Hapa Sushi Grill & Sake Bar

This is a fairly busy place on Pearl Street. The service was good. They quickly take orders, remove dirty dishes, and fill empty water glasses. It’s a bit on the louder side, and if you sit near the aisle at the front of the restaurant the employees tend to clomp by very loudly in their hurrying, leaving a breeze to flutter your clothing as they pass. I’m not joking. The fish was fresh and tasty, but the Hapa New Style Sashimi was lacking some of the flavor of the recipe they’re emulating. Still the food was fresh and tasted good, so we will be back. They had several items for my vegetarian boyfriend, which is sometimes hard to find in a Japanese restaurant. We shared the seasoned edamame (tasty with plenty of sesame seed oil and other Asian flavorings), vegetarian gyoza (we loved these!), and a rice bowl with spicy teriyaki sauce (not spicy, in case you’re wondering, but tasty). I drank a hot green tea which was free on the bill. We had a minor issue with an upcharge, but the management made sure to correct it and assured us it was not a regular practice. We were happy, and we would eat here again!

Great place. Accidentally Xed the wrong sushi and my server, Jennifer, took it off for me and gave me my intended order. Would definitely go back!

I enjoy coming to Hapa. While the sushi offerings are more limited than Japango across the street, I like the menu variety here better than Japango’s. There is more offered at Hapa, and from the few menu items I’ve tried other than sushi, all were beyond expectations. The monkey brain appetizer was delicious, as was the Hawaiian ramen special they ran for a little while. Udon is also delicious. Hapa is a solid option for the diner familiar with sushi and good for families, as they have a fun kid’s menu. I’ll definitely remain a loyal customer.

Came across this placing while strolling downtown Boulder. Good service and decent food.

***I just wanted to preface this by saying I only got an order to go, I didn’t eat in. What I say is based on solely that.***
My friend and I had been craving sushi all day and figured we’d grab a roll or two at Hapa after seeing signs for lunch specials and a decent amount of customers. My complaint is mainly with the service, which I feel is important. I like to know I’m supporting places that care about their community around them. In addition to that, the quality of the sushi could be a bit better and the pricing could be altered some.
I came in and asked if we could get a couples rolls for take out and the hostess gave us a menu. We ordered two veggie rolls, an avocado roll and the vegetarian roll. We ended up paying about $ 12 for them after she wrote the order down. In general, that would be fine. However, after she took our order and we paid for it, a couple came in and when they asked about lunch, she handed them a different menu and let them know that there was a sushi lunch special, two rolls for $ 7.50. We paid almost double the price for two rolls that didn’t even contain fish, she never informed us about the lunch specials. Not only that, when she handed me the food to go, she gave it to me without saying a word and barely even looking at me. Lastly, you can generally get a plain avocado roll from sushi restaurants for between $ 4.50 and $ 5.50. I gladly paid $ 6.00 here because I thought I was paying for quality, but I didn’t even get that. The roll was slightly dry and some of the avocado looked like it was stuffed in. Basically, the quality and service could have been better. I do recognize that lunch specials may be different for people dining in as opposed to out but, that could have been stated.
On the other hand, I will say that the food was ready within the 10 – 15 minute span she gave us and the vegetarian roll was definitely unique and had good flavor. Maybe eating in is a vastly better experience, but, next time I’m in the area, I’ll be trying a different sushi place.

A tradition whenever we are in Boulder. Being from Hawaii, I will actively search for anyplace that has Poke Bowls on the menu. It may be a toned down mainland version, but it still warms my heart nonetheless!
I could do without the glares we seem to receive from customers sitting next to us and comments such as «ugh, that is too much raw fish for me.» But really, the somewhat spicy taste of the poke puts me in such a euphoric state of mind, I couldn’t care less at all the judge mental stares, plus if I really wanted to avoid it, I could order take out, instead!
Also, the service is always great and the hostesses are always friendly!

After our experience at the nasty sushi place down the street we decided to give Hapa a shot and needless to say we came away impressed. From the crisp salads to the sushi presentation it was first class. I had the climax roll, a spicy shrimp roll, and my business associate had a lunch special and a California roll and we were happy and satisfied at the end of our meal.
We’ll definitely put Hapa on our list to visit again. Well done folks.

Wow! The Orgasam Roll and the Booty Call Roll were amazing! The Sashimi was fresh and had great size pieces. I will totally make the drive from HR to eat here again!

Even after 12 years, Hapa never disappoints! Food always rocks. Staff always treats me like a king. Bottomless green tea and lots of vegan options! Great atmosphere whether solo at the sushi bar, a date on the patio or with 20 friends in the booths, I always leave happy :)

Definitely glad I stopped in for some sushi here! The orgasm roll is delicious. I’ve never had a roll like it, and it seems to be a favorite here. As a warning though, the roll comes out warm, since it is broiled. I thought that was obvious, but my friend ordered it as well and hated that about the roll. I know some people prefer sushi cool/​room temp, but I didn’t mind at all!
Also, the bar looks like a good place to grab some drinks with friends. I loved the modern look of it.

I went to Hapa for happy hour and I will say that I frequent the other Hapa locations on a regular basis when I’m craving sushi.
However, after my experience in Boulder yesterday I think I might be reconsidering the company as a whole.
It just seems that the quality of food has gone down hill. I ordered shrimp tempura Udon and I received 2 shrimp in a bowl of udon with nothing else in it. No egg, no fish cake, no veggies. Just some random floating seaweed. Also, the shrimp were soggy from resting in the broth when it arrived.
Even the seasoned edamame has gone down hill. It was bland and didn’t have any flavor. The soybeans were mushy — not indicative of freshness.
Any company who advertises using «Red Bird» chicken clearly hasn’t done their research on chicken. Red Bird is one of the worst companies out there in regards to 1) quality and 2) animal abuse
I’ve actually been worried about the quality of sushi from Hapa. I have never gotten sick, but it they’re willing to skimp on quality chicken… I wouldn’t doubt they do the same with fish.

Amazingly fresh sushi and creative dishes here. Best lunch in Boulder is their Teriyaki Bowl with tofu.

We stopped by twice during our two day stay in Boulder. We went to a total of 14 restaurants on Pearl Street and I have to say, Hapa had by far the best happy hr. It was the longest running (~230PM to 530PM). Most of the appetizers were half price. We tried the Monkey brains (avocado with imitation crab dipped in tempura and lightly fried), the magic mushrooms (salmon wrapped in avocado), and the hapa sashimi. Cocktails were also $ 4.25. The gin ginger sake cocktail was refreshing. We tried their hapa beer (eh) that was $ 3 during happy hour.
Loved it!

Fresh fish, unique rolls and good service. Had a great time here! Would come regularly if I lived nearby. Good prices as well.
My most memorable roll was the mork + mindy roll with mandarin oranges. Something that sounds like it may not be so good but it sure was! The orange really complemented the fish well.
Enjoy!

Hapa is a different kind of fusion sushi restaurant that holds the distinction of serving the best darn miso I have ever had.
I can’t go here without ordering the magic mushrooms. Sadly they won’t make you see Japanese dragons in the kitchen, rather, they’re irresistible portions of baked salmon and avocado topped with a dollop of aioli. See photo. De-​freaking-​licious. Also comes with a mini salad, or edible garnish. An update for the Hapa management. My last 3 plates of mm’s were small, really small, and lacking much aioli. This time they were perfect. Please keep it up.
This time I also ordered the Crunchy Hamachi Roll for the fist time. Honestly, it’s not my thing, but I’m eating it because it’s fresh and in front of me. I wouldn’t order it again, but that’s just my own personal taste and not a reflection on the quality.
The new style Hapa sashimi is a treat. 5 pieces of sashimi, Hapa style. Yum. Get it.
Always busy, including happy hour, sometimes you may be waiting 15 min for a table, but well worth the wait.
Caveat. I travel and eat sushi all over the world. Hapa is not Jiro’s, but it’s certainly not deserving of some of the lower reviews. My review average is about 3.5 stars, but Hapa easily earns 5 stars. It’s not the best in Boulder, but they swing and hit well above their weight. You just can’t go wrong at Hapa for a first date or a small group, or just a quick bite during happy hour.

This place is kind of bizarre. I’m not even sure how to review it. It appears to be a sushi place, and it does sell sushi. But the menu (both drinks and food) also has a strange tiki 1950’s «Hawaiian» kitsch vibe to it. And not in a good way. If executed properly, that kitschiness could have been a bit of wacky fun. But it wasn’t. For example, we ordered the Hawaiian sliders, described as «four mini Kalua pork sandwiches on Hawaiian sweet rolls.» They weren’t good. First, they were served on regular white slider buns, not sweet rolls. And the pork must have been sitting in water, because it lacked any hint of flavor, and, when bitten into, water gushed (no exaggeration) from the little sliders. Luckily, we were leaning over our plates, so the water gushed onto the china rather than down our fronts. So, a cold, dry, white bun, with water-​logged tasteless pork, and a slice of under-​ripe Roma tomato. ??? The fried calamari, described as «Panko crusted», was very thinly sliced (about 1/​8″ thick), coated in an extremely acrid black powdery substance, and served with a sticky sweet fruit sauce. No Panko crumbs. Just bitter black powder. Ick. I won’t go into a detail about the other non-​sushi items. You get the idea.
The sushi itself was fine. Mid-​level Americanized sushi. Nothing particularly bad. Nothing particularly good. I will say that the sushi makers behind the counter appeared to be working hard and trying to do a good job. But they are bound by the ingredients, and by the instructions they were given by Hapa.
One good thing (?) The sake cocktails didn’t skimp on the sake. Very strong. But be prepared for sticky sweet, fruity drinks.
As a final note, if you love Applebee’s and want to try sushi, Hapa might be just the place for you. Some people sure seem to like it. The place was packed when we visited.

Ordered some happy hour items and some regular menu items. It took our server quite a long time to get us refills. When she brought the entrees the little ones meal was missing. It took us ten minutes to get her attention and ten more minutes for them to prepare it. Also, one of the rolls wasn’t prepared correctly and we had to send it back. All this with no real care from our server.
This Hapa has a prime location on the Pearl street mall and I am not sure but maybe they are relying on that and not focusing enough on providing quality service.

The Good:
Went back to give Hapa, one of my old favorites, another chance after a bad experience left us hungry & unhappy, and we had a MUCH better meal this time! We went on a busy Friday night and had better food & service. Our sushi was lovely, delicious and tightly rolled. Our server was great about checking in without being obtrusive, and sitting at the sushi bar was fun and our sushi chef checked in on us too.
The Bad:
This time, nothing! Yay!
The Food:
Nicely presented and perfectly rolled sushi, and the fish was fresh and delicious.
The Service:
Great!
Overall:
I’m happy I had a great experience at Hapa again and I can’t wait to go back!
Ironically, for best food & service, go during the busy times, Friday & Saturday night! That’s when their best sushi chefs are working and their servers are more on point.

The good: High grade fish, warm service, and convenient location.
The bad: The Orgasm roll was difficult to eat because the texture was too soft.
The ugly: We sat at the sushi bar, which has a moat of water separating guests and the sushi chefs. The water was dirty which is unappetizing for normal people and terrifying for germaphobes.

As a ‘seasoned’ Hapa’s fan from their Denver Landmark Center location, I am very happy to report that the happy hour is exactly the same at the Pearl Street Boulder location! The staff at Boulder are very friendly, and especially our server, Chelsea. She was personable, efficient and one of those bubbly personalities that are so perfect for the hospitality industry.
The ahi poke, agedashi and kalua pork sliders were plenty filling as a meal for two yet didn’t exceed $ 20. Stellar deal!
Nice but abbreviated wine list with a lovely Sonoma Cutrer chardonnay available by the glass.
Consistently good food, great happy hour prices, fabulous Pearl Street mall patio seating!