Hanazen

Exceptional food and service. I am so grateful that we have a restaurant like this in Orinda.

I was really torn about writing a review about this place, simply because I wanted to keep this as my hidden gem in the East Bay. If you’ve read my past reviews for sushi spots, I value simplicity and the traditional style of Japanese cuisine. None of the crap that is rolled or drenched in sauce. Hell, I stay away from restaurants that leaves soy sauce on the table. I’m about the nigiris– rice, with a dab of wasabi and a delicious fish brushed lightly with the chef’s choice in sauce. If you relate to my passion in sushi, make time to drive out to the middle of nowhere (Orinda, for me) to experience this mom and pop shop. This is Japan at its best.

Amazing. Make sure to get a reservation.

Amazing sushi. Been to Japan and this place is quite comparable in terms of authenticity. A Japanese couple owns this place and take great pride in their food preparation and quality. You will never find below average quality sushi here. Everything is top notch. Only disclaimer is that their food is pricey so you really are paying for what you get. I wish I could go here every night but not really possible from a budget perspective. Expect to pay about $ 40-​$ 50 a person without drinks. Also make sure to make reservations in advance. The owners are not happy with walk ins. I have seen them turn people away without reservations even if the place was empty which is absurd but they do things based on their own rules. They are really sensitive to making sure that they take care of those who reserve in advance. The woman who is the server is also not the friendliest so don’t get offended. Just keep telling yourself you are there for the food. :)

There’s something fishy about this place. Sat politely through 90 minutes of being told what to do and what not to do, and spent more than ever and got less than ever, of just ok food. Reserved tags everywhere, but only 2 others in the restaurant the whole time… on a Friday evening. That was the fishy part. This place seems to be a money laundering operation for something… just left me going, «hmmmm?», when I really wanted to go «mmmmmmm».

I love this place sushi it has great flavor!!! By far the best sushi in lamorinda and the service is fantastic! The only problem is how tiny this place is because it is very hard to get a table on a Friday or Saturday night. I want to try their saki sampler one night I think it’s on Thursday night but heard it’s very informative and fun! If you don’t want to drive to Berkeley or the WC for sushi this is the place for you!

How have I not been here before today? I took a friend here for her birthday last night (actually) and it was all that it’s cracked up to be! The fish was fresh (and really high quality), the rice was near perfection, and the pork belly was dreamt about.
They are real sticklers about their reservation times. We were a little late, and were consequently told that we would still be seated but that we would no longer have the priority of the Sushi chef (which I thought was kinda’ cute). There are only a few tables, and we saw several people being turned away at the door (so call ahead). I’ll be back… and I’ll be on time next time too ;)

They are very meticulous and everything served is exquisite. It seems to be just the two of them, so I get the sense that they work very hard.
A lovely place for a date or to treat yourself to something special, but this is not where you want to bring your loud drinking friends.

worth more than five stars. easily has to be the best in the east bay, and among the best in the bay area (possibly the best for what it is — this is not like a pabu or roka akor in SF where you’re going in part for décor, drinks, etc — this is a tiny suburban restaurant with INCREDIBLE sushi — but i haven’t tried one or two on the peninsula that are rumored to be good).
have to disagree with people who say it’s overpriced. cost wise it is exactly what i would have expected for the quality.

best fish in the east bay and trust me i’ve tried to find good japanese food over here…

Best Sushi Resturant near me! Just a important note is that this place is RESERVATION ONLY. I always try to go on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday for their Omakase. Their sushi is always the freshest and they are very informative of the types of sushi they serve.
REMEMBER THIS IS PLACE IS RESERVATION ONLY! YOU MUST CALL! I’ve seen countless groups get turned away!

After two years of looking for good sushi in the East Bay our search is over…
Not sure it gets much better than this. Been a few times now and this place does not disappoint!
We’ve mostly stuck with the sushi and sashimi — top notch quality here. We typically aren’t very adventurous, but we decided to let Kenji make a chefs choice for us — wow, what a treat! Also try the fried eggplant!
Be sure to make reservations well in advance, they DO NOT take walk-​ins.

Hanazen is the best Japanese restaurant in the East Bay. Having lived in Hawaii for 19 years, hubby and I are a bit picky about our sashimi; we tried many Japanese restaurants in the Bay Area and were routinely disappointed. Hanazen, however, was wonderful. The ahi and yellowtail sashimi plate is my favorite… v fresh. We also love their grilled eggplant and sushi rolls. Kenji and Coco are very warm and the dining experience feels like being a guest in their home.

This is not your typical Japanese restaurant. Expect authentic Japanese selections and make sure you have time to enjoy the individually prepared choices. The chefs choice gave us a selection of sushi that we would typically not order and we really enjoyed the experience. The pork belly (3 day prep) was excellent. We also enjoy a Saki sampler. Price is on the high end but it’s a great experience in a small cozy restaurant in Orinda. We will be back.

First timer. Haven’t had that quality of sushi in a long time, the owners are the cutest too.

Best sushi place in the east bay. Highest quality ingredients and incredibly fresh fish. The sake flights are wonderful.
Won’t repeat what everyone else said but you NEED a reservation. Small place run by husband and wife so call if you’re going to cancel.
If you appreciate the art of sushi, you will love this place.

The good: Quality of the fish is good. Ordered 4 – 5 dishes, all good. The toro was cut much thinner than the rest but still good.
The not so good: Miso soup was not very flavorful.
Overpriced by about 25 percent. I should be able to feed 2 for $ 75. But cost over $ 100. The place is good. But I cannot justify the prices.

Best sushi in town. We are so lucky to
live close by. Coco and kenji give great service and fresh yummy sushi. Just call and get reservation. They actually deserve
More than 5 stars.

I don’t often give 5 stars but Hanazen earned it. One of a kind, artisanal preparation of lovely fresh ingredients, creating complex, nuanced flavours. Eating there for the first time requires a certain dose of humility and appreciation for art. I’ve been in many nice, pleasant sushi places but it had been a long time since I had been in a top-​notch place where everything is about creating art not delivering a product. I say «art» as a compliment, not sarcasm: the art of a perfect balance of flavours, aromas, colours, shapes, and textures.
I’d read the Unilocal reviews, especially the negative ones (I always do) before trying this place. I «get» what the negative reviewers were unhappy with, but I think they missed the spirit and quality of this place. For context, understand that this place is owned by a husband and wife who are chef and host – Kenji and Coco Horikawa – with no other personnel, and could seat 17 people at a time if it was jammed packed with no room to move. You go there for an evening of slowly savouring little bites of heaven and good conversation, not to have a well-​timed meal before going to the Shakespeare play or the movies.
Most of the condiments, pickles, sauces, infused salts, and garnishes used in preparing the dishes are made by the chef himself rather than store-​bought. This means that every element is so good it can be savoured on its own, but together they build these lovely complex flavours that unfold like slowly as you eat. The sake menu is also diverse and offers a range of flavours as wide as any sommelier’s choice of wines in a fine French restaurant.
Service: The service started out formal and I understand why it seemed distant to some Unilocal commenters. But as soon as we showed that we were interested, not too vain to receive pointers on how to appreciate the food and drinks, and happy to learn about the preparation details, we felt our host and server, Coco Horikawa, warm up to us. The service was attentive and helpful throughout the meal.
Freshness and Choice: This is the very opposite experience of chain restaurants where you can find everything everywhere, but of mediocre quality and always the same; it’s the one-​of-​a-​kind experience that will be a little different every time. So no long menu with dozens of wacky Americanized rolls, just a solid core list and a board with a generous list of the current delicacies. Coco Horikawa is a sake expert, and Chef Kenji Horikawa’s speciality is kaiseki, a method of cooking that marks the seasons in Japan. Let them guide you to what’s good and fresh today, and works well together.
Price: Just think why your run-​of-​the-​mill sushi bar is cheaper: made faster, with cheaper, store-​bought ingredients and using shortcuts like big piggish rolls instead of nigiri pieces. Let’s not mince words, Hanazen is expensive for regular people on regular salaries – the kind of place we can only eat at for a special celebration. But it’s priced correctly for the value, quality, care, and work involved.
Reservations: It’s clear that every spot is marked «reserved» all the time. I believe the owners prefer to work by reservation only so they can pace the work and plan the ingredients accordingly. If you want to sit at the counter, mention that when you make your reservation.
Wheelchair access: Although Unilocal says there is no wheelchair access, they actually put down a ramp in advance if you mention this in your reservation. However, don’t expect that anyone will have time to stop preparing or serving food to take care of this if you don’t mention it ahead of time.

Came by for dinner the other night and was skeptical about a Japanese-​restaurant in Orinda. So it turns out that this restaurant prefers reservations, and prefers to be known as a reservation only restaurant… We were able to make a same day reservation to this quaint Japanese-​owned restaurant.
Started off with the Chicken Karaage and it was excellent. Chicken was super juicy and flavorful. Oil quality was excellent.
Moved on to the tempura and it was very good. I’ve had better.
The fried squid was also very good. It was good, but I’ve had even fresher squid.
The fried eggplant was tasty and came with soy sauce to dip in. Felt that the soy sauce was a little too salty. The dish itself was excellent!
The sashimi was on the pricier side at $ 39. The quality and freshness of the fish was excellent. It was very precise and high quality.
The dragon roll was also very good. Once again, very fresh and tasty.
Miso Soup was made to order. It was very good with Gombei in Japantown San Jose being the gold standard.
The meal ended off with complimentary slices of Oranges.
Net net, this was an excellent meal with excellent service by Coco.
$ 55 for dinner after tax and tip.