Hapa Izakaya is a reasonably priced, funky Japanese tapas restaurant on Robson Street.
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Reviews
Added Oct 31, 2009 by thisaintfh of toronto (1 Reviews) Pathtic Service
Great food. Great Design. Great ambiance. HORRIFIC SERVICE.
Waitress walked away without taking half of our drink orders. Never ever came back to see if anyone wanted another drink or more food. HELLO. This is a tapas style restaurant.
Neither she nor her manager could provide meaningful assistance to deal with allergy issues. If owned this joint I would be in there cleaning house.
Sorry Mr. Manager a few complimentary desserts don't cut it.
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| Added Oct 6, 2009 by luvstoeat of Vancouver (5 Reviews) regular night-outs with girlfriends
We always order the same items on girls night-outs! Grilled chicken salad, cheese tofu, om rice, yakiudon........For some reason, this combination really fills us up and the variety satisfies us and we don't seem to get tired of it :) Definitely a favorite! It gets quite busy though so we always try to go during their "off" times after the dinner rushes, or book ahead. |
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| Added Aug 24, 2009 by dontknowhu of Vancouver (3 Reviews) this is more like a drinking party atmosphere
my first feelings about this restaurant is that it's going to be great because i love Japanese Tapas.
we waited for almost an hour cause we didnt make reservations. this is a busy packed restaurant lounge.
we had a large group and sat on a round table. i mean we were surrounded by dark walls, semi lighted area, but nothing that special. those round tables were soo hard to get in because u have to walk up on this uprised thing that was soo stickyyyy because people are drinking.
we ordered around 5 or 6 plates and the portions were really tiny. they seem as if they were snacks for the drinks but not meant to be as a meal. for the price of the portion we were getting with average quality i didnt think the dishes were worth it at all.
the workers were veryy happy, helpful and outgoing.
i even saw a worker drink a shot with a table. is that even allowed?
anyway i will only come here if i have a party or sth.
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| Added Aug 18, 2009 by kibbylover of vancouver (24 Reviews) So So
Food:
The highlight of the meal was the sashimi. My friend and I ordered the sashimi platter, spicy scallop sashimi, grilled whole squid, eel tempura roll and a rice dish. Personally I thought that the eel tempura should have been warm; it was cold eel tempura that tasted like it had been sitting out. My friend ordered a rice dish that he seemed to like, but, I wasn't a fan of( I didn't like the meat).
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The waitress was really pretty, nice and totally helpful. She was constantly clearing our table and totally on top of our drinks.
Value:
Honestly it was the same price as Kingyo, but the dishes were no where near as good. So, I feel that you weren't getting the quality that you pay for.
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We sat at the bar and it was good. The only complaints that I have is the noisiness and the fact that we were surrounded by a bunch of delinquents who wore diamonds on there jeans. The architecture was decent, nothing to talk about... |
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| Added Jul 11, 2009 by melly of Kitsilano (12 Reviews) Hapa with my second visit
My first visit to Hapa (Kitsilano) was not a good experience at all, however I was forced back for a second visit for a friend's birthday at the Robson location and it was waaaay better. The birthday girl, having spent 3 years in Japan teaching English, had recommended that we all order the Omakase as it would be a better value for our large group. I was very pleasantly surprised with the quality and the quantity of the food. The Omakase came with Edamame and one choice of salad, plus 9 entrees all for $30. My favorites were the sable fish, negitoro, and ebi may. Since I do not eat red meat, I was not able to eat all of the entrees (2 were red meat) but I was still quite full at the end. The Hello Kitty drink is a must try too.
I probably will never go back to the Kits location, but will definitely visit the Robson location again. |
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| Added Apr 27, 2009 by u4ya of Yaletown (1 Reviews) It's a short walk to Guu...
Hapa Izakaya on Robson was disappointing. Our first (and last) time there. The ebi salad, mixed greens with sesame ginger type dressing some slivers of almond, like half an avocado and a few shrimp. Ebi mayo, decent, standard 6 out of 10. "Chicken" udon had 5 dime sized flakes of chicken and for presentation I would give it a fail. Sablefish, too fishy to have been all that fresh and really uninspired. Chicken karaage was also decent, a little sweetness to it reminiscent of the korean chicken found typically in Oahu. I think that was the only saving grace of the meal. Oh, and the Asahi. Guu is much better for flavour and freshness, quality and execution. |
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| Added Apr 10, 2009 by Jai_604 of Downtown, Vancouver (2 Reviews) Not Bad, but Pretentious
(if you want the cliffnotes version skip to paragraph 3)
Hapa Izakaya on Robson is an interesting little place. If you aren't looking for it, you might just walk past its nondescript outer walls.
Once inside, however, you find yourself in a dimly lit and classy looking place while being greeted by the oft-heard "Irashai!". Expectations at this point are usually quite high, as you see an array of pretty Asian waitresses prancing about. After being seated, you are served a warm, moist towel to clean your hands and as the waitress hands you a menu and directs you to a sheet of hand-written fresh specials, your anticipation is almost palpable.
HOWEVER, as you'll soon discover, Hapa is more of a deceptive facade than anything. The food is good, not great however, especially for the price it carries. Some dishes are quite good, while others are uninspired. The waitresses are beautiful and they seem to be more interested in making sure you know that than providing good service. Service has been hit and miss for me, as I've visited Hapa a number of times. I've had really good service, but most of the time the service has been without a smile and not much enthusiasm. The best aspect of the restaurant, I'd say, is the ambiance. It is a swanky looking place.
However you'll soon find that there isn't really anything super special about anything else.
The description says 'funky', but truly there is nothing funky about this place at all. It's pretentious, really. The only time I ever go to Hapa is if someone else invites me to go there, or all the other izakayas near the area are packed solid. |
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| Added Feb 16, 2009 by laavbunnay of West Vancouver, Vancouver (1 Reviews) Decent but not the best
Went here on a Sunday night, and they do serve amazing food - super tasty. But.. they're service really isn't that great, and it's rather crowded inside. Let's just say that when they serve your food, they kind of just plop it down on your table without telling you what it is they put there.
There was definitely a lot of elbow-bumping with neighboring tables. I would definitely go back for the food though - they have some pretty good stuff on their menu. |
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| Added Jan 28, 2009 by JooJoo of East Vancouver (63 Reviews) What happened to this place?!
Wow what a drastic change! I haven't been here for 2 years, I remember this place used to be so good, we ordered a pan fried kimchi udon noodle, the noodles came out warm, not hot, there was no kimchi taste, the noodles were soggy and it was like eating baby food. The baked salmon was bland, nothing special to it, the salmon was overcooked. The chicken karrage was very greasy. Even the oolong tea tasted bad. The only thing that was decent was the amaebi (prawn sashimi) and the pork belly, which was very tasty and very nicely done with the steam bun on the side. We did not even want dessert after all the disappointment even though I always get dessert. Wow, this place definitely went downhill! |
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| Added Jan 20, 2009 by fluffyyy of Vancouver (2 Reviews) My favourite restaurant!
This is the favourite restaurant of my boyfriend and I, we have been here for anniversary dinners, birthday dinners and dinners with out-of-town friends. We love it and we keep coming back because the food is so savory and delicious and the service is excellent! If you are considering on trying this restaurant, you should and you will not regret it! |
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| Added Jan 7, 2009 by bighotdog of surrey (8 Reviews) Solid Date Night
This night started with my lovely girlfriend and I deciding to dine at a Japanese restaurant. After hearing recommendations from my co-workers we decided to give it a try. We were greeted by a busy waitress who asked us if we wanted to grab a spot at the bar since it would be a 45 minute wait for a table. So we gladly took the seat and absorbed the ambiance. It was quite loud at the bar as the chefs shout out the order everytime a waitress brings it in. It is also quite dark inside, we almost walked right by the place.
Anyway, for the food itself we ordered the King Crab roll, Lamb chops, Ebi Mayo and the Ishi-Yaki (which is the rice in a stone bowl).
The King Crab Roll was quite nice with a nice savory sauce. The amount of rolls for the price was about right, but if you are really hungry, you may need to have two orders.
The Ebi Mayo was good, but it was not spectacular. It was a standard tapa.
The Rice bowl we had was unmemorable, it was just average but filling.
However, the lamb chop was surprisingly good at an Asian restaurant. It was cooked medium rare and served with some type of a sweet and sour sauce.
All in all, we do recommend this place, whether you are craving Japanese or want to impress a date. The food is good but not spectacular.
A side note, we actually came back another day around 8:30 and there was 2 couples ahead of us. We requested a table of 4 and were bluntly told that it was "not going to happen". So we went to Ebisu instead but that's another story. |
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| Added Jan 1, 2009 by mondosteve of Vancovuer (12 Reviews) Seems to get better the more I eat here
I might be one of the lucky ones, because I have only had good experiences with the food and service here. In fact, a recent evening with a larger group afforded the opportunity to share a few dished I hadn't tried before. All were received with great pleasure.
For a place that is the Cactus Club of Japanese/Hawaiian, they rise above expectations. I think a lot of people that are not happy with Hapa are confused about what it is all about. I think they do what the do well and offer good value compared to other casual dining options. That might be why it is so busy in a city with so many Japanese restaurants.
Hapa could improve the way they convey their value proposition to customers. Hapa could be more clear about the experience they are trying to project so diners can adjust their expectations accordingly.
I like the half and half concept; and, think it would be fun to see a few more Hawaiian inspired items such as real Poke, or Chicken with two-scoops rice - among others.
A no ka' Oi!
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| Added Dec 4, 2008 by Bonka of Vancouver (290 Reviews) Swank
This review is grossly tardy; about a group of 20 friends came here to celebrate my girlfriend's birthday last year. I had been meaning to come back to follow up but this'll have to do for now.
It was my first experience at an Izakaya. We were one of the first people to show up and were seated promptly to our reserved tables after a server finally showed up at the lobby area. Slowly the group shuffled in and we started running through their menus. We took on several pitchers of mohitos amidst various other mixed and non-alcoholic drinks. Ordering was left to the other dining guests - I believe we ordered a total of 13 different dishes, needing 3-4 of each dish to cover our flock. Creative ingredients with equally artistic plating masked smallish portions. Notables I enjoyed included the Noma Harumaki, a rice noodle roll with crab, mayo and avocado and the Kinoko Meshi, which was a rice dish cooked in a hot stone bowl tableside, cracked egg and all. The Yubi Spinach and Kabocha Salad were a refreshing palette cleanser. The more usual lineup of Ebi-mayo, the Ahi Tuna Sashimi, the udon and various other dishes supplemented us partygoers.
Service was clearly the sore point of the evening. We had 4 different servers for the night but couldn't be consistently counted on outside of them delivering our food and drinks. A few of us gave a couple of them ample time to bring extra napkins, plates, flatware and drink refills to no avail. Excellent disappearing acts. We ended up having a server waiting on a neighbouring table to see to us. Our servers were mildly friendly but lacked social skills.
Decor is modern, great vibe with the buzzing patrons, but the obnoxiously loud techno music in the background was a nuisance.
Their menu is inspiring and the dishes themselves deliver what they promise (at the time). On the whole, it was a great experience but the execution from the food, to the waitresses, to the loud, club type music screamed flamboyance. Had it not been for a birthday ocassion I would've nowhere near enjoyed my time here.
Great place for a large group, however I will digress. I've seen places like this with lofty expectations and an imposing menu disguised underneath a flashy, prententious shell. Service is already mediocre here and it only takes another blip before they're thrown into the large heap of other fallen eateries with all talk, and no walk.
Reminiscing, circa July 2007. |
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| Added Nov 30, 2008 by tmeding of Vancouver (1 Reviews) She-B*tch Stole My Shoes
I went to Hapa on a Sat night with a group of ten people. We had a large round table which is immediately to your left when you enter. I had just sat down with friends who arrived beforehand when a rather large overly-siliconed woman came up to me and told me I had to remove my shoes at this table. I thought this odd, as we were obviously at an open table and not in a Tatami room, so I asked a reasonable question, why am I removing my shoes? To which, Testosteroned Hostess Girl answered rudely, "because" (period), which comment was accompanied by a glare that said she was ready to 'go' over the issue if pressed. So, I hesitantly and unhappily removed my very expensive, one-of-a-kind Ralph Lauren shoes, with a classic straight 3 3/4" wooden heel, that made the ensemble'. Nuff said. They were immediately whisked away from my table and chucked (I mean thrown) under a bench at the bar, my having no idea where to find them. At that point, I was told that, in order for me to walk across the restaurant to use the washroom and not get my bare feet dirty on their floor, I would be generously provided with a pair of ‘community’ flip-flops (sorry, but that is disgusting). Whoever thought that this little brainstorm, neglected to consider the rather highly suspect hygiene issue in sharing thongs worn by strangers, not to mention that servers handling your shoes and your food is a Health and Safety complaint right there. Rather than wedge my toes where others had been, I chose to walk the dirty floor to find my own shoes, dig them out from underneath the seat of someone sitting at the bar (who’s butt was too near my face for my comfort zone at that point). All this in order to make an otherwise simple trip to the washroom. I’m pissed about the shoes. We get that by now, but more upset with the rudeness of the Hostess and her disdain for a paying customer. For a table of 10 people, we had quite a few servers. Four—plus one cranky large Hostess. However, not one of them could remember to bring me a glass of water, which I had to ask for four times. Whenever food arrived at our table it was ‘launched’ to whomever was closest and we were left to determine not only what it was, but who ordered it, and pass it around ourselves. It was very confusing for a large table and less that acceptable service. Now the food part: I admit, I am one girl who is a bit of a snob with my Japanese food and my standards are high. The food at Happa was mediocre to poor. The tuna gomae was sprinkled with feta cheese (huh?). A friend ordered a chicken dish that he described and resembling KFC (only with a much higher price tag). Another friend ordered the salmon sashimi, which was extremely overpriced for the 4 skinny slivers of daintily curled up salmon he was served—which was in the $30 price range I believe. The King Crab roll, which contained something tempura, was sopping with grease and obviously cooked at too low a heat (awful). I will also mention, whenever I have been at a nice restaurant, with this same price-point, and a drink is accidentally spilled, the House replaces the drink, no charge. Don’t expect the same courtesy at Hapa. To end my report, I have to say I will never return. The only thing they got right is their name. Definition: HAPA - portion, fragment, part: to be a portion, less (Eng., half.) |
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| Added Nov 28, 2008 by momochan of Vancouver, BC (5 Reviews) Let me say it again, PRETENTIOUS!
I love Japanese tapas spots and last week I went to Hapa for a brithday party. If you have more than 12 guests, you are forced to order a set menu that is $30 per person. Luckily, the confirmed party was less than 12 people.
My pregnant friend and I were the first to arrive and they quickly seated us at the round table right by the door. We were asked to take off our boots and climb into the seats. Other tables were just regular tables which didn't require patrons to take off their shoes. But the server was adamant about us taking off our shoes after I mentioned that my friend is pregnant (I have a big belly so I could pass off as pregnant too) and that I had a foot injury (which my foot was wrapped) and I was comfortable with taking off my shoes. The server insisted that we did and my friend was struggling to take her shoes off in that small hole where you put your feet. I said "You're making a pregnant woman struggle!" Finally, the server gave us a table upstairs.
Our party had ordered about 20 different varieties from the menu. If you want to have something in your tummy, the rice and the noodles are the way to go with other tapas. Ordering mulitple tapa dishes on its own will leave you hungry for sure.
One couple ordered only tapas and their bill was $130 for 2. My friend and I ordered one rice, one noodle dish, 2 drinks and shared a gyoza tapas for about $60 for both of us. So your bill really depends on your ordering common sense.
The drinks were yummy, and costs an average of $8 per drink. They are not large but it's delicious. The servers will ask you repeated if you need another drink when you still have a quarter left. If you say yes, they will take the drink with the quarter left so say no until you have finished your drink.
If you haven't noticed the music, after awhile, it will get to you. I'm used to the clubbing scene and even the techno/rave music and its volume will get to you when you're trying to have a conversation (perhaps being upstairs mean we're closer to the speakers). My friend said he feels like he's shopping in a boutique or something.
The tea service was exceptional, they kept topping my tea with hot tea. Probably because tea is $1.50 each.
The waitresses are very friendly, and some dresses quite provocatively to get the male patrons to return.
For the value, I would go to another Japa tapas establishment and not return to Hapa unless someone is having another birthday there and has to be a good friend. |
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| Added Nov 14, 2008 by Joe_Camels of Vancouver (4 Reviews) How the mighty have fallen...
This place use to be solid... after a two year hiatus from this place, we decided to head back. Boy have the place gone down hill. Service is still solid but the food is not as good as it use to; not to mention their menu selection is so limited now and many items are not available. I guess they lost a lot of their chefs to other izakayas or they went back home. If you want good food, go somewhere else. If you want to gawk at the pretty ladies or just have good drinks, I guess that's still okay. I haven't tried the one on 4th Avenue yet. Though I'm hesitant... so many other places that are better. Justin, you need to get your ass in gear... you're losing customers. |
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| Added Sep 21, 2008 by wooky of vancouver, vancouver (11 Reviews) pretentious is an accurate word..
Like many previous reviewers have mentioned, the one word that could sum up what this place is teeming with is "pretentiousness". Food aside, the service itself is pretending to be something that it is not. From the arrogant self claiming hot-shot owner to the pretty, totally dolled-up waitresses, (and even pretty good looking chedfs....) service was both awkward and uncomfortable from beginning to end. I came here with a friend with a semi-empty stomach and was attracted by the eclectic and energic atmosphere that could be seen and heard from the outside. Like all other izakayas in the lower mainland, they greet you with over-powering hollers and screams - i quite like it actually , and they don't over do-it here like at some other places.. (ie. they don't holler out every single order when taking your order...). The owner sat us at the bar, but we had so many bags and things on us that he had to move us to a bigger table. Great! We had our bags and things spread out amonst the empty chairs at our table and was seated comfortable, but before we could even pick up our menu, the owner comes and tells us NOT to leave our things on the chairs like that, because he might need to use them. Err!!?? So we ended up having to put all our stuff on the floor.. hm very sanitary! We then took one glance at the menu and realized everything was extremely over-priced, and there was no way we'd eat until we'd get full without blasting a hole in our wallet. We should have just left at this point since i'm sure the establishment wouldn't be making any money off us, but since we were here anyway i might as well try something. i settled on a sashimi appetizer that the waitress claimed was her favorite dish. It came some 25 minutes later, I ate the whole thing in one bite, paid, and left quite frankly, unimpressed. Definitely not a place to come on an empty or even semi-empty stomach. If you love to drink and party and have a fabulously loud time with a bunch of your friends while sharing a bunch of tapas-sized food, then this place will suit you to a T. Maybe I just came on the wrong night with the wrong type of company. I've always been a believer that customers are at least half responsible for creating their own atmosphere, so having fun with your friends wherever you are is key. I'll shall keep that in mind on my next visit here. |
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| Added Aug 13, 2008 by NDL of Richmond (3 Reviews) Nothing too EXCITING
With all the reviews & WOW I've read, Hapa is not a place where I would go. Its too loud, rowdy & food the same as usual. Food wasnt' anything special to me, same as any other japanese restaurant without the sushi. It took awhile to get the servers attention b/c they were busy yapping away with each other. I wont be returning for a long while, there are many new izakayas to try out. |
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| Added Aug 2, 2008 by LoveChow of Vancouver (7 Reviews) Excellent
I went here yesterday with a group of 11 and it was great! Service was amazing - really top notch! They were always attentive and brought drinks/food shortly after we ordered. The Hello Kitty drink is good - as is their new Strawberry Sake Margarita. We did the set menu which came with 11 or so dishes for $30/person so we really got a good variety. Fish + chicken were cooked perfectly and all the dishes were so tasty and we were all extremely full by the end. Decor was great too. I'd definitely come again! |
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| Added Jul 25, 2008 by oofood of Richmond (3 Reviews) Disappointing
I went there with my friend two weeks ago.. and I am very suprised at how popular this restaurant's rating is.. The food is not exciting for its price. Very ordinary, which I can find at basically all izakaya in Richmond. This restaurant was very disapointing overall.. I wonder why people would go there.. because of the atmosphere? but the servers were not bad! |
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| Added Jul 22, 2008 by eatlots of vancouver (4 Reviews) Not the same
We used to go here often that we pretty much memorized the menu. After a break, we decided to back to our usual spot and to our surprise they changed the menu. We were dissapointed when they removed most of our favorite items. Plus the other items we would settle for weren't available. it was a consistent trend that they would run out of items on their menu. Perhaps do a better a job on your purchase ordering.
On the plus note, it is a great place to have drinks, girls are pretty etc. Sake |
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| Added Jun 27, 2008 by diningdandy of downtown vancouver (46 Reviews) Great drink selection
Same review but with a value rating.
Great drink selection
I dont understand why the hip really cool places like Hapa have to have iffy frou frou food. Ive started to notice a disturbing trend where people rate the food by the hipness of a place. People! its ok if you like the restaurant but remember your recommending people eat at these places. Hapa has a really enjoyable atmosphere id definitly take my friends there to get drunk. I had a melon soda that consisted of Sprite and melon liqoure which was very tasty. We started out with the shrimp and avacado salad and it was pretty good a bit above par. Then we had there gyozas which were very tasty but for 7$ you get like one big gyoza thats been cut up into like 5 pieces although i did enjoy the lotus root in the gyoza. The last thing we had was dissapointing. We orderd there three kinds of Sashimi for 13$. We got 2 shrimp heads (Yes just the heads) 2 raw shrimps and 2 tiny cubes of tuna and two tiny cubes of white fish. It came well presented but its just raw food well decorated... the fish wasnt even exotic, terrible value in my opinion. But the noodles i saw coming out of the kitchen looked like good value if your looking to get filled up. There salad was ok value but come to think of it how much do noodles and lettuce cost a restuarant?. I think the reason people flock to this place is because yes the ambience is amazing and the waitresses are very attractive but if your a foody you will be dissapointed overall id take my friends for the outstanding atmosphere but maybe just for drinks and then head over to the gyoza king which isnt as hip but the food is very tasty and better valued. Oh and for the above mentioned meal with sake it came to 65$ with tip. Not bad but thank god i wasnt hungry.
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| Added Jun 26, 2008 by lim-eats of richmond (9 Reviews) veri hapa
i went and tried a bunch of items from the menu,
from what we had, it was very yummy.
a must try, ebi-mayo, i cudnt believe how yummy it was.
the drink selection is more than enuff to pls the avid drinker.
so good. the waitress were very friendly and the price wasnt all the bad.
go try it out, u wud leave in a veri hapa mood.
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| Added May 15, 2008 by diningdandy of downtown vancouver (46 Reviews) Great drink selection
I dont understand why the hip really cool places like Hapa have to have iffy frou frou food. Ive started to notice a disturbing trend where people rate the food by the hipness of a place. People! its ok if you like the restaurant but remember your recommending people eat at these places. Hapa has a really enjoyable atmosphere id definitly take my friends there to get drunk. I had a melon soda that consisted of Sprite and melon liqoure which was very tasty. We started out with the shrimp and avacado salad and it was pretty good a bit above par. Then we had there gyozas which were very tasty but for 7$ you get like one big gyoza thats been cut up into like 5 pieces although i did enjoy the lotus root in the gyoza. The last thing we had was dissapointing. We orderd there three kinds of Sashimi for 13$. We got 2 shrimp heads (Yes just the heads) 2 raw shrimps and 2 tiny cubes of tuna and two tiny cubes of white fish. It came well presented but its just raw food well decorated... the fish wasnt even exotic, terrible value in my opinion. But the noodles i saw coming out of the kitchen looked like good value if your looking to get filled up. There salad was ok value but come to think of it how much do noodles and lettuce cost a restuarant?. I think the reason people flock to this place is because yes the ambience is amazing and the waitresses are very attractive but if your a foody you will be dissapointed overall id take my friends for the outstanding atmosphere but maybe just for drinks and then head over to the gyoza king which isnt as hip but the food is very tasty and better valued. Oh and for the above mentioned meal with sake it came to 65$ with tip. Not bad but thank god i wasnt hungry. Note: The reviewer has submitted a more recent review for this restaurant. This review does not affect the overall rating and is displayed for information purposes only. |
| Added Apr 22, 2008 by stockex of Richmond (4 Reviews) Slightly Dissappointing
A couple of friends and I decided to try Hapa after hearing much about it. From the outside, one could hardly tell it was an open restaurant. But once you enter, it was a whole different story. The vibe from the restaurant was lively without being too busy or crowded. We were warmly greeted and seated at the bar while waiting for a table.
The wait was not too long, probably since it was a weeknight. Service was personal, friendly, and efficient. Even though we sat upstairs where there were only 3 tables, we never had a problem with getting service. We ordered a variety of tapas and dishes. Personally, I expected a little more. The Ebi Mayo had a distinct flavour, but one that I did not particularly enjoy. The Tako Wasabi and Beef Tataki were among the better dishes; both had strong flavours without being overpowering. While being satisfactory, the cheese tofu paled in comparison to others I've had before. Suprisingly fresh, the shrimp and avacado salad was also quite nice.
Overall however, the food was below the level we all expected. Even if the hype about the place didn't exist, the appearance of the restaurant as a whole suggested food of a higher quality would be present. I would probably not go back a second time. |
| Added Mar 26, 2008 by kga2008 of Richmond, BC (10 Reviews) fun hangout, food and service ok
Finally tried this after hearing all the hype from others, newspapers etc. The Sun seems to think this is one of only a handful of great Japanese restaurants and this was the only one on their list we had not eaten at. Anyway, after waiting for an eternity, we finally got to sit down. The restaurant is definitely a happenin' kinda place, which is sort of what we expected. obviously that part of downtown is more or less like a "campus" for all the Japanese, Korean etc ESL students so I am not surprised that this was super crowded and busy with mostly younger patrons with mommy and daddy's cash to burn. If your focus is a party atmosphere then this is the place for you. If you are simply interested in great food, service then this isn't worth all the aggravation. There are so many other restaurants to choose from. I am not sure why The Sun never mentions any of them. |
| Added Mar 4, 2008 by kewpiebaby of Vancouver (119 Reviews) Only Sorta Happy with Hapa
When I first tried Hapa a few years ago it was with a large group and we had a lot of fun. But I don't remember the food.
Last week I went to Hapa to meet an old friend for dinner. There wasn't a lot on the menu that "wowed" me but the bamboo sake was GREAT!
It is nice and cozy place for Japanese tapas and the decor is very cool. But still this time even a week later I don't have a memorable dish.
While Guu (the Thurlow one) is far louder and in a smaller space, I've enjoyed all my visits there. The food was waay yummier too.
I don't even mind the 20-30 min wait.
I heard the Hapa in Kits is a lot better. Maybe I'll give that a try soon. =) |
| Added Feb 9, 2008 by TCA of Coquitlam (6 Reviews) Busy, Busy, Busy
I've been to this restaurant on countless occasions. And the three things that never change here is the great atmosphere, delicious spin on foods, and that they are constantly very busy!
For some past reviewers, it may be a good thing for them to know, that they take reservations from 5:30pm-7pm. From about 7pm onward, they leave for the walk-ins. So if you plan on popping into the restaurant, I strongly suggest making a reservation as many reviewers have said that they were rushed.
The food is a great twist on Japanese food! I am Japanese, and there have been certain restaurants that try to take on that new "twist" with the Japanese food...and most of the time..it fails horribly..as it seems they couldn't make the original dish right..and tried to add random things in order to fix the problem and then labelling it as fusion food. Hapa has a great twist, and great food! I strongly recommend their ebi-mayo (deep fried shrimp with their spicy mayonnaise sauce!) - absolutely delicious.
They've recently renovated, and it looks great! The location might be a bit hard to realise if you haven't been there before. It's not the most *flashiest* restaurant over there. As it is all painted black and at the corner! ENJOY! |
| Added Jan 20, 2008 by pickledonion of burnaby (5 Reviews) left a good impression, will definitely go again!
My friend and I came across Hapa Izakaya and decided to try it out. It's dark inside but it's a nice warm chocolatey feeling. We were allowed to sit where ever we liked and so we opted for the second floor. We were the only ones upstairs which was nice for us ;) We decided to try the daily tapas specials on their menu. We were delightfully pleased with the quality of the dishes and it didn't take too long for the food to arrive. Presentation was nice as well. Definitely a place to go where you need to savour the food and not rush it down in order to get the full flavour and feel of the food. I would recommend this place for dates and after-shopping snacks! |
| Added Jan 13, 2008 by i_heart_food of Kitsilano, Vancouver (12 Reviews) decent izakaya
I had read so many great reviews so I decided to go instead of Guu. The place is more spacious, quieter and more modernly decorated than Guu.
I found this place to be a bit too pretentious for my liking. The food was decent but was more expensive than Guu. |
| Added Dec 15, 2007 by lmote of Yaletown, Vancouver (11 Reviews) ... where appetizers rule!
I have been trying to find this particular restaurant (but obviously not looking that hard...) for about 3 weeks. Making my way up Georgia St to Denman, turning left, walking along, seeing several “--- Izakaya” restaurants, not one I passed by was the one I wanted. I was under strict instructions to find Hapa Izakaya.
Finally, I found it. Just near Broughton and Robson St, it’s hard to really notice it’s there. The facade is all black, exterior and interior, dim lights, and high posters on the windows facing the streets, so you would never see anyone dining on the inside while standing on the sidewalk.
It was a completely different atmosphere inside then we had originally expected. An open kitchen, servers dressed in all black, wearing black flip-flops, and yapping back and forth to one another in Japanese. You were immediately welcomed by a slew of staff, having your choice of seating arrangements - at the sushi bar on pillows or chairs, or at a table. Frankly, we like to be close to kitchen, it’s where all the action is for us.
This menu really showcases the kitchens’ flare for appetizers, or Japanese tapas as it is sometimes called. We ordered drinks, followed by a number different appetizers, all of which were amazing. Try the sablefish, the fried chicken and gyozas - they’re all really delicious.
The entrees on the other hand, not so amazing. We should’ve known, as no one else was ordering them! Both John and I had the Udon noodles, John’s with chicken and I had the noodles with vegetables and tofu. The tofu in my dish was crumbled and mixed into the sauce, which was just as unappetizing as it sounds.
I concluded that this was a great place for sharing tapas and meeting friends, but stick to page one of the menu, otherwise you’ll be ordering imperfect filler-food. |
| Added Dec 12, 2007 by ratatouille of Shaughnessy, Vancouver (20 Reviews) Bad Hostess
I like Hapa Izakaya in general - I think it has a nice atmosphere and the food is decent. It's a great place for groups. However, I was there one time with a smaller group of 4. Being the first one to arrive, I was not treated very nicely by the hostess. I was waiting for a table for 15 minutes or so and was told I had to wait in the restaurant and could not come back. I did not want to go to the bar alone so I opted to wait in the front. A larger group of people arrived without a reservation shortly after. I saw a table (for 4-6) free up and the hostess whispering to another waitress. Before long, she sat the group that came after I did. I confronted her about this and said that they were here first and were waiting right outside the door. I knew this was a blatant lie. The hostess needs to learn how to be more sincere, smart, and do her job right. |
| Added Nov 12, 2007 by sageb1 of Whalley, Surrey (5 Reviews) My birthday meal
for my birthday, i had the fried shrimp & mushrooms with tea for $9.28.
the shrimps were delicious, but the mushrooms were a little too juicy.
i feel that i have to come back again and try the sushi offerings.
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| Added Oct 23, 2007 by foodfanatic of South Vancouver (295 Reviews) No longer a favourite.
Went back recently for a late night meal and came out quite disappointed. The whole atmosphere is different as is the food and menu selection. I understand the seasonal changes but some old yr-round favourites disappeared and the flavours of those still around such as the mentaiko udon is lacking and the skill of preparation has declined. Even the dessert has suffered!
I like the old batch of servers better. There are fewer brilliant (real or faked) smiles and fewer eye candy on the floor. The kitchen is staffed with more females now and a couple of young guys who don't give off that feeling of imported hip & skilled straight from Japan--they could very well be, but maybe the more introverted variety, I dunno. I've decided to move on especially having been impressed by an old yaletown hip spot for izakaya I've only just recently gotten around to trying out and having left impressed both by the attitude of the chefs & the creations they've come up with.
I'll probably give the new Hapa location a test run (wasn't aware there was another until I just read it on here--haven't logged on for months! :(). |
| Added Oct 23, 2007 by Trevor of Vancouver (63 Reviews) Losing its flair
Ate here a couple times recently. Have to say quite disappointed both times. They've taken some of my favourites off the menu... can't understand why as those dishes were some of the most popular ones. We had the miso sablefish (blackcod) and that was good. Sockeye salmon sashimi was tasty and fresh. Other dishes aren't worth mentioning.
Service has gone a bit downhill ever since the Kits location opened. Servers don't have the same smiley, friendly attitude as when the owner's there, and he's usually at the new location on Fri/Sat. I would give the service a 2.5 if it was an option.
Ambiance still nice, but surprisingly not as busy on weekends as it used to be. |
| Added Oct 5, 2007 by etsuko of west vancouver (1 Reviews) Hapa is o.k
I used to go to Hapa Izakaya quite a bit but haven't been lately. I re-visited for the first time in long time and was a little bit unhappy. The service was not as good as it used to, food was just o.k. I think since they open new hapa food and quality has not been the same. dissapointed |
| Added Aug 24, 2007 by pachowhi of Vancouver (13 Reviews) Happy with Hapa - best Izakaya in town!
I love Hapa Izakaya. I've been here over half-a-dozen times and I love it. I can understand that the Izakaya may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's definately mine!
I agree with other reviewers:
Yes, it's youthful
Yes, the service is inconsistent (but my experience has been positive overall)
The place is modern and hip and just alot of fun.
The food is FANTASTIC - I love the cold tofu salad, and the Salmon Roe/Kimchi Udon is my favorite!!!! The deep fried prawns and the all their tuna sashimis was gobbled down with glee by all my friends on my last visit here. And everyone I've ever taken has found the food delicious and the place exciting. I haven't been disappointed by a single menu item I ever ordered here.
That said, I had some older family friends visit a week ago and I didn't take them here. Nor have I ever taken my 2 preschoolers here. I think that the very young and old set might find it a bit loud, dark, and overstimulating here. But this is an Izakaya, read up on wikipedia if you haven't been to one. And I think Hapa is the best one in town!
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| Added Aug 16, 2007 by jacob_kessler of Vancouver (3 Reviews) Inconsistent, but good enough
Service and food quality not particularly consistent. One evening could be perfection itself, with outstanding service from attentive servers along with sumptious dishes. Other evenings, the food quality would be so-so paired with horrendous ignorance from servers who seem more mindful of their appearance than tending to your needs.
When it's good, it's great. When it's bad, it's awful. |
| Added Aug 14, 2007 by Vangroover of Coal Harbour (11 Reviews) A good introduction to Japanese tapas
What the heck is izakaya?
Most uninitiated American East Coasters will have no clue. So when a Right Coast friend visited me recently, I had to show her the Japanese trend that's going to catch on in her neck of the woods in say, oh, five years or so.
Hapa Izakaya is a good introduction to the uninitiated. Japanese tapas, what a wonderful idea! Oilier than typical Japanese sushi, healthier than traditional Spanish tapas. The King Crab roll, toasted on the outside, was delectable under a sweetish sauce (was that hoisin?). The Ake ahi tuna though was over barbecued and too crispy. And tuna roll wrapped in prosciutto? It was just right that we didn't need the Kikkoman.
You add the dark, I'm-too-sexy-for-the-food atmosphere, and your out of town friends will be talking about this how wonderful and fun Vancouver dining is. If you're native Vancouverite, however, you may see Hapa as just expensive typical Japanese fare. |
| Added Jul 9, 2007 by jackc of Main (4 Reviews) meh
Place was alright... I think it was overrated. Definately had better izakaya style food. But the rice cooking in the hot clay bowl was good. Other then that.. the waitress didn't know much about the food or the wine. Could go back. |
| Added May 22, 2007 by asian-qt of Vancouver (8 Reviews) great food and place
I have been to Hapa Izakaya a number of times since it opened. The food has always been good and among my favourites are the torched mackerel, the tuna belly on garlic toast, the ebi mayo and the chicken karaage. The place is comfortable yet sleek and sexy. The service, though, could use a bit of improvement, but not bad. |
| Added May 16, 2007 by LordofFoods of Vancouver (55 Reviews) 20-30 something Izakaya
As mentioned the owner Justin has done a commendable job introducing and popularizing the Japanese Izakaya's to the city. This place does cater to the trendier 20 something set. the prices are reasonable. Partly due to the fact that it is tapa size protions. Which means a good spot to try different items to share with friends and partner. Also good if you are into drinking and eating. The bill always comes out reasonable. Which possibly why it is popular. Good value for your money. And always good for people watching. Been here about ten times have not been majorly dissapointed yet. Sometimes serviced is slow and inexperienced. And getting a table is a challenge.
Other Izakaya's to try Guu, Guu + Garlic, Kingyo's.. |
| Added Feb 8, 2007 by Trevor of Vancouver (63 Reviews) Stuck-up servers
I've been here several times with friends. Food's almost always good. Love their saba, prepared by the server with a butane torch right in front of you. Also good on the menu: cold tofu salad, whipped pumpkin, croquettes, ahi tuna sashimi & ebi mayo! Sake in bamboo carafe is cool but expensive for amount you get. Drinks are watered down, though.
I wish, though, that their service was equally good. Service can sometimes be non-existent, depends on how pretentious your server is. Some ignore you as much as possible, especially if you haven't ordered alcohol. The last time we went, our server completely forgot an order. She went to "check on it" after we asked about it and then just asked us if we still wanted it, all with NO APOLOGY for her mistake.
Ambiance is alright. Interior is modern. Quite noisy at times, esp. when cooks welcome new patrons, but still fun. Long waits for tables. Note: The reviewer has submitted a more recent review for this restaurant. This review does not affect the overall rating and is displayed for information purposes only. |
| Added Jan 13, 2007 by Tachikoma of East Van (9 Reviews) Nice little piece of Japan
It's located near the bottom of Robson Street, where some of us aZns call Little Tokyo. I would suggest reservations as if you just walk in and try to get a table, you're guaranteed at least a 30-minute wait. None of the servers and cooks seem to be over the age of 35, and all of them attractive. It's good eye candy while you wait to be seated.
They yell out orders and seating arrangements in Japanese, which is refreshing. The atmosphere is relaxed, and there is a great mix of ethnicities in the customer populous.
The drinks are excellent and yummy, the food is gorgeous. I gouge myself everytime I go there. You just can't help it. They serve it up in "drinking" portions and before you know it, you're stuffed. The price is a little high, as is expected of any place on Robson Street, but well worth the experience! |
| Added Jan 3, 2007 by SONofFOOD of North Vancouver (20 Reviews) Glad I gave it a second chance...
The first time I went to Hapa, the meal was awful, the service poor and the ambiance less than memorable... that was two years ago.
I recently went there again as part of a party of four and I am glad I did. While the prices are a bit high for the amount of food you get, there is no denying that the flavor and presentation are solid. Each dish (out of the 13 that we all shared) was tasty in their own unique ways, the service was much improved and Justin (I believe he was the manager) was an extremely gracious host.
We will definitely go back! |
| Added Dec 26, 2006 by daisuke of Richmond (9 Reviews) HAPA? half the food, half the fun
Hapa or "halfer' is right. Double the price for poor value and poor service. Overpriced dishe served by attractive waitresses who can't tell the difference between local and import beers. An owner who couldn't stop mentioning to anyone who would listen that he was a "hapa" and named Justin and that it was his restaurant. I think the whole city knows that by now and maybe you should consider calling your next venture 'My name is Justin and i own this restaurant" If they spent more time on the food instead of trying to make the customers understand who owns the place it might not be too bad.
The food was overtly salty, which makes for having to order overpriced and water-down drinks a must. ( a cheap bar tactic and throwing salted prezels on the table might be a better trick), the tardiness of the service only rivalled by 'The eatery' and the atmosphere pretentious but very nerdy.
Spend your money at any of the Guu establishments. They'll get your order right havre it to you within 10 minutes and everything will taste great. Avoid this place unless you love hearing the owner talk about himself. |
| Added Nov 18, 2006 by mixed90 of Vancouver (21 Reviews) Selling their ambiance and hot waitresses
This place is overpriced and banks on return customers with the decent food, hot waitresses, and unique design. It is trying to be more then it is and misses on a lot of occasions. I would definitely choose Guu over this anyday. Hapa is pretentious, over priced, and is trying to gain a reputation of being exclusive. I do not feel the need to go there again and am sorry that I went in the first place. |
| Added Nov 6, 2006 by chefdave of Downtown (58 Reviews) Solid all Around
Busy joint and be prepared to wait if you're planning on going friday or satursday. Prime time hits around 7pm til 10pm. Great specials, great concept and more importantly great food and great service. I can see why this is one of the more happening places to be. Pretentious crowd and more of a late 20's hip crowd. Thumbs Up ! |
| Added Nov 6, 2006 by pkwok of Shaughnessy, Vancouver (80 Reviews) I had a good meal here
Following my visit to two Guus in the immediate neighbourhood, the visit to Hapa Izakaya was perhaps a bit underwhelming, because the food was marginally not as tasty as that at the two Guus. However, no dish was ever less than good, and the classier decor here and the attentive service certainly made an impression on us. When we left, almost the entire staff yelled out thank you in Japanese. Wow! Do try this place if you haven't been here before. |
| Added Oct 15, 2006 by latelier of SE Vancouver (69 Reviews) Hapa Meal
I am writing this review in lieu of the preview poor review of the service from the previous Dinehere.ca member. I was here a couple weeks ago with a group of 5 on a Friday Night, for an After-VIFF-Movie beverage and snack. Upon our arrival, we were greeted warmly by who I assume is Justin, the owner of this smooth looking izakaya. He assured us that the wait shouldn't be long and politely escorted us to the bar area for a more comfortable wait. I was very impressed with the overall design of the izakaya and from what I observed at the time, Hapa attracted a clientelle it was intended for - the young, hip, and good looking. The serving staff didn't make exception and interestingly enough, many of them are Eurasian - just like Justin himself (who is apparently half Japanese and half caucasian). The female servers brought more attention to their gifts of cleavage than any steaming pair of pork buns at your typical Dim Sum excursion. Honestly and truthfully though, I kept my keen attention on the mackerel when our kind female server delicately torched it.
Like the experience of the previous reviewer, however, we had a problem with one of the orders.
A girl in our group never got her yaki-udon dish and we were told to wait, wait, and wait. Quietly frustrated, she had a similar experience before at Hapa and finally got fed up and told our server to cancel the order completely when everyone else finished their food at our table. If this is the bucking trend, I'm going to tend to stay away from Hapa for large groups and I certainly wouldn't want to get in a bitch-fest when things go awry.
Anyhow, the food was good and the atmosphere a bit pretentious - but still sexy and sleek. |
| Added Oct 14, 2006 by queenred of North Vancouver (2 Reviews) Terrible and Embarrassing
The night started out pretty good. We had a reservation for 6 o'clock and a table of 11. It took 45 minutes to take any food orders and almost all the food arrived 15 minutes later but noodles that two of our guests ordered, took way too long for noodles - 40 minutes! At 8 o'clock the waiter announced that we couldn't order any more food and we had to hurry because there was an 8 o'clock reservation waiting and we shouldn't keep them waiting. I'm talking announced - so the ENTIRE restaurant could hear. Totally tactless. He should have whispered in someone's ear to hurry up. Then at 8:15 while we're trying to decipher the bill (which by the way cannot be separated and is in Japanese) he announced loudly again that we have to leave because the next table is standing right next to our table waiting. I had not removed my shoes because I was not told to (I guess everyone else was) and he said to me "oh, and I see you didn't remove your shoes, nice of you to ignore me" and I responded that no one had asked me to remove my shoes. One of my friends said to him that we're late because our order was taken 45 minutes after we sat down and the noodles took forever to come. He announced to everyone that he was getting very frustrated and it's time for us to leave. On the way out I apologized to the people waiting telling them that we're 20 minutes late because of the terrible service and how he embarrassed all 11 of us in front of every restaurant patron there. Sorry, but you can't have a table of 11 in and out in 2 hours - poor booking on their part and there was no reason for him to use a loud voice to express that we were tying the other party up and that we have to leave. It was inappropriate and just plain embarrassing. If I could give it zero stars for overall rating, I would. |
| Added Oct 5, 2006 by hawaiian_barbie of Vancouver (5 Reviews) I (heart) this place!
If you are looking for a great place for your friends to kick back and enjoy great food and drinks in a wicked atmosphere, this is definitelt a place you need to check out. The manager is wonderful and so is the wait staff. The ambience is perfect for a sexy dinner out with the significant other or to hold a party for the friends. Great place! |
| Added Oct 4, 2006 by bonger of Vancouver (19 Reviews) Style Over Substance
Japanese tapas & Korean restaurants are all the rage ons Robson St. now.
Hapa was one of the early japanese tapas and argueably has the best ambience on Robson. But I have to detract from people's 4 & 5 star food rating of this restaurant.
I'm sorry to say this restaurant is a little more style than substance. People who go here are trendy ("the beautiful people"), maybe a little pretenious young asians and the white guy tourist from out of town where only Japanese food they ate was california rolls...etc.
So....food indeed is good, I like this place, has a variety of different dishes and most of all beautifully presented, but ultimately a little over priced for what you get. Confused by the nice ambience & presentation of food, customers can forget how small portions are and actual calibre of cooking....good, not great. Still a great place go for a late night snack or a date.
Still not much cheaper, I say walk a few blocks down Robson, check out Gyu(s), Gyoza King, Zakkushi and you'll know what I mean. These restaurants are less showy (people & presentation) and but food is definetely more of a focus, offers more value as opposed to just beautiful surroundings.
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| Added Sep 26, 2006 by jboogie of North Vancouver (5 Reviews) so fun! mmm saki
We checked out this place with a client. I had a Hello Kitty drink and the boys had the house saki that comes in the bamboo flask while we waited for a table. They were so good! I don't eat seafood but really enjoyed the chicken dishes and the spinach salad. The boys ordered the ahi (twice!),oysters, and a seared fish...they raved about it. This place is loud but very fun! We ordered the most expensive bottle of saki on the menu to try it...and honestly we enjoyed the house saki more! Great fun place to go with friends! I'd go back in a heart beat...the food is great for the low price and the service is fun and attentive. |
| Added Sep 23, 2006 by infatuation of Vancouver (1 Reviews) MmmMmmm Good
I went there on a Friday night, and the owner came and asked how many seats. A table for 2 for me and my boyfriend. He thought we could get in, but once again it was busy. So we made a reservation for Saturday. Got there the next day at around 9 pm-ishh, and one of the waitresses guided us to the waiting area, where you could order drinks until there was a table free. Originally they were going to seat us at the kitchen area place, but we wanted a table.
So we waited, got a table near the back, close to the bar. Ordered a Strawberry kiss and a Melon soda, which was pretty good. Drinks didnt come for about 10 minutes, not a big deal. Then we ordered. The first dish came really quickly, like about 5 minutes after we oprdered. I was so amazed. After my Ebi Mayo arrived, the food just started rolling in. Ordered hapa tofu, chicken kaarage(sp?) with a spicy dipping sauce, udon yakisoba, and a spicy tomato rice dish.
Bill came up to $61 considering we ordered 3 melon sodas which alone came up to $15.
The waitresses are really nice and helpful. Food came fast. The place was so hip and chic.
I would deftinetly go there again. =) |
| Added Sep 22, 2006 by Bacchus of Main St (2 Reviews) Should have told 'em it was my birthday.
Great food, good service and an entertaining venue. I enjoyed the tapas although I am not a big mayo and ranch dressing fan and would have preferred a few more dishes without these features. The cold Saki was great and the food was prepared quickly. We were checked on many times through our meal. The prices are very reasonable for the quality of the dishes. I enjoyed the Korean rice dish immensely. I will go back, and maybe I'll say its my birthday to see if lack of birthday courtesy warned of below still exists. |
| Added Sep 1, 2006 by maelstrom of West End (9 Reviews) Great dining experience
I went to Hapa Izakaya on a Friday evening at 5:30 and lucky to get seated without a reservation. I know the place was popular but didn't know it was that popular!
I found both the food and the service to be excellant. The presentation of the food was incredble and everything tasted really, really good. The service was very attentive and considerate. It was a great dining experience and I look forward to returning (with a reservation). |
| Added Aug 22, 2006 by foodfanatic of South Vancouver (295 Reviews) Great food at great prices & portions!
Though their drink list sports a nice variety, they're somewhat watered down mixes filled mainly with ice & not enough alcohol. Order any other drink & it's well worth the value (bottled, etc).
I can't find fault with any of the foods they have to offer that I've tried so far as I have yet to attempt every item on the menu. The takoyaki balls, I'd have to say, are better than my other favourite, Guu, as they're nicely light & crispy & flavourful. The seared saba is a must! Or seared any other fish of your preference. So good! Though that's more about the freshness & quality of the fish they stocked on then it is based on culinary skills. But it's still good! The portions are more than fair for the prices as most dishes are only $5-7.xx for the most part. And again, I say, how do some restaurants live with themselves for charging up to $8 for a 750 ml bottle of San Pelligrino carbonated water while Hapa only charges $3.xx?? That's more than reasonable for a markup in a restaurant setting when you should normally pay at most $1.90 in a supermarket or local drug store when Costco costs a little less than that in bulk.
Plenty of communal seating, while there's still individual seating available as well as a little patio. If you are made to wait, there's always the lounge area where you can kill time by ordering a drink or several while you wait inside for the next available table.
It's also a good thing that they now accept all forms of payment (interac & cc's) while up until the recent past, it was cash-only. Now you can drink & drink some more or eat & eat lots more without having to worry about running across to the street to the ATM to pull out more than enough cash for the evening.
Service is great for the most part, and the food arrives reasonably quick.
Love the decor. Spacious and trendy with the usual dark woods-look. Note: The reviewer has submitted a more recent review for this restaurant. This review does not affect the overall rating and is displayed for information purposes only. |
| Added Jun 26, 2006 by postage1 of West end (1 Reviews) "Just so you know, the service fee is not included in the bill"
We went in for some drinks and was great until they totally forgot that I ordered another beer. The server who asked me if I wanted more beer was just walking around for a while and we just decided to get the bill. When the bill came, we didn't have exact change plus tip, so we were waiting for change. When we asked where our change was, the responce that we got was "Just so you know, the service fee is not included in the bill." I am a server myself and I KNOW how it works... I hate servers who shows that they want massive tip. HATE THEM. Change is always given, unless otherwise told. It just ruined my night and the whole hype about this Izakaya. Never going back. |
| Added Jun 19, 2006 by bobo of vancouver (48 Reviews) Very enjoyable
I've been there several times and had always been lucky enough to get a seat right away. The super chilled sake in bamboo is a definite must. Most of the items on the menu were both creative and tasty but some could leave a bad taste in your mouth, literally. For example, the sable fish lightly charred with a torch gun. It was so fishy that no one in our group of 25 wanted to touch it. At times, service could be absent, but overall, the food and ambiance were enjoyable. |
| Added Jun 7, 2006 by epicurious of Burnaby, BC (523 Reviews) Happenin' at Hapa!
I finally got a chance to go to Hapa last night. I'm actually glad we went on a weekday at a pretty late time. We probably got there close to 10pm, and although it was still really busy, we managed to get a seat at the bar right away.
Glowing with excitment, I opened up the menu and immediately couldn't decide what to order. Everything sounded excellent. We started with this whipped cream topped Japanese pumpkin dip served with Melba toasts. It was a cold and sweet dip which immediately threw me off thinking I should have saved this dish for dessert. It was just delicious - now I know why they served it with a spoon on the side when you can just scoop up with the toast. It's so you can scrape every last bit off into your mouth.
Next we ordered two tapas: the lotus root gyozas which is pork filling in between two thin slices of lotus root and then lightly battered and fried. It was a yummy change from the ordinary gyoza skins I was used it. The other tapas we ordered was the bacon wrapped enoki mushrooms. This was a yummy concoction also. I'm not a fan of bacon, but this combination really rocked my mouth, especially with the mayo dip. But be cautious if you're bringing a date here and ordering this. The enoki mushrooms just love to hide out between your teeth.
Lastly, we order this rice in a stone pot. This was my favorite item, but I was a little weirded out when the server brought it to us and started playing with it by mixing everything together with spoons for an odd amount of time. The stone pot made a nice crispy rice layer at the bottom.
Service was great. Our food was stellar and arrived quickly. A great place for a party, but a little on the pricey side for the amount of food you receive.
I would return for sure. |
| Added May 13, 2006 by sage of Downtown Van (6 Reviews) Great experience
Great atmosphere, so many delicious dishes, attentive and discreet service, and icy saki in bambu carafes. You can't go wrong. Like the Guus, the menu has both excellent standbys such as Tuna Tataki and a fantastic torched Mackerel, and more adventurous dishes for those in the mood for something novel. |
| Added Mar 6, 2006 by hohohong of Van (14 Reviews) Seen and be seen!
Excellent tapas style japanese food. Excellent atmosphere. Chic place to hang out. More selection of wine. The food is decorated so beacutifully that we were reluctant to eat it!
Reservation highly recommended. |
| Added Feb 15, 2006 by madddskillz of Burnaby (58 Reviews) hapa is good
Finally made a visit after hearing alot about this place. It'd be pretty accurate to describe it as an upscale version of Guu. Ambiance is nice and dark inside; it's loud but not crazy loud like guu. Service is very prompt, friendly, and unobtrusive. Food was very good. Portions were noticibly bigger than most other Izakayas, but then so were the prices (not too much tho). Definitely worth checking out. |
| Added Feb 9, 2006 by foodfor of Victoria (2 Reviews) WOW!
A quick trip to Vancouver and thanks to the reviews here, a look at Hapa. What a really interesting and exciting experience. I'm sure that at 50+ we were the oldest people in the place but the staff were incredibly helpful and friendly. The food was quick to arrive and beautifully presented AND delicious even when we ordered something that we just guessed at. Lots of noise, lots of smiles and lots of great food...the best kaarage chicken we've had anywhere. Definitely on our must return list for our next trip to the big city. |
| Added Jan 11, 2006 by 604Venus of Richmond (4 Reviews) Mmm Good!
One of the best Japanese restuarants that I've been to! The food is truly outstanding. The prices are a little high, but for the service and quality of food, I think it's totally worth it!
Definetly a place to try for all Japanese food lovers! |
| Added Jan 6, 2006 by himongi of WV (2 Reviews) In need of my Hapa Time
Quite simply, this place is the best. It's a treat to come to this place. I swear you could throw a dart at the menu, order it, and it would be fantastic... it doesn't matter what you order, it's all good... They have this mackeral where they torch it up and cook it in front of you... just awesome. The sashimi is amazing, the decor is incredible. Even their sake comes in real bamboo shoots and you get to even drink out of little bamboo cups.
I'm in withdrawal when I don't get my Hapa Time. Love this place! |
| Added Dec 13, 2005 by lovetoeatVan of downtown (3 Reviews) How can you not love Hapa?
We happened across Hapa one night walking down Robson st and as we walked by the restaurant, someone was going into it and we heard all these screams and wondered what the heck was going on in there. I tried to look in the windows but as anyone who has been before knows, that's impossible as they are blacked out! We went in the front door and even though we didn't have dinner there that night, we sat and had drinks and enjoyed ourselves immensely! We promised ourselves we'd go back for dinner and have probably 10 times since then. Great menu with lots of choice and we love the atmosphere. Great place to take friends from out of town! In our top 3 restaurants in the city along with Relish and Wild Rice! |
| Added Oct 30, 2005 by dlishusfood of Downtown, Vancouver (31 Reviews) Hapa licious!
Still one of my favourite restaurants in the city. I thought with doubling its size it would half its appeal.......think again its still a great place to go. If its your 1st time there these treats should NOT be missed. The prawns with spicy mayo, the boneless chicken legs, the spinach salad, the rice dish in the hot bowl (ishi yaki?) and the sable fish which has responsibly replaced the sea bass that was previously served. Justin the owner runs a "tight ship", choosing attentive staff and offers great value for money. |
| Added Jul 1, 2005 by tmillius of Downtown, Vancouver (4 Reviews) Something Different
When you walk in the door you are greeted by the entire staff in Japanese, which is your first indication that Happa is unlike any place you have been before. This is Japanese pub food and it is not played down for Western tastes, so I would recommend that you be comfortable with Asian food. Try the pork and steamed buns, it is awesome, as is the deep fried prawns with salad dressing. The sushi and sashimi although good, is different then would you would find in a normal Japanese restaurant, so talk to your friendly server to avoid surprises. Everyone I have taken here has really enjoyed it and it is now one of the places I go to regularly. |
| Added Jun 7, 2005 by vwulanda of Burnaby (1 Reviews) So good!
If you love japanese tapas, cheese, and creamy food. This is the place to go. Not only the food, they also serve tasty tiramisu and creme brulee. Guys will love this place so much since 80% of the waitresses are gorgeous (this coming from a straight girl ^_^). |
| Added Apr 26, 2005 by currant7 of Manila, Philippines (8 Reviews) Hip 'N Happenin
A friend of mine took me here. I was pretty impressed with everything. There were quite a few choice dishes to choose from so it was hard but we ended up with the tuna sashimi on some ranch sauce (really nice), rice in stone pot, and grilled salmon. Love them all. I love the shared tables environment and you can totally see how hippie the crowd was. A Japanese Resto for a White Chief...even more impressive! Servers were great and nice but definitely a busy place so give a bit of patience on the side. Better go early so you wouldn't have to wait the lines. |
| Added Nov 9, 2004 by Miles of Kitsilano (27 Reviews) Tasty a la carte Japanese bar and grill style to accompany a big bottle
I still thoroughly enjoy snacking at Hapa with a big bottle of cold Japanese brew. However, like good smack, I've never been able to achieve the intial high achieved after my first visit. |
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