dish using locally forged wild Matsutake on its Facebook post. I ordered the dish for our Friday dinner as soon as I saw that post for my mushroom lover husband, a day in advance. We were so much looking forward to having Matsutake since the day before, as it is such a special culinary delicacy for us. We noticed that Matsutake soba was missing the key ingredient as soon as the dish was delivered, and we called the restaurant. They said they forgot to put Matsutake in...Seriously? We made this entire dinner order for the sake of Matsutake. It's a special culinary mushroom that could cost up to a few hundred dollars a pound, which should be a centerpiece for this dish. It's like thanksgiving meal package delivered without a Turkey. No apologies were given, redelivery request was rejected, and to be honest, their response was just very very rude. I checked their UberEats and realized that soba dishes using Matsutake were completely sold out for the day by then. Anyways, that's how they ruined our Friday evening. I used to love this gem, but I'm never going back again nor do I want to support Kamonegi anymore given this evening's disappointing experience. They could do so much better. read more