The Room
Taichi Kitamura opened Sushi Kappo Tamura on Eastlake Avenue in 2010 — a Japanese sushi counter dedicated to the proposition that Seattle needed a serious omakase room outside the Kashiba bracket. The James Beard Foundation has shortlisted Kitamura for Best Chef Northwest multiple years running.
The dining room is small and intentional — a sushi counter at the front, twelve seats facing the chef, four-tops along the eastern wall. The Seattle Times has held Sushi Kappo Tamura on its top-Japanese-restaurant list across multiple cycles.
The Food
The omakase counter at $185 per person runs eighteen to twenty courses across roughly two hours. The structure is classic edomae. The fish runs the seasonal rotation Toyosu-and-Pacific makes possible. The à la carte menu handles a serious nigiri-and-roll programme.
Sake programme is one of Seattle's deepest. Wine programme is short and Riesling-led. Service is the chef and a small front-of-house team.
Best Occasion Fit
Solo Dining: The omakase counter at Sushi Kappo Tamura is one of the most-considered Seattle solo-dining seats. Kitamura will run the omakase at the right pace, the sake pairing is the conversation.
First Date: First dates at the omakase counter at Sushi Kappo Tamura are a serious commitment — the meal runs two hours, the courses are narrated, the room's intimacy creates the kind of counter-conversation a working first date can grow inside.
Impress Clients: International visitors who recognise the edomae format and the Japan-supply chain will recognise Kitamura as one of America's most-considered alternative sushi chefs.