Best Date Night Restaurants in Japantown

We went for my daughter’s birthday and had an excellent dinner. The food was exceptional and the service was top notch. Looking forward to coming back.

Food was delicious -- can't beat the Anchovy Toast. Rose champagne was a great complement to the food. We sat outside, and the restaurant has a new completely covered outdoor parklet, and nice warm fire heaters -- really pleasant seating area. All staff were friendly and helpful. We will definitely go back.

We have been meaning to come here for awhile, so had the opportunity right before the holidays and enjoyed an amazing meal. We did the tasting menu for 2 of us (friend's dinner) and was not disappointed. Almost everything that came out was delightful with a couple of personal preferences that we didn't care for as much but still tasty. The desserts were amazing. The chocolate pavlova and the kiwi jelly is something that i'll remember and go back for again if they still have it.

Absolutely incredible meal! Everything about it from start to finish was near perfection! Firstly, the hospitality is on point. A server is always right there when you need them to be and they made the amazing suggestion to get half an order of each of the pancakes rather than a full order of one. The servers that come around with the trays of food also know what they’re doing. When I ordered a single oyster for myself and my partner made a comment about not liking oysters, the servers gave us an extra one for free just so my partner could try it. This was an absolutely amazing opportunity to show not just above-and-beyond hospitality, but also that the restaurant truly believes in the quality of its food. And you know what? My partner did say it was the best oyster he ever had! They’re known for their quail however, I just think it’s not meaty enough of a bird for how it was prepared (Most parts were more breading than quail). As for everything else I tried, I just can’t think of any criticisms at all. I guess I could complain about my glass of rosé but that’s entirely my fault. I went with sparkling when I should have gone with still. The hit of the night were the blue corn-pepita pancakes with braised bacon and coffee butter. I wasn’t even going to order it until the server made the suggestion and I’m glad they did! The pecorino and ricotta pancakes are good too just not as good. The wedge salad is all the right balance of flavors with a nice crunch of lettuce to feel extra bright and fresh. The fried brussel sprouts are paired with an incredibly deep cashew satay sauce. The umami richness is impeccable. The almond financiers with duck liver mousse are another example of perfect balance in flavor. The financiers are light and fluffy and the mousse is smooth and delicate. I thought the burrata and bread dish came a too late into the night for us to fully enjoy however the peanut milk was the perfect cap to our evening.

We returned to HED11 for the new menu, and we agreed that it’s one of the best they’ve ever created. I’m not very familiar with Thai Northeastern cuisine, except for papaya salad, but everything was incredible. The table-side preparation for the papaya salad was really creative, and the final dessert was stunning and creative as they crafted a dessert that looked exactly like the artwork, which made the night even more fun and exciting. Last menu they served 6 main dishes at once, which felt a bit overwhelming but this time they separated the main courses into three smaller courses served with rice, which felt much more balanced. I highly recommend trying this new menu, it’s outstanding! Thank you for making our birthday celebration extra special with the thoughtful gifts