Rei H.
Yelp
My wife and I love onigiri, so we walked quite a long way (uphill!) to try this place based on the reviews, and it did not disappoint. We ordered three onigiri (salmon, sweet potato w/shiso, and umeboshi) along with two miso soups and a yuzu soda. Everything was delicious. Of the three, the umeboshi was my favorite. The miso soup was wonderful and light and warm on a cold day. The yuzu soda was bright, sweet and tart just how I like it!
Otsuka-san (owner and chef) prepared everything quickly and everything tasted amazing. We sat at the counter, and after asking Otsuka-san about one of the sake bottles she had displayed, we started a long conversation. Otsuka-san attended all of the other customers coming in, but kept chatting with us while we ate. Eventually she gave us a free tuna mayo onigiri to try, which wound up being my overall favorite. I think we ended up staying nearly two hours just chatting with Otsuka-san, and before we left, she gave us three more onigiri to go. "A midnight snack," she called it. They wound up being the best quick breakfast ever at the airport the next day. Just put them in the fridge and they're good to go.
I don't say all this so you'll try to get free food or anything. It's just that Otsuka-san gave us such a wonderful experience that we'll never forget, and was crazy generous to us on top of that. We made sure to buy an adorable Sankaku tote bag at the bodega next door so we'll always have something to remember her and her wonderful food by. I don't think she even knows about Yelp, but if you're reading this, thank you, Otsuka-san! We will definitely come back the next time we visit Seattle!