Sake Bar Hagi

Great service and food! We loved trying new dishes that you don't find anywhere else! What a good time!

Ambiance (5/5): I loved the appeal of the very themed Japanese culture including the anime posters, trinkets, and Japanese background music. It reminds me of the restaurants when I visited in Japan.Service (5/5): There was only 2 parties when I came in on 12pm on a Friday. I was serviced quickly.Food (2/5): They have an amazing lunch menu with most items discounted. I stopped in after I saw their signage outside. Their drinks looked great but sadly could not partake during the workday. I ordered their Tsukemen (special dipping noodle) for $15. The noodles were cooked perfectly to a nice chewy bounce, chilled and good portion. The whole soft boiled egg was too well done and not marinated. The seaweed pieces were stale. The broth was not like usual Tsukemen dish, which is typically saltier, richer with a thick consistency (than that of regular ramen). Therefore, the thinned out broth did not stick to the ramen and fell short. The broth tasted great though. The dish came with 2 very thin slices of pork, which was flavored beautifully but not much fat or sized portion. The spicy version includes a huge helping of a chili sauce (tastes like siracha but not the same) at no extra cost.

I remember this place being really good especially for its unagi don circa 2016, when it was still at the old location down in the basement. Popped by on a whim for dinner and was rather disappointed. The fried chicken gizzard was way too heavily battered. The umaki eel roll was only half covered with thin slices. The beef yakiniku was bland and too oily. The tempura pizza was literally battered and fried plain pizza with some tomato sauce...No complaints of the service though!

Used to be a cool bar. Staff is superficial - not real anymore. It's just a money hungry generic New York Times bar now. The food is overpriced and bland. Boring vibes. Touristy. Fake.

Been here a handful of times since they reopened but I probably wouldn't return again for a variety of reasons. I can't get used to the new atmosphere which is both obnoxiously loud compared to their prior spot and no longer looks like a unique spot looking like a generic restaurant with izakaya food. Even without the ambiance issues, the new menu removed a bunch of the dishes from their old menu which were better. In terms of what I'd probably recommend, they have a pretty good Assorted Kinoko, an alright Ochazuke, and a very solid Chu-hai/Chūhai but the rest of the menu just isn't nearly as good anymore. The original location was my favorite Japanese restaurant in NYC at that point (and would still be up there now after trying a good 50 more places) and now it's just an average izakaya. Oh how the mighty have fallen and then some.

Nowadays Sake Bar Hagi announces itself as a bit of retro throwback, but considering they have been around since the mid 80s this is no gimmicky new comer. The Tokyo Izakaya vibe with retro sound system about the place, vinyl records on the wall and the firmly Gen-X music playing in the background (A couple of Depeche Mode tunes during our visit? TYVM I don't mind if you do).They have a solid happy hour which the waiter encouraged us to take advantage of since we were in a little before 6:30 on a Saturday. I managed to order a couple of Sapporo drafts before the cut off. The food is pretty extensive ranging from sushi to ramen to yakitori - there are bound to be dishes to please everyone in the group. The food was solid - perhaps not the very best versions, but they all hit the mark.The salmon tacos were a special - they were less tacos and more spicy chunks of salmon piled high on a tortilla chip. The ankimo was a good sized portion with nice thick slices of monk fish liver. The Kushiyaki Set B did the job with some decent skewers. My hope is they continue on for another 40 years because this place is a go to when I am in the Theater District.

Stopped by before a show. It was crowded but didn't have to wait. It is decorated aesthetically well with older media and sound systems, with the music to go with it. Loved the vibe.The service was attentive and friendly, without being overbearing.The Ankimo melts in your mouth! It is a little salty with the ponzu and fish roe, though the scallion helps balance it out. The Grilled Rice Ball (Yaki Onigiri) with Spicy Cod Roe was perfectly crispy on the outside. The glaze (soy sauce?) is flavorful, but overpowers the spicy cod roe a bit. I mostly tasted the glaze with just a hint of spiciness. The Rice Ball with Spicy Cod Roe had fluffy rice and a decent amount of spicy cod roe inside. It could use a little more salt though.The Kushiyaki Set B was half plain meats, and half marinated or salted meats. The plain meats were nothing special, wish there was at least some salt like the pork belly. The Salmon Taco looked good, though small in portion. They were towards the end of Happy Hour, but the waiter made sure we got our drink orders in before it ended! I personally don't drink much alcohol, so I opted for the Oolong Tea (iced). This was brewed pretty strong, which I enjoy, but lightened with the ice, if you like a weaker tea. The Hagi Dream had a wonderful coconutty cream, a little sweetness from the mango pudding and a black tea cake base all decorated prettily with bits of gold foil.Overall great vibe with decent food in the theater district. Prices are reasonable as well.

Immaculate vibes for a midtown eatery! This is allegedly the city's first izakaya. It has a divey, vintage 90s aesthetic and huge menu. Very accommodating to different diets, my favorite was the cod roe pasta and okonomiyaki fried in a small cast iron. Also I think the meal was $25 per person, shockingly inexpensive! Will definitely be back to try more of the menu! The service was great and we loved the ambiance!

Very solid spot, open lateish. Big tasty portions of omurice YUM. I love the decor with cute little vinyls covers of japanese music albums as well as the music playing in here

I really like this place. I've been here 4 times in the last month and I mean to go more often. The happy hour deals are great. The food is very good and the prices are very very reasonable. I always get a mentai pasta and a sushi roll when I go (among other dishes). I fully recommend this place.