The Room
Shiro Kashiba opened Sushi Kashiba on Post Alley near Pike Place in 2015 — at age seventy-five, after fifty years of running Seattle's most-influential Japanese kitchens (Nikko, Shiro's Sushi). The room is dedicated to the proposition that edomae tradition deserves a counter run by the chef who introduced it to the Pacific Northwest. The James Beard Foundation awarded Kashiba Best Chef Northwest in 2018; he is still at the counter on most nights.
The dining room runs two formats: a fifteen-seat hinoki omakase counter at the back of the room, and a broader sushi-bar service in the front dining room. The omakase counter handles seventeen to twenty courses across roughly two hours. The fish is flown in twice weekly from Toyosu in Tokyo. The booking window is thirty days; weekend seatings tighten to under sixty seconds at release.
The Food
The omakase runs the classic edomae structure — a small opening series of cooked or cured pieces, a vegetable interlude, twelve to fourteen pieces of nigiri at the counter's pace, a tamago, a hand roll, a small dessert. The fish runs through the seasonal rotation Toyosu makes possible: otoro, hokkaido uni, kinmedai, seared kohada, the cured ikura that has been on the menu since opening. Kashiba narrates each piece personally.
Sake programme is one of America's deepest. The pairing flight runs $85 per person and includes producers Kashiba has personally sourced. Wine programme is short and Riesling-led. Service is the chef and one assistant at the counter.
Best Occasion Fit
Solo Dining: The omakase counter at Sushi Kashiba is one of America's most-considered solo-dining seats. Kashiba will narrate at the right pace, the sake pairing is the conversation, and the kitchen treats the diner of one with the same care a four-top receives.
First Date: First dates at Sushi Kashiba's omakase counter are a serious commitment — the meal runs two hours, the courses are narrated, the silence between courses creates the kind of room a working first date can grow inside.
Impress Clients: International visitors recognise Shiro Kashiba's name immediately. The fish is the language. The James Beard credential is the introduction. The fifty-year career is the credential.