Izakaya Hachi Costa Mesa

Review summary

1. J

   James

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined today

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   We have pretty much ordered most of the food on the menu with drinks, and the tastes have changed to salty overall. I don’t know if it’s ownership change or what, this restaurant is not as used to be when it first opened years ago. There seems to be a lot less customers dining there. The one thing I cannot tolerate besides bad food is poor customer dining experience. If I have to ask for the manager, it means I got something to say. And I got shut down by the response of, so do you want it to go or keep eating … This is the first restaurant I am leaving a review with that I am NEVER coming back to this place !
   

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2. B

   Bill

   Orange County

   169 reviews

   3.0

   169 reviews

   Dined on November 17, 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 4

   Our first experience at Izakaya Hachi was a bit mixed. Some of the sushi, like the Seared Bonito and Yellowtail Carpaccio were 5-star excellent. Others such as the hyper-greasy eggplant were misses and various Nigiri sushi, which was basically just smaller than usual pieces of fish on rice were just ok. Service was indifferent and slow at best. The runners were quite helpful and pleasant but the hostess and server staff, arguably a bit understaffed for a fairly busy Saturday night, had a uniformly couldn’t-be-bothered attitude that was a bit off-putting. Would we be back? Perhaps when in the area we might give it another try as maybe it was an off night, but doubt we would drive across town anytime soon.
   

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3. r

   rafael

   Orange County

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined on November 11, 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Great spot, very large menu but the portion sizes are small so you can order a lot of different things. Food was amazing, definitely will be back
   

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4. G

   Grace

   Los Angeles

   6 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   6 reviews

   Dined on November 9, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Always exceptional service paired with exceptional food! Everyone here is on top of their game from the sushi chefs to the servers, and hostess. The sashimi samplers are very fresh and affordable. The option of yakitori especially the chicken wings rounds out the whole meal. There is truly something for everyone here! Definitely try the sake sampler, since you will love the 45! Also, whatever is on the seasonal menu is a must! Last year I was in Japan twice, and many of the restaurants don't even come close to the service and food here.We come here almost every week despite the crowded parking because you can rest assured you will have an extraordinary meal.
   

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5. M

   Mimi

   Orange County

   19 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   19 reviews

   Dined on October 19, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   High quality ingredients show through! Everything was delicious. Sashimi was fresh. Highly recommend the grilled pork cheeks.
   

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6. F

   Foodie123

   San Diego

   7 reviews

   5.0

   7 reviews

   Dined on September 30, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Good, authentic Japanese at affordable price. We enjoyed our stay a lot.
   

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7. l

   lia

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined on August 24, 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   Very DELICIOUS snapper carpaccio but the yellowtail was interesting with olive oil - would not get yellowtail next time.
   

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8. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Diego

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on August 19, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Amazing service and very delicious food. We enjoyed our dishes tremendously
   

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9. J

   Jo

   Orange County

   12 reviews

   5.0

   12 reviews

   Dined on August 18, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   was very pleasantly surprised at the great food! We will return - perhaps on a week day might be less noisy.
   

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10. R

    Ryan

    Orange County

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on August 12, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4

    I come here very often, enough for the waiters to recognize me. The food is always great, and as izakaya it's super sharable and fun to try many different food items. The chicken thigh skewers are probably some of the best skewers I have every had, they are incredibly juicy, with perfect charred flavor, and the skin perfectly cooked. I don't know how they always manage to both get the internal temperature perfectly juicy while making sure the skin is crispy but not burnt. The meatball skewers are also so delicious, although I do miss the fact that they used to include chicken cartilage mixed into it. The sushi is always solid too, although it's nothing special compared to other mid to high end japanese restaurants. My favorite is definitely the yellowtail. Some other dishes we like: With my family we always order the beef salad which is delicious, the richness and flavor of the beef complemented by the fresh salad and the tomatoes. The mentaiko potato salad is also very interesting and has a complex flavor I haven't had before in a potato salad, and we always love that too. The beef tongue is very well cooked and has a great texture, and I love to order that on special occasions. The beef udon is also solid, along with the agidashi tofu which is a great appetiser we always get. The roast duck is a cold meat dish which I think is pretty tasty and definitely different. I personally really liked it, although I wouldn't get it if you are turned off by undercooked poultry. The waitstaff is always very friendly and helpful. One time we ordered the miso intestines, and it was too tough to eat, and they had no issue at all taking it back.
    

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