Hatsuhana Restaurant
New York, NY 10017-1010
Phone: (212) 355-3345
- Price:
- $$$$
- Cross Street:
- Between Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue
- Directions:
- 6 at 51st St; B, D, F, Q at 47-50th Sts-Rockefeller Ctr
- Hours:
- Mon-Fri 11:45am-2:45pm, 5:30pm-10pm, Sat 5pm-10pm
Editorial Review for Hatsuhana Restaurant – by Karen Hudes
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.
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Insider Tips
What to DrinkSix 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.
Where to SitThe sushi bars are the main attraction, but elevated seating by the second-floor window provides a more relaxed atmosphere.
The ExtrasThe restaurant offers delivery with a minimum $35 order.
User Reviews for Hatsuhana Restaurant
07/29/2008 Posted by jblonde
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...;-)
Pros: Midtown/after work or lunch location unforgettable sushi
Cons: decor/scene isn't anything special
06/26/2008 Posted by chiway
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.)
Pros: tempura, private dining available
Cons: service, sushi, ATROCIOUS value
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