Vi Bacchus Sake Bar & Bistro

I've been to Vi-Bacchus several times since last fall. I've had chances to sit at sushi counter facing chef/ owner, Taka. This is the best way to review the quality of fish and chef's ardency in cooking. Mmmm.., he is one of the kind. He treats cooking as an art to provide well prepared food. Well, I am a Japanese businessman; therefore, I appreciate well prepared food as we see in Japan. ViBacchus is the place that I can confidently introduce authentic Japanese food to my American friends. My favorite food at Vi-Bacchus is Bacchus chicken wings with sake, amazing! In addition, nigiri (sushi) using fresh fish/ fresh kobe beef is wonderful. Once I put nigiri in my mouth, harmony of nicely cut fresh fish/ beef and well sized shari (sushi rice) pulls the sensation throughout my brain. Ohhh, I need to earn more money to experience this sensation every day. Pros: Well prepared food, fresh fish, organically fostered chiken Cons: ? more

Vi Bacchus has quickly become our favorite neighborhood sushi restaurant. My wife and I love the chef's dedication to raw salmon. I'm partial to the salmon poki where bright slivers of raw onion and slippery/crunchy wakame nicely complement mouth watering hunks of raw salmon in a light sesame oil dressing. His Super Seattle Roll gives you more of what makes a Seattle Roll so tasty - a normal Seattle Roll is topped with a layer of even more salmon and avocado! There's extraordinary attention to detail in his rolls. Tempura fillings (shrimp, vegetables, etc.) are fried to order (still warm and crunchy!) before being rolled up. And the shrimp is perfectly cooked, still moist and tender on the inside. At other Seattle mid-priced sushi restaurants the tempura shrimp is often pre-cooked resulting in a cold, overcooked/rubbery, shrimp whose batter coating has long since lost its crunch. And there's a wonderful variety of vegetable rolls - a vegetarian could construct a great meal out of the Salad Salad, Cucumber Crunch, Vegetable Tempura, and Kanpyo/Avocado rolls. I don't recommend the rolls that are batter-dipped and fried like tempura. Both times, I've tried the Tempura Seattle roll, the batter was too thin, so the rice on this inside-out roll absorbed a lot of oil. As i said before, I think this is the best sushi on Capitol Hill. I wouldn't recommend making the trip from other neighborhoods for their sushi. but they do validate parking and the appetizers are well worth making the trip if you live elsewhere. All of the appetizer/salad dishes I've had were extraodinary! I recommend the potato spring roll, the tofu steak with miso sauce, the agedashi tofu, japanese style fried chicken (boneless with a very thin batter), and the salmon skin salad. Even the garden salad is composed of ultra-fresh, pristine mesclun - better quality than at most high-end Northwest cuisine restaurants in town. Don't miss the coffee flavored milk custard for dessert! Pros: best sushi on Capitol Hill, phenomenal hot and cold appetizers, very friendly service Cons: they are just getting started - everything is cooked by the owner. service can be slow. more

I've been here many times and can say I've never had a bad experience! The food is outstanding. The owners and chef take a sincere interest in the quality of the food they prepare and the enjoyment of their customers. I personally recomend ending your meal with the green tea crem brule - its a great combination of flavors! more

This is a great restaurant if you are really into gourmet Japanese foods with shochu. This chef shows incredible pride in the quality of each prepared dish. I love selections of chochu (Japanese votka made out of rice, potato or barly) which have a much dryer taste than that of sake. I recommend rice shochu if you like sake. Be careful though, because if you get into this drink then you will fall in love with it forever. This drink is definitely best with gourmet home style food. This chef prepares Nikujaga unbelievably well. THe way he's able to keep the potatos firm while the beef soft will just melt in your mouth. If you realy want to try delicious gourmet food from Japan, try it and find out for yourself. Pros: carefully prepared food Cons: takes a bit long to reach the table more

I?ve eaten at Vi Bacchus a number of times and have found the sushi to be consistently quite good ? carefully prepared with fresh, quality ingredients. I don?t consider myself to be any kind of food snob, but having eaten sushi in Japan as well as Seattle, I find it comical that their sushi would be considered the equivalent of that found at QFC. We?ve enjoyed the friendly service, intimate setting and especially the food. I like the Salmon Skin Salad and the Nikujaga (one of my favorite japanese homestyle dishes). My husband likes the Kobe Beef Stew and their unique selection of high quality shochu. My children tried their Brammanje, a white coffee flavored custard dessert, and insist on ordering it every time we've eaten there. Don't base your restaurant choices on anonymous reviews (even mine!) -- try it and decide for yourself. more

We had a wonderful experience. The sushi was brilliantly crafted and fresh. We ordered the soft shell crab and it came with a subtle yet delightful dressing that literally melted in the mouth. Our waitress was genuinely caring, professional and passionate about the cuisine. The happy hour sake list was a great way to try premium sakes at great value. I will be certainly returning as often as possible. more

Everything is amazing, friendly service, good atmosphere, and great selection of sake! Perfect for all occasions. I would recommend this place to everyone! Ask to try doing a sake bomb! I have gone here on dates and for big birthday parties and they always cater perfectly to whatever we want! You gotta check this place out! The super dragon roll is the best sushi roll I have ever had and I've had a lot! The owners are so friendly and so our thier servers. This is the place to go! I've even had lunch there and they have great combos for reasonable prices. They even have happy hour every day where you get half of most of their beverages! Check this place out, you wil walk away happy and wanting to go back! Pros: They've got it all Cons: none! more

Well I almost walked right by it on my lunch break, but was excited to see a sushi place close by my work. This place has a cool atmosphere you wouldn't expect in the huge complex that it shares walls with. It's has cool rustic tables. I am heading back to try their happy hour soon. If you live on the Hill, give it a shot. more