Hana Restaurant

A little pricey for what you get at dinner but I think it's a better deal for lunch.

Though it's in the neighborhood, it's on Sheridan and a block from the lake, so I'm sure rent is high.

The tonkatsu is great though - worth adding to lunch specials your table is already having since it is sliced up to share.

Do note that the tonkatsu along with the udon offerings are found on the table display menu and not in the main menu.

Serving hot tea (and not charging for it) is a plus here too.

I wouldn't stick them with 3 stars, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt with 4 given the points above.

Hana is delicious! I just moved nearby and discovered there was a sushi place around the corner. It's very easy to miss and if I could say anything negative it would be that the old, drab curtains in the window block all view of the restaurant. You could walk right by and never know it was there. Once inside, you can't see out because of them. The food was so good but this is a real problem. If they take down the curtains I'll up my review to five stars.

Anyway, the food! My husband and I went there to unwind after a stressful day. We brought our wine and sat by the window. We ordered a spicy tuna hand roll, unagi maki, Philadelphia roll, tuna tataki maki and a hamachi nigiri. The fish was fresh and delicious. Everything tasted amazing. The hand roll was one of the best i've had. This place has a small and simple menu. It's very basic sushi and sashimi but it's done well. I'd rather only have a few great choices than pages of mediocre maki. Those places are a dime a dozen but Hana is special. It's no-frills good sushi. Not the best first date place unless you're both true foodies. Their miso soup is great too!

I have had takeout here twice, it's great! I've tried the veggie California roll and the pan-fried tofu steak. Both were presented so nicely for a takeout meal - way cool. They bring me water and tea while I wait!

The sushi was really fresh, definitely. Not a sushi critic, especially since I'm a vegetarian, but I get grossed out by old vegetables shoved in there - Hana's avocado was definitely fresh, and the rest of the vegetables were crispy and delicious. The tofu steak was pretty oily, but it was still a nice presentation. And besides, I guess that comes with the territory of a pan-fried dish??

As for the restaurant itself, the atmosphere is really interesting. The women who run Hana are so sweet, endearingly. It's very clean all of the time, and even though it isn't a bustling place, they always keep themselves busy. I feel weird because I didn't tip (it was takeout?? I don't know if you tip for takeout) but they're just so nice that I feel like they were trying to earn a tip. I'll leave a big one next time or something.

The student discount is something ridiculously gracious like 25%. They have specials every day, too.