Hanami Sushi

06/09/2020
drove by today. again.
still dark. no signs posted out front stating anything new. but same as prior review, just called Calabasas location and they also said "Sherman Oaks location closed for good". they dont know where the S.O. chefs went but not at Calabasaas location. SOOO bummed. this was our regular spot. always a good time and great fish
what happened?!

Hanami Sushi is pretty legit! Came here yesterday for lunch and was pleasantly surprised by the menu options and nigiri quality. This place has a pretty extensive sushi list, and service doesn't miss a beat. We sat at the sushi bar excited to see what this place was all about.

The restaurant itself is fairly big. For a Saturday lunch (~11:45 am), the restaurant was pretty empty, with only a few other diners eating there. Service was quick as a result, and everyone we talked to was friendly and accommodating. We were seated in front of who I assume to be the lead sushi chef. He was very knowledgeable about Japan and pleasant to talk to. I believe he said he's from Nagoya, Japan, or at least lived there at some point.

As far as nigiri sushi goes, we ordered shima aji, tai, yellowtail toro, live orange clam, sweet shrimp, and albacore toro. I also ordered a tuna roll towards the end. All of the pieces I tried were delicious. My favorites were probably the shima aji, live orange clam, and yellowtail toro. The fish was fresh, and the rice was nicely marinated. The tuna roll was a nice way to finish the meal.

All in all, Hanami Sushi is a pretty solid sushi option in Sherman Oaks. This restaurant is pretty authentic, and a lot of their fish is straight from Japan. They seem to get their fish from quality sources, and the variety is above average. Aside from nigiri, they also offer a lot of different rolls. Definitely give this place a try if you're in the area looking for sushi. It won't disappoint!

Came here for dinner tonight with my boyfriend's snit was great! We just returned from a trip a week ago and I had been craving sushi so this definitely hit the spot.

There's a ton of parking in the lot. This is in the same parking lot as the In N Out, next to Pineapple Saloon. The restaurant was pretty empty so we were seated right away at the bar.

Everything we ordered was great.

+ Albacore Sushi - 10/10 - fresh and delicious. No skimping on the albacore servings here!

+ CCY Roll - 10/10 - I love yellowtail and this did not disappoint! It was so good. If you like yellowtail, I'd definitely get this.

+ House Sesame Roll - 9/10 - great for low-carb people since it doesn't have any rice! The roll is well wrapped and doesn't fall apart. I like how the cucumber they wrap it in is not super thick so it's easy to bite into.

+ Black Cod Miso Sushi - 8/10 - this was good. I wish the fish pieces were a little larger but it was still good.

+ Spicy Yellowtail Hand Roll w Avocado - 9/10 - this was really good! The roll was on the small-average size but still very good.

+ Agadashi Tofu - 8/10 - really good! I've recently really started eating more tofu and this was great.

+ Green Tea Tempura Ice Cream - 8/10 - I wish there was more ice cream in this. I felt like a lot of it was the tempura batter. I also wish it had been a little crunchier on the outside. Overall it was pretty good and I'd still get it again.

Overall everything was amazing and we'll definitely be back here again! It came out to about $100 for us after tip and all that so it's a little pricey but the quality of fish is high so you get what you pay for.

Trying new sushi places and this one was geographically close, but honestly - the pictures looked AWESOME. So, a little curious that it wasn't very busy at dinner time on a recent night. I never let that bother me, though and kept an open mind.

Overall rating is closer to a 3.5*. Service is friendly and atmosphere is decent. Prices are reasonable. Fish quality, though is not consistent. Some great, some just okay. Here's what we had:

sushi: salmon, tuna, hamachi, spanish mackerel ....
rolls: spicy tuna on crispy rice, popcorn shrimp roll, baked crab hand roll

Some of the sushi is excellent, some of it is stringy and tough (hamachi). Rolls are good, but we've had better versions elsewhere.

With so many sushi places in contention, not sure I would go back. It's fine if you live or work nearby, but I probably wouldn't go out of my way for.

If I had a wish, I would wish to eat sushi everyday for the rest of my life.

This place was solid but with all the other choices of stellar sushi amongst its competitors in sushi row in this area I liked this place but I didn't love it.

There were some amazing rolls and some were okay.

Everyone has those days of having a homerun or not.

I can't wait to go back to experience the rest of their menu to get the entire experience.

Came here looking for a place that could take our group of six including two kids. They said the wait was going to be 25 minutes because they were short staffed but it was much less than that.

The nice thing about this place is that it has a few of the more exotic fish that you are less likely to find at a "standard" (moderately priced) sushi restaurant. Namely Engawa, Spanish Mackerel (NOT regular mackerel which tastes fishier), and Red Snapper. And yellowtail belly, though that isn't quite as hard to find. :)

FYI, there is a _different_ Hanami across town that has an even larger list of harder-to-find fish... our server more or less apologized for them not having a bigger selection.

Great value, great service, would come back.

Came with a party of 4 for lunch on a Friday and got seated promptly.

I got the combo A where you can choose two sushi selections of your choice. It also includes rice, a salad, and miso soup. For the rolls, I chose the Chef's Special and the Spicy Tuna Roll. The sushi tasted okay, but overall, nothing special or particular about it. Feels like something you can get at any sushi location.

Overall, decent and not too expensive. If you're craving sushi, but don't want to spend a whole lot, this might be the place. Friendly and efficient service.

Before I can talk about the food, I have to talk about the service!

Wow! The waitstaff was so attentive, so pleasant, they went above and beyond and not just with my husband and I, I observed that they were treating all of the restaurant patrons with the same respect and it was truly delightful to see! My husband and I felt so welcomed and because of that (even if the food wasn't that great) we probably would go back! Ha!

Now onto the food-

DELICIOUS! Seriously! It was really good, my husband got one roll that he thought was a bit bland but he just won't order it next time (there will be a next time).

Here's what I got:
- Edamame: cheap and tasty!
- Yellowtail Collar: cooked PERFECTLY! Charred and lovely!
- Salmon Skin Handrolls (2, no rice or sauce): I asked for NO veggies either but both times they came with veggies, oh well, still good and crispy!
- Unagi/Avocado Handrolls (2, no rice, no sauce): Delicious! Can't go wrong with these babies!
- Cucumber Wrapped Crab and Avocado Roll (no rice): THEY MADE IT WITH REAL CRAB per request and it was truly tasty!! I could have had 4!

Here's what my husband got:
- Salmon Cut Roll: small but tasty.
- Red Dragon Roll (2): he clearly really liked this roll because he got two!
- Cali Roll topped with scallops: this is the roll he thought was bland. Perhaps if they put some crunch or a spicy sauce on top it would have been better?!

Over all, yep, we will be back! Thanks for a tasty meal!!

We have been coming to this restaurant for years and it's hard for us to move to a different city because we will miss this place a lot. We've always love the food and services. Fresh fish and very good sauce on special rolls. Jennifer has always been so nice and kind and also very friendly. The sushi chefs and other staff are friendly as well. The interior decor is very inviting and comfy. You can watch TV and it is kid friendly. They also have plenty of parking spots in the plaza. The most important thing is that we never got sick eating food from Hanami ever! Highly recommend and we will definitely return whenever we visit LA. Thank you very much for many years of good food and service. :)

I ordered,
Sushi combination- chef's special
Toro toro roll
Red snapper nigiri
Unagi nigiri
Halibut nigiri

Fish quality was great and awesome service! Very quick! Recommend!