Taneda – Seattle – April 2026

Managed to secure the notoriously difficult (at least by Seattle standards, that is) reservation for Taneda this spring. Head chef Hideaki Taneda opened this kaiseki-omakase spot in 2019 in the back alley of an area you would not expect to find such a restaurant, but since then it has arguably become one of Seattle's best. This was my first time dining here, and I went in with enormously high expectations.

Dishes are not exactly in order, but are as follows (favorites are asterisked!):

1. Ichigoni – steamed Hokkaido abalone, Hokkaido uni, shiso flower, seawater

2. **Hotaru-ika, Hokkaido octopus, taro stem, yuzu miso sauce

3. Shirauo from Shizuoka, wasabi, egg-yolk ponzu

4. Chawanmushi with Alaskan snow crab & shrimp, Seattle oyster pâté, yuzu kosho

5. Shirasu temaki, sesame, shiso leaf

6. ***Young ayu from Miyazaki (karaage-style), hotaru-ika tempura

7. ***Surume-ika, stuffed with its own shirako & eggs, tsubugai (whelk) from Hokkaido, wasabi

8. *Bafun uni, spot prawn

9. Kasugodai

10. Smoked saba

11. Horse mackerel from Kyushu

12. Meji-maguro

13. Sakura masu (cherry salmon)

14. Tiger prawn

15. **Shima aji

16. 9-day dry-aged otoro from Spain, with binchotan sear, Washington apple sauce

17. Hassun – Sunomono, Hokkaido scallop, cucumber, yuzu rind

18. Hassun – A5 gyukatsu from Miyazaki, strawberry miso

19. Hassun – black cod saikyo-yaki

20. Same dry-aged bluefin, this time akami

21. Tuna cheek maki, uni, shiso leaf, sesame

22. Madai chazuke, sesame, wasabi, tempura batter

23. *Tamago, Kyushu-style

24. ***Matcha pudding, strawberry, azuki, warabimochi with kuromitsu

Was overall extremely impressed with the consistent quality and the sheer amount of different seafood on the menu – only two dishes (the shirauo and the shirasu temaki) didn't do it for me. I'm definitely less familiar with kaiseki than sushi, but most of the standouts for me definitely lean towards the former. Service was excellent, the sake pairing was solid, and Taneda-san is extremely personable and enthusiastic in discussing his craft. Would love to visit in a different season (winter, perhaps) to try a completely different menu, if I can snag another seat!