One of the cityâ??s best Japanese Izakayaâ??s is Wann, located in Belltown on Second Street and Lenora. I had the pleasure of dining here about a week ago and was thoroughly impressed with the atmosphere, excellent service, wonderful entrée and appetizer selection, and very reasonable happy hour prices. If youâ??re looking for great sushi after work or even a comfy, culturally authentic restaurant to bring a date to, Wann is your place. Itâ??s close proximity to downtown Seattle really makes it an excellent choice no matter where youâ??re headed in town.

I started out my meal at Wann after being pleasantly greeted and seated in the restaurantâ??s simple yet elegant dining area. There are many tables and locations at Wann that span the ambiance and intimate ranges from open seating next to the large windows with street views to smaller, more private dining areas located toward the back of the building, built up and into the rear wall. I often found my eyes wandering about the place trying to discover each and every unique and beautiful dinner setting.

Appetizers during happy hour at Wann are an excellent alternative to any of Belltownâ??s other eateries. I found the menu to be quite extensive, and I was at a loss as to what I would order, given the fact that every item seemed so delicious sounding to me. I ordered the deep-fried takoyaki, a fried squid dish covered with aonori and bonito flake that seemed to move about as the steam rose from the fried dumplings. This was the best plate of takoyaki I have experienced to date in Seattle, as the breaded squid was tender and had a very pleasant texture. I washed my takoyaki down with a Japanese classic, Kirin Ichiban. I became excited at the fact that I was going to be ordering an entrée here and, given how much I truly enjoyed the appetizer, I felt sure that Wann wouldnâ??t let me down with their main dish.

Once I placed my order with our very polite and patient waitress, (I took longer than I had hoped to decide what I wanted for dinner- there’s just too many excellent choices!) I ordered another beer and continued my conversation in the perfectly lit and very laid-back atmosphere of the restaurant. My plate arrived more quickly than I expected, which was a relief considering how much I was anticipating my meal. The crab sushi roll, or Wann Roll was like a trip to an authentic Tokyo sushi establishment. It came with avocado and mango adorning the Dungeness crab. To top it all off there were root chips included and a parsley garnish to really set the color and texture palate off for anyone lucky enough to lay eyes on my meal. The crab and other rather exotic flavors complimented each other extremely well and the plate was finished far sooner than I had planned. An impeccable sushi experience with flawless service- this is Belltown’s Wann, Seattle’s Izakaya gem. I recommend it to anyone looking to enjoy a true culmination of great food, great dining atmosphere, and immaculate service.