Taku Sushi & Bar

Taku from Chef Shota Nakajima to Reopen May 5 with Menu Focused on Karaage | Eater Seattle

"Opened in March 2020 by chef Shota Nakajima as an Osaka-influenced street-food spot that debuted with kushikatsu and cocktails just a week before Washington's stay-at-home order, the restaurant — after a temporary closure — reopens May 5 with a new focus on karaage. I learned the menu centers on marinated, buttered, twice-fried karaage nuggets and wings offered with teriyaki sauce or dry seasoning, plus chicken karaage rice bowls, a curry karaage burger topped with kewpie mayo, and sides including mac salad, furikake fries, cabbage salad, and miso soup. Nakajima says the nostalgia for his mom’s chicken karaage and rice inspired the shift, and he plans to preserve the playful atmosphere by serving Jell-O shots and other cocktails to go and bringing back the original “Fuckit Bucket.” The interior remains a small, busy, divey space festooned with Japanese paper lanterns, anime posters, and a giant Godzilla head; Taku will stick to takeout at first (with a takeout window on East Pike Street and preorder via the website) before introducing dine-in." - Gabe Guarente