Haiku

My boyfriend and I made a promise to each other that in 2016, whenever we want to go out to eat, we have to try a new place. So, when we were in the mood for Sushi on a Sunday nite, we checked out Unilocal and found Haiku, a new place Uptown on Magazine St.
The interior of the restaurant is small, but simple and clean. It lookedlike there’s a smaller bar section in the front when you walk in, with a nice patio seating area for when the weather is nice.
We immediately loved this place purely based on it’s music selection. I seriously can’t stand places that play crappy pop music. It literally ruins my dining experience. It was very refreshing to hear some great old R&B/blues/funk… to whoever is managing their Pandora station-​give them a raise…
Our server was very attentive and friendly, took our order promptly and refilled water often. The house cabernet was delicious. We started with clear soup and pork gyoza soup. Really delicious broth. The fried calamari was served in a unique way with a yummy dipping sauce. We ordered 2 rolls and some sashimi. Boyfriend said their smelt roe was some of the best ever. Everything tasted fresh and arrived at our table quickly. I wouldn’t say it’s the best sushi I’ve ever had, but it definitely wasn’t the worst.
Our bill came out to about 50 dollars. I think it’s a pretty good value, maybe a little more expensive than other places. Bottom line: a great neighborhood sushi place, perfect for a lunch or dinner date. Give them a try!

Excellent sushi! As a S Cali gal for 8 yrs … I can honestly say Haiku ranks up there in quality, service & deliciousness!

I tried this place on a Sunday afternoon and it was one of the best sushi dining experiences I’ve had in the city. The fish (especially the Tuna) is VERY fresh and tasty. They also offer REAL wasabi on request and you should try it if you’ve only had the green paste that all other places garnish your plate with.

It’s OK food but seems a bit pricier than other sushi options around Uptown for dinner although I hear they have good lunch specials. Most other sushi places Uptown give you a lagniappe snack when you sit at the sushi bar but not here. It rarely seems to have a crowd so I’m not sure this place will last much longer than the other series of restaurants that preceded it. Honestly I doubt I will be back as I like my old regular sushi places much more.

After wandering down Magazine Street trying what we wanted to eat, we landed on Haiku. Being big sushi fans, it’s hard to impress us (especially because we live in San Diego, where there’s always fresh fish), but man. This place has über fresh fish, generous fish portions, and just the right amount of seasoning.
The gyoza had a nice smoky flavor, which was unusual.

The best sushi in New Orleans… The BEST. Always fresh. The service is consistently good too.

Because it’s the name of the restaurant, I wrote a haiku review.
Sorry Haiku:
Boring food and no
Explanation of menu.
Won’t be coming back.
The end.

Really fresh fish. Rolls are delicious. Service is friendly and knowledgeable. Definitely our new favorite sushi place!

I have had the food here three times now. Each time I tried a different special roll and I have not been disappointed yet. I love the size and ratios in their rolls. They aren’t too big and as a result are much easier to eat, but they are enough to fill you up unless you have a larger appetite. In that case the pan-​fried gyoza make for a delicious appetizer. I can’t speak much for the ambiance inside the restaurant as I’ve only eaten take-​out but the service we got, even just for the take-​out order, made me want to come back. Friendly staff, and in my opinion the best sushi in uptown, and possibly New Orleans. I prefer Haiku over Asuka or Origami, which is only a few blocks away from me, but the flavor is worth the extra distance. Two thumbs up!

My coworkers and I had a terrible experience. The sushi was not fresh. Very expensive and small portions. The lunch menu was terrible. No wonder is always empty. We are sushi lovers and this place is by far the worse we ever had.

Started off in the bar where it took the bartender 10 minutes before serving me. That’s with only about 6 other patrons present too. Ask her to put it on the LSU game and she catches an attitude saying I have to wait because she has a drink to make. When she finally pours my beer she manages to create about 80% head and then begins to just scoop it all out with a stirring spoon before pouring more in and having to repeat a few times until she got it relatively full. When it came time for us to be seated, she again catches an attitude with me when I ask her if she can transfer the ticket to the server. Once we moved to the table she kept up her sloppy beer pouring ways to where I was actually served a beer that was only about 75% full.
Our server was great and was able to answer all of our questions. He was prompt with service and very friendly. There was a slight miscue with my check, but he immediately rectified the issue right there with me to make sure it was all accurate.
This place is a cool little location, but the bartender needs a serious attitude adjustment before I’d go back.

Just ate here and we’re STUFFED. $ 12.50 for a lunch sushi special, which includes a soup or a salad. I opted for the miso. It was quite tasty, lotsa seaweed and tofu. The wasabi was very fresh and spicy!
The sushi and sashimi were very fresh. I noted that it took a little longer for the meals to come, but seemed that it was because the chef was taking his time.
The waitress was very attentive (there weren’t a lot of people in the place), but not annoying. We were in and out in about 40 minutes.
It’s so easy for sushi restaurants to «phone it in» and get lazy. I know this place is new, but they certainly seem to be paying attention to details and serving very fresh fish. The rolls held together well and the rice was nice and sticky.
There’s in-​door and out-​door seating. Nice ambiance. It’s also on the section of Magazine where you don’t have to pay to park, so bonus!
I can’t confirm, but I they may have delivery too!

Disclaimer: I am not a sushi expert
Me and two friends came here and shared everything we ordered.
We gone one tuna tataki– the fish was fresh and was pretty spicy!
Edamame– standard, a little salty
Veggie tempura platter– very light batter, I like it because it came out piping hot and wasn’t too heavy
Asparagus tempura roll– really what made it good was that it was topped in eel sauce (which I think has eel bones? Just as a thought to vegetarians/​vegans)
White ninja– pretty much all I could taste was the spice, but still somehow very delicious (make sure you have a drink!)
Sex & the city — so simple, and so delicious. Mango is my new favorite thing on sushi. I honestly like this roll so much I ordered a second to take home with me for lunch tomorrow (eating it now, and yes it’s still good a day later)
Unfortunately for me, I’m allergic to shellfish (yes, New Orleans is a dangerous place to live!) so at most places there only one specialty roll I can try, they place had I think three for four, which I really liked. It was also, virtually empty at 6:30 on a Friday. Not sure why since the food is good. I know it’s relatively new, but I think, that more likely is that they don’t offer many happy hour deals (some deals on cocktails and I think 1 $off of beer). I got the ginger martini — one of the few happy hour cocktails. It was only okay and a little bit weak. I would add a star of this place had more happy hour deals (which they are going to need to get the magazine crowd in) I’ll be back for sure!

Edamame tasty
Puff daddy, g6 and bourbon roll recommend to me. I ordered the puff daddy, bourbon roll, yellowtail sashimi
lots of great options and great sushi and sashimi selection.
great outdoor seeting too right on magazine

BEAUTIFUL HIBACHI BUT SALTY & BLAND
While it’s unusual to find hibachi for one at lunch, rarer to get NY Strip under $ 12; this meal should’ve been notable but sadly it had no taste or heat whatsoever. And it’s not because it was under seasoned every bite cloyed with salt. Conversely the salad’s curry dressing was overpowering. But most unforgivably, the rice was mushy.
SOME EASY TWEAKS:
amp up the flavors, cut the salt and tighten up the rice. The price, portions and atmosphere are solid.
IF LUNCHING UPTOWN HEAD TO «THAI MINT»
on Carrolton. Their 3 course under $ 10 selections are clean and perfectly seasoned.

I really wanted to like this place, I’ve seen a ton of great pictures that people have posted on Unilocal.A lot of people seem to really like this place but I was just not blow away. Granted I had take out, so that may have something to do with it, but I don’t think that’s an excuse to drop standards.
I ordered the tuna roll, smoked salmon roll, and spicy tuna roll. When I opened my box a lot of the rolls were not all the same size and just looked messy. The spicy tuna roll (far right in the picture) was falling apart which made it hard to eat.
The sushi was not bad, just nothing exceptional in my opinion. I will give them another shot but eat in the restaurant next time to see if that makes a difference.

New on Magazine
Fresh raw fish and hibachi
Will go back for more
This place is new on Magazine (it just opened last month) and I’m already a fan. I stopped in for lunch last week with a friend, There was barely anyone here, so we were seated quickly. I knew exactly what I was in the mood for.
First of all, my friend wasn’t in the mood for sushi (weirdo), so he decided to get a hibachi steak that came with a side of rice and vegetables. I, on the other hand, was all about the fish. I got an order of salmon sashimi, a Philly roll, and a spicy crunchy roll. The salmon sashimi was fantastic and yummy and fresh. You get 6 pieces for about $ 9, and while the pieces aren’t as big as some other restaurants, that’s a pretty good deal and I was happy with it. The Philly roll was really good and a good size. The spicy crunchy roll was okay, but instead of putting the sriracha in the roll, they just put a dab of it on a regular crunchy roll. I kind of wondered if they forgot to put the spice in it, so they just decided a little dab would be okay. Who knows. It wasn’t bad, just different,
They don’t have iced green tea on the menu, but they will make it for you if you ask. It’s real green tea and not the powdered mix! SCORE!
All in all I liked this place a lot and I wouldn’t definitely return and try some special rolls.

For starters, I know it’s new BUT, I cannot believe I am the only one in here at 12:30 on a Monday when lots of other places are closed! Try this place. It’s cute! Has inside or outside seating. Ginger Margarita, it was the special today… Came with a straw hehe. Easy consumption. And it REALLY refreshing. Totally delicious.
I ordered the crispy calamari roll because I LOVE calamari and have never really seen this combination in a roll before so interested. It is very fresh tasting. The calamari taste is strong. Not hidden by other ingredients. I’ll be back and bring the SO, he will like this place. Try them out. Reasonably priced for fresh ingredients!

Shari V and I were originally looking to take-​out, but when we walked in, we found 2 spots at the sushi bar so decided to dine-​in. For a Saturday night, it wasn’t half full but we were eating at like 9pm.
Anyway, our server was a nice young girl. The place is new, so there were some kinks in the service. It took a while before anyone greeted us. You know, say hello and bring some waters. And when our waitress did come by, she apologized first and forgot to kind of introduce us to the restaurant. No big deal. Overall, she was nice and brought the food when it was ready. So who cares. Just growing pains.
We ordered two rolls, Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon. The waitress and I found my order amusing. The reference was lost on Shari V. At any rate, the rolls were tasty. I think tuna was served with the Hidden Dragon. Very fresh. Both rolls came with some sauces. One was an eel sauce, and the other might have been a sriracha mayo. Anyway, they were good, but our sushi chef went a little heavy on the sauce for Hidden Dragon.
They have a sushi bar with maybe 10 — 15 inside tables. The sushi bar was a good choice. Otherwise, the setup seemed a little bland. Not a lot of character for a sushi restaurant on Magazine St. They had a single flat screen in the corner of the restaurant. I’m biased against restaurant televisions. If you have them, put them around the bar. Or put them everywhere because you’re an awesome sports bar. But don’t put one up in the corner. We walked through their patio which looked awesome.
At any rate, the food was better than the ambiance. It’s a new spot, so I’m betting the service improves. I will repeat Haiku and will try dining some patio dining.

A very welcomed addition to the great restaurant row we enjoy along Magazine Street. My wife and I have been waiting for nearly 6 months for this place to open. We live just a few blocks away and the idea of having sushi nearby is comforting … «My name is Errol, and I’m a sushi addict.».
Last week we got a flyer on our gate announcing their soft opening, so we were excited to finally try our new neighborhood sushi place.
We were greeted by the owner, a very cordial and welcoming man. He explained that they were still training their wait staff and working on a few things. Apparently it was he that went around the neighborhood, depositing flyers. He needn’t have worried about explaining this to us … the meal and service here was better than some established places I’ve been to before.
I posted a number of photos here showing what we ordered on this evening. Suffice it to say that everything was amazingly fresh and very delicious. The tuna was particularly wonderful, melt in your mouth tender and impeccably fresh. Sure, it wasn’t Toro, but it was still top notch. I also enjoyed how each dish was presented, very artistic.
Given that they literally just opened up and they are still trying to tune things up, getting this kind of quality and presentation is a great sign.
My kids have only one recommendation: Please add Ramune to your menu.
Kudos to the staff and management at Haiku! Welcome to the neighborhood!