Business Overview
Since 1976, Hatsuhana has been inviting both connoisseurs and novices to experience the "essence" of Tokyo style sushi in the heart of Midtown. The focus is on freshness, quality and authenticity.
Hatsuhana Restaurant Inc
Where to Sit
The sushi bars are the main attraction, but elevated seating by the second-floor window provides a more relaxed atmosphere.
What to Drink
Six sakes are available by the bottle, as well as four chilled and four hot sakes sold by the carafe. The sharp, dry Chiyomusubi is an appealing choice.
The Extras
The restaurant offers delivery with a minimum $35 order.
Categories:
- Private Rooms,
- Visa,
- MasterCard,
- American Express,
- Restaurants,
- Prix Fixe Menu,
- Business Dining,
- $$$$,
- Food Delivery,
- Diners Club,
- Japanese,
- Discover
Reviews & Comments
A sushi pioneer that's still going strong in midtown. “ The Scene
Opened in 1976, this two-level sushi and Japanese restaurant continues to attract a hearty following of midtown professionals and business travelers. Each floor holds its own sushi bar in addition to table seating, and is decorated with spring green walls, light woods and bright, rice-paper-coated lighting. The service is professional and brisk.
The Food
Creatively cooked dishes occasionally outshine the raw selections. An appetizer of broiled cod marinated in sake paste offers a rare melding of delicacy and earthiness, and the crisp lily root croquettes boast a unique sweetness. Order the lovely, colorfully presented Box of Dreams, which holds nine distinct sushi tastings including a sumptuous bluefin tuna, silky Spanish mackerel and a harmonious pairing of tamago and shrimp. The chef's sushi pick of the day offers expected standards: fatty tuna is rich and sea urchin delectably creamy, but salmon and yellowtail can have a slight toughness. ”
True to Tradition and worth the try “ TRaditional style service, facilty and food preparation. Everything was excellent - nice restaurant interior, very clean restroom, very polite host, wait staff and coat check. Good food. I ate off the fixed price menu - $27 plus tea. ”
Best sushi ever “ I sit at the bar every time and have the chef whip up yummy sushi and sashimi. Pros are that it's the best sushi ever. Cons are that it's ruined sushi from any other place for me...;-) ”
Maybe I Just Need To Go Again? “ This place got 4 stars from the NY Times.... in 1983. Is 1983 relevant to 2008? Well, my Dad thought so when he based his decision on this review to bring my family and visiting foodies from abroad to show them "good NYC sushi" at, no, not Yasuda or Jewel Bako or the myriad of other great sushi places in the city (Masa is in a league of its own), but at Hatsuhana. As someone who loves and treasures the NYC culinary scene (I feel like a proud father when talking about or introducing outsiders to NYC food), imagine my shame and embarrassment when service for our private party included a 40 minute interval between ordering and service, an hour before anything from the sushi bar was served at all, fish that was shockingly pedestrian, and a bill that surpassed 1000 dollars for a party of 9. After instilling the expectation in our visiting guests that this restaurant would be a representation of top shelf NYC sushi, and the three hour debacle that was our criminally overpriced meal, I felt like I had just watched my son royally F up his piano recital, make the game losing error in his little league game, and come home with straight F's on his report card all at the same time. One word sums up this place for me: Embarassing. (To clarify, it is not like the food is inedible. In fact, their tempura was fabulous. But overall, their sushi could have been from any cookie cutter take-out sushi place in NYC and after charging those kinds of prices, that is simply unacceptable. I've paid 250 dollars per person for a sushi meal in NYC before, and after paying only a little over 100 per person at Hatsuhana, I never felt so robbed in my life.) ”
Very Fresh Sushi Rolls, Best Value in Midtown! “ Food is delicious & fresh, the environment pleasant and service was good. Though I recommend reserevations in advance for lunch as they fill up quickly. Great place to have lunch with a client. Great value from menu. ”
Best sashimi I've ever had...and I lived in Japan for a decade!!! “ I lived in Tokyo for almost ten years, and I have never had sashimi as good as this!!! Granted, as the other reviewers have suggested, one's experience with sushi/sashimi all depends on the quality of the catch. My trip was just littered with good catch after good catch. The toro (tuna) was like butter. Unbelievable!! The order of uni (sea urchin) was as large as a golf ball and so perfect. The seared sashimi selection was also quite tasty. No matter what was placed in front of me, it was fantastic. Even fish that I normally would not enjoy was perfect. The staff were always on the ball. Right when I needed a new beer, the waitress was there to confirm the order. Then as I continued my personal conversation, the waitress would quietly bring the bottle, fill my glass, then set the bottle down, twisting it to ensure that the label always faced me and that the bottle was unobtrusive. Very subtle, very "teinei", very "Japanese." I recommend sitting at the sushi counter and just letting the chefs do their magic. You won't be disappointed!! The price for two males to eat and drink their fill over a couple of hours of conversation was about $300. ”
They do try - I'll give them that “ It's an age old story - someone who tries hard but has no talent competes in a world of those who have the talent but rest on their laurels. Still, the hard worker will never be the best. Such is the case with Hatsuhana. I did not eat in the restaurant, but had food delivered so I cannot speak to the decor. Whether the fish isn't of the highest quality or the chefs are not quite of sushi artist stature, but this restaurant turns out depressingly average, or perhaps slightly above average sushi. The tuna showed promise but I cannot say the same about the rest. However, what this restaurant lacks in quality of food they do make up for in style. The sushi arrived in a nice box, with a wet napkin, and some tea, and soup and salad. There was a card advising me to eat the sushi within two hours. There were a couple of other minor details that showed the restaurant does care about providing a good dining experience. Still, I wish they focused that energy on the food. ”
Just like Hatsuhana should be “ Ever since Chicago Hatsuhana closed several yrs ago, Im struggling to find a good sushi houses in IL. I had a trip to NYC during August and of course we wont miss the opportunity to visit Hatsuhana. I cant say its the best Sushi restaurant in NYC coz I dont live there. But I guarantee you if you put this Hatushana in Chicago, itll be the best Sushi house in the entire IL. IL has some good Sushi houses owned by Japanese chefs and some of them worked for Hatushnana but when comes down to the freshness of the fish, its incomparable and unfortunately, freshness is the biggest thing in Japanese cuisine. You have to have a reservation because during lunch time, this place is packed. The price is expensive especially therere so many alternatives in NYC but the restaurant is always busy which is a sign of how good they are. Ill have to give it 9.8 out of 10 since I gave both Sakura restaurants in IL 9.5. ”
Good but not great sushi “ I really like the decor in this restaurant, and the staff is insanely friendly... EVERY member of the staff says hi to you in Japanese (which I'm not going to attempt to spell) when you walk in, and they do a great job of checking in on you without hovering. Their miso soup is outstanding, but the sushi was a little disappointing. They give you quite generous pieces of fish for the sushi which is far longer than the rice (but they could use a little more rice actually), but the salmon definitely was a little tough, the yellowtail was ok, not the best, and the eel was pretty good. The tuna was their strongest by far. Still, a good deal for the money... you get quite a lot of sushi for between $19-35 in their lunch specials. I also wanted to mention that they DO season their sushi and put QUITE a lot of wasabi on it (except it's on top of the rice and under the fish, so I didn't notice that at first... and I tend to put a lot of wasabi in my soy sauce... so I guess it goes without saying, but my first taste was kiiiind of uncomfortable), so ask them to adjust accordingly if you have a problem with that. ”
Best Sushi in NYC “ Sit at the sushi bar for some top notch authentic sushi. I have never been disappointed. This is one of the best places in NYC for real sushi, and prices are reasonable considering the quality they serve. If I'm craving some good pieces, I would definitely come to Hatsuhana over any of the other high-end sushi restaurants in the city. When ordering the anago, get it "sawa-ni" style. Mouthwatering... ”
Good, but PRICEY! “ The selection of fresh fish is great here. I've been to this restaurant about 10 times and the quality of the sushi is conistantly high. The sushi chefs that I've had have always been very skilled. Service is good, however, there have been times where communication was a problem(langauage). With that said, the price is very steep. For a dinner of 3, with no alcohol, our bill was $450 for about 60 pieces of sushi. I haven't had the other dishes/entrees and cannot comment on the overall food of the restaurant. The place gets busy, however, never too crowded. ”
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