Toyoda Sushi

This place is pretty great for non sushi eaters. I had the saba shioyaki (mackerel) which was well cooked and a nice sized portion.
My friend’s chicken katsu looked a bit dry, but the gyoza and udon were great. I’ll probably get the udon and a side meat the next time I come back.
Get the small sushi over the regular sushi, if you’re torn. The difference in serving size was only a couple pieces.
Overall, very friendly and attentive staff and we’ll-prepared food. We’ll definitely be back!

I love it when restaurants give you something to eat right when you sit down! They gave everyone at the table miso soup and a creamy noodle dish flavored with onion, imitation crab, and a few other ingredients. Both were a great start to an even better meal. My husband and I shared a very generous and large sashimi dinner platter with really fresh fishes including tuna, salmon, red snapper, scallop, surf clam, octopus, shrimp, and mackerel. The surf clam and octopus were very tender and the tuna was just wonderful. My mom had the tempura and chicken teriyaki combo dinner that was equally delicious. The chicken was very flavorful without being doused in sauce and the tempura (an assortment of vegetables and shrimp) was cooked perfectly. We also had the tempura maki, california maki, and scallop maki. The tempura maki was my favorite but the california maki was a close second. The spicy scallop maki was actually too spicy and I didn’t like it very much even though the scallop inside was nice and fresh. Overall, servers were very attentive and the environment felt like a local, family hangout. I would recommend it to anyone. Prices are a bit on the high side but the quality of food and service make it well worth it.

The best sushi in town. Period! Fresh fish, exquisitely plated, great service from a friendly staff, and amazing katsu! Nothing else in the area comes close, save Maneki.

I moved to Seattle not too long ago and a friend of mine took me to this great sushi restaurant. We sat at the bar and ordered a combination of sushi and sashimi dinner with some appetizers. The owner (Mr. Toyoda) was very professional and friendly. He actually gave us some small samples of other rolls and sashimi without charging us. Everything was really delicious! I wanted to give them 5 stars but their waitresses were a bit too slow and forgetful. We had to wait for the appetizers more than 35 minutes when their tables were not even half filled. It is not a high end restaurant and the service is not so great. However, the owner works very hard and treats customers with great service that I still have to give them at least 4 star review. Although their waitresses are not very organized and forgetful, I will come back when I’m in the area.

One of my favorite Japanese restaurants in Seattle. Fresh authentic food, small but friendly atmosphere, decent price. We ordered sashimi assortment, the chef even gave us some extra pieces. The miso soup could be better though, and the chopsticks… but I would definitely recommend and go there again.

I have been a Toyoda fan since 1997. Unfortunately due to the bad experience from last two visits I have to take Toyoda off my favorite sushi list for the time being. We went there last week for dinner and it was such an unpleasant experience we all ended up losing our appetites.
1. Some of us ordered sushi, and some cooked items from the kitchen. The arrival time of these two different types of foods is hugely different. Why can’t they coordinate a bit so all of the foods from the table arrive at about the same time? I am talking about 15 minutes difference here!
2. Sanity issues, LOTS of fruit flies flying around. We changed our table once because they were just swarming around at the first table. It didn’t get much better after we switched to a different table. I overheard the waitress answering to another party at a different table about why there are so many flies. She said that they serve certain kind of fish that attracts the flies. How come you don’t see this problem at other sushi places? Does that mean the fly problem is even worst in the kitchen? We also found a piece of hair in the tempura which is simply disgusting.
3. Waitress didn’t give honest estimate of the meal size. When my 12 years old wanted to order a large katsudon, I asked the waitress if that is too much for a 12 years old. She said it won’t be but when it came it was even too much for my husband who is a big eater.
I used to love to come to Toyoda for quality sushi and pleasant dining experience, but lately I feel they have changed the way they run the business. A lot less wait staff therefore a lot less quality services compared to the past. I truly hope they will work on improving how they run the business since their sushi is still very good quality.

A pleasant surprise! A nice hole in the wall place. Food was more expensive than Maneki but they gave us way more than we ordered. Birthday pork katsu! Plus other stuff. We’re coming back!

I think its important to make a distinction between service and the quality of the food… I know that when I go out I’m looking for the total experience, and my girlfriend raved about this place so I was excited to try it… Let me start by saying, the food is FANTASTIC… You know that feeling, when you stick a piece of sushi in your mouth and you just KNOW you’re tasting quality? Well, Toyoda nails it… I had a bit of a spider roll, spicy tuna, California and the rainbow… the Rainbow roll was incredible… the edamame may have been cooked a little long, but it wasn’t bad and the miso soup was great as well…
Now I know what you’re wondering… «Mousa, if the sushi was great and you are raving about it why on Earth are you only giving three stars?»
I’m glad you asked… here’s the thing… service matters too… and I understand that sh! t happens… I get that people call out and restaurants can be short handed… I served tables for four years in my life at different levels of places and I get all this… and the distinction I’ll also make is that NO one at Toyoda was at any point rude or dismissive… they were just very busy and very out manned in terms of server to table ratio… the service was just slow… it was that feeling you get watching a car stuck in the mud spin wheels and get nowhere… sometimes, as a server you have to slow down, just work one thing at a time and know that in a lot of instances people will understand…
but rushing around and slinging drinks and food, putting things down and not doing a follow up, etc is not how anyone wants to be treated… one of the gentleman behind the bar explained what the issue was and was very friendly and personable…
at the end, when asked for a split check the waitress responded with, «well you didn’t tell me at the beginning»… ok, granted, and we should have… but I’m also aware that at a bar setting, each seat should be treated individually so that if asked, its easy to do… its the little things… I’m going to try this place again, because the sushi was that good… and the ambiance, for being small and simple was REALLY cool… it says something that people are willing to wait as long as they do and did last night…
but I really hope that a fully staffed server crew changes the way things are, because they have some work to do in the service department…

Toyoda’s sushi is superior quality, however the experience that my group had last night was downright appalling.
1. We were sort of greeted at walk in, yet not told that we had to sign our name on a sheet to be added to wait list (and noticed this when we saw another regular doing so).
2. When seats finally opened for our group of 4 to sit, we sat at the bar. It took about 12 minutes to be asked for any drinks or any starters (let’s not talk about how long it came for those items to arrive)
3. The staff, while very kind, gave off an extremely chaotic vibe as they raced the floor to help the customers. Normally, speedy service is a good thing. This team didn’t pull it off well at all and their rushed madness permeated the restaurant and seemed to have quite a few people on edge. More importantly it impacted the quality and execution of their service…
4. After having waited an additional 10 — 15 minutes for food orders, the team came to ask what we’d like and *as we were answering*, we were told to hold on while they took our menus to give to another table. Really?!
5. One person in our group ordered a sushi roll that had yet to be delivered and we asked about it as our group was finishing our meal (offering our own rolls to the friend whose roll hadn’t arrived). We were told it was coming, and 10 minutes later then had to ask about it again, where it seemed someone realized it had been sitting there unaccounted for, and brought it to our table finally. So he got to eat while the rest of our group sat with full stomachs.
6. When the hand-​written bill came out, before even seeing it we asked if it could be split. We were told that we hadn’t asked in the beginning, so it couldn’t be. Really? We each placed our own order, we’re sitting at the bar where normally people order and pay individually… surely a split-​bill should be a common request? So we take the bill, and realize it is completely illegible. Completely. I made the decision to walk up to the woman and let her know that we had such a disappointing experience, and having to split a bill that we can’t even differentiate one item from the next was the last straw. She kindly took it and split the costs for us so we could pay.
The whole night the team (with the exception of the chefs) operated so inefficiently you would have thought that Toyoda had just opened for their first day. I was so disappointed and regretted my decision in recommending this place to my friends.

We used to go here when we lived closer, now living on the east side we’ve been spoiled by a couple amazing sushi places in kirkland. We went here with the kids as a treat since it’s a further drive, but as we remembered it from years ago it should be worth the drive. Well it wasn’t. It felt dirty, crowded, unfriendly, and the food was not special. It was our last time here.

Toyoda’s glory days are over! They used to be the place to go for sloppy sushi, but they got greedy. Likes: mostly yummy sushi, friendly staff.
Dislikes: huge price increase, occasionally partially frozen sushi, sloppy cuts (weird bits of cartilage, bone, skin), uncomfortable seating, heaters/​air conditioners wedged between chairs like sitting in a shack, mis-​orders, non-​itemized billing, dated décor, pictures of friends vacations posted all over the walls, filthy bathroom, flying insects in your face, smaller portions.
Seriously, this used to be the place to stuff yourself on cheap sushi. They are not a premier sushi restaurant in Seattle, and anybody who thinks otherwise hasn’t been around.
For the same price there are dozens of professional sushi restaurants that are clean, comfortable, insect-​free, with a pleasing ambience.

Toyoda sushi has ruined almost every other sushi restaurant in Washington State. It is quite literally that good. If city-​bound, Sushi Maki is still rather excellent, but if you’ve got wheels– Toyoda is really the only option. This is a family-​run affair — and the family is absolutely beautiful. Their mastery is beyond mere recommendation. It should be a federal standard. Helen Toyoda is one of the most gracious, elegant women I’ve EVER encountered. Be prepared to wait and enjoy yourself. I’m sitting here on a Wednesday evening and the place is thoroughly packed. A VERY good sign for the wary. The quality of the fish used here is incredible. Jiro may dream of sushi, but Toyoda lives the dream. Kampai!

Toyoda is a small, authentic Japanese restaurant that sells excellent and expensive sushi. My group of five waited for 20 minutes on a Sunday evening. I liked the complimentary miso soup, noodle salad, and hot green tea. The service was pretty good throughout our meal. My group ordered Sushi Regular Assortment, Mixed Poki Salad, and Spicy Tuna Bowl, all of which were fresh and tasty.
The portions were good, but over-​priced. For example, I got nine pieces of Nigiri and 6 roll pieces for $ 28.
If money isn’t an issue for you, I’d recommend Toyoda’s for a great all-​around Japanese food experience. But if you want more value out of your dollar, I definitely recommend Musashi’s — same or better quality, and more sushi for less money.

The sushi was pretty good! I got the sashimi plate and the spider roll. I enjoyed the sashimi plate, however the roll wasn’t what I was looking for. I was more so hoping for a roll with some good sauces on it where this one was pretty dry. Other than that, the chef was awesome and gave us two things on the house to try! We had a good time! Definitely worth checking out!

A neighborhood favorite! We’ve been coming here for years and Helen always takes great care of us. The sushi is fresh and flavorful. My family prefers some of the cooked items (the marinated black cod is amazing!!) and the sashimi I’ve had is always tasty! Usually busy so make a reservation or be prepared for a little wait.

Best sushi place you will ever try! Toyoda is great and everyone here is very welcoming. Try the sashimi plate and you will not be disappointed!

Cannot believe this place has such raving reviews and that we waited an hour for our table… clearly people here don’t know what good sushi is supposed to taste like.
1) the sashimi came out half frozen — the insides were so ice cold that we had to let it sit and thaw a little. Can’t say I’ve ever been to a sushi restaurant where this has happened.
2) The bathroom was absolutely disgusting. And for a Japanese restaurant that supposedly specializes in making sushi? Anyone should know this is beyond unacceptable.
3) TERRIBLE service. Waitresses seemed to be all over the place, didn’t know which table needed what. One waitress tried to take our plate away when we still had a couple pieces of sashimi left on the plate, albeit it was sitting in a puddle of condensation after thawing.
Sure this place could pass as a cute neighborhood joint to get your less-​than-​mediocre sushi fix. But save your time and money and don’t bother getting caught up in the online review hype. Seattle has much better places to enjoy fine, quality sushi in cleaner and appetizing environments.

Delicious Sushi!
So happy we found this place and it’s in our new neighborhood which is amazing! Luckily we beat the rush, as by the time we were leaving the line was packed outside the door!
The fish was as fresh as I’ve had it here in Seattle. Our meal came with a complimentary miso soup and noodle salad and we ordered the «Sushi regular» which came with an assortment of nigiri and a spicy tuna roll. They cut all of the pieces in half which made it easy for my wife and I to share. As I mentioned before, the sushi was FANTASTIC and fresh.
We will absolutely be back.

Took 1 star off because of the inconvenience of the hours. Not open on Monday Tuesdays… what’s up with that.
Moving on to the food… the fish was good but portions are tiny and prices are expensive. They did offer us a plate of sushi on the house (free) probably because it was close to closing hours… and they had some food left.
They don’t have a designated parking lot, but parking usually isn’t a problem in that area.
All in all, I probably wouldn’t come back.

It was my first time here last night (11÷23÷13). I had it bookmarked for years, but I just rarely ever make it to this area anymore.
Anyway, it was a busy Sunday night. We showed up close to 7:30 and our party was 5 deep, and we wanted to sit at the sushi bar, unfortunately it was not in our cards last night. So about 60% of our party are regulars here, the owners knew one by name, and recognized the others. And that’s where the awesome journey begins. We ordered a smorgasboard of goodies: agedashi tofu. gomae, gyoza, hamachi kama (both baked and fried, fried was compliments of the owners), tako salad, tons of sushi (tamago, scallop, tuna, mackarel, ikura, etc… sadly they were out of uni), AND lots of sake and beer! We also unexpectedly received some spicy tuna, toro, mackarel, scallop, tuna sashimi!
WE WERE STUFFED! Seriously, we should have been rolled out of that place! AND the staff and the owners make you feel like you’ve come home. They were super personable, quite generous, and the food was DELICIOUS and fresh!
We are definitely fans of this awesome little place!
2 words: OISHII and KAMPAI!