Sushi a La Hattori

First let me say how much I loved going here. Service has always been great, and the Sushi is always enjoyable. But, that all changed last week when I sent my daughter and her friend there for lunch. They were seated and given their water and their menus. No one payed any attention to them after that. Waitress walked by many times and never took their order. After 30 – 40 minutes they finally decided to leave. I dislike saying anything bad about any business but i was so disappointed that I felt I had to. They had money to spend. Why else would you be there? I will not be going back and neither will friends and family.

This is the BEST sushi in the Southwest, and arguably the US. I am a huge sushi connoisseur and this place takes the cake. It is fresh as the fish is flown in daily and the chefs are very talented. It’s an awesome commodity to have in such a small town. Owners are friendly. Sometimes the restaurant gets busy and there are only so many hands to roll up the sushi, but it is well worth the wait. If delicious fish is what you seek, go no further.

One of the best sushi experiences of my life. I have had Sushi from New York to LA and this place is holds its own with the best. I prefer simple nigiri style sushi where the fish is front and center and the freshness and quality of the fish is key. Portions on fish are very generous. My favorite fish of the night was the red snapper… arguably the best I have ever had. What makes Hattori extra amazing this is in Taos NM mind you, not San Fransisco, far from any fish source or even major airports, so how these guys are getting their fish is an amazing accomplishment in its own right. Couple amazing freshness and quality with a great laid back vibe and spectacular mountain views… you really could not ask for more. And very reasonable priced. We had a total 26 pieces and tea for just over $ 80. While sitting at the sushi bar we had a pleasant chat with the owner and his apprentice. Perfect experience in every way.
One more thing. I have no personal connection of any sort to this place what so ever, but I have to vent a little here. Reviews to small businesses are so VERY important and I absolutely cant stand people like «Jose G» who toss out low reviews due to minor things a restaurant does wrong… often out its control… like a boisterous patron. Or maybe a slow refill on water. Cry me a river. Do you have any idea the miracle it takes to get and prepare fish like this in the middle of nowhere New Mexico?! They do all this all this effort and provide for you miracle from a life time of their experience and do a 1000 things right and you give a one star review for a drunk table?! I don’t care if the place broke out in a drunken brawl… I would go back to this place to experience fish like this. You sir, and people like you, are the disgrace.

We recently stopped in on a whim because the other restaurant we were considering did not serve alcohol. Needing a drink and some food we figured we’d order despite the fact that my wife is not a sushi fan at all. Look, we are in the mountains of northern New Mexico so sushi didn’t sound like the best option for me either. We ordered up some dishes and discovered we had made a wonderful find. Sticking to noodle dishes and soups we were both floored by the flavors! My wife ended up ordering an additional mushroom dish that was the star of the show. The best mushroom she’s ever eaten. After seeing the rolls and sashimi come out to other tables I knew I had made a huge mistake not ordering. I will be correcting this mistake on my next trip to Taos next month. The service was also wonderful with a lovely woman who clearly loved her job and has been doing it for awhile. Lastly, can you get a more idyllic setting? Just beautiful.

OMG. Excellent sushi. I mean, the miso soup was incredible, salad beautiful and delicious, fresh fish, perfectly cooked rice. Sushi chefs know what they are doing here. A+++++. Best sushi in NM.

I’ve been to Sushi a la Hattori many times. The food has always been good, but…
The last time I went there I was surprised to see two friends, a married couple, who had just sat down for dinner. We quickly moved to a four-​top top table and ordered. We got there early, and as usual the place started filling up quickly. Just as the restaurant started to fill to capacity a group of four twenty-​something people walked in, two men and two women. As they walked past our table I noticed the smell of alcohol. As soon as they were seated the «robust» young «lady» started in with the most ear-​splitting cackles of laughter and really, really loud conversation. It was obvious that they had walked in the door drunk. Well, they ordered their food and sake and proceeded to get even more intoxicated. As they tossed back the sake they got louder and louder, and the other patrons were all absolutely miserable. This was a busy Friday evening and the place was packed, so they were ruining the meals of a lot of people. I saw several people giving them dirty looks because of their awful behavior, which seemed to be intended to bait the other diners into confronting them. Sadly, we had the misfortune of being seated right next to them. Well, when the «robust» young lady (I use the word «lady» generously) let out a particularly ear-​splitting cackle my friend put her fingers in her ears. When these awful people saw her plugging her ears the robust young woman’s male companion said quite loudly, «Look at that woman! What a B**CH!» Well, I’m sorry, but you do not call my friends names like that, especially my female friends. I turned around and said to him, «Excuse me?! Did you just call my friend a b**ch?!» The young man replied in a slurred way, «She needs to stop acting like one!» So I marched up the owner Gin and told him what they said. Gin’s response, disappointingly, was to turn around and go hide in the back! I was shocked! So we paid our bill and got up to leave when the cursing young man said in a sneering manner, «You all have a nice night!» I told them all, «You should be ashamed of yourselves,» which caused Robust Girl to yell, «Don’t you talk to us like that, you trash!» I responded by telling her that everyone here had seen and heard the way they were behaving, and that everyone knew who the real trash was. In the mean time, Gin was nowhere to be seen. Anyway, Robust Girl yelled and pointed to her friends, «EVERY one of us here has relatives who are police! I want your name! Who are you? I’m gonna have you arrested!» We decided that we didn’t want to get into a physical altercation with a bunch of drunk, backwards, over-​privileged locals, so we left, swearing never to return.
I’m sorry, but one of the duties of a restaurant owner is to identify drunk people who walk through his or her door and not serve them more alcohol. And another duty is to to ask such offensive people to leave when they start making the other patrons’ dining experiences miserable. Gin never spoke up, and he never even bothered to call the police. I don’t care how good the food is; if an owner is too cowardly to do his job and protect his well-​behaved and sober patrons from drunks and bullies then that owner doesn’t deserve to have any business, much less a liquor license. Serving liquor to already-​intoxicated diners is highly irresponsible!
I will never go back.
Shame on you, Gin!

All the food here is excellent, but it’s very slow when busy, and it’s often busy. This is understandable, but the wait staff should let customers know that certain sushi orders might take longer than others. In addition to mediocre service, small but persistent problems such as overcooked, mushy edamame and forgetting the pickled ginger on sushi orders bring down what should be a much higher rating. I will continue to come here – the food is high quality, fresh, and delicious, not to mention it’s the only Japanese restaurant in town. Just wish they’d step up the service a notch.

It’s mighty difficult to find the sushi I enjoy. Spare me the rolls, I’m looking for nigiri and sashmi. Sush a La Hattori exceeded my expectations. The entire menu is broad and deep, but the fish flown in from Tsukiji Fish Market and the care in which is was presented sealed the deal. Not all of the fish is from Tokyo – my ikura was from Alaska, for example. But I felt as if I was in Japan with Jin-​san and Hiromi-​san have about 40 years of experience in the restaurant trade (most of which in San Dieg

Difficult to figure out the hours, so call first! Food was worth it. Had tempura shrimp and avocado sushi, sweet and sour cucumber salad and a delightful plum wine. Yum!

I finally made it to sushi a la hattori. The service was phenomenal and the lunch special was so good it made me want to run into the hills to find religion. So apparently I should have brought a map up to the hills instead of a smart phone. Oh lord, help me find my way back to sushi a la hattori!

I visit Taos once a year and always make a point of coming here. The sushi is very fresh and probably the best sushi I’ve ever had. I tell this to my friends and they don’t believe me until they’ve tried it themselves .
The service is also very good, I would highly recommend this place.

Our experience at Sushi A La Hattori was unbelievable. Even with our highest hopes, we did not expect the fish to be so fresh and delicious.
We sat at the bar and we’re greeted promptly with drinks and smiles. The Sushi chef was very knowledgable and helpful. The fish melted in our mouths at the perfect temperature. There was something for both my partner and I, as we have relatively different tastes. My boyfriend likes spicy, innovative sushi and I love the classics and there was something for each of us. The prices were perfectly reasonable and we left happy and full! Will definitely be a weekly stop for us.

I was skeptical about visiting this restaurant but the Unilocal reviews lured me in. I LOVE it here! We come every friday night and the place is packed. The Sweet and Spicy Roll and Dragon Roll are my two favorites. Some of the tuna rolls however seem to come with canned tuna in them… so I avoid those. It’s truly unbelievable that a remote, landlocked town has such superb sushi! I recommend highly.

My review remains at 3 stars. Went back last night and had the same exact food experience.

I’ve been to top sushi restaurants — Tao in NYC, Nobu in Vegas, etc. I was blown away by this little eatery in Taos of all places. It was authentic, delicious, fresh. The fusion of flavors showed artistry — this is not the regular California Roll type of joint. With a nod to local flavors such as chili peppers, the chef showed his talent. Our kids got special fun plates and enjoyed their food. The restaurant wasn’t stuffy and therefore we felt comfortable having a 8 and 6 year old (although well behaved) at the restaurant. We’ll visit this sushi restaurant each time we visit Taos.

Best Japanese in Taos. Very fresh fish for a remote, landlocked small town. Mom loves the chicken katsu. Owners are Japanese and if this place is open, they are there working. That means you will always get good food. Heck, you can even get a decent bowl of ramen there. Also, it’s in a beautiful location overlooking mountain scenery. Check it out, and tell Mama-​san I said hi.

Hidden behind the Overland Sheepskin Company, with a wooden porch swing and rusted tractor out front, Sushi a la Hattori struck me as the last place I’d want to get sushi at. The owners, Gin and Hiromi Hattori, seemed to agree. As my large party flocked toward the door, Hiromi scowled. «You want to sit outside or inside?» she frowned, as we hovered dubiously around the porch, alternately taking in the magnificent view of Taos Mountain, and quailing under the idea of raw fish served in the dry heat of the American Southwest.
My mother decided for us. «Party of ten, inside.» We gulped and followed, wishing it wasn’t so. So what if my parents really wanted to treat the future in-​laws to an «authentic Asian dinner»? Couldn’t they do it on their own Northern Californian turf, where they had at least staked down a few places where we were sure not to get food poisoning? Why here? Why now?
But the dads had already wandered onto the wooden porch to share cross-​cultural bottles of Sam Adams and warm sake. There was no turning back.
My mother ordered everything as we watched on in skepticism. Unagi. Spicy tuna. Ebi. Fresh octopus. Geoduck. Scallops. Inari. Toro. Gyoza. Patagonian toothfish. Saba. Pork, beef and chicken udon. Teriyaki chicken. Shots of raw quail egg suspended in sweet vinegar.
Hiromi’s complexion softened. She hurried back to the kitchen, and relayed the order to her husband in Japanese. He turned around and repeated the order in Spanish to his fellow cooks.
15 minutes later, my nieces passed the first judgement. «Sharghafdafhwu» they intoned, as they dropped their sparkly batons and grabbed freshly pan-​fried dumplings. The plate of gyoza was decimated in a matter of minutes. It looked like a go.
We were pleasantly surprised (nonchalant for «utterly astounded») when we ventured our first bite of sashimi. The salmon was fresh, so fresh. The freshness lingered as the salmon’s buttery richness overwhelmed me and forced me to clear off an entire plate of sashimi. The spicy tuna was (not to overstress the point, but…) refreshingly fresh. So often, spiciness is used to mask the flavor of tuna a few days off, but the Hattori’s sacrificed nothing of freshness in all their dishes. The octopus nigiri was sweet and chewy, with a faint hint of oceanic saltiness. The Saba and sea bass/​toothfish were seared to sizzling, tender perfection, and the jasmine rice steamed curls of fragrance toward our noses. The udon broth – which I was damned sure would disappoint – had an umami depth that resonated beyond the bottom of the bowl. Between bowls, we cleared our palates with the shots of sweet-​and-​sour raw quail egg. Each iced shot slid smoothly down our throats, echoing richness and a sense of well-​being. I was so happy. The in-​laws (not being big sushi eaters) were so relieved.
And the secret to the Hattoris’ success? Besides being amazing (international, cosmopolitan) cooks (who decided to make Taos home), the Hattori’s have a fish supplier who flash freezes fish seconds after they are caught. Can frozen fish be better than fresh fish? Yes. Resoundingly, yes. And Gin and Hiromi Hattori will prove it to you.
After all the gluttony, the ten of us retreated to the porch swing to watch a soft rain descend upon Taos Mountain. As the wind sculptures around the restaurant whirled and glittered, the light of evening suffused us in a golden glow that cut into the rain and arced out a rainbow.
No, seriously. I’m not embellishing. It was magical.
Bottom Line: Five stars for the BEST SUSHI I’VE EVER HAD, across Japan and the US. How is it that New Mexico gets this honor? Irony of ironies.