We love this place! I haven't written a review for Modern Japanese for a while because I want to keep this gem to myself. But I also want them to succeed and always be around, so here I am, writing a review. Modern Japanese is takeout only. I think they went this way during the COVID pandemic and never went back to offering dine-in. That's my guess because I only tried them about a year ago and have been a Modern Japanese takeout fan ever since. My hubs and I love their bento boxes, especially the salmon kama (grilled salmon collar). It comes with rice, salad, small California roll, edamame, pickled ginger, pickled vegetable, and miso soup. Everything tastes delicious. It's all cooked and prepared with care and love. Their sushi rolls are also wonderful. The chef and staff are always friendly no matter how busy they are. It's a tiny but highly effective operation they're running there. Modern Japanese is one of our favorite restaurants in Seattle and we're so happy they exist! read more

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A great restaurant located in Phinney Ridge. The place is very clean and the staff are very friendly. The food was fresh and tasted great! The tempura shrimp were my favorite and perfectly crunchy and paired well with the flavorful miso soup. The chicken Don has the perfect amount of chicken to egg to rice ratio and was very flavorful. For the sushi, the fish was bright and fresh tasting with the rolls well made. Overall there wasn't a dish I tried that I wouldn't order again. This restaurant is to-go only and the dishes are well packed for travel. You can order ahead online and set your pickup time so you do not have to wait. They keep you updated with text. There was easy street parking available for a quick run in. read more

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What I tried- Sushi Roll (i'm obsessed with it) Bento Box Matcha Tiramisu ( sooo good ) Yuzu Mochi The desserts are made in house and is fresh They have a lot of options in Japanese cuisine - both traditional and new! Note: It's a take out place, there is no dine in option read more

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Tasty fresh food. Mostly prefer for takeout. I recommend this sashimi. not super speedy but done well.

Stopped by for lunch with my boyfriend and we ordered the spicy ahi don and the matcha cheesecake. Our total cost was about $27 It's take out only at the moment so we ate in my car. SPICY POKE DON - It is a little pricey with it being close to $17 for one bowl but it was filling and there was a good amount of fish. It wasn't as spicy as we had hoped it would be but it was still yummy. MATCHA CHEESECAKE - Not as matcha heavy as I would have liked but the dessert is light which is perfect for ending a meal. I really did like the texture of the cheesecake. Service was quick as it's take out only and we didn't have to wait too long for our food after paying. read more

I first heard of Modern not because of the main courses but because of their mochi. They are freshly made and pillow-y delicious. Yum! The restaurant is pretty small. For the time being, they are not having dine in, and they are allowing one party inside at a time to order, choose from the bakery case, etc. You can pre-order baked goods as well as the meals. The menus are on the window, so you can read from there before entering to order. Hamachi Kama Set - 3.5 Stars They serve the Hamachi Kama with four little pieces of CA roll, veggies, edamame, and miso soup. I believe the price for the set is $20. It's spendy for a Hamachi Kama. A collar at most other places is much less than that. The extras are not a lot of value. The food is a normal good, but not extraordinary. The cost is high. Sushi Combo with Miso soup, $20 - 3.5 Stars Salmon belly, salmon, hamachi, tuna, albacore and 6 pieces of CA roll. Same assessment - The food is a normal good, but not extraordinary. The cost is somewhat on the higher side, but not as outright high. Spicy Yellowtail Roll, $10 - 3.5 Stars Yellowtail, avocado, and shiso leaf topped with chili pepper, spicy mayo, and green onion. Rainbow Rolls, $13.50 - 3.5 Stars Crab salad and cucumber topped with an assortment of sashimi and avocado Still the same assessment. Both rolls are pretty good. They are also rather small. Other "neighborhood" level of sushi restaurants have bigger portions. ^^Food/entrée wise, if I live nearby, I would order from them. But I wouldn't travel there for it. Pastries, identified as from Setsuko Pastries Strawberry Mochi, $4.50 (I think) - 5 Stars This mochi is magnificent! I would travel again for this easily. This is a must order. Snow Beauty cheesecake, aka Japanese style no bake cheesecake with green tea (Matcha), $6 - 4.5 Stars I asked for the most matcha flavor dessert, and the staff recommended this one. It was good! This is more of a whipped smooth kind. Good, nearly great. The staff is helpful with all my questions. I ordered ahead, and the food was on time, ready for pickup. read more

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I downloaded yelp and made an account just so I could come on here and leave a great review, the most recent review is two month ago and I don't think it does this place justice, the people in there are so sweet and nice. I got the triple salmon don bowl, miso soup, and shrimp tempura roll and everything was hot fresh and tasted so good and I just don't think this place gets the love it deserves. read more

I can't remember the exact rolls I ordered, but I was pleasantly surprised that we have a delicious sushi spot in the neighborhood! The flavor was delicious and the prices affordable. Sushi can be very hit or miss if ordering delivery but Modern Japanese did not disappoint. I would love to do dine in, but I'm not sure if they're still only open for delivery and take out. Either way, they're worth the drive! read more

Modern Japanese Cuisine - Sushi delivery - Sushi Bars Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I ordered takeaway and very easy to pick up the food, just schedule a pickup time! Several of the rolls were outstanding, Big Bang Roll, California Roll, tuna roll - delicious! Shumai - not bad; gyozas - good. Highly recommend! read more

Modern Japanese Cuisine - Gyoza, Shumai (3 Pcs) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Ordered some sushi from Modern through Grubhub. I tried the crunchy backed salmon dinner and shrimp tempura roll dinner. The sushi was okay. It was $25 read more

Modern Japanese Cuisine - Sushi Bars Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Ordered the salmon collar for lunch and it was delicious, along with all the other sides. Service was friendly. Take out only restaurant. Would definitely recommend read more

Modern Japanese Cuisine - Salmon collar bento - Sushi Bars Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This place is kind of small, have a nice backside for couples of tables maybe 2-3.. I was recommend by family in Seattle to come to try this place, we ordered a few rolls and a rainbow poke to try. The sushi rolls were just ok, nothing very memorable ( I just remember how I didn't like the lion king, the cooked salmon in it was very fishy and combined with the shiso leaves gave me a weird taste) Their rainbow Poké was ok, I felt their fish were a little slimmy and fishy tho. read more

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Great California rolls, great mousse cake. This really hits the spot with my wife as well. Will come again to try other items on the menu. read more

Stopped by to picked up dessert for a friend's birthday. Ended up picking up the tiramisu and matcha dessert cheesecake for her and the mochi's for me. The mochi's I have to say were AMAZING...the texture and right amount of sweetness just melted in my mouth and I can see going back to pick up more. Will have to ask my friend what she thought of her desserts. I have tried the tiramisu before when a friend brought over and remembered it as pretty darn delicious. The gentlemen who greeted me at the store was warm & welcoming & helpful. He gave me great suggestions on desserts and also informed me of their patio availability and happy hour info. He definitely encompassed what great customer service and care means, and was a great representative for the shop in my opinion. I look forward to stopping by in the future to try their food menus as well as pick up more mochis read more

Modern Japanese Cuisine - Matcha cheese cake - Sushi Bars Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I didn't have a good experience at this restaurant despite the other people high ratings. The server seem like he wasn't experience in the F&B industry and the food was lacking,especially my tempura udon. The only reason I am giving it two stars is because the price is reasonable, the staff was pleasant, and it was a cute looking restaurant. read more

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They failed to put any utensils with my order or soy sauce. Very frustrating!!!!!!! Expensive delivery and 2nd time this has happened!!! read more

We live by this small Japanese restaurant and never tried it. Got sushi takeout and curry last night. So fresh and well made!! We appreciate you and will be back! read more

Cute little restaurant in phinney ridge. It's nice to have a Japanese place in this neighborhood. I came in 10 minutes before closing for lunch. $14.99 for a lunch special sashimi salad. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting. I too had high expectations for this restaurant. They gave me a box filled with bagged greens, 7 pieces of fish, and a tiny 1/4 filled sauce cup. Really?! No wasabi and just a little sauce for this salad? I wasn't happy at all. I couldn't even go in to complain. Please be more generous with your salad dressing next time. read more

Modern Japanese Cuisine - Sushi Bars Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This is the sweetest Japanese restaurant. My daughter and I were starving after going to the zoo and playing in the park for hours. We happened upon Modern Japanese and decided to eat here. When we first arrived the only two tables in the front of the restaurant were taken, so we briefly sat at the sushi bar until one table cleared. I ordered chicken karaage for my daughter, salmon nigiri and another roll, which I can't remember now, but in that moment, it was good hehe. Everything we got was delicious. Simply, but tasty. The karaage was soft, portion was small, so my daughter ate it all. Salmon nigiri was good piece of salmon. Overall, I was happy with our meal. Our server was friendly. People were in and out with orders, but otherwise it was just our table and another table for the duration of our lunch. The space was nice and clean, including the restroom. I believe there is outdoor seating for when it's warm out. I'm rarely in this area, especially now that our zoo membership is expired, but if in the area, would love to visit again. read more

I'm a really picky sushi eater and as well as for the service in a restaurant since I also work in the industry. I've been here twice and it was a pleasant trip the first time. I shared the hanabi roll, the salmon carpaccio and their dessert which I forgot the name and a glass of wine for each for me and my friend. Everything came out smoothly and a decent time. Service was also good. The food was also decent. Second time, came on a Friday night and we had ordered a nigori and two teas. The server bought us our nigori after 5 minutes and teas after 20 minutes.. We did not get why he had to wait so long to give us our tea. Also, appetizers we had ordered had taken around half an hour to come out. That was okay as well since they were busy. But the two rolls which we ordered still hasn't came in an hour.. We asked the server and he said they are making it.. Right after that it finally came. If it wasn't for all the waiting, I would have had a better time but it was still good food and company so all is well. I just hope that server does a better job next time and pay more attention to the customers. read more

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After reading some raves on the Ballard Facebook groups we checked this place out this week. It was so delicious!!!! We ordered via the phone and get were super nice and we picked our food up ourselves. Everything we ordered was fresh and so yummy. I got the salmon bento box, it was so cute and good. We got sushi too and it was really great. We will definitely go back! read more

Their sushi-meshi (rice) is excellent as good as we have sushi in Japan. Their seafood and vegetables are all fresh. We normally don't really care for fusions, but our daughter loves their Big Bang roll and White Emperor roll. They are also fresh and unique taste. Their Ocean platter is our go to dish and I think their price are reasonable specifically for sushi platters. Their dishes and tastes are consistent. They pack very carefully and neat, and they never miss any for delivery which makes my life easy :) This place is a hidden gem for us :) read more

Good sushi, fresh and convenient. Prices seem rather high as this is mostly a take-out place. They charge prices as high as the local best sit-in places. Also my recent take out didn't come with ginger or wasabi - that was a let down. Desserts are very very good but I wouldn't use that as a reason to buy the sushi. read more

When I have nothing to do, I go there since the owner is nice. My friend works there as well. Her name is Chie San. I once ordered a birthday cake, and the Setsuko San did perfectly. Thank you. During Covid, I wanted to sit at their deck area.. but not opened.. They had some sweets event before Covid. read more

A very cute restaurant right next to Woodland park zoo. This place is stingy. We ordered a chicken karaage curry. It came with a whopping 3 piece of chicken of a size of a pinky lol. I kid you not. I am dead serious. And it's $14! Also the karaage was burnt so after I removed the burnt portion I had probably 1 and half piece left lol. The price is OK but come on....I expect better portion? the taste is ok nothing exceptional. We also order the spicy poke bowl. It's not good. The vinegar is too overpowering and again very stingy on the fish and it was $16!? I could probably get better poke cheaper and tastier in a lot of other places. Maybe I was in a bad mood with my main course, I found the dessert mediocre... In general they have decent tasting food but super stingy on portion with. The environment is very nice with natural breeze and soft jazz. I would definitely come again if they change owner. I honestly don't know how this place got such a a high rating. read more

This place was amazing! Such a cool little vibe. When you first walk in it's almost like a cafe because there's tea and a pastry case full of all kinds of goodies. But then there's also a sushi bar. Very fresh and flavorful. The poke bowl was amazing. I highly recommend the seared salmon nigiri as well as the caterpillar roll! Their miso was just what I needed on this rainy seattle day. read more

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Ordered matcha cake and matcha latte. Very mediocre matcha cake.. They can't make matcha latte less sweet becasue matcha was already mixed w sugar. No restroom for customer either. Won't come back. read more

I was really disappointed in our meal. The portions were exceptionally small. We were shocked when we opened up the tiny containers. For $85, I expected to be able to feed a family of 4 especially given that two of us are younger children. Everyone was still hungry after all the food was gone. And it wasn't even good. The udon was bland as was the sushi itself. The kara-age fried chicken was lukewarm and doughy, not crispy. We've had kara-age in Oakland, CA before that was amazing. This felt like kara-age from McDonalds in comparison. What a bummer. Will not be back. read more

Modern Japanese Cuisine - Tiny portions of edamame and kale goma-ae. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Sushi was mediocre and overpriced. We did lunch carry out so it's possible it's better when you eat there. There are better options in the area in terms of quality and price. read more

These are fucking Oscar Meyer hot dogs NOT "Japanese pork sausage". If your business is suffering that bad from COVID just take it off the damn menu. Shame on whoever was working today for the bait and switch. 1st and last time I will ever eat here. Sushi was stale too.... read more

Modern Japanese Cuisine - Japanese pork sausage = fancy cut Oscar Meyer hot dogs - Sushi Bars Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Started an early dinner party in the middle of the afternoon. Need to have sushi of course! The rolls were beautiful made and yummy. I'm visiting and even my Seattle friends were happy I checked this place out. The sushi was gone as soon as we put it out and we are picky about our sushi! I pre-ordered online and everything was ready on time. read more

Ever since I ordered a cake from them for my wedding, I've been wanting to try their food. I finally made it in and ordered their curry, tempura udon, happy hour edamame and sashimi. I really wanted to like them because their menu items are uniquely Japanese but alas, the entire experience was very underwhelming. 1. Japanese portions with Seattle prices. In other words, portions are tiny compared to what you pay. 2. Execution needs improvement: The edamame needed more salt and was over cooked. The tempura came out soggy. 3. Service: Our waitress was nice and attentive, but she was not familiar with the menu. The curry was definitely the best dish, however it was standard curry that I could make a home. I would not pay $15 bucks again. Their desserts are great. Stick to the desserts. read more

Honestly, I'm hard-pressed to find good Japanese food near me, but this place is phenomenal! I had the Dragon roll and it was SO good. We also ordered the Unagi bowl and the eel was amazing and melted in my mouth and just overall was so yummy. The desserts were equally great. We ordered the matcha cake roll, baked cheesecake and tiramisu cup. The matcha cake roll was fluffy, the cheesecake dense and creamy, and the tiramisu sweet and flavorful. Bonus: super cute decor :) 10/10 would recommend! read more

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Modern Japanese Cuisine opened about two weeks ago and the kiddo and I had an opportunity to check it out for dinner on 2/11/15. It is a great addition to the Phinney Ridge neighborhood, bookmarked by nearby Tokuda and Fresh Flours. First of all, wow what a transformation from the former Mo's Sandwiches! I inquired and was told that the renovation took three months. I'd say their meticulous work is worthy of the restaurant's name 'modern' - sleek work with pocket shelves with merchandise, front case showcasing sushi to go and an assortment of desserts by Setsuko Pastry, counter/bar stool seating facing the front sidewalk and in front of the sushi prep area. In addition, there are two 3 top tables available, so coming in as a large group would not be advisable. Later in the season though with warmer weather, one could have take out and dine al fresco at the nearby park proximate to Woodland Park Zoo. The beautiful flora and fauna (orchids!) were also a nice touch in this pocket sized restaurant. We started with piping hot tea ($2.50 each, black or green) while perusing the menu. There are the usual nigiri and rolls, but there are also other innovative spins on other entrees, beer, even sake flights available. Here's what we ordered: One order of Shumai (3 pieces, $5.50) - generous shrimp One order of Tuna Nigiri (2 pieces, $4.00) - fresh and perfect serving temperature One California roll ($5.50) - nicely executed with some cuts on the bias One Shrimp Tempura roll ($7.00) - delicious, crispy tempura Three Salmon rolls ($4.50 each) - deemed excellent by the kiddo Service was a bit tentative, but two other individuals (presumably the owners) stopped by and checked in during our meal. My eyes were bigger than my stomach, so the rest of the sushi was packaged to take home. This was a smart move since the strategically placed pastry case served as a reminder to save room for dessert. We tried the Green Tea Cheesecake ($4.95) and the Mont Blanc ($4.20). The Mont Blanc was a light, layered dessert with chestnut puree, whipped cream, azuki red beans, and green tea sponge cake. Both were tasty, thankfully not too sweet or cloying, and perfectly sized. A worthy stop for high quality sushi with a welcoming neighborhood vibe! read more

5 stars for the food. 2.5 for waitstaff. We're frequent flyers here and have been since November. I love the paired down menu, rotating specials and house made desserts (Protip: cheesecake. That is all). The back patio is great on summer afternoons and the happy hour is killer! But... A new member of the waitstaff was added about 1-2 months ago and it's very clear the person is new to the service industry. As former service industry workers ourselves, we're always more patient and lenient than most. We understand the struggle and what it takes to do the job. Unfortunately, even with experience the service is not improving. We're having to ask for ordered items multiple times or ask to have them removed from the check because we never received them. We had high hopes for the individual but it doesn't seem to be working. We are now in a position where we check who's working before coming in just to avoid the lower service quality. Tonight is a prime example. We come in (didn't see the staff member), and we're seated at the bar. No menus are given and we don't receive waters or a check-In for the first ten minutes or so. The chef herself even checked in before the waitstaff and because we didn't have menus, we couldn't fully articulate our order (I never remember all the sale names). The waitstaff comes to take our order and says, "Do we know what we want?" and I politely asked for the menus. We place our order, three starters from the happy hour menu and two mains. Both mains come out before the starters. My husbands starter came out and my soup and salad were no where in sight. Wait staff comes to check in and asks if we'd like to order anything else...politely, I provide a reminder about the soup and salad. During our visit there was one other table and two to-go orders picked up, so it wasn't volume related. Hopefully, this will course correct and we can resume our regular patronage. read more

Had takeout on the sidewalk to eat the delicious and well-presented sashimi. Unagi Don was excellent!

I loved this place. It's so unpretentious. A couple of tables, a counter along the window wall to look out the street and a small bakery display. All very simple and in muted colors, with plenty of natural light. Found on yelp app when looking for sushi when in nearby woodland zoo. Easy drive up Phinney avenue and easy street parking and you're there. We ordered sushi rolls and beef curry. Sushi was good and tasted fresh; beef curry needed a little more salt, nothing soy sauce sitting on the table couldn't fix. Both dishes had a really nice presentation too. I almost went for one of their house made desserts until my yelp app informed me that Fresh Flours (with their green tea muffins are just across the street). They all looked so pretty: all kinds of panna cotta cream types of different flavors! 4.5 stars for experience here for me. Coming back again soon and getting more sushi and that dessert this time! read more

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I guess this is what $60 gets you in Seattle now. Very disappointed by the portions for the price paid. The hand rolls were about what I would expect but the other two rolls... that should be one roll, but for $12 each, two rolls were half the size of what I expect for a normal roll. They were good but nothing exceptional. Sharing with another person, we didn't feel like we got enough food for how much we paid. read more

Modern Japanese Cuisine - Sushi Bars Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Sad to say, this place disappointed me. And i made the trek all the way here too. Which makes me just even more sad. Or.. maybe i should take the silver lining.. and say.. i won't have to travel this far again.. cause i won't be missing out. First of all: there is very limited seating. So plan to go with groups of 3 or smaller (or just plan on going somewhere else instead?). Knowing that their place is small. They still have huge square tables.. that can only fit 2/3 chairs per table. doesn't really make any sense. Ok moving forward: service was friendly.. but MAN! super slow! We made the mistake of going in a big group of 6... and our food came out 2 at time. Yes.. some of us finished our meals, before we got all of our meals out. Food: Sushi... was nothing exciting. I ordered the Kimono roll.. which looked nothing like their photos. Was missing the tobiko roe, and flavor actually. Nothing stood out. Not the rice, not the seaweed, and definitely not the filling. Ok.. one big perk. I like their chicken nan ban. Chicken was flavorful. Sauced perfectly light. I just realized that I never got my miso soup that was supposed to come with it tho. SO another negative Hubs got their beef curry... well.. he got his last.. so I finished my sushi, and my chicken nan ban.. and was able to move on to his (HEY, i eat a lot ok!). There was no beef. So i just had to do a double check. they said the beef is in the sauce. This is a very runny runny sauce (not like the typical japanese curry you are used to). So definitely no beef. I'm guessing beef stock? Newho.. it was ok. but it was just rice and sauce... so not very fullfilling at all. Dessert: of course i have to order dessert from a japanese bakery place. of course this was another let down from this place. There was no special desserts that are posted in here. No mango delicacies. Only very regular desserts, which I"m guessing is all sourced from an outside vendor. Souffle was dry. But i liked their strawberry shortcake.. but hey, that's hard to mess up right? Took them forever to get us our bill, and they weren't able to split our checks. What i thought at first should be a good value meal $8-10.. was not. As i forgot to mention, portions are pretty damn small too. Ah ok. i'll just end it here. Until never again.. Japanese Modern! read more

Very small place. Service was painfully slow and our experience was disappointing -- seems like it should have been faster with so little seats. There seems to be a problem with staff communication and forgetting orders. The person sitting near us had been there long before us and seemed finished. The waitress asked if they wanted their check and they said they were still waiting on their crunchy roll. 20 minutes later they flagged the waitress down again to ask about their missing roll. The waitress said it was on the way but it didn't seem like anything was being made. The person canceled the order because they had been waiting for so long and left. We ordered a calpico soda, Seattle roll, and kimono roll. The Seattle roll came within 15 minutes. Then we sat around for 30 minutes watching other orders that came in after us get delivered. We flagged the waitress down and reminded her about the soda, which she brought out right away and apologized. But how do you forget that? Drinks should come first, right? We ordered the SODA and we got the yogurt drink instead. Didn't want to cause trouble so we just accepted it even though we told her seconds before she grabbed the can. Another 10 minutes of sitting around and we had to ask the staff the whereabouts of our kimono roll. Apparently it was forgotten! Just like the person that came in before us! The guy apologized and said he'd get right on it. 10 minutes after that we got our kimono roll with a little extra sashimi as a peace offering. We thanked the gentleman but still felt disappointed that 2/3 of our order was forgotten. We were never checked on once by anyone. Even when they saw that we were obviously waiting for orders and sitting at the table with empty plates. Service aside, the sushi rolls were pretty standard and nothing "wowed" us. Sad to say this about a place that looks nice. I'm sure the people are very busy and nice but it's disconcerting when your order and another's is forgotten. read more