Sai Sushi & Sake

Sai Sushi & Sake sushi restaurant

Time truly flies—September is already here!Our September Omakase features a variety of carefully prepared dishes, includ...
09/04/2026

Time truly flies—September is already here!

Our September Omakase features a variety of carefully prepared dishes, including flounder fin-edge nikogori, crab and vegetables wrapped in nori and soy paper, and a refreshing vinegared dish with our house-made yuzu sauce.

Our warm dish features delicate Japanese yuba and soy milk, prepared as a delicate steamed dish.

The Signature Omakase also includes a comforting osuimono featuring Japanese fish paste and burdock root wrapped in abura-age.

We invite you to join us at SAI Sushi & Sake and experience our Omakase.

Reservations for October are now open. We look forward to welcoming you and sharing a memorable evening with you.

SeattleFoodie SeattleFoodies SeattleDining SeattleRestaurants JapaneseCuisine SushiLovers OmakaseExperience SeattleEats

🚨 IMPORTANT FRAUD WARNINGChinese below — 中文请见下方Thank you for supporting SAI Sushi & Sake.We have recently discovered cus...
08/16/2026

🚨 IMPORTANT FRAUD WARNING

Chinese below — 中文请见下方

Thank you for supporting SAI Sushi & Sake.

We have recently discovered customers making reservations through Chinese third-party platforms such as WeChat and Taobao.

Please understand:

SAI Sushi & Sake DOES NOT offer any discounts or promotions.
Our ONLY official reservation system is Tock.

We have absolutely NO affiliation with these third-party services.

These fraudulent groups may collect your name, phone number, email, and credit card information, take your money, and make a reservation using your name and phone number — but with a fake email address and a stolen credit card.

After your meal, the actual cardholder may dispute the payment, causing the charge to be reversed.

Most importantly, our restaurant and Tock records may show YOU as the person who used someone else's stolen credit card — even if you had no idea this was happening.

If you have made a reservation through WeChat, Taobao, or another third-party platform, please contact us immediately.

📧 [email protected]

Please do NOT provide your personal or credit card information to anyone claiming to offer a discount or special reservation for SAI Sushi & Sake.

━━━━━━━━━━━━

🚨 诈骗预订重要警告

感谢大家一直以来对 SAI Sushi & Sake 的支持。

最近我们发现,有客人通过微信(WeChat)、淘宝(Taobao)等中国第三方平台预订我们的餐厅。

请注意:

SAI Sushi & Sake 从不提供任何折扣或促销活动。
我们唯一的官方预订系统是 Tock。

我们与这些第三方平台没有任何关系或合作。

这些诈骗团伙可能会获取您的姓名、电话号码、电子邮箱和信用卡信息,向您收取费用,然后使用您的姓名和电话号码、虚假邮箱以及被盗信用卡为您进行预订。

用餐结束后,真正的信用卡持卡人可能会提出退款或争议,导致这笔付款被追回。

最重要的是:即使您完全不知道发生了什么,我们餐厅和 Tock 的记录仍可能显示为“您本人使用了他人的被盗信用卡”。

如果您曾经通过微信、淘宝或其他第三方平台预订过 SAI Sushi & Sake,请立即联系我们:

📧 [email protected]

请不要向任何声称可以为 SAI Sushi & Sake 提供折扣或特殊预订的人提供您的个人信息或信用卡信息。

— Akiyoshi Saito
Owner, SAI Sushi & Sake

Our August Hassun includes locally harvested geoduck clam, thinly sliced and tossed with tofu and a delicate pear sauce;...
08/09/2026

Our August Hassun includes locally harvested geoduck clam, thinly sliced and tossed with tofu and a delicate pear sauce; Japanese and Okinawan purple sweet potatoes simmered with lemon; and a delicate corn pudding made with puréed sweet corn and Japanese kudzu starch.

Reservations for September are now open. We look forward to welcoming you.

Sai Sushi & Sake Part 14​A short while after we opened, a customer who was deeply interested in food came to visit, list...
08/04/2026

Sai Sushi & Sake Part 14

​A short while after we opened, a customer who was deeply interested in food came to visit, listening with incredible seriousness as I explained each dish I served. I was genuinely happy that someone took such a genuine interest in the food I made, so I did my best to explain everything in detail. Upon leaving, they handed me their business card. It turned out they were a food writer for The Seattle Times, the most famous newspaper in Seattle. They wrote about our restaurant in their publication, and from around that time, people gradually began to discover our restaurant.

​This series, which I casually started back in January of this year, has now reached August. Since my memory has been getting a bit hazy lately, I wanted to write everything down while I still remembered it clearly, and this post brings our series to its final chapter. Unexpectedly, so many people became interested in our restaurant through these posts and came to visit us, for which I am deeply grateful.

​As I'm around my around-sixties (Arakan), I don't know how much longer my body will hold out, but I will continue to pour my heart into making food. I would be truly delighted if you came to visit us. Thank you so much for reading along for such a long time. I look forward to welcoming you all at the restaurant!!

​Sai sushi & Sake編 その14

​オープンしてから少し経った頃来店されたお客様で、とても料理に興味を持ってくださった方がいて、色々提供した料理のことをものすごく真剣に聞いてくださる方がいました。単純に自分が作った料理のことに興味を持っていただけたことがとても嬉しく、こちらとしても一生懸命料理の説明をさせていただいたのですが、お帰りの際にこの方から名刺をいただきました。シアトルで一番有名なシアトル・タイムズのフードライターの方でした。この方にうちのレストランのことを誌面に書いていただき、この辺りから少しずつお客様に私たちレストランのことを知っていただくことになりました。

​今年の1月から何気なく始めたこの連載も、8月になりました。最近記憶力の方も曖昧になってきているので、覚えてるうちにしっかり書き残そうと思っていた連載も今回が最終回になりますが、この投稿をきっかけにレストランに興味を持ってくれて来店された方が思いのほかたくさんいて、ありがたく思っております。

​アラカンなので体力的にもあとどれくらい続けていけるのかわかりませんが、これからも一生懸命料理を作っていきますので、是非ともご来店いただければと思います。長い間読んでいただきありがとうございました!レストランで皆様とお会いできることを心よりお待ちしております!!

Sai Sushi & Sake Part 13​Both the interior work and electrical work for the restaurant were completed safely, and becaus...
08/03/2026

Sai Sushi & Sake Part 13

​Both the interior work and electrical work for the restaurant were completed safely, and because in-person interactions were prohibited, even the final inspection was conducted remotely. Amidst all the chaos, we were somehow able to officially celebrate the grand opening of SAI Sushi & Sake on April 1, 2021. By the way, regarding the origin of our restaurant's name—though it might be hard to believe—back when I ran my previous restaurant, Cutting Board, there were actually many people who called in wanting to place a special order, thinking they could buy an actual wooden cutting board. At first, I had no idea what they were talking about and had a huge question mark in my head, but then I realized, "These people think our shop is a cutting board store, not a restaurant!" So, for the new restaurant, I wanted something that customers could understand immediately. I combined my American nickname, SAI, with sushi, along with the sake I wanted to pair with that sushi, and simply named it SAI Sushi & Sake.

​Sai sushi & Sake編 その13

​レストランの内装工事も電気工事も無事に終わり、最終インスペクションも対面が禁止されていたためにリモートで行われ、ごたごたしながらもなんとか無事に2021年4月1日にSAI Sushi & Sakeをグランドオープンすることができました。ちなみに私たちレストランの名前の由来ですが、ちょっとにわかには信じていただけないかと思うのですが、以前やっていたカッティングボードというレストランで、何度か電話で特別注文をしたいと言って本物のまな板を注文しようとした方がたくさんいたんです。最初は何を言われているのかわからなくて頭の中がクエスチョンマークだったんですけど、「この人、うちの店がレストランじゃなくてまな板屋だと思ってる!」と気づいて。だから新しくオープンするレストランはお客様にすぐに分かってもらえるように、僕のアメリカのニックネームであるSAIとお寿司、そしてそのお寿司に合うようなお酒を提供したいなと思っていたために、シンプルにSAI Sushi & Sakeという風に名付けました。

Sai Sushi & Sake Part 12​When the new year came and it became January, regulations were gradually eased, allowing us to ...
08/02/2026

Sai Sushi & Sake Part 12
​When the new year came and it became January, regulations were gradually eased, allowing us to bring in customers at 25% or 50% of the restaurant's maximum capacity. However, sushi counters were prohibited from opening due to concerns about higher infection rates, leaving only table seating allowed. Initially, we had planned to operate with counter seating only and had not prepared tables, but we had no choice but to purchase tables and open the restaurant using them. At that time, media like magazines were in no mood to feature newly opened restaurants at all, focusing instead only on features about takeout options or patio dining. In the midst of what was truly the worst possible timing, we were somehow operating strictly within the limits of what we could do.
​Sai sushi & Sake編 その12
​年が明けて1月になったら、少しずつレストランの最大収容人数の25%とか50%とかだったらお客様を入れてもいいという規制が敷かれました。しかし、お寿司のカウンターは感染率が上がるということでオープンしてはいけなく、テーブル席のみオープンということで、当初はカウンター席のみのオープン予定でテーブルなどを用意していなかったのですが、テーブルを購入せざるを得なく、テーブルを使ってお店をオープンするようになりました。この当時、雑誌などのメディアは新しくオープンしたレストランの特集などをするような空気では全くなく、テイクアウトのできるお店の特集やパティオで食事ができるお店の特集ばかりやっていて、全くタイミング的にも最悪な状況の中で、なんとかできる範囲で営業しているような状況でした。

Sai Sushi & Sake Part 11​So I decided to deliver toward Bellevue, but because the quantity was quite large, I was wonder...
08/01/2026

Sai Sushi & Sake Part 11

​So I decided to deliver toward Bellevue, but because the quantity was quite large, I was wondering what to do. That is when that well-connected person told me, "I'll deliver half of them with you, so if you get more orders than expected, don't decline them—accept them all." Taking them up on their kind offer, I accepted every order that came in and had them deliver alongside me. I still remember it vividly: it was a freezing day in December with unusually thick fog for Seattle, where you could barely see five meters ahead. I remember driving nervously along unfamiliar roads relying solely on Google Maps. I am truly grateful that they helped me deliver under those exact same conditions.

​Sai sushi & Sake編 その11

​どうにか目標を達成するまで注文が入ったのでベルビュー方面までデリバリーすることにしたのですが、結構な数があったためにどうしようかなと悩んでいたところ、例のシアトル界隈で顔のきく方が「私が半分一緒にデリバリーするから、予約数よりも注文が入ったら断るんじゃなくて全部受け付けなさい」と言ってくれ、本当にお言葉に甘えて注文も入った分だけ受付、一緒にデリバリーしていただきました。今でも覚えていますが、12月のとても寒い日でシアトルでは珍しく霧が濃く、本当に5m先が全く見えないような状況の中でデリバリーをすることになり、行ったことのない道でGoogleマップだけを頼りにビビりながら運転したことを今でも覚えています。そして同じ状況なのに一緒にデリバリーしてくれたことに本当に感謝しています。

Sai Sushi & Sake Part 10​In the end, relying on the lesson learned from Cutting Board, I had prepared six months' worth ...
07/31/2026

Sai Sushi & Sake Part 10
​In the end, relying on the lesson learned from Cutting Board, I had prepared six months' worth of my own salary and rent for the shop, but that six-month buffer disappeared in an instant. I hoped to somehow navigate the situation through takeout, but time flew by, and even by December, there was no sign of returning to normal operations, leaving us still able to offer takeout only. Up to that point, customers had been coming to the restaurant to pick up their orders, but realizing I had to break through this stalemate, I decided to deliver to the Eastside toward Bellevue myself. Since I needed to sell a decent volume all at once, I asked that same influential contact in the Seattle area for help again. They introduced me to various people who placed orders, and I reached out to friends to find anyone who might buy, managing to secure enough orders to reach my target.
​Sai sushi & Sake編 その10
​結局カッティングボードの時の教訓で6ヶ月分の自分への給料とお店の家賃を用意したのですが、この6ヶ月分は一瞬で消えました。どうにかテイクアウトをしながらこの状況を乗り越えようと思っていましたが、時間が過ぎるのは早く、12月になっても全くレストランを通常通り営業するような感じにはなっておらず、相変わらずテイクアウトしかできないような状況でした。このテイクアウトはレストランまでお客さんに取りに来てもらっていたのですが、この状況を打破しなければいけないと思い、ベルビュー方面のイーストサイドに自分でデリバリーしようと思いました。そして一気にある程度の数を売らなければならなかったために、例のシアトル界隈に顔の効く方にお願いをして色々な方を紹介していただいて注文していただき、また友達にも連絡して少しでも買ってくれる人を探し、どうにか目標を達成するまで注文が入りました。

Sai Sushi & Sake Part 9​Any income was better than nothing in such a dire situation, so I decided to offer sushi takeout...
07/30/2026

Sai Sushi & Sake Part 9

​Any income was better than nothing in such a dire situation, so I decided to offer sushi takeout. However, because my goal was to run an omakase restaurant using fresh fish from Japan, I decided to offer a slightly higher-priced takeout using fresh fish from Japan, rather than using frozen fish—even temporarily—which I felt would not be good for the restaurant's future. That said, since the restaurant had just opened, people did not even know it existed, and advertising through social media was virtually my only option. While I was struggling with how to get the word out, a friend introduced me to someone who had extensive connections in the Seattle area. Through that person, many people ended up buying our takeout sushi. I am truly grateful to them.

​Moreover, among the customers who supported us by buying takeout back then, some still visit our restaurant today, and I feel deeply thankful for that.

​Sai sushi & Sake編 その9

​とりあえず多少の収入でもなければ大変な状況だったため、お寿司のテイクアウトをすることにしたのですが、おまかせのレストランで日本からの鮮魚を使ったメニューを作りたいと思っていたために、たとえ一時的でもテイクアウトで冷凍の魚を使うことが今後のレストランにとってあまりいいことだとは思わなかったために、日本からの鮮魚を使った少し値段が高めのテイクアウトを提供することにしたのですが、そもそも新しく開けたばかりのレストランでオープンしたことを知られておらず、告知をするにしてもSNSを使った広告しか打つことができず、結局悩んでいたところ、友人がシアトル界隈で顔の広い方を紹介してくれて、その方を通じてたくさんの人にこのテイクアウトのお寿司を買っていただくことができました。本当にこの方には感謝しています。

​そしてこのテイクアウトをやっていた時に来てくださっていたお客様の中に、今でもお客様として私たちレストランに来てくれている方がいらっしゃって、本当にありがたいことだと思っています。

Sai Sushi & Sake Part 8​After that, the restrictions were gradually relaxed, and just as I thought interior construction...
07/29/2026

Sai Sushi & Sake Part 8

​After that, the restrictions were gradually relaxed, and just as I thought interior construction could finally start, the number of cases surged again and stay-at-home orders were issued. Then, thinking the cases had dropped and restrictions were lifted, another massive spike occurred, preventing construction from progressing as planned. Electrical work was being done simultaneously, but because people were prohibited from gathering, coordinating schedules so the interior workers and electricians would not overlap was extremely difficult. Somehow, I managed to obtain the operating permit, but with unfinished work still remaining, I managed to pre-open the restaurant around July amidst the chaos. However, just two weeks later, another stay-at-home order was issued, forcing us to close again. Eventually, we were allowed to operate for takeout only, but since I had not planned on offering takeout, I had to purchase containers and supplies specifically for it, which began to exhaust me both mentally and physically.

​Sai sushi & Sake編 その8

​その後、少しずつ規制が緩和されて内装工事がスタートしたかと思ったら、また感染者の数が莫大に増えて外出自粛令が出され、感染者の数が減ったと思って規制が緩和されたら、また感染者の数が莫大に増えるような感じで、内装工事が思うように進みませんでした。電気工事も並行して行われていたのですが、人が交わることは禁止されていたために、内装工事の方と電気工事の方が重ならないようにスケジュールを調整することが大変でした。なんとか営業許可書だけは取れたのですが、工事が終わっていない箇所などがあり、ゴタゴタの中でとりあえず7月頃に一度お店をプレオープンしたのですが、結局2週間後にまた外出自粛令が出たためにお店を閉めることになり、結局その後はテイクアウトのみ営業していいということになったのですが、テイクアウトをする予定がなかったので、結局テイクアウト用の器などを購入しなければならなくなり、結構精神的にも肉体的にも疲れ始めてきました。

Address

25 W Mercer Street
Seattle, WA
98119

Opening Hours

Monday 5pm - 10pm
Wednesday 5pm - 10pm
Thursday 5pm - 10pm
Friday 5pm - 10pm
Saturday 5pm - 10pm
Sunday 5pm - 10pm

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Sai Sushi & Sake posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Sai Sushi & Sake:

Shortcuts

Share