:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65594978/San_Kai_Sushi_98.0.jpg)
This new omakase spot could be worth a trip up north. San Kai — featuring renowned chef Ryuichi Nakano — opened this week on 4th Avenue North in Edmonds with an extensive menu of nigiri, rolls, tempura dishes, and three different omakase experiences ranging from $42 to $53 per person. The cozy spot has a relaxed atmosphere, with seating for around 30 and natural wood accents. Co-owner Shubert Ho told Eater Seattle, “It’ll be good for date night, but families are welcome too.”
Chef Nakano made a name for himself in the Seattle area for Tangletown’s Kisaku, a popular spot for excellent omakase at a decent price (it appears on Eater Seattle’s list of best sushi restaurants). After selling Kisaku last October, Nakano eyed Edmonds for his next project and met Ho through mutual acquaintance Nancy Leson, former restaurant critic for the Seattle Times. Ho and his business partner Andrew Leckie have run other well-received restaurants in the Edmonds area, such as Bar Dojo.
San Kai enters an increasingly competitive sushi scene, which just added the sustainably-minded Bamboo Sushi in the U Village this week. But chef Nakano’s intimate omakase experience should be able to carve out a niche in a town that often gets overlooked.
