Hanabusa — Restaurant in Tokyo

NOT WORTH THEIR MICHELIN STAR. PURE TOURIST TRAP.

This restaurant is perfect if you want a diluted omakase experience that caters more to Western tourists that cannot judge between good sushi and mediocre sushi. You can seriously get better sushi elsewhere in Tokyo for half the price.

We’ve been to Tokyo a few times and had a chance to go to several sushi omakase experiences. I can assure that compared to all the other ones, this is the worst. Especially considering it was awarded a Michelin star. Below are some more objective details to drive home the point:

1. Here you will get 12 pieces of nigiri vs other similarly priced places you’ll get at least 20 pieces (incl. appetizers)

2. Here, the sushi is served as soon as you arrive on a rolling basis (regardless of reservation time), not at a set time and in the same order as other guests. What that means is that the food is not completely fresh and prepared in a similar style and time as your local conveyer belt restaurant.

3. The rice fell off some pieces and wasabi was too much in others. This is basic sushi protocol and the fact the chef could not manage this simple thing speaks loudly to his lack of talent.

4. The last thing I’ll say is that look at everyone posting a 5 star review for this restaurant. They’re all Western tourists. Sure if I like them, never had decent sushi in my life and I came to this restaurant I would say its delicious too.

But the point of this review is to tell you that for the money you are spending, you can get a MUCH better experience elsewhere. Unless you are fine paying 2.5x more for mediocre sushi, then go ahead and...

We arrived early before opening time to find the small restaurant entrance, distinguished by wood walls in a residential area of akasaka. After a bit, the sushi sign lit up, the door opened, and we were warmly greeted by the chef's assistant, who spoke excellent english. After confirming our reservation, she guided us inside to an intricately crafted sushi bar with a clean cedar wood smell. The chef was gregarious and warm, and we were able to talk to him throughout dinner only sometimes needing interpretation from his assistant. He began by carefully peeling and grating fresh wasabi root and then carried through with presenting approximately 9 pieces of perfectly crafted nigiri, topped off by a large tuna roll. We had otoro, chutoro, hirame, anago, as well as other excellent selections, all presented simply and tastefully. The sushi was complemented by a fish broth that was also excellent. The chef and his assistant were unfailingly kind and gracious. An excellent end to our food tour of Tokyo. If you are coming from the United States, as we were, you might be expecting a longer course of food (it took us under an hour to eat) or lower prices. However I found the course to make me full without being too full, unlike the sometimes overwhelming prix fixe dinners in the U.S. The price reflects the cost of the ingredients and the 24 years of experience of the chef. We were very pleased...

As a frequent Michelin omakase goer around the world, this place is nowhere near a decent omakase experience I would have expected in Tokyo. The quality of the fish is high, but that should be the least you can do as a sushi restaurant in Japan? The ratio of rice, wasabi and vinegar is random throughout the course, just like an incompatible throuple. I’ve been to a few authentic Edomae style omakase restaurants, and this one is definitely not as authentic as it advertised on its website. A few red flags 🚩 🚩 We were asked to buy at least one drink minimum per person as soon as we were seated. Huh? I already paid $250 per person. This is just ridiculous. Zero local eats at this place. A total tourist trap. Maybe a good first authentic experience for people who only eat AYCE sushi, but definitely not worth $250 for 10 pieces. -I have never felt this rushed at omakase - the whole dinner lasted 46 mins. There was no appetizer, no dessert, no interaction between chef and customers (which are all fairly common at Michelin omakase restaurants). People got seated and boom, 10 pieces of sushi, and...