Tacoma is the third largest city in Washington, United States, and the seat of Pierce County. Tacoma is considered a port city, located along Puget Sound in Washington, 51 km southwest of Seattle, 50 km northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and 93 km northwest of Mount Rainier National Park.
The city was named after Mount Rainier, originally called Takhoma, and is known locally as the City of Destiny because the area was chosen to be the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad in the late 19th century. With the merger of the bay and the railroad, Tacoma got the motto “When rails meet sails.”
Today, the city of Tacoma is characterized by the highest density of art and history museums in the state and the first modern electric light rail service in the state. Anyway, we are here to talk about the most famous Tacoma Japanese restaurants.
Dale Chihuly Garden and Glass is also one of the most recognizable buildings in the city, located next to the Thea Fosse Waterway. But this fascinating museum is not the only attraction that brings many tourists to the this beautiful City of Destiny.
Tacoma is also home to the Automobile Museum, which opened in June 2012. About 300 vehicles are displayed in it in various exhibits of old and modern cars. Otherwise, the museum pays tribute to Harold LeMay’s collection, one of the largest in the world, with a permanent exhibition entitled “Garage of Happiness.”
Many years earlier, in 1935, the Tacoma Art Museum was founded and reopened in 2003. It is located in a new building on Pacific Avenue in Tacoma and, together with the Museum of Glass and the Washington State Museum of History, form the “museum district.”
Tacoma Arts Live features three theaters that house the Northwest Sinfonietta, Tacoma Opera, Tacoma City Ballet, Tacoma Symphony Orchestra, Tacoma Philharmonic, Tacoma Concert Band, Theater Northwest, and the Puget Sound Revels Tacoma Youth Symphony.
If all these beauties do not sound convincing enough to you, then its numerous restaurants will surely pull you to this beautiful city. These restaurants will welcome you with hospitality with excellent food, good drinks, a pleasant atmosphere, and ambiance.
The charm of these local restaurants, which nurture a long tradition of preparing Japanese food, will improve your stay in Tacoma and make you return to the City of Destiny again and again.
Table of Contents
Eight Best Tacoma Japanese Restaurants
Fujiya Japanese Restaurant
1130 Broadway Ste. 1, Tacoma, WA 98402, United States // +12536275319
The appearance of this local restaurant is quite simple, but opposite from that, they serve really complex and delicious Japanese dishes. The prices are most acceptable for Japanese food.
The quality of the food is at a high level because Fujiya is one of the best Tacoma Japanese restaurants and works with a professional team. The customers are always satisfied with the hospitality, and the food arrives freshly prepared and tasty.
From a particularly large, rich menu, we recommend the Kani-Su, which contains crab, masago, and avocado rolled in paper-thin cucumber with rice vinegar, and salmon tataki seared on the outside, rare on the inside.
Kani-Su is cooked to order with ponzu and daikon oroshi, and served with your choice of miso soup or green salad. The Conch Salad is prepared from conch, lettuce, cucumber, scallions, and spicy vinegar. The Ice Cream Tempura is a fantastic dessert that is a specialty of the house and represents hot and cold together; it’s topped with azuki beans.
From the drinks, nothing can replace Hana Fuga Sparkling White Peach and Karatamba.
THEKOI Japanese Cuisine
1552 Commerce St. #100, Tacoma, WA 98402, United States // +12532720996
This is one of the luxurious and elegant Tacoma Japanese restaurants that serves the finest and freshest sushi and is committed to working with only the highest quality fish.
Thanks to the beautiful setting and wonderful atmosphere, THEKOI Japanese cuisine is also suitable for your special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, meetings, and more.
They make great cocktails such as “Mimi Roku,” made from Japanese Roku gin, homemade rosemary-mint syrup, and fresh lemon juice, and “Toki Mule,” made from Japanese Suntory whiskey, ginger beer, and fresh lime juice.
They also have great beers, wines, and spirits. The food they serve is strictly oriental; all dishes are special, very tasty, and worth trying.
As the best of the best, we singled out the Sushi Lunch, which contains fresh bluefin tuna, salmon, kanpachi, striped bass, hirame yuzu ponzu, albacore tuna, and four pieces of California roll with mini udon soup and grilled salmon. It’s a wonderful, light dish made from quality grilled salmon with rice, salad, and a mini udon soup, befitting some of the best Japanese food in Tacoma.
Mandolin | Sushi & Steak House
3923 S. 12th St., Tacoma, WA 98405, United States // +12533014969
Mandolin | Sushi & Steak House is one of the best Tacoma Japanese restaurants that offers a comfortable setting, a pleasant atmosphere, a professional team of chefs, and unsurpassed hospitality.
In addition to the comfort offered by Mandolin | Sushi & Steak House and affordable prices, they professionally prepare Japanese food, which means they serve superb dishes and great drinks.
The Spicy California Roll, Seattle Roll, and two-piece Gyoza is an excellent lunch suggestion for all tuna and salmon lovers. The dish also contains cucumbers and avocado.
As an appetizer, you won’t find anything better than fried oysters. This dish comes served as six pieces of deep-fried oysters.
For the biggest fans of fish, we recommend the Sashimi Salad, a mix of diced raw fish (salmon, tuna, yellow tail, and albacore). And the best choices for dinner are Mahi Mahi, Lobster, and Filet Mignon.
Besides food, this restaurant is full of good wines, beers, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails. In sum, Mandolin is one of the very best Japanese restaurants in Tacoma.
Sushi Tama Restaurant
3919 6th Ave., Tacoma, WA 98406, United States // +12537611014
Sushi Tama Restaurant is one of the most beautiful Tacoma Japanese restaurants that operates with the oldest team of chefs, including a master chef with 20 years of experience in some of the best restaurants in the country.
The chefs also prepare their best, and Sushi Tama Restaurant is widely known for its hospitality. This place has a very classy and spacious atmosphere, making it great for special occasions such as birthdays, business meetings, anniversaries, proms, dates, and even weddings. The prices are fairly high, but every penny is worth it for the experience, and the good food Sushi Tama Restaurant will serve you. In order to capture the diversity of their menu, we will describe a few dishes.
For example, Beef Negimaki represents an excellent main dish for all gourmets, made from fresh green onions wrapped in thinly sliced beef covered with teriyaki sauce. Furthermore, the Sea Kelp Salad is an easy meal for everyone who loves greens.
The salad is very fresh and is made of sesame-flavored seaweed and finally, for dessert, believe me, there is nothing better than their ice cream. Make sure to visit this great Tacoma Japanese restaurant.
Gari of Sushi
1209 S. 38th St., Tacoma, WA 98418, United States // +12534753456
Gari of Sushi is an elegant Japanese restaurant in Tacoma with a pleasant setting and atmosphere. Its spaciousness makes it great for your special occasions, and the comfort makes it more suitable for casual lunches and dinners.
Gari of Sushi operates with a top team of chefs and well-trained waiters. Prices are high, but nothing is too expensive regarding good, quality preparation, always fresh food, and great drinks.
Their Seattle Roll sushi, prepared from cream cheese, smoked salmon, cucumber, and asparagus, as well as Caterpillar Roll sushi, prepared from BBQ eel and cucumber, and kewpie mayonnaise roll, are excellent suggestions for lunch.
From the salads, we strongly recommend House Salad and Seawood Salad. Mix Poke Donburi is one of the regular’s favorite dinners. The soup menu is not extensive, but nothing can replace the unique taste of Miso Soup.
This restaurant also offers a wide selection of drinks, such as various wines and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Nari Sushi & Steak
2009 Mildred St. West Tacoma, WA 98466, United States // +12535036288
Nari Sushi & Steak is an interesting restaurant known for serving unique dishes that you have not tasted anywhere else. Customers, without exception, are satisfied with the hospitality and pleasantly surprised by the delicious dishes, good portions, and excellent drinks.
Particularly recommended are the Yuzu mule, a sweet but refreshing citrus non-alcoholic drink with ginger beer, and the Nana roll, made out of salmon, fresh onions, and jalapeños, topped with spicy sauce.
We should also mention the special kid’s menu, from which highly recommended are the chicken Katsu with rice and a ton of small sides such as fries, broccoli, carrots, ranch dressing, a juice box, and an ice cream dessert.
So if you are looking for a place to go with your big family, don’t doubt going to Nari Sushi & Steak.
Sake Sushi and Grill
5738 N. 26th St., Tacoma, WA 98407, United States // +12537592558
This modern Tacoma Japanese restaurant with a chic setting and pleasant atmosphere is far more famous for its stylish decoration and good food. Sake Sushi and Grill is great for casual days, and you won’t go wrong if you choose it as a place for your special occasions.
Sake Sushi serves strictly oriental Japanese food and drinks, and the hospitable service and professional team of chefs await you with open arms most of the day.
If you make the right decision and decide to visit this restaurant, as an appetizer, we suggest the Vegetable Tempura made out of an assortment of vegetables, hand-dipped and deep-fried. Alaska Rolls are one of the best sushi ever, and also they are a great option for lunch. The Alaska Rolls are made out of salmon, cream cheese, and avocado. In addition, they offer high-quality wines and beers, and also another perk of this restaurant is the prices, which are quite affordable.
Kyoto Japanese Restaurant
8722 S. Tacoma Way, Lakewood, WA 98499, United States // +12535817229
Kyoto Japanese Restaurant is a beautiful restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere that serves quality and always freshly prepared food. Their service is really excellent, their hospitability on a high level, and on top of that, they also offer online ordering.
Their Avocado Rolls, Beer Rolls, and California Rolls, are great as a main dish and are a favorite among customers. If you are a fan of noodles, we recommend you try the ones with chicken, beef, or vegetables.
And if you want something more classic, you can always order their Udon or Miso soup, which are excellent as an appetizer or a light dinner. Finally, let’s mention that Kyoto Japanese Restaurant is suitable for all generations.
Tacoma Japanese Restaurants: Wrap-Up
These restaurants that serve oriental Japanese food will make your senses travel to Japan with the taste and smell while the body is still in Tacoma because, in this wonderful City of Destiny, everything is possible.
Gourmet or not, food is an essential part of our everyday life on ordinary days, on special ones, and during travel. Japanese food is just as outstanding in Japan as worldwide, so let these Japanese restaurants in Tacoma make your stay even better.
Visiting other destinations in Washington State? Check out our other guide:
- 10 Must-Try Bellevue Restaurants
- 9 Best Tacoma North End Restaurants
- 4 Amazing Vancouver WA Restaurants
- 7 Amazing Things To Do In Redmond WA
- 11 Amazing Things to do in Tacoma
Igor Jovanovski is an aspiring digital nomad, travel blogger and graphic designer who really loves food. He also has a creative side, and he works as a freelance graphic designer in his spare time. He has traveled across Europe quite a few times since he was young and recently started his mission to visit every country in the world! Igor’s favorite thing about traveling is the way he gets to know new people, food, places and cultures.
This exciting experience helps him create his own stories and make memories that will last forever