I'm kinda on the fence with this one, so bear with me. I had already eaten, but since my friend didn't want to eat alone I ordered salmon teriyaki. I'm not sure what she got, but it looked horrible, and she confirmed that its taste matched. The margarita I drank was extremely strong, which is not the way I like it. However, our server was very attentive and she put some extra ice in my margarita to dilute it and kept my diet coke refilled. The rest of the evening was one I will never (be able to) forget. We came for karaoke, and wow. The selection of songs was refreshing as they had a good variety. Of course, it would be a dream come true if they removed "Don't Stop Believing". The best part of the evening was the drunk girl who was gyrating and dancing all over the bar. When she got up to sing "Wanted Dead or Alive", she looked like a rejected stripper. I really wish that I'd recorded it on my phone. I'm pretty sure it would have gone viral. All in all, it was a pleasant experience and I'd definitely go back in the hopes that I could give it a higher rating. read more

Disclaimer: This rating has nothing to do with the food. I did not eat at this restaurant. BUT....... I did Karaoke there - and it was AWESOME! Where to begin? The chairs are on wheels. Seriously. The drinks are STRONG. So strong that I sang a solo version of Avril Lavigne's "Sk8r Boi" to my boyfriend. I wish I were kidding. We got there at 9:30 and it was right before everything got underway, we had our choice of seats, and time to get our songs in, before it filled up, which it did. This place is everything you want Karaoke to be. Dark, a little shady, and complete with people who are WAY too serious about Karaoke! With God as my witness, I will be a regular! read more

I'm pretty sure that this is a mafia house...... This place has been around for a looong time. They have karaoke. It looks straight up 70's inside. I'm scared. read more

Hahahahaha this place. I went here one evening with coworkers/friends, and it was a night of hilarity and debauchery. The karaoke selection is pretty good, as is the booze - cheap and decent. I wish they had some beer on tap though. The best part was seeing two white hipster-y dudes sing "Creep" by TLC and bodyroll on stage. So great. read more

This place is always fun! I don't recommend it for food, but if you want entertainment it's great! We usually just go for drinks because they are cheap and very generous ;) They have Kareoke on the weekends wish is hilarious! It actually get pretty crowded in the bar area and it's not that large so don't do if you mind bumping elbows and such. My last visit was last week before a Mariners game. We had a large group and met up there. Some people ate and weren't impressed, but those who drank were! Staff is friendly, but can get a little slow when it's busy. read more

Where everybody knows your name. This is the stomping ground for non-profit people, politicians, and Asian activists. They all like to eat some happy hour, drink a stiff drink, and sing songs to their friends. I wish the hipster wouldn't take it over so often and yell out songs. The food is okay for lunch or dinner but isn't usually why most of us come here. There is a parking lot that is a huge bonus for the tough parking in the ID. A gathering place for the community to sing their hearts out in karaoke. read more

I love this place. Unfortunately the sleepy depressed bartender didn't realize how cool of a place he worked in. It seemed like he was being forced to work at his uncle's Japanese lounge/ eatery. It seemed to me, and everyone else there, that he hated his job. Not a good trait for a bartender. That being said, this was the very place I was looking for that reminded me of my old neighborhood before I lived in Mexico. Moved into the neighborhood and was very excited to find my future hang out. Unfortunately these places are frequented by sensative wannabe hipsters who can't handle a rufi joke in an awesome sleazy lounge. I'll be back. read more

This used to be a classic Japanese restaurant, now this place is only good for karaoke and cheap happy hour greasy japanese treats. The service in the tatame rooms can be incredibly slow at best. Kirin Ichiban and the sukiyaki are really the only two things good about this place. I always walk out of the bar with my clothes smelling like they were run through a deep fryer. read more

Yep, the food here - sushi, soup, shabu-shabu, is a-ok. Nothing exceptional, but not terrible either. The decor is incredibly dusty and outdated - the lobby has this cute little fake (yet dusty) garden. Service is efficient and helpful, yet comes at oddly-spaced intervals. I would eat here again as it's inexpensive and satisfactory, but I won't dream about it at night. read more

Eeeh.. The food isnt really great. If you want good sushi there are ton's of other places not too far from this place. The service is rather slow and dismal. Took awhile for someone to actually come around and grab my food. At the time we went there was only one sushi chef making food and that took forever! I don't think I will be returning to this place anytime soon, it doesn't seem to have anything to offer me that I cant get anywhere else and in a better environment. read more

This place is amusing if nothing else... I've been here a few times, twice during the day and once for karaoke. It's generally not a bad place- the Dj for karaoke was amusing and he sang me a hot jam for my birthday... He was so amusing I even asked if he'd ever consider emceeing some events I run. (Sadly I've yet to hear back on that from him!) I've never had the food so I can't comment there- but I've had several drinks... Although they're tasty, they are not strong at all- so do NOT go here expecting to get blitzed! In sum- it's an interesting place with a niche style that has decent karaoke. Not the best, not the worst but definitely somewhere I'd visit again. read more

These stars are for karaoke only since the kitchen was closed when I arrived at Bush Garden. The karaoke dj was awesome, fast, and friendly. Loved this cute old man named Ken. I think he's a regular, I look forward to seeing him next time I go. He gets up there singing and dancing with his cane. so sweet. He dedicated a song to my group of coworkers. Another plus, is their drinks, they pour them strong! I had already had a few drinks before I made it there and wanted my rum and coke in a tall glass, with more pop so I could sip and get less drunk but I bet she poured 3 shots at least into my glass! and all for 5 bucks. PROs: Strong Drinks, karaoke, lots of seating, friendly patrons, parking lot across the street, great karaoke music videos! CONs: dirty bathroom, smelly, homeless hanging outside wanting money read more

The best part of this place is the karaoke. I was in Japan during the war, and I can honestly say this place's entrees and sushi are mediocre. That said, when serving liquor, the pour their drinks strong. It's a nice place to come with friends if you want to kick back and sing some tunes. One peeve, it's difficult to get them to play the karaoke instrumentals in the right key. read more

Great food! Fresh and traditional Japanese dishes that had great prices. read more

Bush Garden - Bush roll, rainbow roll and octopus on the side - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Went to this joint for karaoke and had a decent time. The song selection is very limited and old so if you only sing old school, you are out of luck here. Drinks are a plenty. Never tried their food so I can't comment on that. read more

Horrible service and not a good place for vegetarians... It was very difficult for me to ask for a regular salad with *no* meat on top. The waitress kept on insisting that it was not possible and I needed to order off the menu. Finally, she relented after I asked several more times and said that she'll "see what the chef can do." WHAT? Eventually she brought out a small green salad with a bowl of dressing. I later asked for an avocado and cucumber roll. The waitress had to check the menu and said that they had no such roll. Showing me the menu, she pointed out that I could either order the cucumber roll ($2) or the avocado roll ($2.50). I asked her if I could have the avocado roll and have the cucumber added. She said "I'm sorry, but that is not possible." WHAT? I don't think that my requests were that out of the ordinary...it was frustrating that they were not accommodating...especially when their rolls are made to order. Their salad dressing was pretty good though. My friend had the dinner combo and said that the steak was tender (very small portions though) and the miso soup was one of the best he's ever had. I was in the tatami room and the service was incredibly slow. The rooms weren't in the best shape either... read more

Hands down, one of the more exciting and memorable karaoke experiences in Seattle. However, don't go there to eat & don't go there to drink. There are breathtaking restaurants in ID, so don't fray your nerves screwing around in a place with poor service and mediocre food. Here, the service is the slowest on the entire West Coast. Watching the poor girl calculate the ingredients of a rum and coke is mind boggling - took me 30 minutes to get a beer standing 12" in front of her face before karaoke even started (maybe a dozen people there). Plus....not cool they don't serve food after 10pm while the hard alcohol flows freely - this happens every single time we go. Not sure if the liquor control board would approve? Bottom-line - AWESOME place to sing and there are some great acts that will bring the house down. On the other hand, this is the nicest so-called restaurant/park bench in Seattle. read more

First off- These places scare the shit out of me. I keep thinking I'll get food poisoning when I go to older restaurants in I-District. The great news is that I didn't and the food was solid. I had the bento box lunch with salmon. It almost deserves 4 stars, but the ambiance isn't that great. Stay safe and enjoy! John read more

Good food at great prices, can't go wrong with that. Their tuna sashimi is quite delicious, give it a try. read more

Bush Garden - Chicken teriyaki and tempura bento - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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There's something about this spot that makes it the best (well, in my opinion) karaoke bar in Seattle. Maybe it's the drinks, maybe it's the horribly good music selection, maybe it's because I've always been around crazy people who love to sing and dance, or maybe it's just haunted and there are ghosts lingering about putting wild hairs up every ones asses that makes puts them in a good mood. It's it's weird in its own good way, but above all else it's a fun place to go... Try it, I bet you'll like it :-) I've never eaten here though. read more

The sushi is fabulous and the prices are amazing! Karaoke is always fun late night, but expect great food & prices at lunch, dinner, or at the bar! Fabulous for groups (or to grab a bite alone!) read more

*Other reviewers seem to be rating Bush Garden as a place to karaoke, but I do not sing karaoke and am rating this place as a restaurant. * Ugh.. Maybe it's just me, but their sukiyaki was gross. Since they have a pretty large sushi bar, their sushi might be their forte but I can't be sure since i didn't tried it. Either way, I would rather go to Saito's or Shun's for the traditional sushi and would completely stay away from this place if you are looking for good food... read more

Bush Garden is great fun for kareoke. The giant screens show old time karoke videos from the 80's and 90's and are quite entertaining. The song selection is pretty great, with some obscure classics and the usual pop favorites. It definitely has the atmosphere of a gangster hang out-- not modern gangsters, more like the Chinese gangsters in Temple of Doom. But not as rich as those guys. I took an out of town friend here and he doesn't like kareoke, but we went anyway and sang a song, with no liquid courage in me and it was fairly a fairly tepid reaction from the crowd. The audience was mostly yuppie hipstery types but every now and then some really interesting people would come in, which is the cool thing about Bush Garden. I love all kareoke, and while this might not be my favorite place for it, it's gotta be right up there. Food-- greasy. Drinks-- stiff. read more

Friday Night Karaoke! Yeah! Get drunk and sign your song out LOUD! Yu and 10+ of your friends should go and ACT A FOOL! read more

Yes, it is possible to Rick roll an entire karaoke bar. And it rocks!

Hey sexy ladies.... do you need to meet some great, new men? Fellas, do you need a new best friend? Lucky for you, there are some amazing catches at Bush Garden that will astound you in their chivalry, modesty and overall awesomeness. I'm so happy to report that I met my new best friend last weekend and Ali and Shirley met their new boyfriend! Anywho, check out Bush Garden if you're in the area and want some strong drinks, divey atmosphere and some wicked karaoke. Our group of 6 found a great table up close and personal with stage... next to all the action! A few rounds of strong drinks and several rounds of Scooby Snack shots later we were one loud, happy group. The whole time our amazing cocktail waitress kept our tabs in order, was constantly checking on us and providing some of the best service. Ever. Best thing about Bush Gardens? There's lots of even, level sidwalks in the area so when you have to run away from your new best friend in a drunken stupor, there's a lesser risk of falling. *In addition to the coolest person I've ever met, the rest of the people at Bush Gardens were friendly, and could really sing. Best of all, they didn't sit and drink with us all night and try to follow us home like my new best friend/Shirley and Ali's boyfriend =) read more

Karaoke bar. Located in the international district. Fun place to visit with a group of friends. They have tons of music to choose from. You can probably sign just about any song your heart desires. I definitely need to drink more the next time. Maybe then I'll have the courage to get up and sing a song myself! read more

Bush Garden suck. If you want to eat in an old, dirty place with bad service. This is the place.

Mind eraser, sadness eraser, or somewhere in between? Things happen at Bush Gardens Cocktail Lounge... strange things. This review is not about FOOD, nor is this a Fancy Location. this review is all about the time that can be had here. It will be slow till about 9, enjoy HH and stick it out then suddenly, BAM. Packed. The food? Passable but no one should do an expose... It sorts of slows down the Mai Thai and it is Very Cheap at Happy Hour! The Drinks? Strong enough to remove those inhibitions - and does so quicker than acetone strips off nail polish! Get your booty up there and do your best cover of Pat Benatar or Journey or UB40, and every so often turn around and check out the truly weird, hilarious, mini-soap-opera videos with 80's fashion disasters playing up on the screen behind you. Then order another drink from the hardest working bar staff in Chinatown. But don't drive home, those drinks are fierce! Stay polite, don't cause trouble, be respectful of this little Seattle gem. Make sure to see Connie if she is belting one out that night, and tip your hat in honor of Kenny and the other Chinatownlebrites that have passed on to that great Karaoke Bar in the sky... Much love. read more

I love this place. I have no idea why. Let me give it a shot (this is cathartic for me I suppose): 1. Karaoke. I really have a love/hate relationship with it. I can not stand hearing Friends in Low Places, anything from Grease, Whitney Houstons I'll Always Love You, etc. But sometimes there is real magic up there and some genuinely funny performers. Plus I always to get up and belt out Zoot Suit Riot or Sweet Child of Mine. 2. Suzie the waitress. As my friend Michael O says "She works hard for her money". Suzie is the heart of Bush Gardens and perhaps Seattles best waitress. She is fantastic, she is ultra fast on getting you your drink (mine: triple vodka/cranberry), is always incredibly friendly. Just a top notch personality. I'd probably not go to Bush Garden much if she wasn't there. 3. The smell. Bush Gardens smells awful. It smells like man chowder, urine, vomit, and a bunch of other horrible things. The men's bathroom is like something out of Trainspotting. But for some reason this is part of it's charm. It's like the Seinfeld episode the Beast (when Jerrys car has the stink of some car attendant, and they can't get rid of the smell). Hmm, I wonder if I smell like Bush Gardens right now!??! 4. Parking is always open. No hunting like in Capitol Hill. 5. The Asian guy who takes your requests. He really reminds me of Yoda. No really. Actually, there's two Asian guys. The other guy, Kenny, sings really well. He needs to run the Karaoke more often. 6. The crowds are always rowdy and fun loving. If you sing you are met with alot of participation and support. Well unless, you sing Friends in Low Places...then I'll boo you. LOUDLY! ;) I like to hang back with my sketch book and try to capture some of this on paper. 7. There's a Simpsons episode where Moe is going to change the format of Moe's Bar to a family restaurant theme. Moe: Seems like no one wants to go drink in a dank pit anymore. Carl says "But Moe, you're not thinking of getting rid of the dank are you!?!? Moe: (mulling it over) Maybe I am. Carl: (pleading) Ah but Moe...the dank! the dank! The Bush has "the dank", in spades. The Bush is a REAL dive, the real McCoy. You can't fake this stuff folks. Hmmm I'm not sure I am any closer to understanding why I love this place. So I'll wrap it up with if you see a guy sketching one weekend, while people are singing, stop by and say hello. read more

Here another UYE I came set up by Jennifer L as awesome as ever. Here is what I have to say about this. Originally I was gonna go and give this place 2 stars for the food quality and service. Poor waiter was over whelmed by us 10 people ordering with what seemed like herself was the only waitress for the place. So... I kinda felt bad. I guess I should of coached her to leave the pitcher of water and leave an extra pitcher of tea instead of coming back and forth on multiple occasions forgetting about it. But as for the food itself... I ordered the sashimi and for 18 bones... it's a pretty generous portion with miso soup and a bowel of rice. However... even with 18 bones... i didn't finish it... b/c I would normally devour it but... may be my stomach felt funny or the food didn't agree... I couldn't guite finish it. Must of been my body chemistry rejecting it. But here's what gave it an extra start that would make me go back to this place. The after karoke bar. It's a bar like none less where the bartender goes about and ask if everybody is healthy with their drinks. She was pretty helpful. Unfortunatley this also means there isn't a person manning the bar. So... we wait a few minutes and order some Gin and tonic... amazingly... they have Gin on TAP??? I never been to a bar which has Liquor on tap??? ON MY OH MY??? kinda scary, interesting, funny, and intriguing all at the same time. Makes me almost want to ask "what else do you have on tap?" Anyways... fun karoke bar with good company... oh i have to add... never been to a karoke bar that uses laser disks... Cuz the DJ made me look b/c I was wondering why she had to keep on changing disk... SO BUSH garden in summary... ok food, fun karoke, gin on tap, with old school laser disk... GOOD company made it all an enjoyable time cuz I left smiling. read more

Probably the worst dining experience of any kind Ive ever had was yesterday at Bush Gardens. Not only did a friend of mine who I was eating with have lipstick all over his water glass, but literally 30 seconds after he realized this, he found a very pronounced hair in his rice bowl. Now, maybe if the two were isolated incidents, I might have been more willing to let it slide- but two strikes is way too much and once we alerted the wait staff, they didnt even try to apologize or do anything about it. Only after we insisted that they comp a portion of the meal (and they tried to give us more free sake) did they do anything about it. Needless to say, I will never be coming back to this place again, and I suggest you stay away as well. read more

I read the review from 12/26/14 and it made me suspicious as to whether it was a legit review or not. I went tonight with friends. It is still a dive but the food is tolerable..... However, the new DJ Jarod has to be the worst I have ever experienced. The guy is horrible, dead air between songs, weird sound effects that killed the vibe in the room. What is sad, is that it appears that he is related in some way to the owner. I will NEVER go back as long as he is there. Your karaoke needs can be fulfilled better elsewhere. read more

it's funny how times change as you become a regular. i absolutely love this place. it's one of the watering holes in the ID which has a special place in my heart. so much so that i don't even want to put it on facebook because i want to keep it to myself and my friends. i've seen the most interesting characters sing karaoke and that's what it it's all about. it has all the japanese fried bar food that goes great with drinks, chicken kaarage, tempura, gyoza, yakisoba, little wienies. plus some really good udon noodles. if you are in the bar, check the hand written signs along the wall for specials or else you'd miss it. well drinks are nice and cheap. you can come and go as long as you please. ** and they have their own parking lot in the ID. this makes this place super convenient. read more

Preface: I think Karaoke is a lot of fun. There are some people who take it too seriously, and that's, in my opinion when it gets strange and awkward. But if you're just there to be drunk and revel in drunken singing fun, karaoke is the fucking bomb diggity. I like karaoke sehr viel. And I've definitely hit up my fair share in Seattle. And this place fucking bit donkey balls really hard. A) Selection- there are like 500 songs. There's like nothing. They have the old pioneer laser-discs that have the movies in the background, but I don't really care about that. B) Sound- The KJ can't mix for shit. Really, it's awful. I think he got feedback like 30 times, literally. Just really bad balance. C) Rotation- I put a song in at 10:15 and left, angry that I didn't get to sing at all at 12:45. That's really unacceptable. There were multiple people who sang multiple times between the time that I put in the song and when we left- and that just sucks. So please - fire that awful karaoke host and get someone who knows what they're doing. I do not suggest going here. The drink are okay and cheap- but not strong and cheap enough for me to want to go out of my way... boooooooooooooo bush gardens. read more

I have never eaten the food here, but I will tell you that if you like having a fun time at Karaoke, you can either start of end your night here. The karaoke host is hilarious! I know they're a totally legit Japanese restaurant, and they have a late night bar menu too, but I passed all that up for one of the best karaoke places in town. Maybe one day I'll go by and actually try the food, but until then I'm a karaoke singin fool! read more

Being a Seattle native I've been hear probably a half dozen times over 30 years. It is spooky considering the fact very little here has changed. What's nice is one of the things that has changed very little are the prices! The sushi prices here are about 2/3 the price of most Japanese restaurants (aside from the cheapo conveyor places). The quality and size of cuts is average but still a decent deal for the price. The bathrooms looks like they haven't been renovated since the place was built but they are clean. The main thing is this place is "old school" traditional, no-frills, no fancy interior, decent (not gourmet) Japanese Food. The main draw of this place has always really been the bar and the Karaoke. I consider this place one of the birthplaces of Karaoke in Seattle. Service is good, everyone is friendly and if you need a bite to eat before boozing it up, it won't break the bank. 3.5 star food 4 star service 3 star atmosphere restaurant, 4-star during Karaoke 4 star value read more

Food was good, wasnt that pricey at all .. service was fast .. but i will take off a point because the local karaoke singer was a total mess .. read more

This is a great place to relax after a long day. I've never eaten in the restaurant, but the food I've had in the bar (including an order from their lunch menu) has been decent. You can get much better Japanese food in Seattle, certainly in this neighborhood, but you don't go there for the food. The bar food is a bit hit or miss but hits the all important counteract-booze points of grease and starch so well. But the food isn't what matters, aside from their excellent 5-7pm happy hour special on bar food. The drinks are poured well and a very competitive price. The drinks tend to take a fair amount of time and effort to get -- the bar is usually understaffed for the crowds on a Friday or Saturday night. It's the ambiance. The absence of windows. The Fred Flintstone exterior. The mini [possibly]styrofoam japanese garden in the lobby. And my personal favorite is the collection of agate and resin tables in the bar. Plus the walls and decor still tobacco-stained how many years after the smoking ban went into effect? This is a comfortable spot. You don't go to the bar to look good, you go there to feel good. And feel good you do. I've been drinking here for five to six years and it hasn't changed a bit in that time, which is reassuring. And I'm a terrible (not being modest; other karaoke bars have cut me off mid-song) singer, but if you put in your song, you will get to go up and people will cheer you on and sing along. This bar attracts good people, both in clientele and especially in bar staff. I haven't seen Susie in my last few visits but I remember one time being there with a group and leaving before the rest of my friends -- she actually followed me outside to make sure I was okay (I was) and that memory has kept me feeling warm and fuzzy to this day. Warm and fuzzy at Bush Garden. read more

Not bad, not bad. The food was tasty but wasn't overly filling. The bento looked a little skimpy but I guess that's what you get for the nice price of $7 for lunch. The place is a little dark, cold, and quiet, the service is friendly and fast. Although I've experienced better, I'd go back to try some of their other lunch specials. read more