I really wanted to like this place after seeing it blow up on the internet. Service was quick and the restaurant was cute, modern, and small. I thought it was unique that they offered mini versions of their bowls, which meant it would be easy to test taste their offerings. However, food was subpar. For $30, I expected more fish. It felt like the bowl was full of filler items which included seaweed salad, eggs, tuna salad and crab salad all of which were mid-tier and nothing to write home about. The slabs of fish were ok with my favorite being the hamachi. Maybe I went on an off day, but I didn't find anything impressive about this place. read more

Minato - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Minato is light years ahead of Fremont bowl and Donburi station in every way: freshness, taste, price. The only downside about Minato is that there is no seating area and all orders are takeout only. I've been a few times now (and thought I already reviewed!) and ordered the negihama (yellowtail), Minato special, hamachi, and the chirashi. All are phenomenal, but the negihama is my absolute favorite. I could eat it every day. The buttery -ness of the fish paired with the fresh, crisp scallions ("Negi") is pure heaven. The rice is also delicious sushi rice. The staff are kind and helped explain the differences between the menu items. We waited on the benches indoors while they prepped our food. They provide takeout utensils as well. There is only street parking available, no dine-in, and no restrooms. read more

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Taste: 5/5 Value: 5/5 Presentation: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Ambiance: 5/5 To go only but there is seating while you wait for your food! Easy to read menu. Great quality fish. Chirashi don is great if you want fish variety read more

Minato - Chirashi don - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Update: I posted a bad review, and I got a message from the manager/owner, Todd M. I guess he's Todd Mori. Kind of scary, seems like a threat. I guess we won't be coming back. Original: Such shitty service. Had spoiled tuna and they would not refund me right away. They put me on hold then said that they would call me back in 10 minutes. They didn't, so I called them, then they said they'd call me back eventually. Wtf, thanks for ruining dinner. Never coming back. read more

Minato - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I believe Minato is actually the most authentic Japanese sushi place in the Seattle proper area. It's run by a Japanese family and the fish they get for their sushi is top notch fresh, unlike some of the other restaurants that use older or cheaper cuts. For the price, you can't beat the quality and amount you get!!! I loved the chirashi bowl and will definitely come again to try out their other bowls. So many kinds of fish, shrimp, scallops that were all so delicious. This place is takeout only, but if you call ahead or go when it's not busy in the early evening, it's not long of a wait. I will definitely be a regular customer here as long as I live in Seattle. I recommend all my friends to try it! read more

Minato - Chirashi don and unagi sundae - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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YESSS! I'm absolutely in love with this place! New #1 quality sashimi place? Likely. Everything from the decor to the service is pure and authentic Japanese hospitality. And I could not resist myself jamming to their J-pop music. (Do note that it's take out only. A shame because I would love to sit and enjoy my meal here.) I'm not sure if it's owned by next door's Issian or big chains like Musashi's but it definitely has the same high quality fish, if not better.The fish slices are HUGE and you get good value. This is big news - I no longer have to go to downtown to get sashimi bowl that's worth it. read more

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Love this place. Rice is so good. Fish is so fresh. The owners are friendly and willing to make substitutions as they can. Wish they had onsite dining though , it's takeout only. read more

So let's get one thing straight: Minato has one of the best chirashi bowls I've had in the Seattle area. The fish is so good and fresh, and everything was delicious. This place also serves scallops with their assortment of seafood - something I've never seen before, and a welcomed surprise for sure. The quality of the fish paired with the amazing assortment blows other chirashi bowls out of the water. My only qualm that made me waver while writing this review is the price. $25 for a chirashi bowl is a bit pricy, especially for a place that only does take out. Compared to the likes of Fremont Bowl, my heart sank a bit seeing the elevated prices. Two chirashi bowls, with tax, came to over $50! With that being said, there are other options that are cheaper in price, despite only serving 1-2 types of fish. And they all look pretty dang amazing. But if you're looking for quality, this place serves great bowls that will guarantee satisfy your seafood taste buds. And that's why I bump my review to a 5-star rating. read more

Minato - Chirashi Bowl - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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The chirashi was incredible and a great price for the amount of food. The fish were deliciously fresh and the rice was perfectly seasoned and soft. The scallops were especially good. The only flaw was because of the way they put the wasabi (horseradish) on the ginger, the ginger delivered an unexpectedly pungent punch. A must eat! read more

Takeout Only! We went to Minato to pick up some dons before heading to a park to chill. The Hamachi and Salmon Don was fresh and slices were a great size. The Negihama also gave a very generous portion. Loved both of them! read more

Minato - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

First things first, the rice in these bowls is crazy. It's probably the best rice I've ever had. The seasoning is unbelievable. I actually dreamt of the rice that night, lol. This place is take-out only, practically a counter. Great vibe. Awesome to get your food and go over to UW or to a park and eat on a sunny day. The fish is fresh, the wasabi was unbelievably spicy, but really good when I mixed a tiny bit of it in with the fish, rice, and other ingredients (please don't come for me, raw fish purists). They also give you a ton of food. If I worked at UW, I would eat here very often. read more

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I visited Minato after seeing a lot of buzz on TikTok and was excited to try it out on weekend night. The place seems to be mostly takeout-focused, but when I arrived, they were seating people inside, which made the space feel a bit cramped--especially for those of us waiting for takeout orders with nowhere to stand or sit. While I was still waiting, I noticed the staff serving water and checking in with dine-in customers, almost like it was a full-service restaurant. Meanwhile, my order took quite a while to come out, even though there wasn't a big line. I got a chirashi bowl and a salmon ikura bowl, but around 6 PM it looked like they were running low on rice. The staff seemed flustered, rushing back and forth for ingredients, and when I finally got my food, the fish was a bit icy--possibly straight from the freezer. The staff were polite and doing their best, but overall the experience felt a bit unorganized. I get that viral spots can have growing pains, and I hope they're able to smooth things out with time. read more

The food is great - high quality fish, always tasty. The service, not so much. You'd think for a takeout-only place they'd pay more attention to the takeout orders, but my partner and I have had our order messed up nearly every time here. They've left out sides, accidentally given our food to someone else, and worst of all failed to handle an allergy (added crab salad to a bowl noted with a shellfish allergy). Hard to justify coming back, even if the food is good. read more

new chirashi/don spot, and it was pretty good, price is average for a chirashi bowl nowadays. i got the salmon ikura don ($19ish) which came with a good amount of sashimi and ikura. the fish tasted fresh and cuts were good. the rice was seasoned well and they gave us quite a generous portion of it. i wish they gave more of the toppings, which were seaweed salad, imitation crab meat, and thinly sliced egg. service was friendly. interior was small, only a few benches to sit out while waiting, and it's take out only! read more

Minato - salmon ikura don - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This is one of the newer seafood/donburi place in the greater Seattle area and I am a big fan! This is a place that is highly competitive to the established Fremont Bowl, Donburi Station, Musashi's, etc. I personally got the chirashi bowl and an unagi sundae to cover all bases of most of the seafood they offer. Price total was around $35 after tax - Chirashi bowl was $25 pre tax and unagi sundae was $6.80 pre tax, which is a fair price. Unlike some places, they didn't have unagi in the chirashi bowl but they have seaweed salad, egg, scallops, and shrimp. Other things they had in the chirashi bowl that are fairly ubiquitous are the salmon, yellowtail, and tuna. They also had a little bit of negihama, so for the most part, the chirashi bowl is a combination of almost everything. All of these items are super fresh, probably one of the freshest I have tried in Seattle. I particularly loved the salmon and negihama in this bowl. The unagi sundae had a few slices of eel with eel sauce and rice underneath. It looks small but it is a bit substantial, so 2-3 sundaes is enough for a satisfying meal. This would be good for a "dessert" or for consuming at the end of the meal, but I ended up eating this as my first item of the meal haha. Biggest biggest downside is that this is takeout only. As someone that usually takes public transit, this can be a bit stressful to plan where to eat when there is no guaranteed seating. There is a small public parklet just outside of Molly Moons where I sat to eat, but this can be limited during peak dining hours or when the weather is not good. Fortunately, I am a planner so I only went here because it was finally sunny, a little bit rare during this time of year. I would frequent here a lot more for the chirashi bowl if they did offer indoor seating, even if it is a small amount. read more

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Hands down the best chirashi bowl I've had in Washington. Half Yellowtail and half salmon was my order. Small interior, but the fish quality is excellent for the price read more

Adding another rave review to this spot! We got the chirashi don and it exceeded expectations. Rice was perfectly cooked. Generous thick fresh slices of sashimi. I will definitely be back! read more

Yummm!! So happy I decided to drive here after work. I was really wanting this after Instagram keep popping it up in my feed. I tried to order online but the system was having issues so I just called instead, order was ready in 10 min but my drive from Bellevue was 20 haha. I didn't realize this was up near UW until I was driving but luckily I was able to find parking cus that's one reason I avoid this area haha. Pick up was so easy and quick. I was in and out within a minute. The serving size on these bowls is huge. I wasn't even half way through and I was slowing down because of how full I was getting. The fish is so freshh. Loveee how much seafood I got. I ordered the minato don and my sister for the chirashi don. We both agreed serving size was worth the price. I added the extra uni and ikura to my bowl and I really suggest you do the upgrade if you love uni because they give you such a good amount! I would say though. I with they offer more sides option. The bowl came with wasabi, ginger, seaweed salad, imitation crab and what I assume is shredded eggs? It would have been nice with edamame or fresh corn too. I hate seaweed salad so it not something I like to eat with chirashi bowls haha. Besides that everything was really delicious! I'll definitely be ordering from here when I'm back in my Seattle office full time. read more

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If I could rate higher, I would! Minato is takeaway only for really high quality sushi bowls. I ordered the sake don, and it was amazing, for such a great price as well. I wish there was a place to eat or a way to get it delivered, but Minato is still definitely one of my new favorites! read more

Minato - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I used to live really close to Minato (before it opened) and it would have been quite dangerous for me if I still lived close! Minato is take-out only, but you get such great quality of fish for a reasonable price. The service is quick and there are many options to choose from. They have donburi bowls and "sundaes" which are little cup-size of rice/fish combos. We tried the Chiarshi-Don & Sake-Don & Unagi Sundae - all were awesome, and I'll be conflicted between getting those items again or trying something new. There are specials too - for example, when I was there today there was an add-on uni special that you could order. Note - if you want to order pickup, order directly from their website for more options (and cheaper than through a 3rd party!) read more

This place was super good and I really enjoyed my meal - I got the chirashi bowl and fish was incredibly fresh and the rice was flavorful too!! My bf got the oyako-don which was so good, too - it definitely hit the spot. The service was nice and friendly, but I'm taking a star off for the take-out packaging - it's takeout only, but the miso soup spilled everywhere, and the soy sauce did, too. We were also missing our disposable chopsticks in our order. But overall, the food was really good and so reasonably priced. I'm definitely coming again! read more

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This is a take out only place. Their fish were fresh and amazing. Would definitely come back again. Service was good and fast. read more

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I've been here 2 times this past month and I think it's a winner. There's some Japanese food competition in Wallingford but Minato has Magee to open a quick to go donburi spot with fresh and delicious foods. The portion size is actually quite generous and they give a lot of tasty sushi rice. I liked the donburi but you can get a "parfait" too which is a nice smaller size if you just want a bit of something. I was carving unagi but I didn't want the whole donburi so the parfait was just perfect. They have a clean seating area for waiting for your order. I like the calm atmosphere on the inside. It's not a sit in place but you can order for pick up and have a nice meal at home! read more

Minato - Gyu don - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Minato is a take out only, small restaurant on the side of its sister restaurant, Issian. They specialize in chirashi don and also have a few cooked items like Gyu don and Oyaku don. There is also a tofu option for vegetarians. This place has been my go-to since Musashi's has gone downhill and I am happy with the few times I have picked up a bowl from here. The service is quick, their workers are friendly, and the food is fresh and delicious! The space itself is clean and has Japanese-inspired minimalist elements. I have ordered the Chirashi Don ($25), which has an excellent assortment of fish, and they allowed me to sub my tuna for more salmon, which I really appreciated. I also have ordered the Salmon Don ($16.50) which was also really good. Their bowls all include some ginger, krab salad, shredded tamago (egg) and seaweed salad, which adds some nice variety to the bowl. They also sell "sundaes" which are little sampler cups for 4-6$ if you want to try another fish, which I think is really great. Overall, fresh, convenient and delicious. The only reason it gets 4 instead of 5 stars is because the fish is not the best and freshest I've had, but great for the price. read more

Minato - Salmon Don - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I ordered their chirashi bowl and eel sundae. The restaurant is right next to their sister restaurant, Issian. Upon entry, it is a small space and takeout only. There are two benches for customers to sit and wait. The chirashi had a blend of scallop, tuna, salmon, hamachi, fish roa, shrimp, wakame, and artificial crab meat salad. There were a great amount of fish and each sashimi slices were thick. The fish was tasty and fresh that still has their own natural sweetness. The scallop doesn't have much sweetness but everything else was good. The unagi was delicious but the sundae was mostly rice so not really worth the price. Personally, I think the chirashi bowl was great value and definitely would come back again! read more

Minato - Unagi Sundae with Chirashi Bowl - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Ordered their chirashi bowl to try a bit of everything. This ended up to be around $30 after 10% tips and tax. High quality and thick cuts of fish with fresh rice. The hamachi and tuna were my favorites. Will definitely come back to try the rest of their menu. Takeout only. Online order is straightforward and there's an option for a later pickup time. read more

Minato - Chirashi bowl - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Best chirashi for the price in Seattle - so fresh c the customer service is fab. Super easy + quick

Tasty and fresh fish! The scallop and salmon were my favorite cuts of fish. The portions are very large and it comes with seaweed salad, shredded egg, pickled ginger, wasabi, and crab salad on top. Service was great, despite being busy, the main front of house staff was super attentive and friendly. Very cute decor. Note it is take-out only. Must try if you're in the area! read more

Minato - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I recently tried Issian's new sister restaurant Minato in Wallingford! I am a HUGE chirashi bowl fan so this restaurant is totally up my alley! Minato offer various donburis such as chirashi bowl and specialty bowls with different combinations of fish. They also have smaller sushi sundaes that come with rice and fish on top in a smaller cup ranging from $5-$7. They are currently takeout only and are looking to expand to delivery services. This being said, the store is really small and has limited seating for those waiting. It is right next to Issian and has plenty of street parking! My boyfriend and I tried the chirashi bowls ($25) and it came with miso soup for their soft opening! The fish quality was delicious and it came with about 3 pieces per type of fish. The chirashi bowl had tuna, salmon, yellowtail, scallops, fish roe and a piece of sweet shrimp. The sides included were shredded egg, crab meat and seaweed salad. Not only was there a lot of fish, but there was also a lot of rice! So worth the money and very reasonable compared to other chirashi in Seattle. I will definitely be back again soon. read more

Minato - Chirashi Bowl with Miso Soup - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Hands down, this is my FAV chirashi bowl spot in town. I recently tried minato a month ago, and have been back a total of 3x since then. Not only is the fish so fresh, but the rice is so flavorful. The shop owners are also the sweetest & kindest people ever! Highly recommend checking this spot out. read more

Minato - Salmon Don - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Really great, fresh, quality fish! Ordered online and it was seamless and quick. The people were also super nice! Will definitely be back.

Every time a new Japanese restaurant opens at Wallingford, I worry that there's will be too much competition for them to thrive - but I have no concerns for Minato! They have everything except for dine-in seating: a unique concept. (sushi sundaes), reasonable prices ($4-7 for sundaes, $13-25 for donburi), and very very fresh fish. Service was fast and the cashier was friendly. The ambiance was modern "wa"/Japanese - I liked the Japanese zabuton cushion on the window seat. read more

Minato - Menu on front window - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Amazing new "Take out only" food establishment in Wallingford. If you live in or near the Wallingford neighborhood and you're craving some simple Japanese sushi bowls or beef bowl, try this place. Ordering was simple on their website via OftenDining. My order was ready for me to pick up right on time. It was packaged neatly and looked appetizing. My family and I were not disappointed! Looking forward to ordering from them again soon. read more

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Stopped in today for their opening day cause I am a sucker for donburi. Got me a chirashidon cause it's got all the cuts. And they delivered the cuts. Rice was on point. Very solid. Look foreword to trying their gyudon next Is it the best chirashi don I've ever had? Probably not but the difference between this and the best is not far. read more

Minato - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

We got the Unagi Bowl and Salmon Ikura bowl, both were phenomenal, good portions. Something was leaking when we got our bag- maybe the soy sauce? I also wish they separated the unagi bowl and salmon bowl, as one is a cold dish and the other is warm. 4.5 stars if we consider the packing aspect. Food is a 5/5 :) read more

Minato - Unagi Bowl, Salmon Ikura Bowl - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This fish had a good life, cause hot dam it didn't realize that it had died given the freshness of it. Coming from HI the only thing i trust is salmon in Seattle and it did not disappoint. Service was fast and its take out only read more

Minato - Chirashi and salmon ikura - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Takeout only place! Chirashi bowl was $25, so obviously lower quality than $40+ bowls elsewhere. But even then I think the fish quantity was a little less than expected and was disappointed that the fish were cut so randomly. So many corner pieces and uneven thickness. Would be an okay picnic or quick to go, but would rather spend a bit more money read more

Minato - a bowl of sushi and a bowl of vegetables - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This new spot looked so cute and the fish looked fresh so I new I had to try it. It's takeout only and the service was quick and kind. Regarding the chirashi bowl, all the fish truly was tasty and fresh and the portions were generous. My favorite part of it was the ikura which I feel like isn't usually in chirashi bowls, which was nice! read more

Minato - Chirashi bowl - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

tl;dr: High quality Chirashi bowls full of sushi rice, fresh sashimi, crab, and other toppings inclusing ginger and wasabi. Similar to Fremont Bowl but more bespoke selection. Takeout only. Minato is a Chirashi Bowl restaurant like Fremont Bowl. The selection here is different than Fremont Bowl, as they offer Hamachi, Salmon + Ikura, and a few more unique bowls. Expect to pay $15-$25 including tax for a bowl. The quality, however, is very high and worth the price point. The owners of the restaurant are the same as Issian. If you love Issian for HH and dinner, check out this place during lunch to support the owners! The interior is clean and modern. Service is friendly. However there is no dine in option. Feel free to use the nearby parklet to eat, or just take it home. read more

Incredibly thick cuts and great portions for the price, would definitely recommend for takeout. Warning: They are a sister restaurant to Issei next door, but that doesn't mean that Issei has the same types of fish or even remotely the same quality. Minato's is much better read more