"I might put it away, and see if it gets better later." These are the words the boyfriend just uttered after eating Haruno's sushi. This sushi sucks. The maki is poorly rolled, each piece of fish is indistinguishable from the previous--and frankly, that was probably a benefit because the fish wasn't very good--and the food was way overpriced. I had comparably priced sushi in Chicago with incomparable quality. If this is 4 star sushi in Springfield according to Yelp, then I'm not eating sushi in Springfield. What a waste of $50.
Review Source:I'm not sure what this is, but I'm not sure it's sushi. Â I think "Haruno" might be the most Japanese thing on the premises. Â Apparently, it means something like "blooming field," or perhaps "spring field," in Japanese. Â Cute, I guess. Â The clientele appeared to be young, dumb, and trendy enough to order gallons of overpriced novelty drinks and appreciate the energy-efficient lighting. Â There's two signs out front, one for a restaurant and one for a night club, with three doors, and the inside seems confused about where restaurant ends and nightclub begins.
The spring rolls were small fried things that looked similar to what one gets from a freezer case at Targeto. Â I'm not sure what rolls we ordered, so I'll just use numbers. Â Roll 1 had white creamy ooze coming out of the bottom and had a crumb topping. Â This would be awesome if I were eating a fruit crisp, but on sushi it seems a bit unbecoming. Â Roll 2 fell apart upon picking it up. Â From examining the remains, it appeared that there was some sort of fish involved. Â Roll 3 had fish that was not only cooked but dry and overcooked.
Aside from the overcooked fish, which I think was salmon, it all tasted like mush. Â The best thing we ordered was the shredded daikon that came with the sushi. Â Even the pickled ginger tasted like it came from a grocery store, and not an Asian one.
But hey, I'm not sick yet and the place looked clean.
Currently, I'm obsessed with their asparagus and mozzarella sesame tempura. I know, I know. So far from sushi, but it's heavenly. I love this restaurant. Good sushi, AMAZING black cod miso that rivals Nobu NYC. If you don't know what that is because you went to Kickapoo High School, google it. I've brought my baby here. Not a problem. Not pretentious like mentioned in another review. If you want family style with less pretense, go to the Golden Corral. I'm sure you will fit right in.
Review Source:Took the my girlfriend for her birthday dinner a month ago, made reservations ahead of time. Friendly hostess on the phone as well as in person. Took us to our table within a minute. Started with hot Sake, the two highlights were the Oh My God Roll, coming to the table with burning theatrics, and the Sex and the City roll. All four orders were outstanding. Very modern and comfortable decor, just a welcoming and relaxing atmosphere given off by both customers and staff. Great experience
Review Source:This place is overrated.
I get the feeling Haruno stays busy because it is a "place to be seen" sort of restaurant. It's flashy and has loud techno music and tacky/trendy decor.
Haruno, like most other sushi places, seems to have the exact same sushi menu you see over and over.
In my opinion, MIJURI is much better. They make great creative sushi in a more enjoyable (i.e. less douchey) atmosphere.
It's kind of like the difference between going to get a cocktail at a booming nightclub versus going to a bar with a great mixologist.
The sushi rolls are probably the best in Springfield - HOWEVER, service has taken an absolute NOSE DIVE in the past year. My husband and I had to wait nearly 15 minutes for a high-top in the bar - when there were several tables open, just waiting to be bussed. The place wasn't busy at all at the time - several hostesses and waiters were standing around starring at each other wide-eyed and dumbfounded like they had no idea how to clean a table.
We then waited nearly 45 minutes for a roll and appetizer. After we finished eating, my husband and I were both in the mood for another drink - but alas, our waiter didn't come back for yet another 25 - 30 minutes. By that time - check, please.
The whole experience was pretty obnoxious. I do hope the Haruno management is taking note of the poor service issue and works to recitfy, or I suspect most regulars will start going elsewhere. We surely won't be returning.
Cold food, over priced service, and a 1hr wait for lunch with only 4 tables full. Â
After waiting over 45 minutes for a salmon bento lunch special and a salmon bento full dinner mean the waiter asked, "if there is anything else we need?" Â I said, "yes, our meal." Â Apparently our waiter completely forgot about us and thought that he had brought our meal, but instead it was sitting at the counter. Â The waiter brought both meals, and of course, the food was certainly not fresh at this point. Â We asked to speak to the manager and wanted to let him know about the long wait and that our food had been sitting out on the counter. Â The manager had the food redone and the second time we did notice that both meals were chicken (yes, we did order salmon like I mentioned earlier). Â We let the manager know that these were supposed to be salmon meals, but we were too hungry to send it back and wait again.
After complaining to the waiter and manager, they did apologize and try to make our lunch a better experience through a shared dessert (on the house) and discounting the meals. Â By improving customer service, this restaurant could have been a much better experience. Â I know waiters can get busy with other tables, but I do expect a waiter to check-in with a table more often than once in 45 minutes.
If Ichiban is Japanese for number one then Haruno is Japanese for disappointment.
We went here last night because we kept hearing this was the best place to get sushi in town. If this is the best I am truly afraid to find the worst. The service was very lacking. I would like to blame it on the fact that the Cards were playing in the World Series but our server seemed less interested in the game than she did in serving us.
The menu we sampled consisted of the Dragon balls which were ok but not great, they were more of a spicy tuna mush deep fried. The Spicy Boom Boom with cooked tuna on top. Lets remember this is supposed to be a sushi place. The tuna on top should be seared ahi at best and NEVER cooked all the way through. If I wanted crappy dry over cooked tuna I would have brought in a can of Chicken of the Sea and asked you to spread it on my roll. We also had the Naughty Monkey, again with the tuna mush. All of the flavors for these rolls were crammed together like sweaty, lecherous morbidly obese old men on a New York subway groping around my taste buds trying to find cop a feel. The Oh my God roll was by far the best roll of the night. This should have been the most boring one with little to nothing to offer. Instead it was the roll that had the cleanest flavors and was very distinct. The premium nigiri was paper thin and not very crisp tasting. Premium nigiri should always be toro tuna nothing else. Don't try to feed me inferior sushi and tell me it's premium. If you are you going to do that you may as well pee on me and tell me it's raining, it's the same thing. i walk away feeling weird and a little dirty. The crispy tuna roll was an interesting fried rice and the damn tuna mush again.
Let's go through the menu checklist for Haruno really quickly:
Interior and staff trying really hard to be tragically hip but only managing to pull of tragic? Check
California roll? Check
California roll with salmon on top? Check
California roll with tuna on top? Check
California roll with eel on top? Check
California roll with 2 kinds of fish on it? Check
California roll with 5 kinds of fish on it? Check
California roll deep fried? Check
You getting the picture here. For the love of all that's holly not all sushi is based on the California roll. Try thinking up something that doesn't involve the California roll or deep frying.
We will not be going back, If I wanted to have my taste buds assaulted by a poor pairing of flavors I will give a tongue bath to the hobo at the bus depot. I may be a little harsh but sushi is something that is art in it's highest form  and bait in it's lowest.
Best sushi in town!!!! I just wish the sushi bar was a real sushi bar! My father in law and I dine here almost every time he is in town and we sit at the sushi bar. Â However, this isn't a typical sushi bar. Â Way too high and sushi chefs are not friendly unless you engage them in conversation. Â Love this place just wish they would make a few minor tweaks!
Review Source:I went to Haruno for takeout while visiting Springfield. Â The atmosphere was cool with a funky vibe -- though I'm not used to walking through blackout curtains to pick up my food. Â I might not have dined in, but I can see how it would be a fun place to eat. Â The staff was nice and friendly and the service was about as good as can be for takeout, but I was not impressed with the sushi.
I had 2 rolls, a spicy tuna roll, and a shrimp tempura roll, both of which were perfectly edible but lacked flavor. Â The spicy tuna was very spicy, but it seemed to lack the underlying flavor and the tempura rolls weren't much more flavorful. Â They do have some happy hour specials, so both rolls were only $13 or so, but honestly, I had better to-go sushi from the Dillons on Sunshine.
My husband is from Springfield and during our 'dating days' we always made a point to visit Harunos. Â I'm from California and I never thought I'd be going to the mid west for Sushi! Â The drinks are great, service is great, appetizers and rolls delicious, and all this for an affordable price! Â As a restaurant owner all these things are very much noticed and appreciated! Â I'm in California now and my mouth is watering just thinking about this place.
Brityn B.
I love Haruno! I got hooked when I lived in Springfield, and think it's not only the best sushi in town, but better than the vast majority of the sushi places in Kansas City as well. It is a must on my to do list every time I visit Springfield.
They say that they are family friendly, but I don't personally think it's a family dining type place. The atmoshpere and menu are definitely more adult and trendy. Â The bar area has a hip vibe and the dining room area it more upscale Japanese. Â
I've had several of their martinis, and all were good, but a lot seem to have a fruity flare. Â Usually we just stick to getting a bottle of wine. Â Their wine list is much larger than shown online and the price point is in line with other restaurants. Â They also have a good selection of sake.
I've always started with a couple of appetizers. Their gyoza is pretty good. Â As for sushi, I'm more of a roll girl than a sashimi or nigri girl so I've only had their rolls here. Â Some favorites: the pink panther, the miami, the sex and the city, naughty monkey. I feel that part of what makes this sushi so good is that they recognize that we live in the midwest and can't hit the bullseye just serving basic rolls--our seafood is obviously not going to be as good as on the coast so they give it spunk with other ingredients. Just because they can't compete with Koi in LA for freshness or traditional sushi rolls, doesn't mean it's not still delicious. Â
Also a plus--their bar area serves sushi till midnight. Perfect if you are a night owl on the southside of town!
Wow! Best restaurant in Springfield my BUTT! This had to be one of THE worst dining experiences that I've ever had.
Was stoked to eat here. We made reservations two weeks in advance to have our early Valentine's Day dinner there. It was for 8:00 on Saturday. We showed up @ 7:50 and were seated at 8:40!!! Not even in the restaurant section mind you, the BAR section at a high top table right by the bathrooms. Big screen TVs aren't really too "romantic"....
The bus boy continually walked passed and kicked my boyfriend's chair (one time actually ramming into him.) Yes, we got a sorry but then he kept doing it. We ordered our food.... and then waited... and waited... and waited. Eventually the waitress came by and offered us some soup or salad. We accepted. The miso soup was bland. The salad was alright. The dressing was something different so it was appreciated but not something I would order on my own.
Then we waited some more. We were actually waiting for our waitress to come around so we could tell her that we were leaving when another waitress came by w/ egg rolls. She said the sushi was slow tonight. Ummm, it's sushi, but whatever... since they were at least TRYING, we decided to stay for our food.
Our food FINALLY came. The Sex and the City roll was good but very spicy. The Naughty Monkey roll fell apart when we tried to pick it up with our chopsticks (NOT reflecting of quality sushi!) It was alright as well. Nothing really to write home about except that the plates WERE very pretty.
We've both had way better sushi. I cant believe our Valentine's was ruined by this supposedly wonderful place. Yes, they did try to help but come on, be professional and learn how to NOT overbook. Respect reservations, that's why we make them! And oh, don't under staff yourself when you KNOW it's going to be a busy night!
I freaking love Haruno. Â I love it so much that during a recent 24 hour trip to Springfield from St. Louis, I HAD to go there. Â I miss it so much since graduating from Missouri State and moving back home.
I have pretty simple rules when it comes to sushi - no cream cheese and no spicy. Â I started my original sushi adventure at Haruno and stuck with veggie rolls and an eel rool, as I feared the raw fish. Â Since then, I've become more adventurous and accepting of the raw fish varieties, but I can usually count on my husband to order and share those, so I still keep my order to my usual.
Let me start with the miso and salad though, as I always order them. Â The miso is great. Â Nothing above and beyond most restaurants, but it is a good one. Â The salad, however, is my favorite Japanese house salad I've had. Â The ginger dressing is perfect. Â Pretty runny over icy cold lettuce and the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. Â Much preferred by me compared to the overly sweet or overly solid dressings I've found elsewhere. Â I've even purchased to go supplies for home.
The sushi - beautiful and delicious. Â During my last visit, I ordered and cucumber and eel roll and a futomaki roll. Â My husband ordered a rainbow roll, incredible roll, and a tuna roll. Â Everything was fantastic! Â I stayed away from the incredible roll, as like I said, I don't do spicy, but the topping (shredded mussels in some ridiculously delicious sauce) is incredible enough for me to guess how those you like spicy may enjoy the rest of the roll.
The last visit was also my birthday, so we also got a complimentary slice of cheesecake, which all the ladies at the table happily helped me demolish. Â Very good. Â Nothing worth freaking over, but quite good.
The service has always been good. Â A little pretentious I suppose, but you can always go to Applebee's if you don't like the attitude at a nice restaurant. Â I have always found the wait staff to be very courteous and helpful, especially when I was new to sushi. Â Our last trip consisted of a party of 14, and they did a fantastic job taking care of us.
Can't wait to get Haruno again next time I'm in Springfield!
Great sushi, but feels a little uptight for a family restaurant.
Walking into Haruno you get the feeling you're walking into a very trendy sushi establishment frequented only by the social elite of Springfield. Â The hostesses are all wearing (very) short black evening gowns and the lights are dimmed pretty low. Â It definitely has an air of arrogance to it, but at the same time it's frequented by your average every day person and lots of families.
The food... outstanding. Â Being from a coastal state originally I'm a bit wary of sushi in land locked states but the food here is excellent. Â We had a couple of specialty rolls and some nigiri which were all excellent.
Pricing is on par with your standard sushi fare and very similar menu. Â Definitely will visit Haruno again and would recommend it to others.
How many TVs does this place have? Â Beside the excessive amount of TVs, I must say it was a pleasant environment.
We ordered a variety of rolls, some nigiri, and tuna takaki. Â They were out of Uni; the fish was decent, the rolls were tasty, but tuna takaki was.... hmmm... tough? Â You want the fish to be fresh and almost melt in your mouth and it didn't. Â It wasn't frozen... just tough, like it was a lesser quality piece of fish.
I would visit this place again but stay with rolls. Â My favorite roll was literally on fire! Â It was surprisingly good.
My whole family likes Haruno- the rolls are tasty, and they have always done a great job accommodating us, even with small children and in large groups of us! We like to go here for special occasions and get-togethers when one of us is coming back or going out of town and we always leave full and satisfied from great drinks and rolls.
Review Source:I am not from the Springfield / SW Missouri area, but upon recent visits to the area, my fiance and I area always in search of good sushi. Â We ordered several of the rolls, the sushi platter and the chirashi. Â The dish that really wowed us was the chirashi. Â Lots of good cuts of fish and the rice was delicious. Â Not to mention, the bowl made for great presentation! Â The others were good standard sushi fare. Â The atmosphere is very trendy and attractive to the young and hip. Â I recommend the place for good sushi!
Review Source:I have no idea what happened. Â I really wish I did know, but this is the most unfortunate thing ever. Â
I had lunch here today, and simply told the waiter I'll order a sashimi platter with 12-15 pieces. Â I asked our waiter to ask the chef for the freshest fish. Â They really didn't listen to this, and gave me a few varieties of fish, along with imitation crab and tomago.
My first bite was the "fresh" salmon. Â This salmon arrived to the restaurant the day prior apparently. Â I don't know what happened, but this fish was not fresh at all. Â I literally had to ask for soy sauce and sriracha to dunk the fish slice into just to be able to eat it. Â The rest of the fish was mediocre. Â The tuna here is frozen when it arrives, which means it could be days or weeks old. Â
I will not be coming back here. Â If their day old salmon is wretched, I have no idea what the rest of their food is like. Â My friend from Germany also had lunch here today and said that her food was just as bad.
I LOVE Haruno. Â The bar area is chic, well decorated and very modern and for sports lovers, there are plenty of TV. Â For girls with sport-loving boyfriends, make sure to sit them with their back to the TV if you desire any sort of intelligent conversation :) Â It's a great place to hang out drinking sake, great martinis or a decent selection of imported beer.
It's been a while since I've been there since I haven't lived in MO for years, but every time I come back I try to go. Â My favorite roll was the Sex and the City Roll. Â It's a little spicy, but nothing major and the crunchies are delish. Â Try any rolls with eel, or avocado, or better yet both. Â
Perhaps I'm partial because this was the first place where I first tried sushi and learned to appreciate it, but it's still in my top three sushi places ever and I've lived on both coasts and Hawaii.
As far as price, it's comparable to coast prices, which means that for Springtown it's overpriced. Â Still very worth going.
Note: Â review is based solely on sushi. Â I haven't tried anything off the regular menu.
Love it! Even though I don't do fish or seafood! Â Love the atmosphere - especially the live music. Â They have the absolute best egg rolls I've had in my life! Â Fantastic service and array of food (for a sushi bar). Â The only bad point (and this is for the ladies) only one, uni-sex restroom.
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