Bistro Satsuma

Our family ate a formal Japanese dinner last night at the Bistro Satsuma. We eat there regularly because the food is great, the service is wonderful, and Chef Tak puts his personal touch on everything.
Our formal dinner comprised of eight courses, and lasted well over three hours! Chef Tak, and his staff made special accommodations for our food allergic party members, and continued to amaze us with both the quality and quantity of food.
The Harvest Appetizer Combination, Odamaki Mushi, Salmon Kenchin, Sushi Combination platter, Lobster Isobe age, New York Shioyaki, ice cream, and the Fresh Fruit Combination platter were simply out of this world! Chef Tak uses sauces and garnishes that only he makes. His Biwa Tomago, a marinated, slow cooked egg yolk, is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted in my life!
I can’t recommend this fine Sushi Restaurant any higher. You won’t be let down! When you make plans to go to the Bistro Satsuma, don’t be in a rush, wear loose fitting clothes, and skip lunch! YOU WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED!!!

Amazing fresh sushi and traditional Japanese dishes. Its owned and operated by chef Tak and his wife Minae. They commute from their home in Seattle to their restaurant everyday to ensure quality fresh seafood straight from the market!
Although the restaurant appears to be a small cozy neighborhood spot, Chef Tak is very knowledgeable and has a highly skilled culinary background. My family and I had the pleasure in chatting with him for a few hours after closing and learned a great deal about his journey to becoming a chef and the amazing opportunities he’s had and continues to share. The passion and dedication he has for food is shown very clearly in his art.
My family and I always get the makunouchi bento which is more than enough for one person (but we each get our own and roll out bellies stuffed full anyway!) I always wanna try other things but I can’t help but go back to the bento because it has a little bit of everything and each goodness in there has such beautiful detail! I always save the biwa-​tamago in the bento for last. As a delicate dessert treat to myself. Chef Tak explained the long process to make biwa tamago and why not many if no other places make it (never seen it before!), so I truly savor it!
This place is hands down the best sushi I’ve had in Washington. I live in Seattle but every time I’m in gig harbor I try to make a stop there! Chef Tak is full of personality and funny, and Minae is so sweet and personable. There’s not many places that make you feel like family right away, but here they do and I always feel right at home.

Best kept secret! Very unassuming sushi place next to a Meineke. But the food is excellent, the fish buttery and fresh, the presentation artfully crafted, and the service genuinely friendly.
The pan fried (not deep fried) calamari is seriously the best calamari I’ve ever had… and it’s the chef’s original recipe dating back to the 70s when he first introduced sushi to the area! The sushi deluxe sampler is a really good deal, especially with the extra freebies.
Heads up for wasabi wimps like me: some nigiri have bits of wasabi (and/​or other little flavor additions like ginger, a tiny lemon rind bit, etc) in them already. But even though I normally avoid wasabi entirely, I still enjoyed everything I had here!
We’re so happy we discovered this place! Amazed that it wasn’t packed on a Saturday night. We would definitely drive 30 min to Gig Harbor just to eat here again.