Hannyatou — Restaurant in Seattle

Wish the menu disclosed if the tiramisu ice cream had small bits of walnut in it. My girlfriend has a severe allergy and we had a real scare once she found it. Unfortunately the chef went home and no one could confirm what is mixed into the ice cream. I don’t know if it’s hand mixed, from a carton or what’s going on. Really disappointing and stressful.

Edit: Editing to add my girlfriend is fine, she luckily did not swallow the walnuts and we got home quickly to take any precautions to make sure she didn’t have a worse reaction. Also adding that I learned that the Hannyatou owners also own Kamonegi which is two doors down from Hannyatou. And on the Kamonegi dessert menu they have ice cream that contains a variety of tree nuts, so clearly there’s some cross-contamination going on since it’s common for restaurants under the same ownership to share ingredients. The waitress insisted that the ice cream shouldn’t have nuts in it since the Twix spice mix they put on top doesn’t list any tree nuts on the label. Listen, none of us are stupid here, all three of us were staring at a walnut in my hand when I found another piece. She said she took off the ice cream from our check but honestly we left in a panicked rush and didn’t really check to make sure it was off. I believe her but per other reviews there seems to issues with billing here.

The more pressing concern was the cross-contamination but I’m going to add my full review here because it’s obvious food safety and quality are not a priority. The food was bland and overpriced, as other reviews have mentioned. The katsu sando was not freshly made, cold and cooked on a previous day. My high ball barely had whiskey in it. My oden was pathetic. It took a while for them to bring it out because they couldn’t find the mochi bag that I paid an additional $4 for? I’m forgiving of slow service and it didn’t bother me how long it took, but the meal itself was disappointing. It had a splash of broth, an over boiled egg and just a handful of other morsels. I was still hungry so we ordered the ramen chips with the mystery dip that’s all upcharged to $6 for cheap onion dip and broken up pieces of a ramen noodle package. I left hungry and stressed!

Skip Hannyatou...

An awkward dining experience.

We absolutely love Kamonegi next door but felt so put-off and confused by our Hannyatou experience.

I am vegetarian, my spouse eats fish but no red meat.

I asked for vegetarian recommendations. The server appeared put out and confused as to what vegetarian was and recommended dishes with fish sauce and when I said without fish sauce or seasoning. The server let out a big sigh and walked about 5 feet away to consult with the server behind the counter, who rolled their eyes.

They came back and recommended two things, then when I asked if these two things had fish sauce or seasoning they said, "oh your vegan", and could leave that off. I'm not vegan, I'm vegetarian. Turns out there was an egg sandwich, but the server said they didn't recommend it "because I don't eat egg". I do eat egg and ordered it.

At this point, there was lots of back and forth, and I felt embarrassed and like I was a burden.

After all that, they brought an egg dish for us, not the sandwich that had ham or some sort of meat in it. I said there must be a mistake. The server said that's what I order and was super annoyed and kept repeating that I told them I eat egg. I explained, I do eat egg but not meat. The server walked up to the counter and loudly I ordered the meat first but no longer wanted it. Then the other server came by to confirm what we wanted.

We felt so awkward. My husband received his order and ate, so it didn't get cold. We didn't get to enjoy our food together.

The kitchen said they'd make me an egg sandwich (which is what I had already ordered). After my husband had already eaten, I finally received my order. They brought me the egg sandwich (sans fish eggs).

As a vegetarian for over 30 years I'm really comfortable and relaxed navigating and finding foods I can eat. This was so stressful and strange.

Pros The place is cozy and casual. My husband enjoyed his food. Their other...

Hannyatou is a real gem. It's always felt like a labor of love, and comes across as very genuine. It's very cozy/intimate and has lots of charm in its tiny size.

The sake selection is awesome. They always have something new and different, and usually something funky to really challenge the definition of traditional sake. Always fun to try out the new stuff. Lately they've been doing a "Nama of the month" club which is fun to be a part of and lets you try lots of different stuff.

The food is extremely good, too. The bar snacks are small and tasty, and usually something you'd never expect to work but does. For example, dried ramen "chips" with dip. I'd NEVER think to do this, but it's one of my favorites. If you want more substantial fare, you can order food from Kamonegi which is the same head chef. TONS of good stuff on the menu and all priced right.

Overall one of my favorite spots in Seattle. Definitely worth a visit if you are...