Testimonials

I went here for my friend's birthday. I've never been to a place like this where they cook right in front of you. I was obviously entertained since my eyes were glued to the chef doing some cool stuff. I loved how they interacted with you and the chef was really friendly. I did enjoy the food here and I really like the shrimp. I believe that it is seasoned very well and it gave it much flavor. The entertainment is great here, I loved the show they put on for us and all the tricks they did to keep us entertained. Great for kids, teens, adults, family, etc.

Vi. N – Dublin  6/17/2011

I like their food , and the Chef so cool he was amazing ....it’s really a nice place to go.

John A. – Richmond 7/30/2011

New to the area, I recently went b/c of a promotion they were running.  It was a nice experience, staff was friendly, and the hibachi chef in particular and food was good.

Stefano G. – Moraga 5/6/2011

Filet mignon is fabulous. Shrimp are delicious. So is everything else, but those are my faves. Oh, and fried rice. Always.

Jen T. – Alameda 2/11/2011

I brought some friends here for their birthday and was pretty surprised with how much fun we had. I've personally never been to a teppan-yaki style restaurant and didn't know what to expect. SENSORY OVERLOAD! Clanking of knives in your ear. Food flying at your face (if they like you, I guess they throw shrimp at you). FIRE! Tasty filets and drinks. What's not to love? Reasonably priced too for the amount we ate and drank. I recommend the Steak and Scallops. I'll be back Hana Japan!

Jason T. – San Francisco 1/6/2011

I took my wife and my 9 and 6 yr old kids on a recent Friday night for our anniversary.  And was seated with 2 other couples at our table.  I can tell you that our experience was 100X greater than we expected.   The food ended up really good (especially the Calamari, as long as you look past the amount of butter used). Between the 4 of us we tried about 1/2 the menu (shrimp/steak/calamari, salmon) and all of them ended up excellent.  The portions were generous enough that we all left satisfied.  After the dinner we sat and talked to the other couples and they too said basically the same thing.  They saw less than stellar reviews but came away extremely happy.

From my standpoint it seems the reasons were pretty clear. If we came in with grandiose expectations we probably would have been somewhat disappointed.    Also the entire group was engaged and interactive with the Chef. He definitely had a better performance because we involved with the show.  For the kids it will be an experience they will remember.  

The final point is that this was the first time any of us at the table had been to a meal like this, and that is the rub. There are probably only so many times you can see the show without it getting stale...there is only so much you can do. But if you have never been to one and are looking to be entertained in an interactive way while getting a good meal  I would recommend this place.

David A. – Alameda 6/6/2011

Hana Japan was awesome for my first time experience yesterday. The chef was great with his work. I enjoy the flipping and the volcano onion. But the waitress name Saron? She was awesome =). She was very friendly and was great with the customer service. she took the time to help me and co-worker with our dishes selection and she was right. My food was delicious. My co-worker loves it. We all had a great time there .we work around Berkeley so we will definitely go back there sometime soon. Thanks Saron.

Jay N. – Oakland 9/1/2011

Coming from San Francisco to their Berkeley location was a breeze even during the evening commute.  Arrived for a birthday party (free B-day dinner within one week of birthday) with a large group.  We all grabbed a drink at the bar and sat down to watch some Giants' playoff baseball in the comfortable bar/lounge area.  The restaurant was busy but we were seated promptly by the friendly hostess and table service was great throughout the meal despite a packed house. 

Absolutely hands down the best Teppanyaki meal I've ever experienced.  I've been to Benihana locations in Cupertino and Las Vegas, both had decent showmanship from the chefs, but exceptionally lackluster eats. Hana Japan delivered on both fronts with an incredibly fun and entertaining chef who also knew how to cook. Our chef was flawless in his performance with knives and other tools but more importantly to me, cooked up some great food.  I ordered the scallops and New York steak combination dinner.  Soup, salad and fried rice served with the meal were all delicious. Steak was cooked perfectly to my medium rare request, but the scallops were the real star.  Anytime I order scallops from a restaurant I worry about getting overcooked rubbery pucks, but when the chef placed these on my plate I couldn't have been happier, moist, sweet and the ideal texture. Generous portions left us all stuffed and happy by the end of the meal.    

This place was excellent for our group, but I wouldn't mind coming back with my girlfriend as just a couple. Great location in the marina offers amazing views of the bay and a was great place for our walk after the meal. The most fun I've had at a dinner in a long time!

Ryan M. - San Francisco 11/4/2010