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2/F, Heqiao Building, Bldg C, A8 Guanghua Donglu
光华东路甲8号和乔大厦C座2层
This hip Californian-style Japanese restaurant boasts the atmosphere that make it a Beijing legend. The fresh sashimi plates and scrumptious rolls are the order of the evening, especially the spicy "119 roll.".
Nice flavor combinations, but there's far too much mayonnaise on all its rolls. OK but nothing to write home about.
I have been going to Hatsune for almost 3 years now, and it has always been one of my favorites for what I think of as "west coast" style sushi. I went again recently and the food is still very well prepared and presented. The guys behind the sushi bar were still friendly and working hard to make sure we had fun.
That said, the service in general has slipped some. We had to chase waitresses down to order more beer and saki. We had to chase them down to order food in the first place. And I caught the eye of one when we wanted our tab and watched her deliberately look away so she could keep standing with her 2 other friends gabbing and doing nothing. It is still a good place to visit, but I think they are close to just dropping off into the zone of lousy Chinese service that we have all come to expect.
Have been to Hatsune about 10 times and it is always so good!
I especially love the roll with asparagus and another one with shitake mushroom. But order anything and its guaranteed to be delicious. Kabuki dream, seared tuna with avocado is also my favourite.
Cant wait to go again!
Serves the best sushi rolls.
Finally, after years of hearing and reading about it, got to check this place out. Walked away impressed. Waitress was friendly and knowledgeable, food was brought out *extremely* promptly, service functioned like a well-oiled machine, decor is cool and comfortable, and food was, if not mind-blowingly awesome, uniformly delicious.
All in all, can see why it raked in all those best restaurant awards back in the day. Bar's been raised since then, so no more of those, methinks, but any place that gets as much right as this one does will never go out of style.
Really disappointing.. The food was standard, the presentation was a bit messy, and there is nothing special about the place.. Ate in other fusion sushi restaurant and this is definitely not one of the good ones.
Now, this is a place that i like.
Great service, great ambiance, great fusion/Japanese food.
I've tried upscale Japanese in the City, but this one has what the westerners (with a budget) need.
It's not a traditional japanese cuisine.
It's a fusion cuisine with a japanese touch.
The service is good, but if you are looking for a authentic japanese food, you will be disappointed.
Good food, the sashimi melts in your mouth. Wasn't ever really impressed with the rolls, but it's probably just a personal preference. The decor isn't impressive for a place to take guests and I'm not sure why people love this place, but it really is tasty if you're looking for basic Japanese.
Great restaurant and fabulous food. Only downside is the toilets ...... would recommend Hatsune clean them up and check on them every 30 mins to ensure they are fresh and clean..... please please !
Is one o maybe the only japanese restaurant I like! is better to book a table if same time don't want wait to long for a table!!! excellent!!!
been there in christmas and i had a really good dinner the place was empty cus was early but the staff keep us waiting for the service time, after the opening time the restaurant become full. the atmosphere is relaxing and i really enjoy the food, i heard about hatsune from a friend and they told me that is the best Japanese in town, and i need to say the is true, very good sushi and sashimi i will going back there for sure and actually i'm waiting for the new opening in the village.
Hatsune and Haiku Fans,
If you guys are on Facebook, then I HIGHLY recommend joining the HATSUNE Facebook group to get all of Alan's secret items and special deals and discounts that are released monthly!!
Sincerely, Kristen xx
could this place be any more awesome!? staff are great, place is super funky and stylish, food is AMAZING and the cocktails are huge and delicious! awesome place for a date, family gathering or drinks after work...and the sushi rolls? WOW.
This is our favorite sushi place in Beijing and my girlfriends favorite restaurant. We think the rolls are excellent and the staff at the sushi bar extremely friendly. The wait staff is very attentive and they don't use throw away chopsticks - a nice environmental touch. We think the prices are very reasonable given the quality. Defintely try the wasabi dressing with your salad!!
quiet californian, at least it's correct for me!
Excellent rolls, just not very traditional. Although overall their food is pretty good, I almost always focus exclusively on their rolls while there. Order roughly one roll per person and that's enough to keep everyone well satisfied.
Personal favorites include the Philly Cheese, Motorola and Ninja rolls. Unless you're insane, stay away from the wasabi roll. It's _really_ strong.
Way over rated. Average Californian style Japanese at high prices. good but not great. There are better Japanese restaurants in BJ.
love the amazingly innovative rolls and tangy drinks! i thought the drinks looked pricey too at first, but then when my "mini" cocktail arrived in a 10-ounce glass, i realized the humour on the menu.
Really good food isn't overpriced, but the drinks are.
better than sushi in japan! i dunno bout california sushi but this sushi is sooo goood, i fell asleep after i ate there. SAKE!!!
The Amy roll is my personal favorite, but everything is impeccable. And the service is second only to SALT in terms of attentiveness, politeness, and eagerness to work with customers' wants/needs. The sake list is one of the more impressive ones I've seen, it will take me a while to get through it!
I held out about 6 months after arriving in Beijing to eat there, do not make the same mistake!
Their baby squid is perfect, I haven't had anything this good in a while. If they are consistent (and i hear they are) there is almost no need for me to go to Japan. Top marks!
Hi Beorn, yup...u r right. They should update their description. Oh, I am not penalising them. I do agree that their service are good, however many of my Japanese frens were very disappointed cos its jus too "fusion" when they were shock that their traditional food taste different. Maybe I should say that one should not come here to expect Japanese style cusine. Instead is for someone with an open mind...
Cheers!
kelvin: completely agree. but in that cusine, they're the best i've come across. i don't think it's fair to penalize them for not being traditional japanese. (but perhaps they should have their description updated.)
If you are looking for traditional Japaneses style authentic cuisine, you should not come here. Here Its more of a American style Japaneses food.
I moved to Beijing from Los Angeles about six months ago, and finally got around to eating at Hatsune last weekend. Spectacular, as good as anything I had at some of LA's best sushi places, for about a third of what it would cost back home.
Their selection is amazing, too. Their menu has more rolls than Liza Minelli.
If you like sushi, this is definitely worth your time and money.
Definitely my favorite sushi restaurant in town by far. I only wish they would open a branch closer to Sanlitun so I could do their lunch special as well.
Definitely the best place to get sushi in town, deco is just not like your average Japs resto, service is great. Worth every penny!
Whenever I go there and look at the menu, just would like to order up everything on it.
Double thumbs up!
Best sushi in town. Hand in hand with the ambiance. Always highly consistent. The only negative thing is the difficulty in getting a seat without booking!
What's everyone's favorite rolls here and why? Beorn?
Haiku vs. Hatsune. Which is better?
I think not only the best rolls in town, but the best rolles I've ever tried anywhere! Very highly recommended (for the rolls), as is their sister restaurant up by [Block 8, Haiku](http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/beijing/listings/dining/japanese/has/haiku-by-hatsune/).
A must try with a really original selection of rolls. Difficult to get into without a booking. Been turned away a couple of times recently even though they appeared to have plenty of empty tables.
really interested in the rolls~variery is stunning,and must-go-and-try !
steep prices but the rolls with cream cheese is a must-try!!
check out my blog entry about it here http://www.beijingtravelbug.com
**Overrated** I like it but is it really worth all the raves?
**Best rolls in town!!!** I have to say this... really, they are absolutely the best. I think they had something called a dragon roll that was just great!
The good thing about this place, compared to others, is the interesting variety and texture of the rolls they make there. Absolutely superb. :-)
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Total reviews: 38
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Second Bite Review, March, 2013
On a Roll
Beijing has changed tremendously since we first ate at Hatsune in 2005 (it actually opened in 2001!), but our last visit to the original Guanghua Lu restaurant reveals that at least one place has stayed consistent over the years.
The ambiance hasn’t changed a bit, and the dining room stays looking clean and cool without any signs of wear and tear. The clientele is more local than we remember from years past, but the restaurant is no less popular—it was full on the weekday night we visited, so reservations are still a must.
It can be hard to order outside your normal list of favorites at a restaurant that’s been around a while, but a bit of adventuring on the menu is well advised. It led us to discover Hatsune’s ramen noodles, which have a great texture and are a pleasure to eat. The kimchi ramen in soup (¥50) is a huge portion of noodles with beef, an egg and sour, spicy kimchi with a slightly sweet broth. The waitress warned us it would be spicy, but there’s really nothing to worry about.
But despite our foray into new dining ground, the rolls are still the best thing on Hatsune’s menu and shouldn’t be left off your order. The selection is overwhelming, so it’s easy to try something different every time. Our first experience with the ladybug roll (¥68) was a pleasure, and we’d definitely order it again—it’s stuffed with crab tempura, salmon and avocado, and topped with cucumber and salmon roe. The hand rolls are also excellent, and we loved how fresh and creamy the avocado was in the CA hand roll (¥35).
While Hatsune’s prices have had to follow rising food costs, we’re very happy to report that the inflation hasn’t been shocking, and that food quality hasn’t dropped either.
Sienna Parulis-Cook
