Hanasato — Restaurant in Groningen

This is the place in Groningen I had the greatest expectations for. After many recommendations from friend I decided to give it a try.

The staff was well-intentioned, but at some points I felt there was more staff than guests at the place. The service was slow, and the full 6 course meal took close to 4 hours. In between starters we almost forgot what came before. The explanations from the staff is that the kitchen was overwhelmed, although several tables were unoccupied.

The food was good, there were some nice surprises like the very fresh scallops and good tuna sashimi, albeit served a bit too cold. The first starter was edamame beans, which were under-cooked in my opinion. But the star was the shabu shabu, unfortunately it took almost 3 hours to get to this stage. If the service would have been faster the whole experience much better. I think this lack of attention to detail is not acceptable for the price range.

To conclude, we got served a well thought menu that was a bit presumptuous at times. Some courses really shine, while others just make you wonder what just happened. I would have given 4 stars for the food and menu, but the very long service time really ruined the experience for me. Perhaps it all went as intended and this is a traditional Japanese style service, in that case I will stick to western versions.

Edit: I can't reply to the comments from the owners which makes it easier to paint a one sided view to my review. Their excuse is unacceptable, if one table has issues send them out the door, don't punish all other 20 or so guests. This is the way you get 20 bad dinner experiences. This is a 100 euro pp restaurant, clearly run...

Too be honest, this is a restaurant that has been overrated. The tofu for starter was way more salty than expected, and the momen tofu is better for frying, not ideal to serve raw as a starter. And there is barely any flavour in the shabu shabu. Sashimi, roasted fish, and the service were good, that’s why I gave it three stars (not any more due to the really childish arguing under this review). But if you are expecting for some authentic Japanese food, it may disappoint you.

For the arguement of self drinks, I politely asked your waitress whether that is allowed. I drank it under your ‘permission’, and your waitress even brought glasses for us. Stop saying that you can stand for "western" world, western is bigger than you aware of. You will only embarrass yourself and your restaurant by saying that. Besides, I commented on the food from my own experience by tasting them, I lived in a city with good Japanese food for several years and I do know what’s good and what’s not. You didn't talk anything on the flavour, but judged me being a consumer, I don't know what kind of 'good restaurant' are you. If you think you can use distorted facts to make your potential customers question the fairness of my evaluation, then you simply...

We found Hanasato on Google while looking for Japanese restaurants in the Netherlands to celebrate my birthday on May 25th. Making a reservation via email was easy, and they responded quickly. We chose the 6-gangen Wagyu Premium Seizoensmenu, which was €74.50 per person.

My husband and I love Japanese interiors, and Hanasato's decor, though small, felt very relaxing. The bathrooms were spotless too, which was nice to see. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable about both the drinks and the food. They took the time to explain each dish to us, making us feel very welcome and informed.

Now, about the food—initially, we thought the portions were small and that we'd still be hungry afterward. We even joked about going to a steakhouse after dinner. But to our surprise, the food was not only delicious but also filling. We were completely satisfied by the end of the meal.

The only thing we'd change is the preparation of the Wagyu beef. I'd prefer it grilled or cooked with herbs rather than in a shabu-shabu style.

Overall, we had a great experience at Hanasato! We'll definitely be back to try more of...