Hakatamon

04/15/09

Best Sushi in the Portland Area

by Lopan

Ever since my wife and I moved here in 07' we look for restaurants to match what we had in the Bay Area. Hakatamon is the best place for sushi in the Area so far. Everytime we are hungry for Japanese, we go to this place. Homemade Udon is to die for and sushi is always fresh. I don't want to move from Oregon now because of great restaurants like this. Service is slow, but I forgive them having one of the best Japanese foods in the area.

• Pros: Food
• Cons: Slow Service

04/21/08

Authenticity Abounds!

by chiisaimanko

Episode #3 of the "Udon and Roe Show." If you are looking for REAL Japanese cuisine...look no further than Hakatamon. This is the real deal. The spinach salad and miso served with the meals are wonderful. So many Japanese restaurants lose me with their sesame dressing, but this one is perfect. The Miso soup has a great flavor and tastes very fresh. The pickled cucumber salad is light and refreshing and will be devoured in seconds, so do NOT set your chopsticks down. The nigiri we sampled was sake (salmon), maguro (tuna), and the tai snapper. So scrummy. The fish pieces were much larger than the rice but not so big you couldn't eat them without losing your dignity. Whichever roll we tried escapes me but it was totemo oishi desu. All fish was at peak freshness. Rice had perfect texture and temp. The only downside to the food is that due to a shortage of white wheat, the noodles were not of the hand-made variety that previous posters have raved about. The ramen I had was still very satisfying, reminding me of ramen I've had in Honolulu restaurants that cater almost exclusively to Japanese tourists. "Well Udon, tell me about the service and ambience" you say.....patience, Daniel-san. The waitstaff were the friendliest we've encountered. ...even after they had figured out who we are. A good indicator of authenticity in a Japanese restaurant is how many Japanese people are actually dining there, and the place was full of Japanese diners. We went on saturday afternoon and waited 5 min. This place is a "have-to-go-to" if you love Japanese cuisine, and like to murder the Japanese language in front of strangers. With Uwajimaya next door, you can make a whole afternoon out of it. After a satisying meal you can go buy a headband and join the Cobra Kai.

• Pros: fresh fish, authenticity, Japanese waitstaff and patrons, parking, Cobra Kai headbands at Uwajimaya
• Cons: I live too far away to eat there daily. Poor little old me.

03/31/08

Best Udon

by happytiger

I love their homemade udon. I always get the Oroshi which is a cold udon and shrimp tempura. The sushi is good and fresh. However, the sevice is slow sometime. I don't recommed if you are in a hurry.

• Pros: food always taste good
• Cons: service can be slow

10/05/07

Great great great sushi!

by nomans4tune

I LOVE this place! I go here a few times a week on lunch and either dine in at the (sushi)bar or I get it to go. Either way, the staff is very very friendly. As for the sushi, their rolls are very tight, which is a must for me! They dont have the largest selection of rolls, however they will make specialty rolls if you ask and make some sense. Other sushi barsI have gone to are very strict and won't let you do such a thing. Hakatamon is very open to suggestions and they even have comment cards! Attached is a HUGE japanese grocery store with everything from food to gifts! Very neat, and if there does HAPPEN to be a wait, you can go thru the adjoined door and check out the gift area and still be in range to hear your party called. You must try this place, you're going to love it!!!

• Pros: SUSHI, wait staff, sushi chefs are awesome, great price!
• Cons: Not a single one!

09/07/07

Best Japanese Restaurant I've ever been

by elphins

Hakatamon is my weekly go-to place. Everytime I go there, I am always trying to get something new and IT"S NEVER EVER BEEN DISAPPOINTING. EVERYTHING IS SO GOOD. I highly recommend the grilled squid and the udon. To sum this review up: Coming into Hakatamon sullen and hungry, coming out from it happy.

• Pros: Good food
• Cons: Slow service, small place

07/28/07

I may have to move to Beaverton

by notyeti

I can't wait to try their homemade Udon noodles. Even the little things are good at Hakatamon. the miso/sesame dressing on their salads is one of the best i have ever had. The tempura rice bowls are generous and very tasty, with very hot crispy tempura. The sushi is also exceedingly fresh and the portions are very large. Another wonderful feature of this place is that the staff is incredibly cheerful and friendly. Ambiance is somewhat lacking here, but their friendliness makes up for a lot of that -plus it's attached to Uwajimaya, which is a real plus.

• Pros: Fantastic food at great prices. Very good service.
• Cons: The ambiance doe not match the qaulity of the food.

07/12/07

Homemade Udon Noodles

by oneangryraisin

Homemade udon noodles keep me coming to this place. Trust me--once you've had as much udon as I have, you can tell the difference. The menu is getting better, now that the chef has added seasonal fare. Nice staff. One of my favorite Japanese restaurants in Portland.

05/13/07

decent, cheap sushi

by petunia815

This place is really pretty damn good. It's a cute little spot, the employees are nice, and the sushi is not too bad. Not the greatest quality out there, but the flavor is good and the prices are even better. Could use a bigger selection of specialty rolls.

• Pros: Value is great, decent sushi
• Cons: Not a huge selection of rolls, can take a while to get a seat sometimes

05/11/07

Great food, EXCELLENT service, gluten-free friendly!!!

by tjborn

I agree with the previous reviews (some of the best sushi in the state, dee-licious home made noodles, somewhat slow service because it's always so full). I just came back from dinner there and the staff was amazingly accommodating. My mom is allergic to gluten (which seems to be in everything) and the staff helped my mother identify menu items that she could eat. They immediately brought out some gluten free soy sauce, then when they figured out that the house salad dressing contained gluten, the said that he might have some vinegar we could use, and came back which a balsamic-garlic-ginger dressing that the owner made on the spot! Then, when they brought out the sushi, the waiter asked which sushi was hers, and immediately noticed that the teriyaki sauce from my unagi got on her sushi, and IMMEDIATELY said he'd bring out another free of charge. This place doesn't just have fantastic food, you can tell they really want to make their patrons have a great dining experience.

• Pros: Great food at a great value with great service.
• Cons: Tough to get in on weekends, but you can shop at Uwajimaya while you wait

09/08/06

Try Hakatamon!

by chapeaukiki

If you haven't been here yet you simply should put Hakatamon on your "must do" list (and while you're there don't miss the joy of shopping at Uwajimaya - it's in the same building). This restaurant is known for the house made Udon, which is really good, but they do not skimp on quality or portion when it comes to sushi and other entree dishes. I've been here several times, tried a variety of offerings, and they just don't miss on anything!

An added bonus: the servers are very pleasant and very helpful - and if they can't help you they make an effort to find someone who can.

Love it! Love it!

• Pros: Quality, Service, Value
• Cons: Limited credit cards accepted