This Japanese Hawaiian restaurant looks like a fancy sushi restaurant from the front but feels like a homey Hawaiian lunch spot on the inside. They have a very simple menu with quick service. I had the medium spicy Karaage with a side of their fries and three dipping sauces! The chicken was not to heavily battered and nice and succulent. The fries had a dry spice on it that kind of reminds me of ramen seasoning. The dipping sauces were very interesting. The curry ketchup was the Japanese curry flavor and more curry than ketchup. The mango bbq tasted like a slightly tart bbq. The wasabi ranch had a great wasabi flavor but it's just a strange condiment for fries. Overall I wish I had gotten a rice entree or their soup, it was too much fry and I left feeling oily. But great for a lunch stop and drunchies stop. read more

Sometimes you just want to eat a giant pile of hot, crunchy, juicy chicken karaage. This is THE PLACE. The portions are enormous and somehow cheap as heck for blocks from the center of downtown, and the food.... Heavenly. It was exactly what I wanted. I wish I had more words for how perfect the chicken is, but I'm salivating just thinking about it. I got the spicy chicken, so it was dusted in chili powder (possibly other spices as well?) with Japanese mayo dipping sauce. I probably had rice and a salad? I can't even remember, the karaage was my everything. The place is tiny, so be prepared. I don't think I saw a place to sit more than 4 to a table, and most spots were for two. There were some other items on the menu I wish I could describe for you, but I had a cartoon moment where everything I looked at, instead of becoming a steak, became a piece of chicken karaage, so I can't help you much there. I kind of don't want to even leave a review so this place gets more traffic - it was decently crowded for a late lunch, and I don't want to have to wait for my next order :) I took home a bunch of chicken for later munching also. Ok yeah I already want to go back. read more

Karaage Setsuna - The most beautiful sight I have ever seen. - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

You order with your phone. Pretty much zero interaction with waiters required. Sauce costs extra. The curry rice has a rich flavor and a good amount of spice if you add sashimi. The restaurant seemed like a good place to go with a group of friends and had a lot of menu options. read more

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Great place for karaage! We came for dinner and left so full, but, mmmm fried chicken. I don't often visit Belltown, but this was a must while we were in the area. It's a small, cozy restaurant with just a few tables for small groups. I ordered a Rum & Ginger Coke with the Spicy Shichimi Kaarage Plate, which came with white rice and mac salad. My meal also came with a complimentary miso soup. The Rum and Ginger Coke was made with Bacardi Light, so could really taste the rum but had a nice, ginger flavor from the hard ginger candy it came with. The Spicy Shichimi Kaarage Plate didn't take long to get, and the portion was massive! I recommend sharing, as it was hefty. But it was really good kaarage! The chicken was tender, moist, and seemed to be mostly made with dark meat, which is what I prefer for chicken. There was a nice crunch to it, and for anyone who likes spicy foods - I recommend getting it with the Spicy Shichimi, a dry, pepper rub, heavily sprinkled on the chicken. For 25 cents, you can also add a dipping sauce, so I went with the spicy mayo, which always tastes good with fried anything! I also enjoyed the chilled mac salad on the plate, which was mixed with mayo and edamame. Since the kaarage is so heavy on its own - I recommend visiting with a group and sharing the kaarage as an appetizer with some dipping sauces. I personally can't handle an entire meal of fried food - no matter how good it is, so will have to snack on the kaarage for my next visit and try a different entree, like the Ginger Pork or Ra-min Noodle Soup. Overall, this is a great place for some Japanese-Hawaiian comfort food, which is sure to fulfill your kaarage craving! read more

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Rating : 4.5 stars Tl;dr: Their karage game is on point. Crunchy outside, tender inside. Karage curry has less chicken than just the karage. They get busy during lunch time so be ready to wait or come in early to avoid rush ***The long read*** It was a chilly day in Seattle and I was in the mood to have something hot, spicy or fried. I was near downtown near the Amazon spheres so I decided to walk up a few blocks to this place for lunch. Once I got here, I put in my name and 10 minutes later, I got called in. Ambience: Unlike the Tardis, this place looks tiny and is small on the inside too. Kitchen is right on the side, with a window. Tables are so close to each other that you can eat out Karage from your neighbor's plate when they are not looking (Though not recommended :P ) Service: The server came to take the order pretty quickly. I was deciding between Karage curry and Loco moco. I went with Karage curry. They brought out miso soup (complimentary) and the food came out soon after that. Entree: The karage pieces are crunchy and tender on the side, fried to perfection. Curry was thick and delicious. Portion size is good for one person but the chicken pieces are equivalent to small order. I ordered an extra small order of spicy chicken karage served with spicy shichimi powder. You can order sauce for $0.75. I got curry ketchup which was a good accompaniment with karage. For next time, I'd probably order medium order of chicken karage. If I do order karage curry, I'll probably order soft boiled egg with it. read more

Amazing!! Chicken is crispy without being too heavy. Ramen is delicious. The sushi rolls are super fresh. Ramen is also amazing especially on a cold day. That's what I really like about this place... that it has variety like an izakaya but everything is just crazy delicious. Plus the wait staff are attentive and fast, Mika being a standout every time I visit. In other words this should be your new go-to for lunch and after work!!! read more

I'll give this place a 7/10, but I just don't want to give it three stars to bring their rating down. We got togo due to this pandemic crisis. I can't really evaluate on their service too much since it's togo. Pricing wise, it isn't too bad for being a restaurant in Seattle. Food wasn't bad but nothing spectacular about it. We got the curry Karaage plate, regular Karaage plate, curry deluxe, poke sushi and fries. I thought the curry was pretty good and the chicken was pretty tender. The fries was very stale but it wasn't their fault because it sat in the bag for like 30 minutes before consumption. Plus they put sauce on the fries. In conclusion, nothing amazing, just some decent comfort food! read more

chicken karage was tender and flavorful; it just added so much to japanese curry and rice. it comes with miso soup - GREAT! not many places get it right. shrimp was not great - overcooked, sauce was okay but the shrimp itself had no flavor or texture. fries were strangely addicting. the texture is not great but it has a tiny bit of sweet, salty and tangy flavor to it. still gets 5 stars because they nailed their main dish. read more

Karaage Setsuna - curry rice with chicken karage fries shrimp with garlic sauce chicken karage - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Walked in and the little girl in glasses walked around my wife and handed off some to go orders. Walked away without acknowledgement. Another lady walked by and ignored us. Half the seats were empty. I guess we came at a bad time? Might try takeout next time. read more

Omg, what a great little find! This place is amazing! If you are patient enough to wait for one of their 10 tables you can sit down for lunch. Otherwise, take out seems to be extremely popular too. The service was very fast & efficient. We waited for a table and our server busted it and sat us within minutes. She also brought us a glass of water while we looked over the menu. Thanks to previous yelp posts I ordered the grape soda. Let me start by saying I never really order soda, but if a restaurant is known for something I wanna try it! This soda was amazing, you definitely have to get it. I also got the loco moco, super good, I ate every bite! If you want, you can also order a dipping sauce for an extra $0.75. If we were locals I'm sure we would be coming back often! read more

Customer service goes a long way. Visited this place twice now & received a different version of the "poke sushi roll" each time. The ingredients inside the rolls are listed on the menu, but they added an ingredient this time around that is not on the menu: seaweed salad. Instead of fixing the mistake, they stated it was "suppose to be that way" and couldn't make a roll without it. Please either make the menu accurate or be honest. Not a good experience and had to pay for a dinner which I never would have ordered. read more

Karaage Setsuna - Menu with Poke Roll that does not include "seaweed salad" - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Loved every bite of this tender golden nugget... I think we ordered a Large..but that was an overkill. So much goodness....but probably so bad for my waistline... Not only did we get the chicken, but between the two of us, we also had a plate of fries (which were ok) and a bowl of ramen (also tasty). The ramen was a little different than what i'm used to. I think it used thinly sliced pork and not the usual char siu, but whatever works. We were here for the karaage! If you're ever in a pinch for food and want some comfort food... this is your stop. read more

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I have visited Seattle twice, and ended up coming here twice. Like its namesake, you have to get the chicken karaage, which uses a nice fatty and juicy piece of the chicken and crisps it to the right level of crunch. My wife and I also really enjoyed the poke salad dishes. read more

I came back recently and reordered the same dish, but it wasn't as good as I remembered. Curry tasted more like tomato than curry, and I felt like the chicken was less than the rice. It was still pretty good but too expensive for the quality/quantity. read more

Karaage Setsuna - Curry Rice - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Probably best to eat inside! I would give this 3.5 stars based on the taste of my order. I picked up food here on the way home from work because I was curious about their veggie moco (vegetarian loco moco) and since it was a bit too crowded I decided to eat at home. I also ordered the Setsuna fries. The Place: Not very ideal for groups larger than 4, but you could probably make it work if it isn't too crowded. Otherwise it was warm and welcoming. The Service: Very hospitable and very fast! I waited just 5-7 minutes for my order! The Food: Given I walked another 5 minutes in the rain before getting home to eat I would guess the food is better normally at the restaurant? What's appealing is their prices! Affordable and fast are a great combination. Setsuna Fries - the soy sauce seasoning was a bit too much for me and added too much saltiness. I was a bit disappointed, especially since the cashier recommended these fries to me. Veggie Moco - overall good, moreso knowing they specialize in kaarage (fried chicken). The sauce/gravy could use more flavor, to me it was a little too light to the point it seemed almost diluted. The macaroni salad that came as a side was good but also a bit underseasoned. Otherwise I would definitely recommend this place! read more

Karaage Setsuna - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This was probably the best karaage I've ever had! Too bad we had to stand outside and eat, due to COVID. Regardless, the chicken was the perfect consistency, very tender and right amount of crunch. The side sauces also complemented the flavor quite well. I would love to come back to dine in. read more

Karaage Setsuna - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Service: 2/5. We came in, and nobody was there to greet us. After a short while, someone came out to seat us and was genuinely nice, I'm assuming she was the host/an extra. Once we were greeted by our server, though, we felt extremely unwelcome. He didn't smile at us, and it honestly felt like he thought it was a burden to serve us. Maybe because he groups us with other teenagers he gets as customers, but that's no way to treat a customer especially when you're all "happy-go-lucky" with the customers who are sitting right behind us. Meal: 3.5/5. The Karaage was on point, as the name of the restaurant suggests, but a lot of other things seemed very subpar. The curry had a texture and tasted like Vermont curry, and not a fresh curry that was made in house. Atmosphere: 4/5. The area was relatively quiet, no music or really background music. The restaurant seemed like just a relatively nice place to hang out, nothing to spectacular though. Overall: 3/5. Overall, a nice meal, but very subpar in service. I definitely wouldn't recommend this place and probably won't be back. read more

Really yummy food!! I've been here twice, both times I had the chicken karaage (definitely the highlight of the menu, it's so juicy). This time I also tried the curry and it was also delicious! Food arrived very fast as well. Would highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Karaage Setsuna - Fries, chicken karaage, curry plate, and seaweed salad - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I came here alone on a Monday afternoon and was surprised by how packed they were. My first immediate impressions were how small and uncomfortably warm the space was. This location is definitely better fro small groups; however, I noticed that they were planning on changing locations so maybe the space will be larger in the future. The service was slow-- it took some time for them to seat me, give me water, and I had to ask for a spoon with my miso soup. It was obvious that they were just busy during their lunch rush. I ordered the chicken karaage curry and it definitely did not disappoint. I came in during the happy hour period so it was a bit cheaper than their regular price. The karaage was juicy and perfectly fried. I loved that it wasn't soggy even though some of them were soaked in the curry. The curry was also so flavorful and rich. I was overall very pleased with my meal. I only wish that they offered some vegetables with that dish just because it got really heavy. read more

Now who doesn't love fried chicken? After seeing the reviews, I just had to try this place during my visit to seattle. Their menu is very simple, you don't get much to choose from. The chicken was pretty good and the portions was huge. However, it was hard to finish them all even though I wasn't full because there was just too much chicken and not much of anything else. It was getting a bit to dry and salty halfway and the macaroni salad didn't help. But overall, it's pretty good karaage. read more

Karaage Setsuna - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Tasty food. I ordered the Shabu shabu shrimp, and karaage chicken. The atmosphere is low key.

I needed something that would feed a family of three that includes a picky eater who recognizes maybe 6 foods as edible (luckily, white rice and chicken are two of those things). We came in just as they opened for dinner and thus were seated promptly. Our attentive and polite waitstaff immediately took our drink orders and gave us some time with the menu. We ended up ordering a la carte (Karaage and white rice) for the picky eater. Our shabu shabu shrimp appetizer was delicious -- I refrained from drinking the cilantro and red onion- laced ponzu left behind. The poke bowl was GIANT and perfect in every way, with both seaweed salad and rice under greens, fish, and delicious avocado. My karaage curry rice was such amazingly good comfort food -- the best I've had since leaving Japan (and thank goodness for curry pickles!). The perfect balance of sweet and spice. ごちそうさまでした！ read more

Fast service. Great food. We had a Kara-age mixed plate, butter-soy fries and a sushi roll. All good. Light but filling. Definitely returning. read more

My brother says that the curry here is one of the best he's ever had. I myself say that the karaage is one of the best I've ever had. After my brother finished his curry and I finished my karaage, we proceeded to order a deluxe curry which is, might I remind you, not a small amount of food to consume. I mean, look at that thing. It's a L O T of food. I for one know that I will be back. Many times. And I'll keep on coming back again. And again. And again. and again. and again. and again. and again. ok we're done just kidding and again. and again. and again. KARAAGE SETSUNA IS AMAZING !!!! read more

I may or may not have an obsession with chicken karaage or really any type of fried chicken. If a restaurant has chicken karaage, I'm ordering it. Karaage Setsuna is on it's own level and the karaage and curry is the best you can get in Seattle. Highly recommend ordering the Chicken Karaage curry so you get the best of both worlds. Portion sizes are on the larger side, and you can always add more karaage to your order ala carte. I've also tried the ginger pork, which is a really solid option as well. The restaurant is small and always busy, so I end up doing take out a lot when I'm craving it. You can call the restaurant ahead of time to place and order or go in person. I've never waited longer than 15 minutes for my order. read more

Convenient location with tasty food options. Went here on a lunch break and enjoyed the atmosphere. The restaurant is on the smaller side (I'd say it could seat maybe 20-25 total) so get here early for lunch. I ordered the loco moco plate, which was pretty filling. Presentation was nice; it came with asparagus and tomatoes for a fresh, clean look (especially for being loco moco). My fiancé ordered the chicken karaage plate, which, heads up, was made with dark meat. He thought it was okay, but probably wouldn't order it again due to the quality of the meat. The lunch meals came with a side of miso soup, which I didn't realize at the time so it was a nice surprise. They didn't give us spoons with our soup, and when we asked, they seemed a little confused. Perhaps it's okay (as part of Japanese culture) to drink soup directly from the bowl at this restaurant. The service was great: fast and friendly. I would return to this restaurant, especially for dinner. I'm interested in trying the spam roll and the fries. read more

Karaage Setsuna - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Damn, the fried chicken in curry was just so awesome! i didn't think i would finish it, but i did :) The flavors are amazing and the service was quick too. Definitely a must try place - even if you don't specifically like Fried chicken - this is the good kind of fried chicken :) A friend took me there and i will be back for more!! drool. read more

Great bang for your buck. The karaage is delicious The curry is legit!!! I love good Japanese curry and search for it everywhere I go. It's unfortunate more Japanese restaurants don't have it on the menu. This place does it right! Super flavorful. Perfect. Great spot for lunch in Belltown. It looks like a cheap sandwich shop but don't walk by. It's really good. read more

Poke Salad was excellent. Very fresh ingredients. The dressing was delicious as was the salmon. read more

Karaage Setsuna - Poke salad with salmon - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

As a previous reviewer stated, the Chicken Karaage is cooked to perfection! The curry is the perfect balance of rice and curry, the miso soup is just warm enough to not burn, and the Sapporo is crisply served in its own glass. Their Ra-min is very delicious and reminds me of dan-dan noodles from Taiwan P.S. Chili and Sesame moved down a few spaces to the corner. Still one of the best Korean restaurants in Seattle, so glad they're not out of business. read more

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A little hole in the wall Hawaiian Japanese restaurant in Belltown that has become a regular dining spot for my husband and I if we are craving poke and chicken kaarage. Delicious and generous servings of salmon for the poke bowl. Tender and juicy chunks of chicken in the kaarage. Super friendly and attentive service staff. read more

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This place is unreal. I'm afraid to even comment cause I don't want y'all coming to my secret spot. It's so legit. The Karaage Fried chicken is outrageous, always perfectly fried, epic sauces to choose from . They have this insane macaroni salad with edamame. Seriously this place is amazing. It's small and super casual. Excellent service and the chefs on the line are happy to crank out quality food. You can tell they really care. They also fry the chicken skins and you might be lucky enough to get one on your plate! Smothered with wasabi ranch! I gotta stop writing this otherwise I'll have to go for dinner tonight! read more

Karaage was greasy and just ok. Gyoza curry dumpling soup - dumplings good, soup just okay. We wouldn't go back read more

The karaage is on point. Not very many places in the Downtown adjacent areas with cheap, fast, and edible foood. EDIT: Tried this place again and I left sad and annoyed. There is zero organization if youre waiting for a table. The server and the owner have different ideas about who to sit so guess the group of people who lose when tables open up? Drama. Anyway good food, disappointing service. Is there a place in Seattle that does both? Maybe order for take out. You dont want to get in between those two. Would recommend...ish. read more

Very quick prompt service at this restaurant! Got their original karaage. It was fried perfectly- crispy, hot and delicious. I wish they didn't charge extra for their sides because I would have loved to try at least one but couldn't bring myself to order it for the upcharge. The chicken had a nice flavor but was slightly bland. Reasonable prices and quick service- will be back next time we're in the Seattle area! read more

Best Karaage I have ever tasted, and as a Japanese person who lived in LA with many more Japanese restaurant options than Seattle, I think that's saying a lot. The flavor, the perfect crispy skin, the juicy chicken, and the variety of sauces are SO GOOD. I like the shichimi spicy karaage with the ponzu onion sauce and Japanese mayo. Their butter Shoyu fries are also bomb. Their peach soda was so delicious as well! read more

ordered spicy karaage w rice and macaroni salad and poke salad, and 3 karaage curry. excellent taste and good portions. poke was fresh. gave large container of curry for each order, probably could use one curry for two orders. will return for sure thanks!! read more

My friend and I were in Seattle for a few days and this was one of the best restaurants we tried. Good service, relaxed ambience, and all around great food. We ordered the fried chicken with rice, spicy tuna roll, and edamame. Everything was delicious and arrived at the table quickly! read more

Nothing special, karragge is the only thing that should be ordered. Other things just avoid. Especially the sushi rolls and the salmon yaki.

Dropped in for dinner while walking on 2nd. Small place but full of customers so that was a good sign. Ordered the Karaage plate. Very crispy and flavorful chicken. Friendly service and reasonable prices. read more