HaNaBi

Elite '08

51

322

diana m.

Brooklyn, NY

Until recently everytime I walked past this place I never went in.  The place never had more than three or four tables filled. And I must admit I was a little doubtful about a Japanese Peruvian restaurant. But on a recent cold night with a friend we didn't want to spend a hour looking for a place to eat we went in. And I must admit I was pretty impressed. The food was pretty good and so was the service. I would certainly be a repeat visitor.

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Elite '08

52

112

Kate B.

Brooklyn, NY

We headed out to grab something quick from Lemongrass Grill, but that place was packed and I'm just not willing to wait for Lemongrass. So we ended up in HaNaBi.

We were one of two tables filled in the place. Service was very attentive when we first got there.

We split  a crab cake, some kim chee and the Geisha III appetizer, which is tuna tataki, octopus ceviche and salmon tartar. Everything was good to great. A big portion of spicy, tart kim chee was $3. The crab cake was awesome -- more crabmeat than filler, nice smoky flavor and served with aoli and a tomato/onion salad. The tuna tataki was lovely -- fresh, generous portion of very lightly seared tuna. The pulpo ceviche was okay -- the octopus was chewy but not rubbery, but the flavor was kind of bland and it had canned black olives in it. Salmon... bleh.

At some point during our meal was when the staff had their meal. I begrudge no worker their food, but our waitress sat with her back to us so that I had to go up and ask for the check in order for us to get out of there. So... lost star for canned olives and mediocre service.

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9

26

Lauren S.

Brooklyn, NY

I was disappointed when my boyfriend and I went for dinner last night. He ordered the chicken teriyaki b/c he has boring taste in food -1, and an obsession with chicken- 2.... (Doesn't stop me from being a foodie though...I get to choose where we go and he goes along with it, orders something boring, and pays).

So i ordered the chirashi. And our utensils were literally thrown on the table at us. When the food came, it looked lovely, but they brought his like 15 minutes before mine....no explanation and a look of "this is how we do it, so get out if you don't like it".  We just sat quietly in a weirded-out daze. And you'd think the teriyaki would be a safe bet for someone who isn't into raw food, but it tasted like they dumped an entire canister of salt into it. He was too scared to complain because he did not want to offend the older female server....but the service and vibe was really bad.

I cannot front at all on a couple of things though:

1) quality of the sushi; my chirashi dish came with a TON of good, fresh tasting assortment of fish atop the sesame flecked rice. Every piece was delicious.

2) The saki-by-the-glass I had was one of the best budget sake's I ever had! (I think it was called Midnight...??... something)

Although those were major, I'm still giving the place a below average because they acted kind of cold to my boyfriend the whole night, only spoke to me and in my direction, and the waitress shouted something that might have been racist his way at the end when we were leaving. We didn't know whether to laugh or be offended when she assumed that he wasn't going to tip her because the tip wasn't written in on the credit card receipt, because she looked at it and openly began to circle back towards him, screw up her face and yell things his way in her native tongue after she saw it!! We thought it was kind of hilariously shocking that she would do that, especially since the cash tip was on the table, but things set in when we thought about how she acted coldly toward him the entire night, i.e. ignoring him when he had questions about drinks, and walking away mid-question one time, and never returning to tell him the answer. Ever since he decided he was scared of her, and to let it go, our mood became one of  sitting quietly and make the most of it, as though we were enduring an awkward family situation at someone's house. Really weird. The ambiance felt step-up-from fast food to me, with a staticky radio set to Light Fm that kept going in and out loudly. The place wasn't cheap either, for all of that. We tried to giggle it off, but def. won't be back.

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1

46

T P.

New York City, NY

This place never has more than 3 tables full, I'm afraid it's going to close on us I know there's no shortage of Japanese restaurants here but the food is really fresh & they put  a new spin on the old tired sushi choices.  Delivery comes in less than 15 mins, I really hope they make it. Who would have thought Japanese & Peruvian go together. Bad thing is it's a CASH only place which is kinda a downer come check time.

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Elite '08

17

50

Anthony Y.

Astoria, NY

A Japanese Peruvian in Brooklyn??!  That's as unlikely as a Steven Seagal/DMX hip hop martial artist team up or a picture of David Hasselhoff chillin with Gary Coleman.  But they all happened.  I can dig it.  

I'm more about their Peruvian selection.  I make sure to get tamales everytime I go now and usually I go for their Salmon dish.  Sushi's good here too.  I'm not sure I recommend the land animals (a friend had a steak here that was a little rough).  I've been a repeat customer for a while now so I think their value is pretty consistent.

In conclusion, if you live nearby you have no excuse not to try it.  And remember never to hassle the Hoff.

http://www.hasselhoff....

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Elite '08

146

333

Allison G.

Brooklyn, NY

I've eaten at HaNaBi twice and had good experiences both times. They are primarily a Japanese place, but they have Peruvian and Peruvian-fusion offerings as well!

I really like the ambiance and the decor here. It is simple, but really nice (and it has given me ideas for my own decorating!).

I think the sushi rolls here are excellent! This is a great option when you are in the mood for sushi, but someone in your party either doesn't like sushi or is unsure of it. There are plenty of options for sushi-people and non-sushi people alike!

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1

10

Hilary L.

Brooklyn, NY

I've only been once but I really liked it.  Often is is less than half full, which is a little disconcerting when even Tutta Pasta across the street has a long waiting list, but don't worry!  The sushi is very fresh, and the staff is incredibly attentive and sweet.  The menu is extensive, with both Japanese and Peruvian fare.  The green tea is a bottomless cup.  The bathroom has a cool sink.

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Elite '08

107

306

haley p.

Brooklyn, NY

The good news is this place turned me on to spicy tuna... the bad news is I didn't even order it. For some reason the waiter heard "diet coke, spice tuna roll, salmon avocado roll and west coast roll"  rather than "Sprite, salmon avocado roll and west coast roll." I guess the waiter was trying to do me a favor by serving me a zero calorie soda. I never did get to try the west coast roll, the waiter told me it was ready AFTER he brought the check. Uhh.. okay? I'm lame enough to have thought that the spice tuna roll that I ate was the wc roll (I was a little confused as to why it was completely NOT what I was expecting), so I was even more confused when he said I had something else coming out. I felt really bad telling him I didn't want it, but he got the order wrong, I was full, and didn't have enough to pay for something I hadn't ordered. Or something I had ordered when I was already fed something I hadn't ordered. I don't know why the west coast roll took so much time to make. I wish I could have tried it, but I'll never have the patience to wait that long for food... maybe I'll call ahead. Or go somewhere else that gets my order right!

With the cement room look and blasting hair band tunes, I sometimes feel like I'm in someone's basement. The past time I was in, the seaweed was really chewy which made my rolls really unappetizing. I think in the future I'll skip HaNaBi and go to Inaka.

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