Went down to try out the new Restaurant in Belmont. It was a very pretty place. Nice open space. Cool Asian themed painting on the wall, and nice wood accents. Food was good. I ordered the sushi boat for one and thoroughly enjoyed it. Word of warning, their wasabi is spicy 🔥 (it is the real deal). Service was good too, the waiter came over several times to fill my glass and the owner was active, coming over to say hi and check in on things.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$30–50
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Natto Roll
I went with my family to celebrate my son’s birthday and we had a great time. My kids love the food, from Teppan Salmon to Roman to sushi. The restaurant is tastefully decorated and the bathroom is really clean. Our waitress was very friendly and gave us a lot of good suggestions. We ate the food so fast that I didn’t even get a chance to take pictures of most of the food.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$30–50
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Sushi and Sashimi Boat
I recently dined at a new Japanese restaurant in Belmont and would give it a 3-star rating. The ambiance was inviting, characterized by its open and spacious layout. The restroom was notably clean and creatively adorned with Gundam and Godzilla posters.
The sushi, particularly the maki rolls, were a standout, beautifully prepared and flavorful. The Tamago (egg) sashimi was flavorful and was homemade. However, the rest of the kitchen offerings largely missed the mark. The Lemon Ginger fried chicken, made from breast rather than the more flavorful thigh, was underwhelming and small in proportion to its cost.
As for the ramen, I can't stress enough how much it deviated from what one would expect. The Tonkotsu soup was inexplicably clear, and the dish as a whole bore little resemblance to authentic ramen. If you're a ramen aficionado, steer clear of this option.
The Shrimp Tempura was mediocre at best. The breading and batter straddled the line between Japanese fried shrimp and genuine tempura, failing to deliver an authentic experience.
In summary, while the sushi excelled, the kitchen dishes left much to be desired. If you're considering a visit, I'd recommend sticking to the sushi offerings.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$50–100
Food: 3
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Unagi Avocado Roll
We went for dinner at 6 pm and by the time we finished an hour or so later it was super busy! And for good reason. It’s beautiful inside - nicely decorated, beautiful chandeliers, artwork, and comfortably spaced seating allowing for some privacy. There’s a large fully stocked bar with plenty of comfy stools. Next time we’ll try sitting at the sushi bar to watch the creative chefs.
We ordered the pork gyoza, sake sushi, red dragon roll, mango maki and for dessert Japanese mango coconut cheese cake by Little Bake Bakery, Cambridge. The food was as delicious as it was beautifully plated! Honestly best sushi we’ve had!
Please have patience with the servers…they are learning, are very willing and were busy.
We were happy to see the owner Jack Sy, who also owns our favorite #1 Taste! We went over said hello, thanked him for a wonderful meal and best of luck! We look forward to returning with more friends. So happy to have this new restaurant in Cushing Square!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 5
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 5
I had a great experience here. Being a Sake lover, the menu represents multiple styles and regions. I had the tan tan ramen and it was delicious, especially on a chilly day! Having traveled throughout Japan, I have had m fair share of ramen as well as many Ramen houses in Boston and it reminds me of being in the Ginza neighborhood of Tokyo. So glad to have this spot near my house! Looking forward to diving deeper into the menu and sake list.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$20–30
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
House Special Tan Tan Ramen
This place is new so I’m sure it’s working out the kinks but there were some real problems with service and the food. The food for the most part was good but we had ordered gyoza which was clearly forgotten. When we finally did get, after asking two different people, it was still frozen on the inside.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$100+
Food: 2
Service: 2
Atmosphere: 4
We enjoyed the sashimi and maki rolls very much. Fresh and flavorful. The teriyaki salmon and chicken were also good.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$30–50
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Sushi and Sashimi Boat
Reading all the negative reviews about service and owner's feedbacks like "we will adjust", "we will talk to the staff", "we addressed it", "we won't disappoint next time", I decided now it is time to visit. There are A LOT of such reviews, taking into account it is a new place with ambitions. As their website says they are closing at 10pm, I stopped by at 9:05pm - I was alone there, just for a quick dinner. However, when I entered Hanami I was told that kitchen is closed. Imagine, 1 hour before the closing time! None of the places, even rural ones, closes earlier than 30min. Moreover, earlier kitchen closing time is always announced on the website. For me, it is just a lazy and disrespectful staff who doesn't want to work. The issue is that it is fully supported by owner as the staff was not even afraid to kick customers out! Such attitude is spread all other the restaurant, so they definitely don't deserve any local support - let them stay empty forever and calmly go! Neither of upscale (and not only) Japanese places nearby behave like that!
PS: Anticipating owner's response in his style "we will fix it", I'm eager to ask how? By firing the entire squad? Including himself? Though, he is probably not strong enough to provide any reasonable answer...
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Food: 1
Service: 1
Atmosphere: 1
I really wanted to love it. The space is beautiful and comfortable, but the food left something to be desired. We ordered an appetizer but it never arrived -- no big deal. My miso soup came out and it was not remotely hot. Not even warm. More like room temp. Not pleasant. The dinner -- a tappan salmon -- was OK, not great. Salmon was dry. The broccoli pieces were huge so you had to pick them up with chopsticks and gnaw pieces off it. Same problem with baby carrots thrown on. Are you really going to pick up a whole baby carrot with chopsticks and gnaw on it? I've lived in China and have no problems with chopsticks .. but why? The grilled onions appeared to be steamed, and "steamed onions" isn't really appetizing. The meal was not terrible, but not very good either. I don't think we'll be returning.
Food: 3
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 5
I got to enjoy the restaurant's food right at their opening. It was delicious and I will definitely be back! The sushi was outstanding, it was very fresh and they have some creative flavors that are beautifully presented. We enjoyed the appetizers and desserts as well.
The drinks were outstanding, the bartenders are quite creative and I loved the spicy margarita and the shiso leaf mojito. The service was a little erratic as with any brand new restaurant but with time and experience that will go much more smoothly.
I'm so excited Hanami is finally open and look forward to going back and bringing friends!
Service
Dine in
Food: 5
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 5
