Pisco stumbled across Maekawa online somewhere in the past few days and immediately resolved to pay a visit. An open-late, second-floor, somewhat-hidden, izakaya-serving resto in the ID? Sign me up.
The ambiance is thoroughly Japanese and somewhat timeless. The bar and restaurant feature plenty of light wood, as so many Japanese places do, and lots of handwritten signs with menu specials tacked to the wall. Add the diverse mixture of suited businessmen, hipster students, and a few bar personalities, and it could have been Tokyo in 1985 or 2015. Quite special, that timeless feeling, and I wish more places had it. I also wish more places played loud, sugary, energetic J-pop. Redundant? I don’t care. Pisco hearts J-pop.
We ordered four items: grilled beef tongue, takoyaki, gyoza, and onigiri. The beef tongue came first, and the four large slices were good, though not as tender as I would have liked (Tsukushinbo, by contrast, serves a stupendously tasty and tender version). The takoyaki was tender and flavorful, as was the gyoza. The onigiri came last and was a nice finish to the meal; munching on the crispy rice left me with a peaceful, satisfied feeling.
Four small dishes came to $19 before tip. The kitchen is open relatively late (closed around 11p on a Tuesday, they might be open later on weekends), and Maekawa will certainly become one of Pisco’s new regular haunts. Finally, a small Japanese bistro with good food that doesn’t abuse its customers (yes, I’m looking at you, Maneki, and I don’t know why you mistreat me so, and I especially don’t understand why all my Asian friends seem to get such good service in comparison… yes your food is good but I don’t think I’ll ever go back).
Maekawa
601 S. King St. [map]
Suite 206
Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: 206-622-0634
