Hakone Sushi

Well, yet another update — another owner change. We walked in one evening to find the old man original owner by himself behind the sushi bar, and the place was haphazardly painted a dark red with black ceiling and the long banquette was reupholstered. Oookay. We went ahead and ordered. The service was really bad, and chef could barely keep up with the customer requests. I felt bad for him. The waitress, who seemed like a relative of the chef, said the place had been sold (again!) and they were going through changes.
Of course I don’t know what’s going on, but the two young Indonesian guy previous owners had been struggling — always running out of ingredients, bumpy service. So I wasn’t really surprised. But I think if the place has been sold again and in transition, they could shut it down for a few days while they get their act together as far as the décor and hiring capable wait staff.
But too late — I’m moving on for now. The real shame is that this place has a beer and wine license yet never, ever pushes drinks. That could go a long way towards keeping a small, owner-​operated joint in business. All they need to do is put posters and ads on the table, and simply ask customers for their drink order before their dinner order. Agh. Restaurant business is tough…

Last night I came here for dinner. We were actually looking for some Indian spot we wanted to go to but found out it was shut down forever. How we went from Indian to sushi??? We were looking for healthy.
We started off with miso soup, then a house salad, spicy salmon roll and a yellow tail with scallion roll. Nothing really stood out, but the fish tasted fresh. The servers were sweet though.

Hakone was one of my favorite sushi places that I took my daughter for dinner last night. Got there a little late at 8:30pm on a Saturday and I think they officially close at 9:00.
The owner acted as if he was already thinking of closing for the night, even though there were a few customers just starting to get served.
We were the only customers to sit on the wide open sushi bar, but it still took a while to get the two sushi chef’s attention — right in front of us. (We did not feel the warmth of a welcomed customer.)
Long story short, they were out of rice, so could only serve us sashimi. (Which was good.) But they continued to give only sporadic attention to their only two customers on the sushi bar. I think we spent most of our time watching him wrap up all the fish and clean out the sushi bar for closing. The sushi fish quality was good as usual, but the Dynamite was under cooked and the service before closing was somewhat disappointing for me.

I was looking for a sushi joint because I wanted a sashimi salad in keeping with my low carb regimen. Opened up my Unilocal app and this place was somewhat close by and had some good reviews so I decided to give it a shot.
I called first though to confirm that they did have a sashimi salad and to ask what the ingredients were. Somewhat satisfied with the answer I got, off I went.
It’s a hole in the wall place tucked in a strip mall and I probably would never have ventured in had it not been for my Unilocal app quite frankly. From the outside, this place just looks random. Inside, there’s a fairly long sushi bar and a few tables and chairs so definitely not a place that can accommodate a lot of people.
I checked in on Unilocal and surprisingly enough there was a 10% Unilocal Check-​In Discount which was a great way to start off my experience.
I sat at the sushi bar and watched the sushi chef prepare dishes for other customers. I got talking to him and it turns out he is originally from Indonesia with a mixed Asian background. He said he lived in Japan for 3 years learning how to be a sushi chef. We got to talking about the regimen I’m on and how I couldn’t have carbs and was lamenting that fact because I love rice so much. He mentioned that they had a roll where they used cucumber instead of rice which I’m going to have to come back and try.
I also ordered some hot green tea from my server who happened to be Indonesian as well. My tea was legit coming in a nice sized tea cup and really hot. It actually tasted like authentic Japanese green tea with that strong green tea flavor. I hate it when my tea is watered down and comes lukewarm like you sometimes get at other so-​called Japanese places. Just based on the tea, I suspected this place was going to be good.
My salad came out and it looked really nice
The plate was a hearty mix of salmon, tuna and yellow tail pieces on top of some greens. In the mix were bits of cucumbers, watercress, gobi (Japanese prepared carrots), sesame seeds and even tiny bits of Japanese fish cake which I’ve never seen done with a sashimi salad before which I thought was a nice touch. It was dressed with a light ponzu sauce, topped with shredded radish and the whole dish was absolutely delightful to eat.
It was a great meal and some of the other rolls that were coming out looked so, so good that I’m going to have to come back on one of my «Fun Days» to enjoy some of these treats.
Oh, and they have Happy Hour Monday through Thursday from 5 – 7 pm with 50% sushi and drinks. They have great air conditioning too as it was nice and cool inside which was refreshing because it was a little warm out. Great place to go get some Japanese grub. I’ll be back!

I called today to place a take-​out order and the lady who took my call did not understand what I was trying to order so she had someone else take my order. I asked for yellowtail and instead I got a mango roll. Apparently, I was ordering from an old menu which is why the lady did not know what I was trying to order. After I placed my order, they told me it will take 10 – 15 minutes, when my boyfriend got there our order was not ready yet.
In the end, I stuck with the mango roll and I loved it! I will definitely come back again and order from their current menu that I have now!

LOVE this place. GREAT service and amazing sushi. The appetizers are also delish and very authentic. The miso cod is amazing! We’ve only been there a few times, but they always remember us and give us a sampler of sake, sushi or an appetizer on the house.
It’s a small place so big groups aren’t really a good idea. It does have an intimate and casual but definitely not romantic atmosphere. Every time we’ve been there my boyfriend and I always end up striking up conversations with other diners, the sushi chefs and the waiters. Most times we end up sitting there and continuing to order more and more little dishes just because we enjoy the food and the company so much there :)

Oh my goodness, the food here is AMAZING! I would give this place 5 stars, but the ambiance is a bit run down, and the location makes it a bit hard to find. Other than that, I would say that I am definitely coming back! Excellent service on top of extremely fresh fish. The fish is not frozen here and you can tell. Also, keep in mind that they have a Happy Hour from 5:30 PM to 7 PM. $ 2-​$ 3 off sushi and drinks. MUST GO!

3.5 stars Place is small but clean, located in an average strip mall.
Staff is friendly and deals are cool. Food is good, not best of all time but better than a lot of places around LA.
*Lunch or happy hour is a no brainer

One of my favorite sushi spots in the south bay. It’s a small mom and pops restaurant owned by Japnese people. Everything is fresh and staff is really friendly. The only thing I don’t like is I’m particular about rice to fish ratio on sushi and rolls. They do a bit too much rice.

THE BEST SUSHI PLACE AROUND!
I’ve been searching for a good reasonable Japanese restaurant for about 2 years now, with plenty of disappointments. This place beat any place by far, it’s delicious, fast, and has a relaxing environment. The sushi chefs an staff are SUPER nice too! There’s also plenty of free parking. Come here, you will surely love it!

Some very creative rolls — read the ingredients carefully, I felt like a lot of them ended up having the same flavor.
Portions are pretty good sized, tasty and the service is pretty friendly and attentive.
then again, we were the only ones in the restaurant.

Love it here! Last time that I came to grab some takeout they gave me a free bowl of miso soup to drink while I was waiting. Their fish has been consistently fresh and one can really taste the good quality of raw fish that they use in their sushi and rolls. Their beef udon is different from any other udon that I have ever tasted. It’s rich in flavor and has a soothing meaty and nutritious taste to it. Ive eaten here 3 times already and ive never had any complaints :)

Had lunch with a friend since she was working down in South Bay for the day. We originally planned to eat some ACYE Korean BBQ, but later decided we weren’t that hungry. So we decided to give Hakone Sushi a try. It was a decent lunch.
Parking:
Parking isn’t that great. They have some spaces in a private lot, but I was unable to find any spaces. After driving around a few times I decided to just park on the street. There is plenty of street parking on Lockness Ave.
Service:
Service was satisfactory. We were seated quickly and everything came out in a timely manner. No complaints here.
Food:
I thought the food was good. We bother ordered the lunch combination which was about $ 11. You get to choose 3 things. I got the salmon teriyaki, tempura, and spicy tuna roll. It was all pretty good. My friend pretty much got the same thing, but instead of spicy tuna, she got sashimi. She also seem to like her food, but mentioned the sashimi could have been more fresh.
Overall decent meal. I would say about 3.5 stars. I was on the fence, between 3 and 4, but ultimately went with 3 because of parking and freshness of the fish.

Over the years, I have eaten here on many different occassions. The lunch menu has a variety of different items, not just sushi. I do have some deals with sushi and sashimi lunch combos.
My last visit I ordered the 6 piece sushi and spicy tuna roll combo. The spicy tuna was not so good and I could have done without it. However, I am a fan of the sushi. I am particularly picky when it comes to fish, however what they had here was not only fresh, it was also fairly good quality and the cuts were nice.
This is a small mom and pop shop and the customer service is superb.
I am a fan!

The dear old Japanese couple retired 3 months ago! We’ll all miss them, but life goes on. Hakone Sushi is now owned by Indonesian Chinese. I had their Hakone special sushi/​sashimi combo for $ 20. Good high quality sushi is still to be found here, and I’ll be back. They’ve added a few new rolls, and they’ll have to prove themselves to a new customer base, and they’ll have to do it their way. So far, so good.

We have been going to Hakone for over 20 years. So when the owners said they were retiring we were very sad. We went back after the ownership changed, and we were very pleasantly surprised.
David and John now man the sushi counter, and the kitchen staff remains the same. Although the owners are not Japanese, the food remains authentic.
We went on a weekday for lunch, and asked David to give us his recommendations. We stuck to nigiri sushi and were very impressed. The fish is fresh and the sushi is mostly traditional, with a few updated flavors.
Try the ankimo plated on a vinegared seaweed salad. For a mere $ 5 it truly is a bargain. There is a fresh scallop, with yuzu, yuzu salt, and yuzu tobiko. Fresh and clean in taste. We also tried a halibut fin, delicate in texture and delicious. All sushi is very reasonably priced.
There needs to be improvement in the wait staff. Although it was not crowded, the lone waiter seemed to be a bit overwhelmed. The tea could be hotter.
Sit at the sushi bar and let David recommend things for you to try.

4 stars for the quality of food, 1 star for the horrible, and I mean, HORRIBLE experience tonight. I’ve visited this place a couple times before and have always found the food and experience quite nice. Tonight however was one of those times you want to poke your eyeballs out.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand parents need to get out. Children are people too and don’t behave all the time. Tonight, the children were EVERYWHERE!
Imagine, a restaurant no larger than 40 capacity with 10 children under the age of 4; AND at 9pm? All screaming at different times and running around. They were oblivious that people like to eat sushi without screaming children. If your child cries, take them outside! AND dont come back until your child is somewhat quiet. I’m sorry, but there ARE some things you have to give up when your child is too young to follow directions. To subject everyone else to your misery without thought is SELFISH. There is something called takeout.
To make it worse, the table next to me knocked over my water on my lap. THANKS! I really like cold water on my lap because of your stupid ass! Do me a favor and stay at home next time buddy, OR, leave your child who is no older than 3 at home where they’re comfy at 9pm?! Just sayin.
Needless to say, there are plenty of other sushi places of the same or better quality and value they would not allow such nonsense. I love kids, but there is a place and time. Be respectful of your fellow diners.
Cheers. I WILL not be returning and I will not recommend this to anyone who wants less than a 95 decibel meal. It’s Not worth it, believe me.

$ 10 Chirashi (off menu special) !!!
As much as you can expect from a $ 10 chirashi and $ 8 teriyaki/​sushi combo plate, my mom and i enjoyed our lunch.
Located in the shopping plaza where arbys is, its kind of hidden. An «authentic» japo run mom and pop shop, they give u plenty of food for very reasonable prices. My mom enjoyed her chirashi– came with about a dozen different slices, but only the basic sashimi. She didnt’ care for the sweet dry fish soboro on the rice.
I got the chicken teriyaki and sashimi combo. Chicken was tasty and i enjoyed my salad and potato salad side. Both dishes came with miso soup and mine came with a bowl of rice as well. Rice was not the best.
Disclaimer:!!!
Not a bad place to pop in for lunch, but DO NOT expect outstanding sushi. Come on! My lunch for two was less than $ 20 bucks! Sashimi is decent but i liken it to something u can get a market.
Service was decent. I just wished i hadn’t come when a couple of old ladies wearing reeking old lady perfume were sitting near us. Bleh!

Feeling slight tinges of guilt for throwing out a 1 star… I couldn’t help but wonder if I came in on an off day what with all these glowing reviews. But then my mouth puckered and my stomach churned as soon as I recalled my meal and that’s all I needed to remind me this place gets a 1 star.
We ordered several items of sushi including spicy scallops, albacore, eel, etc. First thing that came out was the spicy scallops. I’ve never ever spit out sushi before. But then again, I’ve never been served something so opposite of fresh it bordered on rotten. From that moment on the dining experience was ruined for me. After that I kinda picked at the rest of the sushi (letting my more adventurous friend, who also spit out the scallops, eat the remainder — the other sushi seemed OK bordering on tasteless… which I guess is better than rotten). I also tried my fellow diner’s cooked food which was pretty standard Japanese fare (chicken teriyaki, udon
Hakone, sorry to burst your streak of 4 – 5 stars but I gotta tell it like it is. Hopefully for your other patrons this was a one time deal but I won’t be returning.

LOVE this small mom and pop joint! Family run restaurant, and they are Japanese. I am Korean and Chinese, and I find that a lot of sushi bars out there have non-​Japanese sushi chefs. Not that the other places are not good, but there is something to be said about a place that keeps it «authentic». It is the way they prepare their rolls and fish that give it a different flavor in my opinion.
This is definitely a no frills spot with straight up traditional rolls with a few exceptions such as the catepillar roll (california roll with fish and avocado on top), and the spider roll (soft shell crab) etc. My friend (who happens to be Japanese) knows the owners and frequents this place often. The fish was great quality and I loved the spicy tuna roll (not too spicy). I enjoyed the baked scallops sushi and will definitely come back for their crab rolls (they use the real stuff, not imitation!).
I was not as big of a fan of the chicken kaarage (marinated and fried chicken thigh pieces) because the batter was too greasy and thick for my taste. Similar coating to a beer battered fish and chips type entrée. Others may enjoy it though, so don’t hesitate.
Prices were definitely reasonable and they did not skimp on the portions. I want to come back for more already…