My friend recommended we have lunch at Hanamaru, which is really close to her house. Hanamaru is on the end of a little strip mall. The interior could use a good scrubbing and a little upkeep, but the food was pretty good. Even though I didn't order a lunch special, I liked the idea that you could add on a mini chirashi donburi for only $4. None of the lunch specials or bento box combinations were jumping out at me, so I went the a la carte route. One of my typical comparison items at Japanese restaurants is agedashi tofu. Azuma's still has the best I've ever tried, but Hanamaru's version was better than many others I've had. The sake nigiri I had was good, and I liked my dragon roll. My friend started off with the deep fried crab (and cream cheese) little puffs. Typical panko coated deep fried bites. Then she had the chicken katsu lunch, which came with the standard salad, rice, & miso soup. The chicken was super crunchy and tender. I'd eat at Hanamaru again, but I wouldn't make a special trip all the way from South San Jose for it. If you're nearby in Sunnyvale you should definitely give it a try. read more

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The restaurant is quite small with a sushi boat bar, but it isnt usually packed so its pretty easy to get a table. They have so many interesting and different kind of rolls here that you dont find at other similar Japanese sushi roll restaurants. My favourite here is the awesome hanamaru roll. My company also regularly caters from Hanamaru. Its great for an inexpensive and quick sushi roll fix. read more

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I never knew sushi could be so meeeehhh. what's worse than basic? A friend took me here for birthday treat - her only sushi experience ever. I should have known better when the jello shot menu looked more appetizing than the sushi. Dumbfounded. read more

This is my most favorite sushi spot and my go-to sushi spot. It replaced Kikusushi, which used to be my favorite but has sadly gone downhill. I love the people that work here, they are so friendly. The rolls are huge, I am always amazed when I go elsewhere and get the small standard rolls; it always makes me realize how awesome Hanamaru's rolls are. My favorite rolls are: Victoria's Secret Roll, Jalapeno Bomb, Shrimp on Fire, Deep Fried New York and Harley Davidson Roll. I can't say enough about how good the Victoria's Secret roll and Jalapeno Bombs are - if you're a fan like me of jalapeno, you will love these. And I'm talking about the real, crunchy jalapeno, not the pickled slices you get in jars at the store! The one criticism I would add is that their rolls tend to fall apart at times, I'm not sure if it's because they aren't rolled tight enough or just too big. At any rate, it doesn't always happen, and they are so good I just deal with it. :) I don't order bento boxes anymore as I'm completely and forever stuck on the special rolls, but in the past I have and they are all really good. The teriyaki sauce is really good here. I recommend the steak or salmon teriyaki bento box. I've had the noodle soup once, it was also delicious if that's something you're after. I also love their gyoza, they have 4 or 5 different variations and their dipping sauce is also delicious. Lastly, I love that they serve you free chocolate dipped strawberries w/ whip cream often after your meal. I'm usually pretty full and I almost never order dessert, but this is just small enough to be perfect and it's a nice little touch. They also have several sakes and a great menu of sashimi. Love you Hanamaru! read more

Interesting hole in the wall. I was reading Lorrie M's review about the spicy sauce and thought it's an interesting take for sashimi. I ordered the spicy sashimi rice bowl. The bowl was the size of a large pho, literally... 16 bucks for that much food is not a bad deal! The spicy sauce is interesting, it tasted like a spicy version of hoi sin sauce *the brown sauce in pho restaurants* read more

Hanamaru - Amaebi nigiri - Japanese Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

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On Sunday, October 27, 2019 we had an early dinner around 4pm at the Hana Maru Japanese restaurant in Sunnyvale. The atmosphere was inviting and the staff was very welcoming. We were seated immediately to a nearly empty venue and started off with drinks and appetizers which included a garden salad and Miso soup. We ordered the "Super Duper" sushi plate, the katsu donburu, the beef yakiniku plate, and chicken yakisoba. Everything looked exquisite and was tasted better than it looked. The marinated beef was tender and juicy and the teriyaki sauce was sweet and flavorful. I highly recommend the chicken yakisoba, it gave me flashbacks to the days that I lived in southern Japan. If you're in town and have the taste for authentic Japanese cuisine, this place has my vote! 9.0/10 read more

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Haven't eaten in the restaurant, get it via doordash so i can't comment on the ambiance or service. But the food is good, they've never missed an item, and they actually listen to special notes in online orders. It's become a place that's in my normal rotation read more

Great food and fair prices. Try some of the different rolls and the tuna is very good too.

The place stinks really bad like something is dead and there a packing boxes covering half of the restaurant. The owner is very rude as well. read more

One of my all time favorite sushi spots! Their rolls are amazing and tempura is always cooked perfectly. I love all the variety and the fish is always fresh. Their prices are incredibly reasonable for the quality of fish. This is definitely a 5 star spot in my book and for anyone with good taste in sushi! (Source: I'm Japanese) read more

I had the lion king roll and the pink lady...absolutely amazing. This place is a must go for sushi lovers.

I love their Udon and chicken teriyaki dinner. The salad dressing - I think sesame - is so good. The star of this restaurant, however, is the head chef. He is always so welcoming and kind. One evening, he talked with us about the different types of Udon they serve and which are most authentically Japanese. This guy connects with his customers and is always such a wonderful host. read more

From the outside, you have your typical sushi spot serving all the basics & favorites.. but on the inside, you have a ton of unique and tasty rolls served up by enthusiastic sushi chefs! The rolls were delicious! I will definitely be back & update the review with the names, but we had 2 baked rolls, a hand roll and sashimi. The fish was fresh & fatty - just how we want it! The service was on point, a little slow at the end. But hey, life's too short to rush through it! They accept cash/card and there's tons of parking in the lot! read more

We love you BUT when we get delivery the miso soup container leaks all over and we lose most of the soup! Please replace with a stronger container! We Doordash you weekly and love your food! read more

Hanamaru - Japanese Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

Fish is fresh. Vibe is good. Family friendly. I live in San Francisco and the fish at this place is better than any high end restaurant in the city!!! Highly recommend this place!! We ordered Spicy dragon roll and sun flakes. The food is soooo good it melts in your mouth!! Unagi nigiri has a similar consistency to a tiramisu. (Good way) read more

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Jimmy, the owner, is the nicest guy. Food is fantastic and the sake is perfect. Tuna steak was cooked perfectly, and the sauce with it paired well. Great portion sizes on the rolls! read more

Delicious Tuna Steak . A little messy , but it's still great . Awesome food . Recommend to try the Tuna steak . read more

Hanamaru - Japanese Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

this place is small, and they had 2 people working the tables, and it was not full, but service was a bit spotty; had to ask for a 2nd round of water & asked twice about a food allergy question before we got an answer. Yes they fry with soy oil. The sushi rolls we had were good flavor wise, but they fell apart too easily. They had 2 chefs, so not sure if one is better than the other as it appeared some rolls others at the table had stayed together. not sure I would go back, meh. read more

Everyone makes mistakes, but sometimes those mistakes are corrected beautifully. We ordered sushi from Hanamaru on GrubHub. It was a shit show. The driver didn't pick up all of our order and then he left the remaining part of our order outside on our garage ramp. I called Hanamaru and spoke to the nicest woman. She was so apologetic and it wasn't even her fault. She said she was sending the driver back to us with the rest of our order. Twenty minutes went by and then she called me back. She was sending one of her employees with the rest of our order plus some extra food. I even received a call from the employee who wanted to make sure that she connected with my husband outside our building. We have been dining at Hanamaru for many years. Their food is delicious and they have always been so friendly and hospitable. We will definitely return to dining in person at Hanamaru! They just went over and beyond to correct an issue that was not their fault. read more

This is the tuna and cucumber maki, they couldn't even roll the sushi correctly, the California roll was made with mayo when their pictures show imitation crab leg which is why I ordered, show your actual food please so people don't make the mistake again. it was loose and sloppy, take pride in your craft cause I love Japanese food but this sucks. You eat with your eyes and this is not appetizing. read more

Hanamaru - California roll and tuna cucumber maki - Japanese Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

Casual, typical sushi restaurant. You can find decent quality sushi rolls here, and they have various items on the menu. I recommend the salmon tataki and agedashi tofu for appetizers. The salmon was fresh, and I liked how the agedashi tofu was really big and soft on the inside. I believe is the owner is also Korean, and they are friendly to talk to when you sit at the bar. Will definitely come back if I am in the area and when I am craving sushi rolls. read more

Best sushi in town, especially when owner Jimmy is behind the counter. Personal favorite is the Follow Your Dream roll. We also love the Chicken Kara age, Chicken Teriyaki Don Buri, and many more. Rarely will you find such a fantastic blend of classic and edgy sushi, like their Awesome Hanamaru roll (deep fried CA roll w/macadamia nuts, tobiko, green onion, and house sauce). My family has been coming here for years and it's the one place in town I MUST go whenever I visit this area. read more

I was in a rush and had a sushi craving ... and I was in Sunnyvale... Yelp mobile app to the rescue. Hanamaru had decent reviews and was literally around the corner - so here we go! You're greeted very friendly by the waitresses and you're seated quickly. One nice thing I noticed is the sushi bar where they have these floating boats to grab your sushi from. The menu offers everything from regular sushi rolls to bento boxes, noodle-based soups, and rice bowls. I tried the Alaska roll which wasn't overwhelming but alright, shrimp tempura which seemed to me some sort of ready-made, and tuna steak which was nice and flavorful. Main dishes come with salad and miso soup - the salads have a nice dressing, that's definitely worth a try. Overall, nothing I got too exciting about but I'd probably be back when I'm in the area. read more

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I came here last night because on a Sunday, its hard to find a place that's open especially when you're craving sushi. Of course, I was plenty happy to see that although they closed at 9:30, we walked in at 9:10 pm and still was welcomed for dinner. The place is not big at all and there were already two larger parties finishing up so we felt okay to stay for a bit. The only reason this place, as a normal sushi joint, did not get five stars from me is because their service is terrible. Now, for the most part I don't complain about service at a sushi bar because it's hard to go wrong. You take the order, bring the rolls, check up once, keep the tea refilled and bring the bill when the time comes. This place, however, after the food was delivered, never came back to refill the tea hence never came back to check on us and at the end when I asked for more tea, she didn't even think twice about giving me the bill as she couldn't fathom why I would want anything else but the bill. However, gripes aside, the sushi here is pretty fresh and the prices are definitely reasonable. The chirashi bowl was delicious AND their spicy sauce which we asked for on the side was absolutely mind blowing. I mean that in the best of ways! It was quite possibly the most delicious spicy sauce I've had. The bf and I almost ended up giving up on the wasabi and soy sauce and solely using the spicy sauce for our rolls and even raw fish. As amazing or crazy or gross as it sounds, their spicy sauce was the bomb on their sushi. Otherwise their sushi was pretty fresh and I'm happy about the price for the kind of freshness you get. This also brings up another point where we asked the waitress repeatedly what was in the sauce and instead of telling us she could not answer, or whatnot, she pretended not to hear us. How rude? Overall, I would definitely come back, service though? My tip reflected what I received. read more

I really like this place - I was not happy when I last wrote a review of this restaurant. Although the food was good, the former owners were grumpy, and it showed. The new owners and such nice people! Same quality food as the previous owners, but the attitude is so much better. It's nice to be greeted with a smile when you walk into a restaurant. Service was great and responsive. The sushi chef even got me to try a jalapeno bomb (jalapeno chili with crabmeat and cream cheese that was deep fried. I don't normally eat that sort of stuff, but I have to admit that it was good!) It's also nice to get a little dessert of orange slices and a couple of strawberries drizzled with chocolate. Kudos to the new owners and a bump up to 5 stars. There's no doubt that I'll be back. read more

We ordered the agedashi tofu, chicken teriyaki appetizer, and the Harley Davidson roll. This came to a total of the most unsatisfying $30 meal I've had in the longest time. None of this would've been too terrible except when the waitress brought out the chicken teriyaki bento box combination. When we told her we didn't order the bento box combination--that was where our sunny lunch became our dining doom. With an incredible scowl on her face, she replied "It's too late now." This followed with numerous attempts and disappointed sighs she made in order to try and guilt us to accept our "mistake". I literally do not see what any waiter can accomplish by making your customers feel miserable about what they ordered. Eventually, she took it back. The rest of our meal was terrible. The end. All it takes one word or look from a waiter to ruin a meal. Waiters and waitresses, please realize the incredible impact you have on a hungry (wo)man's meal--and don't wait until you realize that impact can be incredibly terrible. read more

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Highly recommend the naked salmon roll Bc that is solidly delicious and not covered in too much sauce. We also ordered the lion queen roll and there was too much sweet sauce. Call ahead and they make it pretty fast read more

Hanamaru - Right: naked salmon roll Left: lion queen - Japanese Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

We tried this place for the first time tonight and it was great! Ordered 3 bento boxes and got to try a bunch of stuff. We tried the chicken teriyaki (pretty standard and good), the tempura (got both the veggie only option and the mixed option which included 3 shrimps!), California roll (lots of crab, yum!), tonkatsu, cucumber roll, beef yakiniku (really good), chicken kara-age (also really good), and the Alaska roll (salmon and avocado). Everything was delicious and portions were good. Prices were reasonable. We had 3 bento boxes and fed 2 adults and 2 kids. It was easy to order online and they took COVID precautions during pickup. read more

Z-O-M-G I just got home....talk about ONE HAPPY VEGETARIAN what whaaaaaat!!! I have been looking for a long time at a vegetarian-friendly place for a sushi lover like myself....and i STILL cannot believe they provide multiple sections of their menus for veggie-only food....I tell you this is a rare type of sushi menu!!! We came in around 1:15 p.m. on a friday and were seated right away by a very happy host wearing an Italia shirt...omg soo cute. Anyways...like was recommended earlier in another review...I ordered the 5 piece vegetable roll which came jam-packed full of colorful and tasty veggies--carrot, asparagus, shitake mushroom, cucumber, avocado, and something pickled. I also added the 6 piece asparagus/avocado to my order...excellent...excellent...EXCELLENT!!! Happy tummy!! Happy eating!! Wooohooo HANAMARU! :) read more

Came here for dinner and absolutely loved this place. First, they have real boats on real water. Not just plates, not just a mechanical conveyor belt, all real! Second, the sushi chef was super friendly and made our food very quickly (I was starving). This, and most importantly, they had some of the most interesting rolls around. Sushi is sushi, and by now we all have our favorite go-to rolls. It's pretty rare to open up a menu and see a bunch of options that catch your eye and lure you away from the safety of the known. Here, everything caught my eye. I didn't get any of my regulars, and after I ordered kept seeing things on the menu that I wish I tried. The sushi itself was good. The spicy stuff was spicy, the fresh stuff was fresh, the rolls were BIG and all reasonably priced. I'm definitely coming back! read more

I think now that the original owner sold this place it's not what I expected to be. If you've been to Nami Nami in Mountain View (he opened this after selling Hanamaru and Himawari in San Mateo), you'll know what I mean. Hanamaru is no a Swiss Army knife of Japanese cuisine. Sushi, fusion rolls, nabemono, cooked dishes. It's all over the map. I applaud them for trying to do so many things but as we most know it's better to do one thing really well than to try too many things. Had the spicy yosenabe, kara-age and an order of toro. Everything was decent but nothing struck me as something I'd return or go out of the way for. You don't see a lot of nabemono style dishes around so had to go for the new experience. Yosenabe had oysters, scallops, clams, mussels, crab (real) and shrimp. The broth was slightly sweet with tons of togarashi added for heat and then layered with lots of clear rice noodles and veggies. The kara-age was not as crisp or as well seasoned as Im used to and the toro seemed like really really thin chu toro and didn't have a good fat content (it was still expensive though). The service is ok but I think for what you're paying you can get better elsewhere. However as an all in one, broad flavors of Japanese food, brought to you by Korean chefs, it's good for groups with diverse wants. 3.5 stars read more

Deep fried New York rolls, 49er rolls, and Jumping Spicy Tuna are the best! Mango Mochi is pretty good here as well. My sis. and I love their Mango Mochi..(Except one time when we ordered it and it was pretty hard and rubbery..) Super friendly service (waitresses & sushi chefs!), the owners are super nice, and great prices for sushi. Next best Japanese rest. since *SUSHI LOVERS* in Mercado closed a few years ago. read more

Wow, I can't believe I"ve lived in Mt. View for over 10 years and just discovered Hanamaru! Usually, I feel like sushi is a luxury because it is so pricey...and rightly so but I really felt I got a good value tonight with the rolls I ordered! I ordered 4 rolls including the Crazy Horse, Mission Complete, Sunflake flakes, and Paradise. They were beautifully presented on a round platter and made it looks so delicious. The fish was fresh and there was so much of it. My family of 4 was stuffed afterwards. I love that they even have a special if you order online. This included sake! This is my go-to sushi place from now. I can't wait to try the non-sushi options as well! read more

My husband and I just ordered a few sushi rolls from Hanamaru through Door Dash and it was AMAZING!! We ordered after 9:00pm and I wasn't sure what quality we were going to get at this late hour. To our surprise all of the sushi rolls were so FRESH and yummy! We also called to make a change to our order and they were super nice and accommodating. If you have a late night sushi craving or just want delicious sushi, order from these guys! We loved it. read more

Hanamaru is a tasty enough sushi boat joint that's tucked behind Arby's on El Camino and Bernardo by the Safeway shopping center. I went there a while back and was glad to have a decent place with really reasonable prices in my neighborhood. I've heard they changed owners though so I'll have to check it out again. I don't know if I went under the new or old owners. I hope the prices are still reasonable and sushi is still tasty. I'll be back to update! See ya there! read more

This small sushi restaurant is located in the far end of a complex and is easy to miss. I have been here several times, tried several sushi rolls and simply love them! Even my husband, who is not a big fan of sushi likes the rolls here. There is a sushi boat and separate tables as well, so that is good. You will most likely have a wait time if you go during peak hours. Al though I love the sushi rolls here, I despise the service. The waitresses walk around as though nobody even exists inside the restaurant. Every time they walked past our table, I try to establish an eye contact with them, but no, they walk around in their own dream world. So, I had to say "Excuse me" loud enough, so that one of those bemused ladies would hear me and come to our table. And it is also quite surprising how ready, willing and able they are, when you are ready for the check. However, I would still go to this sushi bar only because I love their rolls so much! read more

Hanamaru - Harley Davidson Roll - Japanese Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

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I usually stick to Yuki Sushi when I'm in/around San Jose/Santa Clara. I know that's a big area, but I am/was a devotee. Hanamaru came recommended from a fellow freind/yelper Phoenix R. - and I'm not one to pass up a friend's recommendation. We ordered seaweed salads and a fresh salmon sashimi sampler to start with & were very pleased! The seaweed salads were fresh and tasty, a nice size helping & the sesame seeds in the salad had obviously been toasted. I've never noticed that in other seaweed salads I've had - maybe because the sesame was already soggy. The sashimi was fresh and tasty, with a butter like consistency - the rolls were all very large and well made - the Lion King was indeed delicious! I'm glad I ordered it, and I'm glad I tried Hanamaru. I like that it is in a low key Safeway shopping center. You don't always want to wait forever for a table, especially if the sushi is as good and as cheap as it is at Hanamaru. I'll totally be back here again! read more

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Meh. Had better service and food. Prices are a bit high for what you get. Niji in Mountain View is a better deal, both in the flavor and portion departments. Mind you this was not our first choice; the one we originally wanted to go to was closed for the Holidays. So, I used Yelp for help and Hanamaru came up. It was funny in that they must have a very limited amount of their tired menus. The server asked if we were done with ours so that she could give it to a group that sat down a bit after us! read more

Average sushi joint. I hate their sushi bar. The same dishes keep going around and everything is a minor variation of your basic california roll. The fried stuff (calamari etc) was cold during lunch even though we arrived 5 mins after they opened. Yeah they do have a huge variety of special rolls on their menu, but I like to actually see what the roll looks like before I get it. Service is OK depending on which sushi chef is working. If you look at one of the photos I uploaded you'll see the a chef on the lower left corner of the pic - that dude is super friendly and chats with the customers as they walk in. The other guy in the pic (sometimes hes the only one behind the bar) doesnt seem to give a shit. The waitress (I think theres only one) disappears after you've received your order and you don't see her until its time to pay the bill. Quality wise -everything looks and tastes fresh for the most part - sashmi on my last visit tasted weird. Price wise this place is inexpensive compared to other places. Relative to a crappy sushi place like Ariakes this place is much much better, but falls short when compared to heavy weights like Sushi O Sushi. That being said its a decent place to get a sushi fix on a budget. 3.5 stars read more

Hanamaru - Japanese Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

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In my opinion, the perfect chirashi would contain the following ingredients: *multiple slices of sake, hamachi, saba, hotate, maguro, unagi, amaebi, tamago, white tuna *ikura (salmon roe) *slices of sweeten braised shiitake mushroom *pickled radish or daikon *seaweed salad (optional) This restaurant's chirashi had the following pros and cons, relative to my notion of the perfect chirashi: Pros: The cuts were fresh and rather generous in size. Had maguro, hamachi, sake, some white fish and red snapper i think (but i'm not too big a fan of the red snapper) Cons: The tamago was artificially yellow, no unagi, saba, hotate, pickled anything, white tuna, ikura and it was rather expensive!!! read more

Hanamaru - Chirashi, $16.95 - Japanese Near Me - Sunnyvale, California