My wife and I went to Wa'z over a month ago, but I waited to write this review until after we returned from Japan and had something with which to compare this experience. Our seat at the counter satisfies the curiosity of how the food is prepared but is really only practical if you are alone or with just one other person. While all the ingredients were excellent, as kaiseki, I expected a bit more seasonal ingredients local to Seattle. The presentation was top notch and the care taken to present each dish in the best possible way was very apparent. Clearly, I enjoyed the food, but my experience was not 5-star. My issue is the price of this meal. I know that many of the dishes required much preparation beforehand, but there wasn't anything exotic on the plate that really justified the cost. Many of the dishes were mere tastes. One small slice of Wagyu, two pieces of sushi, a couple slices of sashimi, and a few specialty seafood items don't really add up to how much it cost, which I thought was a bit inflated. My wife and I just went to a one-star Michelin rated kaiseki restaurant in Osaka called Sanai. Our meal in Osaka was in elegant yet simple intimate surroundings with a good degree of privacy, unlike the strange Belltown storefront that housed Wa'z. At Sanai, we had 11 courses of very unique and seasonal food over a 3 hour meal, along with a split of champagne. Our total bill for two was less than the cost of ONE of our 9-course meals with sake at Wa'z. After having the opportunity to compare this to something authentic in Japan, I'm a little disappointed with what we received for our money.

I have always been a fan of Waz for about a year. Despite some mixed reviews, my previous 4 visits are all great. Chef Hiro is nice and caring. Though the other 2 chefs are not interacting with customers much, the atmosphere is casual and comfortable. However, my recent visit is way below the bar for $195 after tip/tax spent ($595 for three people). For this visit, I can't rate it over 2 stars. Reason of giving 3 stars are because of my previous good visits. Funny is that my other three friends came to visit a few days ago, and they were not happy, but I did not choose to believe them and kept my reservation. 1. room temp is a little bit chill, when the regular dish wagyu oyster is served, it is already cold 2. the second course was pre-made before any one is seatted. It is ok for some dish of course, but for fried corn, it became oily and not crispy, not to mention the cold wagyu 3. The duck breast and nasu soup is not well executed, it feels like I am eating two things separately. The tastes were not mixed or forming a great chemistry. The soup is lacking taste as well. 4. sockeye salmon as sashimi dish is lackluster for sure 5. the rice is very hard and the fish lacks tastes. I was at least expecting the toro to be great, but it is not fatty or melting in my mouse either...and not to mention that they made all the 5 pieces for all customers and then serve them at the same time...sushi does not taste good after leaving it on the board for 20mins....not acceptable for counter seats....even I Love Sushi omakase serves sushi piece by piece... 6. Ochazuke: emmm, I wasn't expecting anything unsatisfying from a dish simple as ochazuke, but the wagyu in the dish is too sweet... 7. My other female friend was already very full and left some rice of the sushi on the dish, but this was not picked up or attended by chef or stuff.. I really hope Wa'z can improve future months' menu rotation, as I liked a lot.

A little bit of Kyoto here in our backyard! My husband and I were so happy to find this gem. We've had kaiseki before in Kyoto and Wa'z does not disappoint. The ambience is minimalistic which allows you to really focus on the food. I highly recommend doing the chef's counter for the best experience. It was fantastic to see Chef Hiro and his team meticulously make each dish -- like a beautifully choreographed performance. I enjoyed learning about the cultural significance of each of the dishes. Each is carefully curated and brings out the essence of the traditional ingredients. We will definitely be back to try his next menu!

This was a beautiful experience I am very grateful I was able to experience in Seattle. The artistry and skill that goes into the presentation of the meal is exceptional. Truly every detail is thought about to highlight the ingredients used. Wa’z is far more than a single meal, as an expression of the pure joy food can be.

Taste is fine but not much dedication to food details / customers. The popular dish oyster wrapped with Wagyu I tasted pieces of oyster shells.. The food portion is 5/5 but I’m willing to trade quality with quantity. Nothing really kicks my taste bud - not even the Uni. It’s like a regular Japanese cuisine that’s much cheaper than $200 per person. Also dining environment is a bit noisy so it’s kinda hard to hear chef and it just disturbs your mood. I won’t be going again and will not recommend it to my friends.

While omakase often gets the most mentions when it comes to higher-end Japanese dining in the US, kaiseki cannot be overlooked! Wa’z was our first kaiseki dining experience so we have nothing else to compare it to, but it’s was an amazing experience nonetheless. The meal came out in multiple courses, and sitting at the counter allowed us to see the chefs meticulously prepare the dishes and also listen to the intricacies and details between each dish. Since we came in the fall, the menu was autumn-oriented, with many fall themed dishes and ingredients to complement the changing seasons. My favorite was definitely the A5 wagyu steak—literally melted in my mouth as I ate it! Compared to omakase, the variety of food you are able to try is definitely a different experience, so if you are in the mood to try a diversity of different flavors, wa’z is a great option! Omakase definitely has its place for high quality seafood and ingredients when you are specifically searching for that, but if you want a change of pace kaiseki is a must try.

Everything was delicious! I’ve been to a lot of upscale Japanese fixe prix restaurants, and I think Wa’z really hits the mark. The Kaiseki menu (changes monthly) features a variety of dishes, which really helps keep things interesting from dish to dish. And what’s better — everyone in our party left full!!! Looking forward to coming back here next time I can grab a reservation!

Went to Wa’z Seattle for our 5th wedding anniversary. They serve a 9 course menu containing authentic Japanese cuisine with some modern twists. Every guest is served at the same time which is a really neat concept. The Food was uniquely presented and delicious. Service was impeccable. They even gave us flowers for our anniversary. This was the best dining experience I have ever had. We will be returning for future months menu. Be aware its Japanese cuisine not Japanese-American cuisine. They require s reservation, we saw them turn 5 people away and focus on the current customers, explaining every single dish that they served. Amazing. ありがとうございます！！ごちそさまでした！

We loved dining here. You’ll be seated in a room with about 5-6 other parties and you can see the chefs prepare everything for you. The hostess is so kind and it was great to be able to speak Japanese with her. We ordered a sake pairing and just to give a heads up you will get a lot of different sakes to try. But each sake paired well and brought out a lot of different flavors for each dish. The fish was fresh and the pairings of everything blended well together. They even give out a bouquet of flowers if you go for a special occasion!

A nice experience kaiseki style. All the ingredients are really fresh. The last dish before the dessert and the dessert are the best. Others we just so so- or maybe I just expected too much.

Absolutely five stars. Very authentic dishes with fresh ingredients of the season. Everything is with a touch of innovative spicing and designs, while you can sense the dedication to the details (especially the broths) by the chief. I'm really surprised by the quality, and I'll surely come back every time I visit Seattle.

What do you wanna hear ? You must try it out ! Wow you can get Hokkaido Uni, extremely pricy uni compare Santa Barbara uni.

Absolutely great place to enjoy Japanese food! It makes me recall those days in Kyoto, the tastes are very similar! The service is amazing!

We had a wonderful birthday dinner here. The staff was super attentive and the food was authentic. We have had kaiseki in Japan in many places and I loved this restaurant’s creative take on Japanese cuisine. Highly recommend!!

Both food and service were great. I especially liked - they added Persimmon to the menu to balance the savory taste with sweetness. I wasn't a big fan of persimmons yet I enjoyed this innovation - there were two Uni dishes with Hokkaido sourced Unis - the cod tasted much better than expectation. Normally I expected cod to be on the bland side but they made it taste amazingly good. one minor thing we did not like was that the wagyu they used was more "stringy" than we would like.

I had my first Kaiseiki dinner experience at Wa’z in Seattle. @wazseattle Kaiseiki dinner is an elaborate, multicourse dinner originating in Japan. Often reflecting the seasons, the dinner features an array of delicately prepared dishes with seasonal ingredients. It was an incredible experience, with each course carefully curated and featuring seasonal ingredients. The special new year's theme featured foods traditionally consumed during this time of year. My dessert came with a board reading "Happy Birthday," and I was given a beautiful flower bouquet as well. It was the thoughtfulness that went into the dinner that made it truly special, and I'm grateful for the wonderful evening!