Bar Hayama

We came here on vday! Was great, the food, service was impeccable and we even brought our dog and the owner came out and gave her water. What a great place with amazing staff, so friendly.

I really, really wanted to like this place. I made a reservation for 6:00 PM on a Saturday with no problem. We were running late due to an accident on the 405 and I called to let them know that we would be getting there about 15 minutes later and they still honored my reservation. Perfect! We finally make it to the restaurant and they seat us promptly by the fire pit. It was chilly but they have heater lamps around the place so it wasn’t a problem. Not many people were there so the waiter took our order quickly. We did not know but they have a $ 5.55 happy hour from 5:30 — 7:30 PM so we ordered 3 rolls off the happy hour menu along with 2 drinks from the same menu.
Drinks came out quickly and then 1 roll and finally the other 2 rolls. They were good but were fairly small so we still wanted to order more food along with drinks. This is where it all goes downhill. Not once did the waiter come to us to ask if everything was okay or if we wanted more drinks since our drinks were empty; even the ice had melted by this point.
More and more people started arriving and they were all served quickly and we were still waiting for the waiter to come to us. Everyone else was getting their food and drinks and we were still waiting for some sort of service. Nothing. At. All! My boyfriend was so mad at this point and so was I but I had to internalize it as I never make it a point to be rude to anyone, ever. I understand that the place was getting busy but all we wanted was some sort of acknowledgement; like, hello, remember us?
We finally decided that we would not spend any more money at this establishment so we flagged down the waiter to ask for the check. We still left a tip of 15% because, like I said, I don’t like to be rude. Actually the waiter didn’t even give us the check, someone else brought it out to us asking for his menus back.

Had my last meal of 2015 here on New Years Eve! It was a nice surprise my hamsome man took me here. He did a good job for a non Unilocaler LOL.
The restaurant was easy to find, traditional Japanese style deco, small quarters, I like the fire pit they have outside which was nice, didn’t sit out there too it was too cold that day. Our waitress was very nice and service was great.
Everything we ordered was delicious! I didn’t know what to order until I saw a family behind me get the dinner bento box! It was huge! The sashimi was nice and colorful, everything looked good. So I decided to get that and we ended up sharing it. It was perfect for two. We ordered a roll too but had trouble finishing that after the bento. I also ordered the ankimo sashimi and shishito peppers for apps, both how I expected to taste. YUM!
I def would come back here again, maybe this weekend!

Good quality sushi and always tastes fresh. Lots of daily specials and the fire put outside is very nice. There is seating around the fire pit which gives it a nice romantic vibe. Staff is very friendly and accommodating

A gem of a Japanese sushi house near the heart of Sawtelle, Bar Hayama provides quality sushi with an intimate atmosphere.
Unless most places in Sawtelle that are packed with people and lines up to 2 hours long, Bar Hayama is much more subtle, peaceful and elegant. The large stone fire pit in the center of their outdoor seating is much raved about and an awesome place to hang out, especially during the winter time. They also have a number of heaters outside for the surrounding tables. Atmosphere inside is reminiscent of a more traditional Japanese restaurant.
Food quality here is pretty good, though we had a small sample size. Prices are definitely on the higher end, but quality coupled with the atmosphere and service here makes it worth it once awhile. We had the Uni, which was amazing. Super fresh (not soggy) and just simply melted in your mouth. They also had a pretty extensive sake menu and their servers are very knowledgable and can recommend a sake based on your preferences.
A great spot to hang out with some sake and friends over small sushi bites in the wintertime. Great spot for dates too.

Great sushi, love the fire pit. The owner and staff are warm and welcoming. It’s a great place to relax and enjoy some sushi.

The food hear is amazingly fresh! Everyone is very nice the food taste amazing and it doesn’t take a long time to come out! The beer is wwoooowwwwzers good. (asahi) is the name

Really enjoyed this pretty place with an outdoor firepit on Sawtelle. The food isn’t super fancy, or trendy, and thankfully doesn’t have a big line either. But good sushi at a good price served by nice people in a nice atmosphere. Great place for a date or meeting.

First time here, great sushi, friendly staff, an authentic atmosphere and all at reasonable prices. Winning!

I live very close to Hayama and have been going there for years. They have delicious sushi and a great selection of sake. I’m a fan of their happy hour (ends at 7:30 pm and is easier on the pockets than the regular menu). Get the crispy rice and tuna, sautéed tuna in creamy sauce, and garlic edamame (very garlicky and buttery, but worth it in my opinion).
The staff is always so nice. They’re welcoming to everyone and I’m glad this place is my neighborhood go-​to.

Came here for happy hour on a Tuesday night. Metered parking was plentiful because this is the Northern side of sawtelles busy center, but watch your meter because I was 5 minutes late to my car and behold, a $ 63 ticket.
The venue was sweet. Small, cozy, and not too crowded. The staff was quick and friendly enough. I enjoyed the tune with crispy rice and thought it tasted better than most places I’ve been. The garlic edemame wasn’t my favorite. I ended up scraping most of the oily garlic sauce off. The ca rolls were decent but I probably wouldn’t order them again.
Overall, a decent tasting Sushi spot for a low key and romantically lit atmosphere.

Eugene is the best server at this Resturant. I recommend this Resturant to everyone. Food is great.

From the street, Bar Hayama was pretty obscure. Its dark mustard yellow exterior gave it a very humble and ordinary look… not at all flashy. As we walked through its dark brown wooden gateway, the orange glow from the fire pit blazed so brightly we could see and feel its warmth from behind the tall decorative hedging. The fire pit is surrounded by a bar where patrons are welcomed to dine.
Manning the sushi bar was Bar Hayama’s Executive Sushi Chef… Chef Toshi Sugiura. With a sushi master preparing our food, we all opted for the omakase service or chef’s choice. Chef Toshi was quite a character. Though he was focused on preparing our meal and other patrons’ meals, he was still very entertaining from posing for pictures we took of him to teaching us and joining us in a proper Japanese toast with lychee sake!
The entire dinner was good fun! There was never a dull moment.

This is one of my favorite go to places.
I went to Japan this year, and really, it is a super authentic bar food type of place. I always call it a cheaper «Katsuya» but more authentic. Its a pretty place with a great variety of dishes.
They have a happy hour up to 7:30 that can more than feed you. I love the shishito peppers, the sushi, but I really love the vegetable plates the best.
Its one of the more beautiful restaurants, with a fire you can sit in front of.
Of course, Sawtelle is a big pain to park. If you find a space or take a lyft or über, a great spot.

Happy hour now ends at 7:30PM and selected plates/​drinks are now $ 5.55/each. The hot sake is enough to share!
Highly recommend the FRIED OYSTERS with guacamole. Love the asian fusion. There’s only 3 fried oysters, but totally worth it. I also recommend the seared tuna with creamy sesame sauce (perfectly seared) and the yellowtail with jalapeño roll.
Unfortunately it rained on the ONE day that we came here (rain in LA?! haha) so we couldn’t sit outside around the huge fire pit. but guess that means I need to come back :)

A great place to have lunch meetings or dinner arrangements where there’s enough space between the tables and the environment is relaxing.
Despite the $$$, the sushi combinations have great value for what it is. I’ve always been quite satisfied by them.
If you’re not getting the sushi, then you may have to order a few small dishes too… but this is Izakaya style so that’s how it is. Make sure you have some shochu too!

Bar Hayama is great! They have an incredible selection of traditional Japanese food, as well as sushi.
The location is ideal for me and just blocks away from where I work, so walking down here for their 5pm to 7pm happy hour is such a treat!
Tasty dishes include:
–Crispy rice and spicy tuna (served in groupings of 3). Unlike most restaurants, they serve their crispy rice on these little patties that look like smushed tater-​tots. Very delicious.
–Seared tuna with peanut sauce– sooooo good. I always order 2 orders.
–Garlic Edamame– highly addictive.
–Blue crab hand roll– very tasty– I always add avocado.
–Lobster roll, Ok, this is a bit messy– comes out with the full lobster, eyeballs-​n-​all… personally I prefer not to look my meal in the eye (dead or not), but it’s still tasty.
Really, it’s hard to find an item on the menu that’s not good– the only pitfall to this place is that after work it can get a little busy sometimes, which can lead to slower service. All in all, this place is still a solid 4 stars!

Bar Hayama is always a great spot for sushi and drinks. Settled behind a wall on Sawtelle, you would never know there is a restaurant until you walk through the front door. The outdoor seating is great with a huge fire pit and the inside is pretty cool as well.
The food is above par but nothing to blow your socks off. I feel the ambiance and the mood is what makes me keep coming back. They also have a full bar in the place and if you need valet, they will take your car across the street at the hamburger joint.

It’s a little peaceful haven in the Sawtelle area. I came here for a professional dinner and we got a really long table off to one side of the restaurant, which was private, but had a view to the courtyard. We basically ordered a ton of different sushi and items to share, so it was hard to know exactly what we got. However, it was all pretty good — not amazing. I also know that we had a ton of sea urchin, and it was just OK. Didn’t taste as fresh as it could have been.
The prices here are quite steep compared to some of the others on Sawtelle. However, if you come for Happy Hour, it’s more in line! The restaurant is located more north of the busier parts, so parking shouldn’t be a major issue. The roads parallel to Sawtelle all have free parking!

Came here with friends on a Saturday night and this place was not busy compared to the other restaurants on the Sawtelle corridor.
We shared appetizers (sauteed green beans, shrimp dumplings, shrimp tempura, eggplant parmesan, and popcorn shrimp) and nothing really stood out and blew my mind. It was pretty uneventful.
I ordered the Killer Shrimp Ramen (non spicy) and the broth was sweet. Definitely not a fan of that.
We had Vanilla Banana Tempura drizzled with chocolate for dessert and it was okay. I just wished the tempura was a bit more crunchy.
The customer service was excellent and the ambiance and the outdoor patio was beautiful, but not enough for me to want to come back.

Super japanische Küche mit unvergleichbarem frischen Fisch. Nur zu empfehlen und auf jeden Fall einen Abstecher Wert wenn man in LA ist.