I Love Sushi on Lake Union

Food is ok, the attitude of the people there sucks.

Best sushi and sashimi i ever had. Good customer care. Its pretty good place where to date and bring gf especially if she likes sushi. Thumbs up!

If I could give them zero I would. I placed an order at 9pm for delivery by 10:20, and was just informed that the restaurant cancelled my order. I am pissed, and hungry…

This place has the worst service ever. Cancelled our order without notifying us and then refused to make it when we inquired about it. Don’t even bother, I’m sure it isn’t worth it.

Pretty underwhelming considering its location and price. All of the rolls that we ordered were doused in sauce — as if to cover up the chef’s mediocre craftsmanship. The use of space is cramped at best — with the floor and most of the tables sticky from grease residue. If you aren’t a sushi snob, I’d suggest going to your favorite hole in the wall sushi joint, instead. You’ll get the same quality for a much lower price.

I had a really awesome omakase served by a white dude at the sushi bar. The kicker was its affordability — $ 40 – 50, making it much cheaper than places like Sushi Kappo Tamura, Sushi Kashiba, and Momiji.
It was also a piece of cake getting a spot at the sushi bar here on a week night, which was nice.

Pretty good for the price. I’ve both dined in and ordered. A plus is that they don’t charge for delivery if you order via food delivery services like BiteSquad. The sushi is pretty fresh, but I feel like they pack on a ton of rice on all of their rolls. I’d recommend going to lunch as they have good lunch specials.

First timer to this place — I particularly liked the salmon sashimi. The rolls, sushi, & tempora were quite good. The chicken katsu was decent, but I’ll try something else the next time. Very good service. Reserved parking in the front lot if you’re lucky.

Decent sushi, pricey, but great setting and ambience.

We were staying the night at the Silver Cloud across the way so when we saw a sushi rest. within walking distance we decided to give it a whirl for dinner. There was 5 of us in our party. We made reservations although it wasn’t necessary which was surprising for a Sat. night. We were seated next to the window which would have been a view of the marina/​lake but it was too dark by then, bummer. The menu was large, lots of options so it took a while to decide what we all wanted. In the end we had several items picked. We had a roasted garlic calamari salad, miso soup, miso/​clam soup, side green salad, tempura shiitake mushroom and tempura shrimp, an order of gyoza, and then 2 orders of sushi rolls, the Crunchy roll, the Super Spider roll and Sushi Train roll. We also had cocktails and hot sake. Sake prices were on the high side but did specialize in different varieties unlike the typical couple choices many sushi places offer. Everything was really good, although the description of the Train roll came looking much different then expected although still good just not as fancy. The Spider roll was really good, was surprised by hubby didn’t complain about all the crunchy raw-​like asparagus in it but overall really good. The crunchy roll good but a little on the plain ordinary side, nothing special. The tempura, gyoza and calamari salad really good as well as the miso soups. Service and cocktails/​sake really good although had to wait quite a while for my sake. Overall good experience, great location and really good fresh sushi and pretty presentation.

If I had to pick a place that had as close of a sushi quality to either of Shiro Kashiba’s legendary sushi places, or at least as good in terms of value /​quality for money, this would be my #2 (next to Chiso, at least «so far» in my few months of living here) in Seattle.
Don’t get me wrong, though — that’s not a bad rating,*by any means*. I honestly think that the restaurant is really well positioned — close enough to the lake that it’s awesome to be around (yet at the same time a little out of the way), and really close to a transit (light rail) stop that anyone can get to without too much extra effort.
Taking into account that this review is based on two visits using the «Chef’s Omakase for Two» Groupon on two separate occasions, here’s the breakdown:
1) VARIETY/​SELECTION: 6.5÷10. It’s hard for me to comment on «why» I gave this specific rating, since both of my visits here were for the «Omakase for 2» Groupon that I bought to share with a friend. I put a 6.5 because of the ability for the chef to select the omakase to present; while both times were different (I was more impressed with my second visit than my first, especially with the Otoro (extra fatty tuna) and the geoduck), there were missing pieces that I really expected to be improved the second time around. The «specials» board for the fish they list is also not very diverse — there were exactly 10 types of fish listed «on special» (I don’t mean the «sale» kind of special), which is pretty disappointing for a restaurant called «I Love Sushi».
2) VALUE FOR MONEY (with the Groupon): ⁹⁄₁₀. Especially since, instead of paying the regular $ 60, I paid $ 48 for the Groupon for 2; after tax (which for some reason, the Groupon doesn’t cover?) and tip, it came out to $ 31/​person, for a meal (supposedly) worth over $ 100, that’s «not bad»; however, if I had to pay full price for that, I would be pretty unhappy (and subsequently rate the same dishes we received at around a 5.5÷10, since $ 100 *before* tax and tip is way worse than $ 31 *after*). With the overall meal, there’s a soup, sashimi appetizer, calamari salad, salmon teriyaki, main sushi platter and mango jelly dessert.
3) QUALITY OF FOOD: 8.5÷10. I pleasantly enjoyed the premium pieces of sushi platter, as well as the opening appetizer sashimi platter /​salmon teriyaki /​calamari salad and dessert, but I was disappointed heavily with the rolls that were served with the main sushi platter, as well as the other sushi pieces that were not part of the «main three» that were served. Even using the other ones to build up to the premium pieces, I feel like if I were to pay full price, this same section would have a 6/​10, which is *terrible* given that I had the same experience at a discount. «Overall» it was good, but the *main sushi platter* shouldn’t have *any* disappointing pieces on it if the experience is coherent.
4) SERVICE: ⁷⁄₁₀. The waiter was slow on refilling our tables’ water cups (on both visits); we’d sometimes wait up to around 10 minutes before they would make their rounds and refill (considering we were there for over 1.5 hours, it was a pretty «meh» state sometimes — I’d have to think about when the waiter would come before finishing my water). The restaurant was never that packed the two times we visited, yet the waiter only checked up on us twice both times. While it wasn’t *evident* that we were going to order extra things, if I *wanted to*, the waiter wasn’t accessible enough to do so; I quickly lost interest in trying anything else outside of the Groupon experience we prepaid for.
5) PRICE: ¹⁰⁄₁₀. Considering we prepaid for a Groupon, and *after all was said and done with tax and tip*, we only paid $ 31 each, I’d say that’s a massive win, especially considering the overall quality and quantity of the food we received.
OVERALL (given the Groupon): ⁸⁄₁₀. This place is somewhere I’d probably come back to if I didn’t want to drop as much money at, say, Kashiba’s, however I would not come back here for the sushi quality; I’d pretty much only consider returning with the Groupon.
OVERALL (if I came without a Groupon): ⁶⁄₁₀. Not worth travelling outside of Belltown to visit, especially considering the general lack of quality in the fish for the amount charged, however the restaurant venue itself is quite nice, and the portion sizes are fair.

Best sushi and sashimi restaurant from California to Washington from my experience. Westcoast’s best sushi and sashimi restaurant. Awesome view next to Lake Union. Best dating course with the food and view. :)

Groupon for omakase: assorted sashimi with miso soup. Groupon states to make a reservation and when we called, they said to call Groupon. We expected to sit at the bar, but when we arrived (we were the first ones there), we were seated at a table facing the bar. No big deal but expected interactions with the chef. It’s omakase after all.
This is not a typical omakase. We started with some sort of a salad: scallop, salmon with some ginger dressing.
Next followed by a grilled mushroom/tofu…by then I was already thinking, this is going to be an adventure.
Calamari salad: Had a moldy piece of tomato in here.
Rolls: CA?
Nigiri: 5 or 6 pieces
Mango dessert.
While this will never be a Shiro’s (in their hey day) level, I would say everything was OK. I wouldn’t go out of my way to return.
Service was very good. But then we were the only patrons there initially. LOL.
It may be on the waterfront, but unless it’s summer, or you get one of the few tables at the window, you might as well be sitting in a cave. The ambiance isn’t there.

This place is a super rip off. Paid 40 bucks and got eight dollars worth of food. I would not recommend this place. The free delivery came quick but that doesn’t make up for the extremely high prices on your skimp meal.

This place has a very nice location right along the lake Union waterfront. My sister and I visited when we had a sushi craving and this place was a convenient pitstop. They have a very local feel, unlike the heavily commercialized vibe of Blur C sushi, while still maintaining a clean, sanitized, high end atmosphere. Some small scale local sushi places have suspect sanitation, but I love sushi is very clean.
My sister and I ordered the Spicy Tuna Roll and the Lake Union roll. Both were huge and very filling! The Spicy tuna roll was very spicy… A little too spicy for my liking, but at least we were forewarned by the name. My sister liked it. We both preferred the Lake Union roll however.
We sat in the bar, because this place was packed even on a Tuesday night! Sitting at the bar also gave us the unbeatable view of the chefs preparing the sushi entrées by hand. It was incredible to watch them! However I did notice that the sushi was kept in a freezer display at the front, and the door to the display was kept open for lengthy periods of time. This means the temperature could have been warmed by the external air, and may have been slightly dangerous since sushi is meant to be kept at blow freezing temperatures to ensure no germs build up. We did not get sick though! Overall it was a positive experience. :)

Just recently moved to Seattle. Did not have a favorite sushi place yet, I tried this place and fell in love! They have the nicest employees and did not get frustrated when my boyfriend and i asked alot of questions. The roll we had was delicious. One of the guys that worked there actually asked me if i liked oranges while I was watching him slice fruit really fast. i said yes, and he surprised me with a bear orange and a strawberry rose. It was a very good experience.
Reccomend :)

The rolls here are huuuuge… and good! Great view and great service!

For a place called I Love Sushi, you’d think their sushi would be better. Their name is damn duplicitous.
Bae and I came for Groupon’s $ 60 omakase dinner for two. The omakase dinner consisted of an appetizer, main dish, and dessert.
It’s telling when the view of Lake Union was the best part of the dinner.
The appetizer featured three compartments: calamari salad, teriyaki salmon, and sashimi. It was quite the impressive portion for an appetizer. The salmon was moist and well cooked, the calamari salad was nothing special. The sashimi would be a precursor to the rest of the night… unfortunately.
They say food is the product of its ingredients, and sashimi may be food in some of its most untouched form. PURE damn unadulterated FISH.
Bae took a bite of her raw sake and told me it’s some of the worst sake she’s ever had. Being the salmon lover she is, I respect her judgment and I followed with a bite of my own. I had to agree. This was some of the blandest sake I’ve ever had. Like «dayum son, where’d you find this? cuz I wanna know where you get yr stoooooopid from.» It had the texture of sake but absolutely no flavor. You wouldn’t eat this without soy sauce and wasabi. The rest of the sashimi appetizer consisted of octopus and tuna fared slightly better.
The omakase main course featured a nigiri selection of salmon, hamachi, shrimp, ahi tuna, scallop, mackerel, and salmon roe. We were impressed with the size of the offering but not the taste. Most of it was mediocre. The mackerel and salmon roe were alright, but those pieces of fish tend to pack the most flavor to begin with. The quality of the other pieces of fish separates the wheat from the chaff and all were lacking flavor.
Mediocrity breeds mediocrity with some mango pudding to cap off the night. Presentation-​wise, it was a mess, but hey, it tasted like mango pudding. Hard to screw that up. That’s all I could say about it.
If you’ve had great sushi experiences from other Japanese restaurants in the Seattle area, don’t bother coming here.
If you’re a sushihead, don’t bother coming here.
IF YOU LOVE SUSHI, don’t bother coming here.
High 1 to a low 2

The sushi was incredible, but the service was lacking. I got the 12^th man roll, which may very well have been the best sushi I’ve ever had.
However, the waiter kept asking each of us when we ordered, «Is that going to be enough food for you?» Which I think was maybe something they are required to ask, since some rolls come with fewer pieces than others (this is not listed on the menu, so I would recommend getting something with your roll). But nevertheless, sort of annoying to be asked after each person ordered. In addition to this, his general demeanor was unpleasant and disinterested, only returning to the table when absolutely necessary, and all but rolled his eyes when we asked to split the check (We are 2 college students and 2 post-​grads on a budget. It isn’t possible for one person to pay for everyone’s meal in that case, even using Venmo or Cash app, as the deposit takes days to go through.)
I was quite full after the 12^th man roll & miso soup. And the men at our table were in fact full after their meal (one larger roll and one smaller).
In summary: incredible sushi, poor service. Might recommend takeout.

The mango pudding tasted like a 3^rd grade milky, jello experiment. I hate how they gave me a sushi roll where the pieces are too big and American to neatly insert into your mouth the correct Japanese way. Small bites are culturally appropriate. They charge high for sushi that tastes so meh. I would’ve been better off ordering from Umi Sake House or another respectable place.
I’ve been eating raw fish and fish eggs my whole life and their Ikura (Salmon Roe) tasted funky. So sad that a joint in Seattle would consort to this kind of low.

I thought they was soooo nice! The price is pretty pricy for the sushi, but the food is pretty good :) I liked the service. The serving size is small, thus I would probably try other sushi places if you want to get your money’s worth. However if you need to be close to the lake, this is not a bad find.
My Personal Restaurant Rating Key
One star: the food was bad and I had a negative experience.
Two star: I had a more negative experience and would not come here again but the food was good so I may.
Three store: Everything is good except one thing. Example-​the food is good, the price is more reasonable but the atmosphere is lacking class. Or the food is good, the atmosphere is good, but they over charged us. These three stars are actually my favorite types of restaurants to go eat at if the reason is due to the atmosphere because they are usually delicious and reasonably priced.
Four stars: Everything is great, food and experience. However the price is definitely on the upper end. I would not recommend this first to Obama unless he didn’t like my five stars. These are restaurants you can take your boss or your mother-​in-​laws to impress them, however they still don’t fit into the five star category. A bit fancier than my three stars, hence I don’t often eat here unless there is an occasion for it or there is a groupon that gives me a bit of a discount!
Five stars: I would recommend this to Obama. The price may be on the upper end but the experience and the taste is so exquisite, it is actually worth every nickel and dime.

I Love Sushi is A-​OK, for sure. I wouldn’t exactly say that I *love* I Love Sushi though.
I wish I loved it because I works so close, and there’s nothing wrong with it per se… It’s just not the melt-​in-​your-​mouth sushi that the PNW has accustomed me to. The lunch will set you back $ 15 – 25 per person, and the rolls are giant.
The service is great, and the patio is great! The indoor seating is a little lacking for me, it’s dark and cold. The crunchy roll wasn’t very good, but the other rolls we chose were tasty.
It’s ok. Are you just looking for a place to chat over lunch nearby and have some $$ burning a hole in your pocket? Come here! There is free parking right in front of the building if you’re lucky, otherwise there are private pay lots and some city owned pay lots adjacent.

Northwest sushi ain’t bad! When in Seattle, go salmon. My favorite part about this place is how quick they deliver and how fresh the food is when it arrives. I feel like most places can’t transport sushi without it going bad but this place has figured it out. So much so that I usually order from here multiple times a month. Can’t stop, won’t stop.

$ 12 for five pieces of low quality shrimp?
Tuna that tastes unwashed and stale?
Please don’t come here. It’s the worst dining experience I’ve ever had in my life.

Came here with the three course omakase Groupon and enjoyed it!
Service — very good. Quick, attentive, and friendly
Parking — lots of pay to park spots but we were lucky enough to get one of the restaurants’ spots so it was free!
Meal — everything was good but nothing blew my mind. For the appetizer we had a calamari salad, teriyaki salmon, and sashimi. Then came the omakase with a variety of nigiri including ahi, scallop, mackerel, shrimp, hamachi, salmon, and salmon egg. For dessert we had homemade mango pudding with whipped cream.
Overall it was a good experience and good food, but I’m probably not going to go out of my way to come back.

This is my favorite spot for sushi. The area and décor of the restaurant fits the entire experience. The sushi is prepared well and quickly, for the hungry customer.
Spicy tuna is my favorite, but I am also a big fan of the crunchy roll.

Mediocre sushi poor service. I came here for their prix-​fixe Omakase meal. We started out with the appetizer sampler which consisted of roasted-​garlic calamari salad, deep-​fried Chilean sea bass and sashimi sampler. The calamari salad was drenched in sauce and was probably the fattiest dish of the three. The sea bass was cooked well and was my favorite dish of the night. The sashimi sampler had two pieces of tuna and one piece of salmon and shrimp. The cuts were small, but the quality was good.
Our next course was a nigiri assortment (tuna, king salmon, yellowtail, scallop, salmon roe, shrimp and mackerel) with 4 pieces of California roll. The sushi was decent, except for my scallop roll which barely had any scallop. Dessert was mango pudding and was my least favorite. It had poor presentation and lacked flavor. I ended up not finishing it.
The service could improve. Our waiter was trying to upsell us by sliding in an edamame order without telling us that it wasn’t included in our prixe-​fixe meal. Food and refills took forever. Although the restaurant is in a «Marina» area of Seattle, there’s not much of a view with the boats blocking the way. Save your money and go elsewhere. There’s plenty of better sushi restaurants in Seattle.