Izakaya Hachi
Costa Mesa Japanese restaurant has the right looks and menu, but underdelivers on portions and value
Over the years we’ve liked in Orange County, we’ve visited (and loved) many izakayas – here and in Japan – so it’s actually somewhat unusual for us to leave one feeling disappointed. As the second location of a two-restaurant chain, Izakaya Hachi in Costa Mesa is that rare exception, a place that on paper should have been great, and obviously has its fans, but struck us as overpriced and underwhelming enough that we haven’t returned for a second visit.
Although Izakaya Hachi’s interior didn’t instantly transport us to Japan, it looked almost entirely like many restaurants we’ve visited there: heavy on wood and stone elements with metal and glass fixtures, modestly accented by greenery and Japanese packaged goods. Despite its place in a sometimes crowded plaza, it instantly passes visual authenticity muster, which is a very good start for an izakaya.
We tried a fraction of Hachi’s impressively broad menu, but a fairly representative one, touching everything from cold dishes and warm dishes to robata grilled meat, sushi, and dessert. Items included “Uni & Kobe,” now relabled “Uni and US Wagyu Beef Sashimi,” snapper yuzu carpaccio, pressed salmon sushi, spicy tuna maki, grilled pork cheek, ribeye, jidori chicken wings, creamy crab croquette, saikyo salmon, and honey crème brûlée.
Although almost every plate was nicely garnished or otherwise plated with care, there was only one standout item in the bunch: locally uncommon hand-pressed salmon sushi pieces, which were served closer to body temperature than cold, bringing back memories of LA’s master sushi chef Nozawa. Most of the plates, particularly the Uni and Kobe, were small and/or plain enough to leave us with “that’s it?” feelings, even though we’re very familiar with typical izakaya and robata yakitori plate finishing and portioning. When the bill arrived, it felt very high given the food value we received, even by izakaya standards.
It’s entirely possible that we visited Izakaya Hachi on an off night, and since there have been some menu changes since then, it’s on our list of places to revisit. We hope our first experience was an aberration rather than the norm, because we’d love to find another izakaya to frequent, and there was a lot to like about Hachi despite its shortcomings.
Stats
Price: $$$
Service: Table
Open Since: 2016
Addresses
3033 Bristol St. Suite D
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
657.231.6566
Instagram: @izakaya.hachi