Sushi House Hayakawa

09/17/09

GOOD SUSHI

by then

Good, not great

Thought after the review from the editor that it would be better. Just too far up the highway for my choice

• Pros: FRESH
• Cons: SLOW

07/16/09

love this place

by pslloyd82

great sushi, great people. loved it!!

• Pros: food, sushi chefs
• Cons: none

07/15/09

Sushi was ok but TERRIBLE service

by marge1621

First of all, let me start by saying I am not the type to write bad reviews, but this was one of the worst experiences I've ever had at a restaurant. We went on a Sunday night with some friends to try this place out since it had gotten such great reviews. It was a hike to get out to Buford Hwy (and it was storming that night), but I was hoping it was going to be worth the drive. After being seated, we were immediately greeted by Art, who was cheerful and very welcoming - we thought this was a good sign. However, Art was about the only good thing about the meal. We ordered a couple of appetizers and some sashimi and nigiri for our entrees. The sashimi plate came out before the appetizers, our drinks weren't refilled until almost the end of the meal, and they forgot to ring in two of our appetizers. There was no apology from the wait staff. I waited tables all throughout highschool and college, so I can understand when servers get in the weeds, but it wasn't even busy that night!!! We arrived at 7 pm and didn't receive all of our entrees until almost 10 pm - which is when they informed us the kitchen was closing - so we couldn't even order any more food to make up for the missing appetizers. The sushi itself was actually ok, but we received such horrible service that I'll never go back there again. I left hungry and very dissatisfied. Thanks Sushi House for a waste of $100 on the worst meal ever! Please, save your money and go to MF instead.

• Pros: Art
• Cons: Service, service, service

06/08/09

Fresh, Delicious, Authentic

by lillykinloo

I cannot compliment Sushi House Hayakawa enough on it's delicious food offerings, dedicated customer service, and cheerful ambiance. Art Hayakawa, the sushi chef, is one of the few Japanese trained and certified sushi chefs in Atlanta. He will happily point out his certification on the wall of his sushi house as a matter of interest (and, I'm sure, personal pride) if you are interested to see it.

Green tea is hot, and I'm fairly certain they use Genmaicha which is my favorite variety (it has a slightly toasty taste and aroma.) The ankimo (monkfish liver) and swordfish are perfectly prepared and definitely worth trying if you've never had it. The sashimi is super fresh (all were yummy, but the mackerel and halibut are personal favorites.) Art had us point to each sashimi offering on the plate, and he told us the name of the fish along with where he purchased it. All dishes were beautifully presented by attentive wait staff that were friendly but non-obtrusive. I will note that while we were there, Art Hayakawa took the time to prepare each sushi dish himself. The other chefs behind the sushi counter did a lot of the prep work and prepared dishes such as salmon roe "salad." So if you're not ordering hot dishes from the kitchen (which by the way are also excellent- the kitchen chef is also Japanese with 20+ years of experience), you should probably be prepared for a bit of a wait. We waited about 10-15 min between sushi courses. However, we were sitting at the sushi bar, so we spent our time watching Hayakawa at work, chatting with other patrons and each other, and listening to Hayakawa educate us and others about the dishes he was preparing. In other words, we really did not mind the short waits at all and in the end, it was worth every bite. On a personal note, my mother is Japanese and I would not hesitate to take her here. She often judges a Japanese restaurant based on cleanliness and whether or not other Japanese people are dining there. It was most certainly spotless and we had a Japanese couple on our right as well as a Japanese man on our left that apparently was a regular as the wait staff seemed to know all of his preferences before he asked for them (including the fact that he wanted his unfinished beer poured into a clean glass and refrigerated while he ate his sushi course.)

My recommendation for this restaurant is to make a reservation to sit at the sushi bar (reservations are not required, but word is definitely getting out about Hayakawa's sushi house.) Take a culinary leap of faith and don't order your usual spicy tuna roll from the menu. Have a seat, relax, and ask Hayakawa to select dishes for you. You will find some new dishes to love (some of which you probably never would have ordered yourself) , and you will have a dining experience you will never forget.

• Pros: Fresh food, gracious service, clean
• Cons: it's not closer to my house! :)

05/26/09

Amazing

by mar115

This is by far the freshest sushi in Atlanta. I have had one better experience and that was at Tsukiji Fish Market in Japan. The chefs are very nice and they are very welcoming. Love it!

• Pros: Incredibly fresh sushi
• Cons: None