Secret Fort

I’m glad Seattle finally has a spot that I can go to when I’m craving yakitori. The yakitori here is the closest to I’ve had in Japan. Was stoked to see that they had crispy chicken skin and gizzards as I don’t see these properly done at most places. The A5 Wagyu was melt in your mouth delicious and the mochi bacon is to die for and I can’t wait to come back for more. They also have a nice selection of drinks to pair with your meal. This place is special and I hope it stays that way for a long time.

First of all, I didn't realize this restaurant was here. It's right next to the Indigo Cow. Literally the door to the left. I always thought that was closed off seating for the Indigo Cow but in reality it's for the Secret Fort. The food here is amazing, everything is freshly made and quality. The cocktails are delicious and go down smoothly.

What an awesome spot for yakitori and drinks! The entire atmosphere of the place is really cool if you’re a fan of Japanese retro games and media. Our bartender was really attentive and suggested we order appetizers first as the yakitori does take longer to come out. As others have recommended the Yuzu Sour is top notch. While all the yakitori I did try tasted good. I do have two to recommend if you like beef and bacon. There is a beef tongue special that is really good! Then the bacon wrapped in mochi is a must have if you’re a fan of chewy texture. The mochi itself isn’t sweet, just provides that nice balance with the bacon and adding the chewy texture.

An amazing cute little izakaya. Filled with retro anime and game references, the food was so well cooked and tender and the chefs were so kind, they brought my friend to the back to see the skewers being cooked. The bacon dango was such a nice sweet savory mix, and the chicken had a great smoky grilled juicy flavor. The tuna with a slight dab of wasabi was well balanced and was also not overcooked. It will be hard to know what to order next! We ended up having some Hokkaido milk ice cream right near the entrance. Super recommended, especially the mochi and soybean topping! A great place with small seating, I'd say this is a great place for a cute date!

It’s a fun space with cool decor and made for a great date night. I think they are still figuring out their flow with service, we and the tables around us had to flag the servers down to be able to order. Considering the wait is so long at peak dinner and you’re handed a menu while you sit and wait for a table, most people already know what they want to order by the time they sit down. They should implement the phone orders like Yoroshiku or be more conscious about not having people sit ignored for so long. Loved: beef tongue, shishito peppers, eel, chicken tenderloin Do not recommend: pork belly (dry, flavorless) For 2 people (8 skewers, beef stew special and grilled mackerel, no drinks) we spent around $75 with tip.

The pickled cucumber and chips and salsa are not worth it at all. Everything else was really good.

About half of what we tried blew my mind it was so good. The mochi bacon, and pork and eel yakitori were amazing. The service was great. The place wasn't very busy at 5pm on a Friday. There is a lot of street parking a few blocks away in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Such a cute place! The SRW week menu was such a good deal but all the food was so good, well worth it. I especially loved their cocktails (yuzu + gin) . The hamachi sashimi was fresh and delicious. Ohh also definitely recommend the yuzu salsa & chips. The chips didn't seem housemade, but the salsa was unique and amazing

We will definitely be back! It's hard to find good yakitori in Seattle. This place serves up moist skewers with great flavors. And there are other small dishes to choose from. The vibe took us right back to Japan. We loved the decor! Our favorites were the negima, waygu, Shisito, salmon carpaccio, and the rice side was sooo perfect as an add on! Don't skip on the yuzu highball either - just perfect. Our only recommendation is on the service. It was slow and the poor bartender was all alone. Regardless, we left happy, full, and excited for our next visit.

This place is worth the hype. Came here for a friend's birthday dinner and will definitely come back. Ordered the omakase for $58 and we were able to share it and both be full. I could definitely eat it on my own though. Skewers came out hot and salted to perfection. The pork ones were my absolute favorite. I was super excited to try their mochi bacon but ended up not being the biggest fan of it. Was thinking the bacon would be crispier and didn't love the light sweet sauce it was glazed with. Super busy on a Friday but still landed a table outside with enough room for all of us. Service was okay, the hostess was amazing and super accommodating. Will try to sit inside next time to get the full experience! Dessert at Indigo Cow is also an absolute 10/10. Will knock your darn socks off.

Low quality meat on a stick. Is it pork? Is it chicken? No idea, but it all tastes the same - rubbery and salty. Ridiculously overpriced. Also ordered a sushi roll which unwound on the plate. Also smells of burning rubber :( Slow and inexperienced crew.

Fun izakaya spot in Wallingford, right next to Indigo Cow ice cream. Would recommend for happy hour because they have $2 off cocktails, $1 off beer, and some good deals on lite bites. My favorite skewers were the chicken wings, A5 wagyu, beef tongue, mochi bacon, mitarashi dango pork, and negima (green onions and chicken thigh). Cocktails were delicious and although we had to give up our table, we were able to line up for dessert Togo at Indigo Cow (highly recommend the Hokkaido ice cream). We tried the Hokkaido bowl, which was good, but the rice to sashimi ratio was waaay off. There was so much rice, I could not eat it. The happy hour sashimi plate was okay - had 2 pieces each of yellowtail and Atlantic salmon. Fried chicken was good, nothing special.

We arrived around 6:30p on a Wednesday and was seated right away. We ordered yakitori sampler plus a few others including the shiitake mushroom, bacon mochi, and fried onigiri. My favorite ones were wagyu and chicken thigh as it was tender and juicy, the least favorite was the fried onigiri which was a bit hard. The rest were just okay The ambiance was nice, and the food came quickly. It's about $50 after tips and taxes. Overall, it was good but not as good as the ones I had in Japan. It's a nice place to hangout though! I enjoyed seeing all the posters on the wall.

5.4.2025 Secret Fort in Seattle is a hidden gem for yakitori lovers!! This cozy spot, tucked away in Wallingford, offers a lively atmosphere and a menu packed with expertly grilled skewers. We ordered omakase yakitori set and tried different kind of meat. The restaurant has a nostalgic decor, with lamps resembling Super Mario question mark blocks, adding a playful touch to the ambiance. Service is friendly and attentive, and the reservation process is straightforward. If you're planning a visit, be prepared for a bustling crowd--this spot is popular for a reason.

While not exactly a secret (fairly popular place) and the only semblance of a fort was the half black curtain separating the lobby from the dining room (not very defensible!), this place is pretty cool and has great food. My son has been wanting to try this restaurant for awhile and last night we finally went there. The hours are only 5 pm- 10 pm and Wed thru Mon so you gotta plan your visit. Outside we saw a slow moving line and waited in it for a few minutes thinking it was for Secret Fort. After a few minutes, we discovered it was for Indigo Ice Cream! What? Sheepishly, we got out of the line and went into Secret Fort. The hostess seated us and explained the menu to us which was nice. We ended up getting a couple of drinks, a Yakitori Sampler and a few extra Yakitori specifically the Mochi Bacon an dthe Mitarashi Dango which both had sweet mochi and were by far our favorite. My son said he liked the fried chicken skin as well. We also shared an order of the pickled cucumbers (Asazuke). The walls are covered in a gigantic photo collage of Japanese pop culture references and there are collectible dolls, etc. in cases throughout the fort. I liked the Mario themed lights at the bar. There's a lot to look at when in here. Kind of reminds me of the Sisters and Brothers Hot Chicken place in Lower Queen Anne/Interbay in Seattle. You always notice something new. We had great service from the workers and really had a good time overall. It's a fun place to see and get some good Yakitori or other Japanese food. It's like playing in an adult-themed fort versus the ones we made in our living room when we were kids. I shall return!

I love the concept and theme of the restaurant. It's a retro video game and classic anime theme with Nintendo Mario coin boxes above the bar seating area. The restaurant dining area was very small and tight. You are at arms length with the tables next to you. I love izakaya and yakitori style food, but some of the meat were under seasoned and didn't have a good char color. They looked and tasted bland and under par. The drinks were also super sweet. The only dish that was good was the cucumber salad which had a nice crunch and acidity.

I came here during Seattle restaurant week and opted for their prix fixe menu. We chose the 4 course meal with an option of dessert added, to make it 5 courses. All of the food here was great. The fish was very fresh and I like the addition of yuzu in some of their dishes. The yakitori were also very flavorful and I enjoyed the sauce on it. I enjoyed the matcha tiramisu to finish off my meal too. The service here was very friendly and I liked the vibe of the place. The restaurant itself transports you to Japan and video games. I can't wait for my next meal here.

We celebrated my daughter's 22nd birthday at Secret Fort on a busy Friday night, and it was such a memorable evening. We had reservations (definitely recommend!) and were seated at a cozy table in the back near the kitchen. It was actually fun to be near the action, kind of like having a backstage pass. We caught the last 10 minutes of happy hour and grabbed a few yakitori and a chilled noodle salad to start. Every yakitori skewer was amazing, but our favorites were the dako (octopus!) and the wagyu, seriously melt-in-your-mouth good. The kitchen was a little behind because the place was packed, but they sent out free edamame while we waited, and it was delicious. Little touches like that go a long way. Each of us had a cocktail, and I highly recommend the Paper Plane, bold, smooth, and just the right amount of citrusy kick. For dinner, we shared three of their creative rolls: City Pop, Grunge Rock, and Hip Hop. Not only do they win for coolest names, but the flavor combos were on point and beautifully presented. Every staff member we interacted with was kind and welcoming, and our waitress was the best, the perfect mix of sassy and fun. She totally added to the celebratory vibe. Yes, it was on the pricey side, but the quality of the food and the energetic, stylish atmosphere made it totally worth it. The whole experience felt like a little jump into Japan, right in the heart of Seattle. We'll definitely be back, this place is a total win.

Was able to grab a reservation for a table of four. I wasn't sure if they had high chairs but they do! We had three adults and a high chair. I'd recommend going with 4 people max because the space is quite small. We also caught the end of happy hour. There are a some rules to hh though. In order to get a 3 x $10 set, you had to get a drink. The set had to be less than $5 and all different. I really enjoyed the zangi, which came from next door. The yakitori that I really enjoyed was the shrimp, mochi bacon, and eel! Mochi bacon has a really great texture and definitely worth trying. The salmon was okay, not too dry. Overall, pretty good with unique things to try. Loved the decor!

came back for happy hour (everyday 4-6pm!) with a reservation, which I highly recommend. The only caveat for ordering food on the happy hour menu is that you must get a drink, but the drink doesn't have to be alcoholic. During HH, the cocktails, highball, and chu-hi are $3 off and there's a 3 yakitori for $10 deal (each has to be under $5). I prefer salt over their tare for the yakitori. We also got zangi which was a delicious fried chicken appetizer to share. I didn't get the mochi bacon but wondered if it would have a chewier texture than the dango pork I ordered. Although I do like dango, I just felt like the texture was too soft? Definitely get salt on that one, the tare didn't pair well with it in my opinion. Friendly service! Most of their tables had a reserved sign when I walked in so definitely make a reservation if you can!

Delicious Asian-inspired drinks, high-quality yakitori, and sushi/sashimi items in a trendy atmosphere. The menu has lots of good variety - many types of beef, pork, and seafood items. We ordered a variety of skewers and sushi/sashimi items. Highlights for me were the bacon mochi skewer ($6) and the saba sashimi ($15). I also tried the mini chirashi don ($12) and the BBQ eel skewer ($9). My friends loved the sampler ($25), particularly the wagyu beef skewers. The portions are small, and the bill can add up quickly as the skewers accumulate (we paid almost $300 for 3 people). The staff is young and energetic.

Secret Fort is a yakitori place with fun decor! There is a pixelated fire sign above the entrance and a window for their Hokkaido soft serve business. Inside the walls are filled with anime and the shelves are lined with toys and action figures. Very fun and cool vibe. Their specialty is yakitori, Japanese skewers cooked on a charcoal grill. It's the perfect place for a date or a nice dinner. Depending on how hungry you are, I would probably get 3 to 5 or more skewers per person. For happy hour, it's 3 select skewers for $10. We tried a few different skewers, my favorite ones were the chicken negima, wing, pork belly and the mitarashi dango. The chicken especially had a great char! The kare sauce style was delicious. I also really enjoyed the spicy mentaiko potato salad. The service was kind and attentive. I recommend making a reservation online ahead of time, it's a busy spot. For dessert we had the Hokkaido soft serve from Indigo Cow. It was so creamy and delicious. They also have a ramen place next door Yoroshiku that I need to try next time. It has a different vibe from Secret Fort. Brighter lights and a more clean, minimalist aesthetic. It's pretty cool to see 3 different Japanese restaurant concepts in one place!

Wow - definitely deserves 5 stars!!! I just had dinner here with my husband and I have to say, food and service is phenomenal!!! We ordered the Christmas special $48 five course omakase and it is totally worth it. Basically get to try a lot of dishes on the menu and get $10 off! Omakase includes 3 small plates: cucumber, chili garlic edamame and the potato salad. THE POTATO SALAD IS TO DIE FOR. I love it so much. Also offered on the monthly special menu for $12. Next course of the omakase is hamachi sashimi then winter soup Oden followed by 5 selected yakitori skewers (beef, shishito, scallop, pork belly and chicken), Hokkaido chirashi mini bowl and the $5 add on for the Indigo Cow soft serve. You need to get the soft serve. We love it so much!! Wow. Omakase is perfect for sharing. We ordered the Fingered Ribs in addition and Mochi Bacon too. Dinner did not disappoint. Neither did the service. These 3 hard working ladies running around and making sure everyone had fill glasses of water, plates cleared off their table, next course of food coming. I'm so fascinated with the orchestrating between them. They were so friendly! I had a whisky highball that took 20 mins to get and the host took off $5 from the bill. Such a kind gesture and we truly appreciated it. Tipped 25% because these are great servers! If you haven't been to Secret Fort- I highly recommend coming and ordering the Omakase. Can't wait to go back!! Funny thing is, there was another party named Grant for 2, but they headed to the ramen side. I guess you can always go to either one! Yakitori then ramen? Sure!

Cool spot for kushiyaki and other bites. Loved the retro decor from the Showa era, and a menu that is a nice selection of mainly grilled items. we actually started off with a sashimi sampler, which was better than expected. Afterwards, we tried a number of kushiyaki including: - chicken - chicken with green onion - pork - beef - eel - mitarashi dango - shrimp The chicken and beef skewers were better than the seafood ones in general. You can have the skewers prepared in 3 different ways, and we stuck to just a simple salt (shio) prep which allowed the quality of the ingredients to shine. The beverage menu is a bit limited though with only a handful of sake selections but is priced fairly. we didn't get to dessert as we also wanted to try Indigo Cow which is also part of the restaurant and well worth a visit too! Overall, Secret Fort is definitely a good spot when craving kushiyaki and more.

Came here for Seattle Restaurant week and got that special. Was there around 5 pm so it hadn't started getting busy but was crowded once I left. I really liked the red snapper carpaccio, the sauce and everything inside went well. I also liked the ebi roll, very crunchy and flavorful since there was so much sauce. The yakitori was a little less consistent but I wasn't aware that I was supposed to add my own salt and seasoning. Even without the extra salt and seasoning, all of the yakitori except for the negima were all really good. I think my favorite was actually the okonomi-yaki and the dango. Staff was really nice and attentive.

The vibes here are so fun and lively! I love the theme of this restaurant with all the fun cartoons and decorations. Food tasted great and the yuzu dessert was the perfect refreshing way to end the night! Service was good and the people there were super friendly. It was a really long wait to get into the restaurant but food came fast!

So this was the second tome. service was amazing. Last time.food.was.so yummy. This time most of the food was yummy but the tofu this time was very burnt black outside and left a bad bad taste . I wish I said something but dis t want to be rude just WON'T order the tofu again My husband got thw sampler and I got 2 tofu and rice and the chicken wow the chicken was so yummy So I'm still happy juat wish.tofu.was.not burnt and why did they serve it.that way ???

This 'hidden' gem is serving up yakitori/kushiyaki, Japanese skewered foods over a traditional charcoal grill and delightful drinks. With a little sign of an 8-bit fire ball, Secret Fort can be found between modern ramen bar; Yoroshiku and Indigo Cow (Hokkaido soft serve). Secret Fort is open at 4:30PM Wednesday - Monday (closed Tuesdays) till 9:30PM. Enough time to grab a meal or a snack and drink. Reservations are easy to make and are recommended if you have a larger party. As soon as you walk in you are hit with the smell of warming charcoal that reminds me of camping, and the sights of nostalgic Japanese, video game/commercials/toys/magazine clippings and explosion of other Japanese memorabilia all over the walls. The servers are super nice and go through the menu if you have any questions. Happy Hour starts from opening to 6PM and offers a discount to all their great cocktails, beers and wines. While the Happy Hour food menu give you a couple more items that are not on their regular menu like the Zangi (Hokkaido style fried chicken bites) from Yoroshiku. They also have daily specials that change regularly so you'll always be surprised. Some of the favourite were: Chicken Thigh $3.5 Mochi Bacon $5 Mitarashi Dango Pork $4 Beef Wagyu Zabuton $7 US Wagyu ginger Rib $8 Zangi $5 All the skewers we had were mostly just with salt. Letting the natural flavours speak for themselves. You have the option for salt, tare (sweet/salty sauce) or spicy. If it seems a bit pricey, its because it is. But they take great care of the quality of the food. It feels like your in a smokey Japanese yakitori bar, but with a lot more space and without traveling all the way over to Japan. 10/10 would go again! Definitely DO go for happy hour to make the most the discounts. We plan on bringing friends and family who end up coming to visit whenever they're in town for a super fun experience.

So glad I found this place on Yelp. This is why I continue to use this app, haha! Was so excited to try yakitori in a setting like this. So many options to choose from and they have different seasoning options to boot. Great cocktails and drink options, including a selection of Japanese whiskey. I'll say I have a decent appetite and was good with around 7 skewers. Definitely around 5 I would think on average is a good number to order. My favorite yakitori were the scallops and the Negima (both with salt). Okonomoyaki was also fun. I was happy to try Dango for the first time but that one wasn't my favorite because of how chewy it was, same goes for the mochi (a personal thing I have about stuff getting stuck in my teeth). You go for it though if that's your thing! The shitake with tare seasoning was also quite good. Love the video game and anime vibes in here, too. Didn't realize there appears to be a ramen place next door and it was pretty packed full of people who seemed happy to be eating it. There's also a little ice cream window at the front? It was closed when we were there but we're curious to try. Can't recommend Secret Fort enough for a unique and tasty experience!

One of my favorite Japanese joints in Seattle and I'm lucky to work right down the hill. Great drinks, good yakitori, and some バッテラ はこずし love if you're into that (reminds me of childhood). Ambiance and service are top notch, but it can get squishy in there during surge periods and the noise level can become a problem during those times if you're used to venues which are better for conversation.

We came for Seattle Restaurant Week and our experience has totally cemented this spot as one of my absolute faves! First, the decor. Ding Dong, Mario, a bunch of other freaky Japanese vintage toys. Such a spectacle to dine in, and so cozy. Among my faves were the little Mario mystery blocks and the little pipe you put your finished skewers in! The restaurant week meal was 3 courses with a few options each for appetizer, entree, and dessert. We got. The red snapper was delish. Extremely fresh. The meat skewers were sooo smoky. We got 7 skewers total. It was so fun seeing them fan the smoke from the grills as we ate. And the match tiramisu was the perfect topper. Honestly altogether it was the perfect size for two people to share being satisfied without being stuffed.

Came during restaurant week and also during happy hour and took advantage of the great deals! The service was admittedly a little slow but that's understandable given that it was restaurant week. The interior is super cute and I love the super mario themed lights and used skewer holder. The wagyu was honestly not the best texture but the pork belly and negima were very yummy! I also really liked the mitarashi dango for the very interesting flavor and texture. The yuzunade was really sour - so don't order if youre looking ror something sweet. Everyone in my group was feeling pretty full after the 7 skewers plus appetizer. I would love to come again and try the different meats

I love the food here but the bartender was kinda rude. She literally clapped her hands when answering my question about the menu. She was yelling at the other servers too. I kinda just felt bad for the other workers.

The food here was delicious and amazing! Definitely have to get the Yakitori when you're here and I got the sampler to try different options. I definitely like the beef the best followed by chicken thigh and pork belly. The sushi sampler was also great to be shared by two people to try different fishes and they are very fresh. The eel bowl was pretty delicious although the eel portion is a bit small. Oden was also pretty good but I would expect a bigger portion with the price and would be nice to get more soup too. The okonomiyaki had nice flavor but it's a vege one. I would love it if they have meat options too. The decor of the place was also pretty interesting but if you love Japanese culture, you'll enjoy it. Really nice place for a date night! Service was also pretty good and the wait wasn't very long!

love love love! happy hour is from 4-6pm. i really liked the yuzu chi-hi out of the drinks. for yakitori, the negima, dango pork, mochi bacon and pork belly was our favorites. such cute decor. there's a ramen shop and icecream shop right next to it. waitstaff was really nice and always checking in on us! will be back again!!

Came here for SRW and we were also just in time for happy hour! We are huge fans of yakitori, and this place is definitely the best yakitori place we've tried in Seattle so far. We ordered 3 extra skewers as part of their happy hour. The skewers were very fresh and had nice smoky flavors! Our favorites were the chicken thigh with green onions, salmon, mitarashi dango, and the beef! The dango especially was super unique - chewy, soft, and sweet! almost like a dessert! The ambience is pretty cool with all the Japanese anime references! The service was kinda interesting - our waitress was a bit cold but at the same time, super attentive - they checked on us constantly and taking plates right away, almost as if they were watching us the whole time. I would personally enjoy a bit more intimate/relaxed setting while eating but the food was pretty good so I would like to come back, esp during their happy hour (4-6pm every day)!

This was a very cute, trendy Japanese izakaya style restaurant! Staff were all friendly and fast! For drinks, they have a lot of great Japanese style cocktails and beers, and also a nice selection of mocktails! I had a yuzu version of sparkling lemonade that was really good! They have a lot yakitori and sashimi on their limited menu. We got the yakitori sampler to share and it was all yummy! Also the sashimi platter was fresh and delicious. I was surprised to see oden on the menu since that is usually a very traditional home cooked dish in Japan, so we ordered it and it didn't disappoint! Overall everything was delicious, I loved the fun vibe inside, and staff was great! I can't wait to come back here with friends again!

Secret fort was on our to try list for a long time and it was very good! We were lucky and they ended up having A5 Wagyu that was imported from Japan even which literally melted in your mouth and was so delicious! The servers were also very attentive and made sure everything was okay, ours even walked us through the menu because we had never been there before which was a nice touch! The vibe was so cool too, it was like a retro Japanese type of theme inside! This place was perfect because indigo cow is connected to it so perfect treat to get after I'm sure! It was a bit expensive but the quality of the food really justified it I think! We were admittedly a bit hungry still after dinner but it was still a very nice treat going here!

I was having a pretty bad day and felt that the only thing that could cheer me up was to go to Secret Fort. On my way out of Bite of Seattle, I ran into their booth and was welcomed with bright smiles one by one by half a dozen volunteers, and it really made my day. Not only are they one of the best resturants in Seattle on a daily basis, they were the only booth that welcomed me kindly at Bite of Seattle and had the best value for money. They are truly extraordinary 24/7. Thank you.

We came here after my son's dance dress rehearsal. We thought we wouldn't make it in time, but we were able to get a table 20 minutes before the last call. We were excited to try it since we've been talking about coming here for a long time. The decor is really cool with a lot of Japanese vintage toys and posters on the walls. It brought back memories! We ordered the variety plate and we also ordered the A4 Wagu beef with uni and the bacon-wrapped mochi. The A4 with uni and the bacon-wrapped mochi are expensive but SO WORTH IT! If anything, I'm coming back here just for that. But everything was really good and definitely worth the wait. We didn't get a chance to dive deeper into the menu since they were closing soon, but after that tasting, Secret Fort will definitely be on our list of favorite restaurants when we're in Seattle. The staff is so nice and helpful. Their recommendations are spot on. I highly recommend Secret Fort.

This was my second time. The first was great and we did the omakase special. Second time, not so much. Service was awful... they were clearly understaffed and the servers did very little to try. We had a res and it took them 35 minutes to even come to our table, no acknowledgment of the wait. We didn't get our food until an hour in and we were ravished. We had to hunt down soy sauce as no one checked on us. Frankly we were still hungry at the end of our meal (which was good, not spectacular, but good), so we went over to QFC to get more food. That's right, we had such a poor service experience that after dinner we had to go to dinner again, at a subpar grocery store. We will not be returning based on this.

Their skewers are great especially the hh deals!!!!!!! They have one of the juiciest fried chicken karaage (zangi), and i love that it comes with shishito peppers and delicious sauces. For the most part their regular dishes (odeng, zangi, skewers) are great except for the sushi rolls and sashimi.. as a regular customer i think their fish/roll items have only gotten worse which is very unfortunate. I really do not recommend them as the rice was overdone (wet) and the vinegar seasoning was way off, the salmon sashimi pieces were a bit too chewy/hard for it to be sashimi grade (it tasted exactly like non sashimi grade raw salmon, speaking from experience). While i want to be hopeful and think i got unlucky, i decided it is not worth any additional attempt to give the raw/roll items a try. Our server was great however we did have to follow up twice on food that the kitchen forgot about which wasn't ideal because it wasn't a bustling evening. Ambiance here is always top notch with the decor, indigo cow just a few steps away so i will definitely come back for the right menu items.

The staff was great. The only open table was by the grill, but the hostess recommended waiting to avoid the heat. I'm so happy with her suggestion. The food was great. We tried different combinations of flavorings (salt, tare, and spicy) with all sorts of chicken, pork, and beef on a stick. The wagyu and the mochi wrapped bacon were standouts. Make sure you save some room for ice cream next door at indigo cow !

Came during Seattle Restaurant Week for and we LOVED the food and ambiance of Secret Fort! Reservations in advance are a must! It's not a large space but there are tables and high tops. The interior design in super cool with a Mario and video game theme. The interior really transported me to feeling like I was back in Japan. Food - Very delicious! All of the skewers were perfectly cooked! We also had the mentai potato salad and shrimp roll to start which was part of the SRW set. To end our meal we had the Indigo Cow soft serve which is also very tasty! Indigo Cow is some of our favorite soft serve in the city! Definitely will be coming back to this spot again!

A Total Disappointment - Overpriced, Bland, and Rude Service Absolutely not worth it. The food was mainly disappointing but the rude service was by far the worst part. The Only Good Part? The Drinks and Appetizers. To be fair, there were some good points: the bartender was great, the cocktails were well-crafted, and the appetizers were truly enjoyable: - Veggie Noodle Salad - fresh, well-seasoned, and balanced. - Mini Unagi Don - wow! this was great unagi, flakey and well balanced sauce. But then: Disaster time: A Simple Question Triggers a Server. We ordered a lot of skewers but every one was served unseasoned--not even a sprinkle of salt. Thinking it was a mistake, we asked our server about it. For some reason that triggered her and she went straight to 11 rude. Twice she condesendingly asked: "Do you want us to put the salt on it for you?" followed by a couple minutes of "the customer is always wrong" mumbling. She then turned her attitude toward my wife, making the situation even worse. We sent the skewers back. The server came back, kinda sorta conciliatory attitude, but the replacement batch? Still unseasoned. At that point, it felt like we were being trolled. So, like cave dwellers, we masticated the stick meats and felt lucky they even cooked the damn things. For context: We've been to Japan multiple times, and yakitori is one of our favorite foods. It is always seasoned, whether with salt, tare or some other condiment. This place was a complete disaster for us. I'd like to believe the rude service was an anomaly, but other staff saw it happen and did nothing. If they don't care, neither do I so I'm not gambling another $120+ to find out.

Parking was easy to find on a weekday. Our reservations were for 5 pm and luckily happy hour was still going on until 6 pm. My husband and I went for their yakitori sticks. They had a special for 3 yakitori for $9 however you can only choose the less than $5 choices. After ordering we were told the chicken thighs are not applicable since they were running a special that inclued the chicken thighs! Oh they were also out of chicken livers - sucks. We only chose "salted" seasonings. The beef tongue very tough. The chicken and pork items were just ok. The memorable items for us were the $9 sashimi - we ordered that 4x. And the bacon wrapped mochi 2x. The scallops were good and wagyu beef was good but the pieces were not consistent in size. The order comes with 1 stick which seems weird to me since 2 sticks usually come with an order. Because I would not pay full price for their sticks. Overall just ok.

Came for SRW and it was one of the few $35 dinners that showed off sufficiently what Secret Fort is all about. It's the video-game themed Izakaya that they turned the western half of Yoroshiku into. Lots of fun and whimsy around, especially since there was an additional Mario theme at the bar for Halloween (or is it always like that?) The SRW comprised of an appetizer of which I got a sushi roll, and several Yakitoris which were all delicious. The staff was down to earth but attentive and SRW or not I will definitely be back to revisit my favs and try some more new stuff!

The ambiance was really cute! Sat at the bar and the service from the bartender was great :) really friendly The salmon pressed sushi was not as good, but highly recommend the bacon mochi skewers!

We don't have very many yakitori places to begin with so our options are limited, but I'm never disappointed when I come here. They have the usual staples that are always there like the beef tongue, chicken thighs, and pork belly, and etc. There's also always a special menu that they change up every week that has unique things as well. My go tos are the chicken thighs, beef tongue, pork belly, mitarashi dango, and mochi bacon (make sure to order this early as it takes a longer time to cook). The sake flight is also really good with the meal! The only downside with this place is how expensive it can get. Definitely don't come here if you're on a budget and expect to get full. I treat it as a celebratory place and right after, you can grab amazing ice cream at Indigo Cow. Definitely recommend!

We had 2 servers that were very attentive to our table. The restaurant was nicely decorated with a retro Japanese theme. I ordered the Yuzu Chu-Hi highball which was good with strong yuzu flavor. I got the flounder sashimi off of the daily specials and I was not a fan. It was very chewy and plain but I wanted to try it because I've never had flounder before. Of the yakitori I got, the A5 wagyu+uni were the best and I will never stop thinking about it!

Came here one night excited to try this place out only to be met with a rude water girl/bus lady. The waiting area is small and there's a small sign that could easily be blocked by other patrons waiting to be met with "We'll help you out in a moment thank you for waiting". My friend mistakenly walked through the curtains missing the sign that instructs patrons wait and isn't greeted with a warm welcome in. All I heard from the water girl was something abrasive telling my friend to go behind the curtains and wait there. There were more patrons coming in so it got crowded quickly. No sign of order or understanding whatsoever. I've seen places busier with generally nice workers. Could've been a bad night for the bus lady to be serving water but please don't make the first interaction for new patrons a negative one. Everyone else there was great though. The other servers were attentive and hospitable. Food was good for the most part. Indigo Cow is separate from this business but even that worker was grumpy. Gotta love Seattle.

The wagyu was the only good thing. The service was slow, every single time I ask for something the waitresses were very dismissive. They didn't explain that every single tiny ass skewer was five bucks. Those portions seemed like they were for rats literally pebbles we weren't even freaking full when we left. We only got four skewers. Every single one of them are five bucks to 8 bucks and we weren't even full. We left with a $50 bill with just rice and tiny ass skewers don't let these pictures fool you because those skewers are tiny as fuck. They're the size of your pinky finger.

i visited secret fort a couple times last year and decided to try it again as their yakitori is the best in town! the meat is tender and their menu has a large selection of yakitori as well. this spot has the cutest interior with retro japanese games, figurines, and posters! unfortunately, i had a bad experience with their server. i visited on sept 22nd evening and the hostess was the sweetest ever. she explained the menu thoroughly and recommended their specials and happy hour. she was so kind and welcoming. however, the server with a short bob had an attitude towards our party. she was passive aggressive with ordering happy hour menus and overall ruined the vibe. would return again just for the food.

Not to sound like an alcoholic, but if you're looking for a great place to eat and drink, this is it! Their mixed drinks are absolutely dangerously delicious, and for those who don't like sugar liquor, they do offer flights. The sashimi here tastes fresh, and paired with their wasabi... let's just say you'll be asking for more wasabi. As for their yakitori selection, you can choose between 3 ways to season them : spicy, soy sauce, or salt&pepper. If you come here, you must try the dango and mochi bacon, those were the absolute favorites of the party. Unfortunately I cannot give a 5* review. The service was... sufficient, but it felt rushed and we were frequently left waiting or waving for assistance.

I came here with my friend during happy hour and we ordered the following skewers: Mochi Bacon 10/10 Pork Belly 10/10 Okonomi 8/10 Chicken Thigh 8/10 Small Plate: Chicken Zangi 10/10 My friend also ordered the lychee martini and he said it was a little too strong for his liking. Overall, we left Secret Fort really satisfied with the price and food and we are definitely coming back again to try more food and re-ordered the mochi bacon because that's living rent free in our heads.

We arrived right when they opened, so we didn't have to wait. However, when we left, there was a line, so we recommend making a reservation in advance. The yakitori was fresh and tasty. The happy hour menu advertised 5 skewers for $15, but they changed it to 3 for $10, which was odd. We recommend trying the ebi roll and yakitori. The decor was also very cool, featuring a classic anime theme.

Some of the yakitori are decent (waygus) but come with a pricy tags. $7 for like one bite of meat. Some of the todays specials are pretty good as well. The asparagus scallops tartare and spicy squid, I have to give it to them. With the cutesy decorations and very Japanese yakitori restaurants vibes, this restaurant is definitely one of its kind in Seattle. Here comes the but, this restaurant is overpriced. Massively overpriced. Both of us ate around $170, with tips around $200. With $200, we barely felt food. Each dish is super tiny portion. Service was just okay. Honey, with $200, you can probably eat in a Michelin star restaurant in Japan. Not coming back.