Hinata

Omakase at Hinata is always solid!Attention to detail. Perfect timing. Tasty. Wonderful experience every time.

I've had Hinata 2 times now, one about three year ago, and again recently. Overall, I think it's a great beginner omakase place and pretty well worth the price for the most part. In this, I will compare and contrast the two experiences I've had at Hinata.Quality: I think the quality of the food is great, many of the dishes well thought out. Both times, you can really taste the quality of the fish. However, I think in this omakase, they played around with the fish a bit more than your standard Omakases that just really rides the coattails of quality fish. Or props to the restaurant for that. This time around, I think my favorite was the trout that they marinated in soy sauce and mirin for 4 hours. I loved how simple and unique it tasted from the other dishes, it tasted like fish, but it also had a lot more body since it was marinated. Quantity: The first time I went and this time was with my girlfriend and this time I brought my parents here for my Mom's birthday. As older asian people, they tend to not eat a lot anymore. With that in mind, I think the quantity of food is kind of lacking. I wasn't expecting to be full by any means, but the 12 course dinner over a 2hr slot left my family still hungry so we actually stopped by In-and-out on the way home (this also happened my first time) I think when I left it, I was just barely content and was hungry shortly after.Service: Like most omakase experiences, it was top notch. They were very friendly and my drinks were always full. They were very observant about things we needed (like when we were low on ginger or water) and were friendly all the way. They served my mom a personal note with her ice cream (with a candle). The host saw that we were taking family photos and offered to take our family photo for us. Experience: When I went 3 years ago, the chef at the time was much more lively and interactive. He spoke loudly and helped us understand each dish, maybe some history/inspiration, and was very interactive with the food. This time, the chef who served our food was much more quiet. He spoke softly (sometimes hard to hear him) and only said facts (like this is 'blank' and it was made with this, this, this). There's nothing wrong with this approach, as it's subjective to what each dinner would want. Personally I prefer a more interactive experience.Overall, although Hinata will always have a place in my heart, I don't think I would come back since there are so many other great omakase places. However, like I said, I think it's a wonderful beginner omakase place if you're just learning to appreciate it. It's not as expensive as some other places and they have some interesting combinations with great quality.

We came here to celebrate Valentine's Day and I was not expecting this to be another Asian fusion omakase rather than traditional omakase. We made a reservation in advance and they would charge $85 if you are 15 minutes late or a no show. Given the occasion, the restaurant was pretty busy with only two chefs preparing the food supported by a number of waiting staff. The bar table was fully booked and the individual tables were also filled. The omakase is priced very reasonably for Bay Area standards but it didn't include any premium fishes except of uni. The omakase included the following courses:1. Snow crab with yuzu, trout sushi, umaki, shrimp with egg sauce2. Wagyu tartare with ankimo and mountain yam 3. Black cod4. Striped jack 5. Hirame with engawa 6. Akame 7. Hokkaido scallop with miso aioli8. Homasu (cherry blossom trout from hokkaido)9. Spanish mackerel 10. Kamasu (Japanese baby baracuda)11. Zuke chutoro 12. Uni with ikura 13. Negitoro hand roll14. Hojicha ice cream with grounded pistachioOverall, I enjoyed all the courses except for the monkfish dish but that's just a personal preference. The chutoro in particular also didn't look that fresh. I felt like that was the reason why they had to sear half of the fish, which compromised its texture. I could've ordered otoro as an add-on but I was doubtful whether it would a good quality piece so I decided to pass on it. My favorite dishes had to be the yuzu snowcrab fusion dish, the black cod, Hokkaido scallop (but would be better without the glazed miso aioli), uni with ikura, and negitoro handroll.

Came here during my birthday in November 2020. We had reservations and the service and quality of assortments and fish was excellently. I had no complaints. They take their time with their prepping each dish, very precisely. They are also very thoughtful and made a birthday dessert for me at the end of our omakase experience. The icing on the cake was the Waygu beef! Literally melts in your mouth.This was an add on though. I will come back definitely to treat my parents to Omakase!

An overall really pleasant dining experience. And one of the cheaper omakase's in sf. The ambiance of the place is super lowkey and looked almost closed before walking in. We were sat immediately (with reservations) and were greeted by our server and chef Pau right away. They started with tea which was brought out in their own little teapots which the servers poured for us whenever our cups were looking a bit empty. I had their barley green tea which had steeped really well and tasted strong but not bitter. Going through the dishes, it started with little plates of seafood and interesting items before diving into the nigiri's. From ebi shrimp to wagyu tartare, each bite felt worth savoring. The fish were all extremely fresh. I really liked the pairings of sauces and garnishes that our chef had on our nigiri's. He took the time to explain each piece to us regarding the fish and its flavors. It ended with some pistachio hojicha ice cream and they wrote a little note for my friend since it was her birthday. Overall a great experience and definitely worth the price

The food here this time was not amazing like it has been before. Appetizer set and the fish are great. The wagyu cracker was bland and the dessert this time wasn't great. Would not recommend for a larger party than 2. I would recommend sitting at the bar and calling to make sure you are. Service is just not as good at the tables and they forgot after I mentioned 2 times that night and in the reservation it was for 2 birthdays. No cake cutting fee!

Date: Friday, November 22nd, 2024Time: 7:30pmParty of: 2Meal: DinnerReservations Made: I believe OpenTableNovember 2024 Omakase ($125) x2*Zenzai: kani, umaki, ebi, trout*Kaki no Shira-Ae: red snapper with persimmon*Gindara: miso glazed black cod with uni cream*Nigiri: premium chef selection 10 pieces*Owan: red broth, red miso*Dessert: house-made dessert*Supplement ($41) x2: hokkaido uni, otoro, a5 wagyu*Uni Trio ($39) x2: three kinds of sea urchin*Sparkling Water ($8)*Corkage ($35)I was having dinner with a friend and we decided to have sushi. I don't do fancy omakases much, but after looking around, we decided to try Hinata. Their menu was decently priced as was their corkage. We were seated at the bar after waiting for a few mins.The first course was a great little tasting plate. I especially liked the ebi since it was simple, but flavorful. I'm not much of a sweet and savory kinda person, so I was expecting to hate the snapper and persimmon. I was pleasantly surprised. The creamy sauce and pine nuts brought it all together. For the third course, the cod was cooked perfectly, but I wanted to taste more uni in the cream.For the nigiri pieces, I believe we got - (1) shima-aji, (2) hirame, (3) hotate, (4) bluefin akami, (5) ishidai, (6) seared mackerel / saba, (7) kamasu / barracuda, (8) chutoro, (9) ikura with santa barbara uni, (10) negitoro. Our sushi chef kept walking away and then explaining the items, so it was hard to hear. I took notes the best I could. I am in no way a fish expert, but I adore toro and uni. The toro was soft and buttery. The uni was sweet, creamy, oceany, and just oh so good. If you can't tell I adore uni. Especially hokkaido uni. I got the flight which ended up being duplicates of some pieces. I was fine with that. I think the supplement is worth it. Especially if you like uni and don't want to spring for the flight as well.For the last two, we got a miso soup and pistachio dessert. I love soup, so the miso was a great way to finish all our savory courses. I'm not a huge fan of pistachios in sweet dishes, but I didn't mind it here. Provided a nice nutty favor.I had a disappointing bday dinner prior, so my friend and I were kind of having a redo here. They were very sweet and put a candle in my dessert. Service was excellent. They kept on top of refilling our water and wine glasses.Definitely a great place to grab a fairly priced omakase. At least for San Francisco.REVIEW #3630

Great food and service Ate here for Valentine's Day. My only small quip is that my partner and I were not full after but every bite was delicious

Been here a few times already a few years ago and the experience has gotten even better. The menu has gone through changes as usual with a lot of omakase places as the season changes and they've added more additions to their set course menu! For $125 the experience is a steal in San Francisco. You'll for sure leave satisfied. In total it was 15 items and opted for the additional supplement($41) which I highly recommend. That supplement of uni, otoro, and A5 wagyu alone is like a dessert alone. Each course of the menu was amazing and the unique textures and flavors of each cut of fish come out very well. Chef does a very good job of explaining each piece to you! Would highly also recommend to book a resy at an earlier time if you want to have a closer experience with the chef as the bar seats fill in by time slots. Took the 6:30 resy and was 1 of 2 groups in there which made for a nicer atmosphere as it wasn't as busy.

Cozy and modern interior with a large bar table sitting directly in front of the chefs. Several smaller dining tables and also a larger private area for slightly bigger gatherings. On a weekday night, you probably don't need to make a reservation but they can pre-set the table for you if you make one. The service was impeccable. They were attentive and swiftly removed plates and brought over your next course of food so that wait in between courses were very short. We told them that we were celebrating a birthday and they surprised us with a little birthday card, a candle, and a complimentary sparkling alcohol drink at the end.The food itself was delicious. Very fresh fish and delicious appetizers and hojicha soft serve. The omakase course will leave you at a comfortable level of fullness but don't expect to be stuffed. There's also an ala carte menu and other additional add ons that you can order.