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Hapa Izakaya
Category: Restaurants Japanese Japanese [Edit]
1193 Hamilton StVancouver, BC V6B 5P6
Neighbourhoods: Downtown, Yaletown
(604) 681-4272
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Trendy
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
38 reviews for Hapa Izakaya
Review Highlights
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"The pork belly lettuce wraps with onions, mustard, and..." In 3 reviews -
"Also get the Aburi Shime-saba: mackerel seared right at..." In 1 review -
"...belly with salts, and beef tataki all excellently executed." In 5 reviews
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38 reviews in English
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Review from Adrian V.
Richmond, BC
11/20/2011
My friend and I decided to hold our dinner date at Hapa Izakaya after deliberating from a list of restaurants. I knew it was going to be a fun place to have dinner since it's in Yaletown, even on a Monday evening.
I instantly liked the vibe as soon as we walked in; great atmosphere, good looking servers, young and hip crowd, and a curious menu. Well.. I guess it wasn't that curious; it was more the way it was presented.
After a round of yummy Hello Kitty's based on a Foursquare recommendation, we ordered the Kinoko Meshi (steamed rice bowl with mixed mushrooms and iwanori), the ebi mayo, the tako wasabi, the crab cakes, the crab tempura roll, and the tuna taco. I found everything to be quite tasty. The Kinoko Meshi was delivered and presented well. After we let it sit for 5 mins, the crunchiness of the rice mixed with the tender mushrooms was outstanding. The ebi mayo was coated in the sauce, and there wasn't really any mayo to dip in... but it was still good. The tako wasabi has some heat, but the seaweed counteracts the heat; an interesting but delicious mix. Great texture too. The crab cakes were ground nice and fine, and it wasn't too oily. That crab tempura roll is a mouthful; literally too huge to fit in 1 bite! But it was filling. My fave was the tuna taco. One tortilla rolled to imitate a large cone that's filled with the tuna in spicy mayo, tomatoes, and some minced seaweed. Superb, but messy. Well, that was a messy dish for me. My friend wasn't messy at all.
For dessert, we decided to try the cheesecake souffle. Not impressed with this one; I find that western desserts in asian restaurants don't usually turn out well, and vice versa. Unless of course it's some kinda fusion or the chef specializes in it. This was just too plain jane for me. Even with the coulis on the side; nothing spectacular.
I must say that it was quite expensive; with all the food we ate, we both paid around $40, and that didn't include the gratuity.
Overall I quite liked this place. A lot of people seems to have a problem with the service (or the lack thereof) but my friend and I had no problem at all. It was probably because it was a Monday.
Would I come back? Yup! It's more on the $$ side but it's Yaletown, so I shouldn't be surprised. But everything else was great; the bartender was super cute too! -
Review from Amy T.
4/12/2012
To be honest, Hapa is not my favorite restaurants for Izakaya, but they do have a great atmosphere.
Their saki comes in bamboo pitchers and is always refreshing. The ebi mayo is crispy and flavorful. And my guy friends love to eat here for the view. How about hiring some eye candy for the ladies though? -
Review from Anne T.
Vancouver, BC
4/3/2012
This was the first restaurant we went to after moving to Vancouver since it was just down the street from us. Upon arriving, the decor and ambiance was definitely not what I expected. I was expecting an Izakaya that would be closer to the Japanese standards, which was not the case. Nothing wrong with that, just not what I expected!
The food was mediocre.. drinks were great, so was the service.
Not very memorable. -
Review from Jeff F.
2/28/2012 1 Check-in Here
After Hapa Umi... wasn't sure what to expect (that one had great service... so-so food). Food here at the Yaletown Hapa was a bit better (some dishes were quite good). Still a little on the pricey side for what you're getting, but quality was nice. Service again was top notch... they're doing some good work training their people, or they're just getting some good quality people.
We ordered a ton of different things... this was a goodbye party for our friend Masayo who is leaving Vancouver (for now)... :( Bye bye Masayo! :(
We had about 2 different types of maki sushi, a chicken salad, tonkatsu, ika, takoyaki, and a noodle dish.... I don't eat seafood, so can't comment on those... but the other non-seafood dishes were quite nice... we left VERY full. The end was some matcha brulle... but it wasn't all that great (I snuck in some of my own cupcakes to give to Masayo... we had some of those... MMmmmm super rich chocolate cupcakes!).
Whereas I wouldn't probably go back to Hapa Umi.... I think I would come back to Hapa Izakaya. -
Review from Mark H.
10/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
If Guu (or my fav, Suika) and Cactus Club had a love child, it would be Hapa Izakaya.
The world of Yaletown is not a world I venture into at all. Barbie dolls, dogs dressed up in strollers, and a sea of pretentiousness just aren't my thing. But I made an exception when I saw a CMYE dinner here that benefited the Van Food Bank.
Walking in, I knew this place was not like the others. Their hiring policy is definitely from the Cactus Club text book. All asian servers were dolled up and in 'uniform'. I'm used to staff yelling Japanese greetings upon arrival, dressed more 'real' and in functional ninja boots. A different world I tell ya.
The four of us sampled nearly all of their Taste of Yaletown menu. Enoki Bacon was decent, but come on, it's bacon! Karaage was a tad oily, but juicy. Jerk tsukune was an interesting fusion creation.
However, my favourite dish was Ika (grilled squid). Rarely can you get a place to perfectly grill squid that keeps it from getting rubbery. Spot on.
Cheesecake was light and yumtum.
Tip: read labels carefully. A fellow diner thought the scope dispenser was soap.Listed in: Real Japanese Eats
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Review from Mike S.
Vancouver, BC
11/19/2011
Um, hello... Am I the only one who is going to state the obvious - have 'ya seen the wait staff! Reason enough to go on it's own right but I digress - the ambiance and food were great! Dined on several tapas like dishes and they were all sublime; presentation and taste alike.
We had reservations for 7:30 but were running late and were happily accommodated at 8:00. Wait staff was friendly, outgoing and did I mention incredibly talented... -
Review from Kristina C.
Vancouver, BC
11/1/2011
Love Hapa! I've been to the Yaletown location a couple of times now, and the Robson location once.
I came here most recently for the Taste of Yaletown menu, and my friends and I were able to sample every single item from the menu. My favourites had to be the ebi mayo (who am I kidding, anything tastes amazing smothered with Japanese mayo), the chicken karaage (maybe the best chicken karaage I have tasted), and surprisingly, the beef tataki, which I had never tried before until that night. I wasn't too impressed with the soup (I can't remember the name), but it was a seafood chowder-type soup. The shortribs are delicious but tough to eat, as they're a bit chewy. We also shared a pitcher of the strawberry sake margarita, which was very yummy as well.
I loved the open kitchen, as it's like a dinner and a show, and the staff are friendly (and yes, pretty good-looking).
I always have a good time at Hapa, but I was disappointed that we didn't order the mushroom rice stone bowl. Until next time! -
Review from Josh G.
7/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
Man I love Hapa! Not quite as good as the Robson location, but always nice for a change. As usual, Ebi Mayo was bang on, the Pork belly lettuce wraps were awesome, but they switched the apple sauce for mustard, which does not work as well. I am struggling right now to remember all the dishes we ordered, this was a few weeks ago now...damn you short term memory!!
Oh, I remember, ebi avocado salad, that's always pretty good. We tried this curried fried squid legs, they were tasty, but extremely dry and came without sauce. Oh, how can I forget - the Spot Prawns. One of my favorite Vancouver specialties, they have a few different dishes with these and oh my goodness..oh my goodness were they delicious, I finally got to pop the head off and try me some prawn brains...not bad!
All and all, another great Izakaya meal, it's hard to go wrong at Hapa with so many awesome options, you can literally throw darts at the menu and leave satisfied! -
Review from Hilda L.
6/30/2011
I'm too lazy... am I allowed to write one review for more than one Hapa? :p
I used to love the Hapa on Robson and went often. I was even willing to wait in line for more than an hour while my stomach started eating itself. And then the food started going downhill and my favorite dish was taken off the menu. The long lines are no longer worth it and I stopped going.
For my birthday, I was thrown a surprise party at the location in Yaletown. I was in great company, but my mood was dampened by their service. We were rushed to order repeatedly and were given last call before most of our dishes even arrived. How would we know if we need to order more? How could you rush us when your food is taking forever to come out? Also, I didn't see our waitress smile once. The food wasn't bad, but I can go to other izakayas which have comparable if not better food and service (*cough* Guu *cough*).
The service at the Kitslano location wasn't that great either. It took forever to get the waitress' attention to order and to get the bill. Meanwhile, the table behind us, which was full of flirtatious boys, received prompt and attentive service. wth? -
Review from Vincci L.
One dish:
BBQ Unagi Yakiudon
Udon noodles mixed with teriyaki butter sauce served with bbq eel, egg , green onions and seaweed. You will not regret this. A sweet sauce, with the creaminess of the butter...and then the eel. It's pretty amazing.
Also get the Aburi Shime-saba: mackerel seared right at your table, and a spicy salmon yukke.
Yuzu slush was also quite good but I question as to how much alcohol they actually put in there.
Service was still a little slow, but this is one of the rare times that I'm letting the deliciousness of the food to save this review from being a 3 star one.Listed in: Irresistable Izakaya., Bibimbap Crazy!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/25/2011
My experience here could have been better if I had not been rushed throughout my dinner.
I managed… Read more »
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Review from Clara K.
9/30/2011
3.5 stars. trendy japanese izakaya in yaletown.
i would recommend the kara age over the hapa fried chicken. pork belly kakuni w/buns were good. the ebi mayo was yum, if a little over-mayo'd, and we really enjoyed the stone bowl with ground pork (although the rice didn't really get crispy as in korean bibimbap).
note: the albacore belly was fishy!
i tried the yuzu slush, and it was delightful although i couldn't taste any alcohol.
service was a little lacking. -
Review from Sid R.
8/25/2011
We went there With my two guests from California and I convinced my guests that they are really good and such and such and this was based on my experience from 1 year ago . What a mistake!
We went there on a Wednesday night when they are not too busy,
The hostess was not welcoming at all, we sat in the patio and ordered 5 small dishes. Fair enough to tell you the situation it took them more than one hr to bring the dishes. They brought each dish after 20 min wait or so . the 4th dish halibut was not even hot enough the last dish which was the main one for us never appeared. Why? Because we finally got the bill and left . , What pisses me off more than delay is the attitude.They did not even apologize about delay and when I cancelled the last order and asked for bill, she just said" ok, I ll bring it shortly!" we went to a pizza place after and dealt with starve
Do not take your guests there, it was pretty embarrassing experience. Avoid attitude on hapa izakzya and find a better place to relax and enjoy your food -
Review from Lana W.
Calgary, AB
3/8/2011
A great find on a Saturday night. We bellied up to the bar and thoroughly enjoyed a couple of beers and some laughs delivered by our fantastic bartender.
The ambiance is great: dark and funky with appropriate music and good looking staff.
We ordered the carpaccio which we could have lived without, but everything else we ate was fantastic. We had the tuna salad, a dynamite roll and the feature shrimp. We left full, happy, and with lots of money still left in our wallet.
Overall, excellent service, food and prices.
We will be back. -
Review from May B.
Vancouver, BC
7/29/2011
So I love Hapa and any Japanese tapas of the sort, but this location rings the wrong bells in my book. I have no qualms with the food, but it was the poor service that's forcing me to award Hapa Yaletown with a measly 2 stars.
We were seated inside as the patio was full and my friend had already ordered the house salad to start. The chicken was awesomely tender (I could eat it post-wisdom teeth removal!) and I dug the dressing. We proceeded to order the Beef Tataki (meh), the Chan Chan Yaki, and the Zucchini Gyoza.
Now here's where things took a turn for the not so awesome. We received our tataki and chan chan yaki but where was our gyoza? We were trying to flag down a server to ask about it but it seemed they had all congregated at the bar, chatting with each other. Finally we flagged down a server and asked her about it - she asked the kitchen and said it would only be a couple minutes. I looked over at the kitchen and they looked pretty stunned, as if the order was just coming through. We ordered dessert expecting our gyoza to come before it. Nope, still no gyoza and yet they had served us our dessert. It was a good 15 mins after we got our dessert before we received our starter.
Not once during our meal had anyone stopped to even ask how we were doing while the table next to us had 3 servers doting on them at once. We were rearing to pay and get out of there but still, no attention was paid to us whatsoever as we sat there, credit cards in hand.
I'm usually more forgiving when it comes to service, but it really disappoints me when I can see the restaurant isn't that busy and yet it's so difficult for any one server to stop and pick up the bill or ask how our meal is. It irks me even further when I see them idling about when we're trying to flag one of them down.
Hapa Robson trumps Hapa Yaletown in my books. -
Review from Charles K.
Vancouver, BC
12/2/2011
Maybe I caught them on a bad night, but I found Hapa disappointing. A few of our dishes were overcooked, making the meat rubbery and chewy. Was definitely OK, but I've had better elsewhere.
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Review from Michelle F.
8/30/2011
The pork belly lettuce wraps with onions, mustard, and crunchy bits were to die for. Highly recommended
The zucchini gyoza was light but filling.
The clams with sake and bacon was yummy but i wish it came with something to sop up the broth.
The wasabi goma-ae with green beans, tuna, brussel sprouts, and cream cheese? was an interesting combination of ingredients but it worked!
My Hendricks martini was fine but cost a painful $14. Guess they don't have happy hour prices here.
Overall, the service was so-so. Had to to flag the waitress down twice which I usually never do. The food here is as good as the other izakayas we tried (Kingyo, Guu) it's worth checking out, but I'd go when they aren't too busy. -
Review from Wednesday P.
Vancouver, BC
10/19/2011
I created a login for this site, JUST to submit this review. That's how terrible they are.
Terrible service. When I say terrible, I mean terrible enough to make you upset. Quick to take orders, but slow to deliver and they don't follow up on food.
Rude - they will blatantly interrupt you even if you are in a conversation.
Unhelpful - we had to change tables TWO times to help them fit more people and each time, we had to move our food on our own because they clearly were not doing it after waiting for them for 20 minutes.
The food itself was just average. Hot items were not so hot upon arrival and the cold items were a bit dry - you know that dry taste you get when you eat things from the fridge that are uncovered? THAT taste. Though, I have to say that I think these are more service related than chef related.
Seriously, if it weren't for the super nice bartendar, we would have left ZERO tip. But, he tried to save the situation unlike the waitress and hostess, we gave the average 15% and thanked him for being so kind.
Also, another annoying thing about this restaurant - do NOT go there, if you do, in the Fall and Winter. They WILL continue to seat people outside and the worst thing about it is that they will leave the door completely open and when you ask them to close it, they say NO. Just No!! They should figure out a way to keep seating people outside without making the people inside freeze like the other Yaletown restaurants or just close the section itself like a respectful restaurant.
Definitely NOT bringing clients OR friends here. It would truly be embarrassing, like what the other reviewers have pointed out. -
Review from Michelle H.
Vancouver, BC
8/21/2011
Went with about 10 people for a birthday, food & drinks were good, it was the service that was majorly lacking. Our server never came over to clear our plates or ask how we were doing, we had to wave over other staff to order more food or drinks. We would have ordered way more if we were given the chance.
We ordered some sake in the bamboo yet it came out in big bottle which we found out later was 4x the price.
We had asked from the get-go for separate bills so there was less confusion about who owed what and were told that was ok. Nope, she wouldn't do it for us in the end and we also got an auto grat of 18% (which we expected and was fine with us) We figured that's why she didn't care to give us good service since she was already getting a big tip regardless of how she treated us (our bill was well over $500)
Definitely won't be back in a large group or possibly at all. -
Review from Sebastian P.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 6/21/2011
After coming here for some time now I have to update and downmark my previous review. It seems like the service and food quality is flawless as long as the owner is there personally. However with now more locations open he probably has to divide his time between the businesses and the staff takes the liberty to adjust the performance accordingly. Downwards!
The drinks are still consistent, however the food became a hit and miss and so is the service at times. I tried the sampler of the 3 Tapas for 12$ recently and well... The beef tataki was very fatty, the Salmon was ok and the Tuna was pretty meh. I left it with the appetizer that day because I really lost my appetite and excitement about the food.
Sorry guys, some improvement is needed here to rack it back up again!
I would vote for the owner spending more time again at this particular location to get the situation under control.
Cheers
SListed in: Best Yaletown Foodie Spot's
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/30/2010
This is my favourite place for a quick bite in walking distance from home. I like it more than the… Read more »
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Review from Rehman A.
Vancouver, BC
7/19/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Shiru Bay was the best in Yaletown. Service and food was a top 5 out of 5 in my books.
Hapa Izakaya does good in service. But fails in food, taste and quailty. Everything on the menu sounds good, but I could of made all of it at home.
1).The Ebi Chilli Mayo was bland. The sauce felt like it came from a container.
2).The Tako Wasabi was a little off. The Wasabi was at the very bottom. So yea my last bite got the wasabi part.
3). The sable fish came with a sauce that would give u a heart attack from all the calories in it.
4).The Halibut chips were deep fried. The sauce again came from a container.
5). The Avacado Salad was just lettuce and a slice of avacado on the side? how about a little dressing?
I can go on forever on the bad food. But the atomsphere and the service here is really good. If they just start making food more fresh and tasty. I would deffinatly bring business to them. -
Review from Larry L.
4/24/2011 1 photo
Hapa in Yaletown. I have to put my hat down to you guys, You have done another great job here.
After all the time that you'vebeen here, it's still good. Not quite as lively as the original but then the big boss is there sometimes beliting out welcomes and greeting the patrons.
Izakaya, Interestingly there are still so many who don't know about this style of food. Orfrom whence it came and why?
This location I am sure has special meaning to the owners of Hapa. The previous tenants from Chopsticks and Hapa have a relationship that goes way back to their days in Japan. So in a sense, this place has some Izakaya history. Hapa is one of the top three Izakaya's in town and all three are enjoying great success. The other two being Guu and Kingyo.
Of course I can't go by without mentioning the Gyoza King group. Probably The latter and Guu being the first two to start this craze, but it wa Hapa that took it that notch further and made it TRENDY and HIP and CHIC with all their eye candy to go with the dishes.
Hell, even the bartender tonight was cute.
Tonight was for the birthday dinner of a special tomadachi of ours. It was a surprise dinner that had to be reorganized at the last minute.
We were given two hours to be in and out. It felt kinda like an ultimatum with the waitresses repeating it every half hour. The food was good, the libations were free flowing and the Sochu that I ordered was tasty and everyone thought it was sake!
If not for the cramped table and the peskering of the waitresses it would have been a perfect dining experience.
Then again, you can't blame them. This is a busy and happening place and they need to get their rotation of tables and reservations.
Just one thing that I would have preferred, is if they had asked us if we wanted separate bills. It would have made it easier for some. -
Review from Melissa B.
10/12/2010
Never have I been to the other location the locals are referring to. So maybe the other location is way more awesome, but I haven't a clue.
We, visitors to Van, ended up in Yaletown because our awesome Balinese cab driver said 'You're too young for Gastown' and steered us to this little yuppie hub instead. What?! I liked the little Yuppie hub that Yaletown is, I was glad we came to this part of town. I'm not dissin', but come on, it's kinda yuppie, right?
As we wondered around and looked at menus, though, it became clear there were some misguided attempts at regional cuisine, so when we saw the specials and saw open tables at Hapa Izakaya, I decided that before we wonder around too much longer, this would be where we had dinner.
It has a mostly black interior, with wooden table tops and sort of dim spots that make you feel a little sexy as they beam down on your table. There were lots of groups on a Friday evening, looking all festive and cute.
Sadly, I was under-dressed and not nearly as hott as the hott servers or patrons. Oh yes, if you are a fan of the Asian woman, the servers and hostesses will delight you. Not at all trashy or anything, all of the gals working were just cute, nice, even the line chefs in the kitchen-Oh and the cute male bartender who made me really yummy Lychee Martini, you're the Man!
So the food was good- it wasn't really 'authentic' Japanese or Korean or anything, I'm sorry if I've missed the point, but to me it was like Pan-Pacific-Hapa-Asian-Fresh and 'pretty healthy and good'. I loved the Salmon we had, as well as the Bim Bap Bai (sp?) which was just simple and comforting.
Menu wise, nothing too crazy adventurous, I'm not quite knowledgeable enough to really know, but based on my time here, the great service, tasty cocktails, and just liking the vibe, I'm going with 4 stars. -
Review from Katie F.
10/17/2010
3.5 stars
I'm a huge fan of Hapa Izakaya in Kits so when I was out on Sat night without a reservation in Yaletown, I was happy to be able to get a table here.
I generally love the food at this chain and most of the selections are solid - had my usual negitoro garlic bread, beef carpaccio and cones - mmmm! We shared the a halibut dish and the quail... halibut was tasty but I'd skip the quail next time.
Typical Yaletown atmosphere - quite loud, good looking staff, dark walls, etc...
Marked it down a bit since the service varied a lot. No issues coming in and drink orders were taken quickly, but we waited about 10+ mins after our menus were closed and giving the server the evil eye before she finally clued in that we were ready to order. Might have just gotten a bad one... otherwise, I still plan to come back. -
Review from Crystal H.
Vancouver, BC
1/22/2010 1 photo
My usual Yaletown laments of hoity toity snob-foolery were silenced at Hapa's newest location. Warm traditional welcomes were shouted from all corners as we were ushered (and helped) into our seats at the bar.
With smiles from our bartender, I ordered a Virgin "Hello Kitty" and fell in love with the strawberry puree and soda that arrived moments later. The martini and cocktail list looked thoughtful, and another night of cocktail sampling will surely come later. Sapporo and Okanagan Pale Ale were on tap and available by the pitcher, and dang did they pour a lot of pitchers!
The "Chan Chan" stone rice bowl with spring salmon came, obviously, piping hot and was skillfully mixed/cooked by one of the many servers who waited on us. Flavourful, reasonably priced and decent sized, I was impressed.
Outside of my excitement of the shrimp chip garnish, the ebi mayo just didn't do it for me. It is no match for my fondness of the ebi mayo found at Toratatsu. My biggest query - where be the mayo? Not even a squirt lived on the plate, and trust me I looked.
The full grilled squid was cooked perfectly, no rubber band here, but I was a little disappointed that many of the pieces were almost fully blackened on the outside by the grill. The presentation was generic, but for a little under $8, it's hard to beat, and once I looked past the blackened bits, it was tasty!
Saving a little bit of room for dessert, we ordered the matcha brulee. It tasted more like regular brulee than matcha, but its light and creamy texture was right on the money.
I snagged the itemized receipt at the end of the evening... the moment I saw "Virgin Kitty" I just couldn't resist!
And just when I thought the service couldn't get any nicer, with everyone saying good bye as we departed, a server opened the door for us and called out "oyasuminasai" (good night) after us. -
Review from Raymond O.
Vancouver, BC
I like the dark interior and cozy size typical of a local Yaletown bar.
These guys know how to provide good, friendly service. They will ask you every now and then if you need anything else, but there was no pressure in placing orders.
Sampled a few of their dishes:
1. Scallop Gratin ($7.50) - small pieces of scallop sitting on a bed of mashed potato and bacon bits. This was the smallest dish of them all. Scallops were a bit over-cooked and they could afford to serve more mashed potatoes to compensate for the miniscule scallops.
2. Pork Belly Lettuce Wrap ($7.80) - this slices of pork belly with ginger and crunchy noodle to wrap inside lettuce leaves. I like how some of the pork belly were charred to create a crunchy pork fat. Definitely a good dish for repeat order.
3. Chan Chan ($10.50) - Salmon and rice served in a stone rice bowl and patiently mixed together by your server when brought to your table. The effect of the hot bowl is for the rice to get toasted similar to the rice at the bottom of a Paella dish. The most decent serving of them all. But then again, its higher priced and really we're talking about an abundance in rice. Still a worthy dish to have by your table.
4. Udon Bonara ($8.80) - Looked good on paper, plain and meh when served. Supposed to be their version of "Carbonara", but all it tasted was plain udon noodles with pepper and cream sauce. Definitely not worth having again.
5. Crab Sushi ($9.85) - They should create more maki roll dishes because this one is a winner. Fried rolls wrapped with tasty Dungeness crabs and asparagus. For small portions that they've been providing, this one has a decent size.
6. Matcha Brulee ($6.25) - Okay so now back to a tiny portioned ramekin dish. I thought this was tasty. I could appreciate the strength of the matcha and the gritty texture it provided. Still, I don't appreciate restaurants going out of their way to buy tiny ramekin dishes and charge regular dessert prices.
Drinks...
7. Blue Hapa Tini ($9.00) - Cute and light blue, but really just a boring, tasteless martini drink that had no alcohol taste or strength that I might as well just ordered pineapple juice. Lesson learned in ordering a foo foo drink.
8. Sleeman's Pale Ale ($5.75) - Now we're talking.
Bottomline:
The dishes are not as tasty as other Izakaya restaurants in the Downtown area. The prices are the same, but the ingredients are lacking depth that makes these small dishes small and costly.
I was turned off by the auto-gratuity of 18% whether you're one or a group. Really? When there is good service to be had, it will come. Why do we have to take advantage of locals and visitors. Is this the image we want to project during the Olympics? "Hey, come on over to Vancouver so we can automatically charge you 18% tip for us!'.
I applaud restaurants that maintain their pricing, service and dignity during events like these. I wish I could have said the same of Hapa Izakaya. With that I leave 3 stars. And that's being gracious like an auto 18%. -
Review from tori b.
3/6/2011
The yaletown location is where to be on a Saturday night. It has a good vibe to it. The ambiance is dark with sultry music playing in the backgroud, the hustle of the cooks in the kitchen, and there's always has a good size crowd.
Everything was delicious. I especially loved the negitoro...you MUST try it!
Also ordered the tuna carpaccio, hapa chicken salad, and the crab roll. This place never disappoints. The service can be slow...you just need to take the initiative and make sure the waitress sees you when you need more sake! -
Review from Scott N.
12/24/2010
Got the recommendation from a bartender at Moxies and I'm sure glad I followed it!
Took 30 minutes to get a table during Thursday night dinner rush, but we had the time so we just went next door (Cactus Club) for a drink.
The place was happening, lots of trendy young people, (I dig it). Sat at the bar with my buddy and got good service from the bartender.
I'm not exactly sure all we ordered but it was great certainly no complaints. Great experience for my first go with Asian Tapas. -
Review from tyler w.
2/17/2010
My friends and I were walking around Yaletown taking in the Olympic sights when we got hungry and spotted Hapa. Before you read any further, please note this review is only based on their lunch service which consisted of about a half dozen items on a fixed menu. (I'll have to come back the next time I'm in VBC to experience the real Izakaya flavor.)
Anyway, a Japanese friend once told me you can judge a Japanese restaurant by their tempura. And as such I ordered the ten-don for lunch. Now... this friend has been known to pull *ish* out of his *ash* more often than not (9 times out of 10), but it did sound kind of insightful in an "insider cool" sort of way so I'm going with it. Verdict: ten-don was good! Crispy, tasty batter, deep fried veggies and shrimp. Even a fried piece of unagi. Yum. I even have to say the rice is how I like it -- a little more on the sticky side.
The place is chic in a Yaletown sorta way. You know a place where you take your girlfriend to show her off or a place you go to feel like you're young, hip, and cool.
The wait staff at lunch was really cute, too. Quite easy on the eyes, but I guess that comes with the Yaletown territory. (Hi ladies, how you doin'?)
All in all I wish I could go back and try the real izakaya menu. Not too many legit ones around my parts (Seattle, WA). I guess I'll have to update this review whenever I get my seconds. -
Review from Jenna H.
Vancouver, BC
7/16/2010
I am a huge Hapa fan and was very excited to check out the newest location in Yaletown. Perhaps my expectations were too lofty but I did not really think the food my friends and I shared was that great. It just didn't have the same punch of izakaya taste the other locations do so well. Also, I am not a fan of the decor and felt like I was eating at any run of the mill chain restaurant.
The whole experience was pretty average which made me sad but I will still visit the Kits and Robson locations regularly. -
Review from Daniel L.
4/19/2010 1 Check-in Here
This newer location of the Hapa restaurants has the same vibe as their Kits location... with super cute and friendly servers a warm and familiar feel. A bit darker interior with cozy corners. The patio approval is almost ready giving it that Yaletown completion.
I've always smile filling myself with their staple menu items and never get disappointed with weekly specials. Sort get that mouth watering thing just thinking about it... The only negative I need to mention is it seems like the portions of the good stuff seems to be getting smaller over the past year.
Cant wait to enjoy the patio when it opens.. -
Review from Nam N.
Vancouver, BC
6/19/2010
I've been to Hapa in Kits and I'm a regular at Hapa on Robson, so had to go to Hapa in Yaletown at some point.
Have to say its like my favorite bar upped and moved to the other side of town and it makes me happy. Didn't get a chance to eat though, just drinks late Friday. The service was excellent and the vibe was great. Definitely have to come back on a nice sunny day and enjoy their patio. If the food at Kits and Robson are any indication, I surely won't be disappointed.
Will update when I get to eat the foodies! -
Review from Scott H.
4/25/2011
i wouldn't call this a full on izakaya pub, but yeah it's a good place to hide from the Yaletown hoi poloi. first the service is really really good and the umeshu was tasty. the food was good for sure, but what sort of izakaya doesn't have okano miyaki or tako yaki?
it definitely has a good vibe, good service and the food we had was good, but it's a lot more loungy than better places (like Guu), which i guess is consistent with the rest of Yaletown...which i'm not sure is a good thing. -
Review from Richelle O.
Vancouver, BC
1/20/2011
Odd food that wasn't really Asian or NA. Most dishes did not taste good; and I rarely say that!
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Review from Faye X.
Vancouver, BC
3/30/2010
I was there with a group of 6. We ordered about 10-12 dishes. The food was pretty good. The pork belly was my fave. I also ordered the virgin Hello Kitty. I thought it was a bit pr icy ($4) for soda and strawberry puree.
The service was good. But not too crazy about the mandatory 18% gratuity for group of 6 or more. I thought the standard is 15% for group of 8 or more. Maybe it is because it is a tapa joint and more dishes are usually ordered and served. -
Review from Kal B.
3/12/2010
went here a couple of times during the Olympics.. the first nite we had 3 of us, which grew to 5 but because we had a weird number of people vs. say 2 or 10 (they have a lot of big tables or small ones) we ended up waiting a super LONG time.. 30 minutes turned into an hour plus but we were OK and just checked out some events and highlites on the TVs at the bar
the second time we went, the day of the Golden Goal, we got right in as we just beat the rush around 5pm
food was good.. had some sake called the Pearl which was quite smooth and sweet
all the food is japanese tapas style..
faves include:
-saba (seared with a blowtorch at your table)
-beef tataki (carpaccio)
-ebi mayo
-negitoro
-ishi-yaki
the ambience and decor are really nice too.. i've also been to the robson location once for a bday party.. they have a lot more space for larger parties.. if you have a large group they serve a set menu which includes about 8-10 diff dishes which were all pretty awesome.. all shared tapas styles.. they also have sake margaritas if you're interested! -
Review from Janet Y.
Vancouver, BC
6/2/2010
This is one of the two Hapa in downtown. This yaletown location is super busy, go before 6pm (otherwise, expect lineups!). Great seating area for big groups (6-8 ppl) and couples. Good music and dark lighting, and good service. This is not an authentic Japanese restaurant, but their food is great! Try their chicken karage, and stone bowl rice. Their hot food is great, but I'm not a big fan of their cold dishes (nothing fantastic there). Definitely worth going back there again and again. Their dishes are tapa style (don't expect to get a full tummy with just one dish per person).
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Review from Vanessa D.
Vancouver, BC
5/23/2010 1 Check-in Here
mmmmmmm. more please. delicious, fresh, innovative and friendly. they set things on fire at your table and who doesn't love that? saba, pork belly with salts, and beef tataki all excellently executed. fun cocktails and generous amounts of sake as well. can't wait to try the location at robson next.
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Review from Deena R.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 2/2/2010
In their defense, the hostess of Hapa Izakaya called a few days later (they were conscientious enough to note who had left and looked up my number from the reservation) to apologise and to offer me an entirely different experience if I were to go back. I look forward to writing a review upon my return. Few places would show this courtesy and initiative, so some credit is due here.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/29/2010
I wish I could offer an extensive review of the food, but we were never served! We were seated and… Read more »
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