Putting this is the 5-star reviews so it gets seen. Feeling a little off since I left this place just a few minutes ago, my boyfriend and I come here every so often as a last resort for sushi cravings and sometimes it's okay, but other times it's awful. Like tonight for example, we get in, sit at the bar, it's a little busy but not overwhelming. Our waitress was nice and attentive, even though we waited for a long time for our food it was okay. Once we finally got our food over half the meal was burnt which is funny considering we mostly have raw fish, how do you possibly burn something you cook everyday for loads of people, see that it is burnt and still send it out? No idea. The older Japanese woman who, hosts, waitresses and cooks is mostly rude and we have never had a good time dealing with her, but she is also a terrible cook. Anyway, the fish was old and had a gamey texture and smelled a little off, now I am at home feeling like vomiting, so if I get really sick, these will not be the last words from me. NEVER EATING HERE AGAIN. read more

Great service and great sushi! This is the best sushi place in Auburn! Waiters are all very nice, very accommodating! I love the Old Auburn Roll! read more

Im disappointed to say that Hanami has gone through some sort of change in the last year and the quality of food and service has suffered. The food is safe, from a consumption standpoint, but no longer the stellar sushi that I remember. As a local, Hanami was my favorite spot. I decided after our last trip to switch to Ninja sushi which has had a change as well, in the positive direction. The service at Hanami is much slower than it use to be and the food is just average. The portions of masago/tobiko are minimal and I just left disappointed. Kind of a bummer. The atmosphere and location are pretty awesome though. read more

The place was packed! The sushi was delicious and the waitress was wonderful! The atmosphere was authentic and it was awesome watching them make the sushi! read more

We were passing by on our way to tahoe, and it was definitely a highlight of the trip. There was indeed a weird smell after walking in, but we got used to it fairly quickly and becomes unnoticeable. We were a large party, and were seating upstairs - both were potential reasons why service was a bit slow, but it allowed time for conversation. We ordered sashimi, bento boxes, and rolls - the sashimi was fairly good, the saba portion for the bento boxes were very skimpy, but the rolls - supercali and JJ - were extremely good!!! Would definitely go there again. read more

Food was good tonight , but the service was poor, in attentive. There were 4 of us and my wife's meal came out after the rest of us were almost done.....we made the best of the evening, but I won't go back for awhile read more

I was with a group of friends passing by Auburn on my way back to Sacramento from Reno. We all had a serious sushi craving. This place satisfied it. My server was very accommodating and the fish tasted very fresh (which is my strongest consideration in choosing/suggesting a sushi place). I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone in the area! read more

We are were heading back home from a weekend in the snow. We found Hanami Sushi on Yelp and decided to try it out. When we sat down, a sign said, "All special rolls come with sauces on top". That should've been our sign to run. The rolls came out saturated with overpowering sauces that drowned the taste of the rolls. Well made sushi is an art, and Hanami Sushi is definitely not for those who appreciate perfectly crafted sushi. The most egregious issues with Hanami Sushi that our group had were: - The rice, especially the sushi rice was pebble-like in texture and tasted slightly raw. Making great sushi starts with making great rice. - The spicy Hamachi tasted terrible and was stringy. We even told the waitress something was not right with the Hamachi. She did not say or do anything to address our issue. - When we were ordering, we asked the waitress if there was anything in particular she would recommend. Of the entire menu, the only thing she suggested was edemame. Really??? Either she is completely naive about the menu or she realizes everything tastes pretty terrible. - Homemade powdered miso soup tastes better than the one we were served. - The service was horrendous. I was never asked for a refill on my green tea, we were never brought out serving plates, the time for the first part of our food (edemame & miso soup) took 15 minutes, and the waitress was slow (both in promptness and brains). - Too much sauce!!!! I would never go back. Definitely not recommended for those who appreciate quality food & service. It's offensive how bad it is. read more

Love this place. Get the golden gate roll! Whenever I'm in town I have to stop to get some rolls. Prices are good compared to other places in town. read more

My visit to Hanami Sushi didn't start off well. Reason being; the hours posted on goggle DO NOT match the hours posted on the door. They have their hours listed on Google from 11:00 to 2:30 & from 4:30 to 9:00. What is posted on the door reads 3:00 to 8:00. I arrived around 12:00 and very hungry. Now at this point most people would go some where else to eat. Not me, I was craving sushi and I was NOT about to go back to the place on Hwy 49 & Dry Creek (that place is nasty). So I drove around and explored Auburn. . Once inside the place seemed cluttered with "stuff". My first order was maguro, ebi and sake. It was real good, however the wasabi is week. My second order was a deep fried spicy tuna roll and a crunch roll. . The crunch roll was presented to me first. My first two servings fell apart on me. The rest was pretty good. . Now the deep fried spicy tuna run. It was spicy, it was covered in Sriracha sauce. The roll itself was kind of dry. All in all the roll wasn't bad at all. . My next roll was a Tempura roll. It was VERY good. . My last order was a Spicy Tuna hand roll. The outer wrapping was very good. You can hear it tear apart when you bit in to it. It was awesome.. . All in all my experience here at Hanami Sushi was VERY GOOD. The staff was" Johnnie on the spot" when it came to replenishing my glass of water and to see if there was anything else they could get me. . Must say I will definitely be back. They are much deserving of my business. . Good job Hanami Sushi!!!!! read more

I don't understand why this has such a low rating. I came from Marin and San Francisco and was pleased and surprised to find this little restaurant. The food is excellent, the service friendly and great prices! I will keep coming back even though it is a half hour drive from my home. We love this place and will be coming back over and over again. The best cucumber salad ever! Lilli read more

My favorite sushi restaurant. My wife and I came here on our first date so it has kind of turned into "our place". Every time we go, we receive great customer service. All of the staff is so friendly. Even when its busy, they always make a point to check up on us. We usually get the salmon skin roll and the lemon crush. Both are fantastic. The lemon crush roll always tastes so fresh and crisp. The manager (at least I think she is) is always so sweet to us and makes sure to say hello. I always leave here happy. read more

Nice place very cozy, so far my experience was overall good!

I love Hanami. They know us there, and they're super friendly. They have lots of good rolls to choose from, plus great non-sushi options. I've never had sashimi or nigiri there, so I don't know how those are, but their rolls are great, and they have a lot of simple non-mayonnaise-y rolls, and plenty of rolls smothered in delicious sauces. The baked scallop roll, old auburn roll, and new auburn roll are favorites with my group read more

Hanami used to be a 5 star meal but today's dinner left me bereft. My negihama roll was not as sumptuous and tasty as usual. Also we were charged for a refill on our ice tea. (Rather than being charged for 2 iced teas, we were charged for 3 since my husband asked for a refill. Seriously??!) The most awkward part of our dinner was our waitress--she was obviously new to her job, but it was hard to excuse her rude behavior and general ineptness. She seemed to think that because she was new to her job, she could be rudely condescending to the Japanese names of the food & the fact that she hadn't learned the menu at her new job. Also, in her haste to clear the table, she chose to take the plate that I was still using--even when I tried to stop her, leaving with no plate to use to finish my tempura. (The restaurant was not full and there were empty tables) We left uncomfortable with our dinner experience. Is this what has become of what used to be a favorite lunch/dinner destination? How sad..... read more

Love this place, probably one of my all time favorite sushi restaurants. It's a little crowded but the rolls always good. They are not afraid to make it spicy! read more

This restaurant was a pleasant surprise for our party of ten. We had just played golf at the Ridge and were looking for a Japanese restaurant close to the golf course. Some of us Yelped it and decided to give it a try. All ten of us went there without reservations on a Sunday afternoon just as they were opening and they graciously welcomed us and seated us upstairs. Most of us ordered the 3 piece combo dinners of varying items and all of us were very happy with the quality, quantity and presentation of our dinners!! The attention we received from the service staff could not have been better. Just as a side note, this group is composed of some very picky old men who are usually very critical when it comes to food. Especially Japanese restaurants. The consensus was that this restaurant was very Good!! read more

Everything was delicious, service was great, the only problem was the bill was incorrect, we were charged for some things we did not order. They were promptly taken off the bill. So no problem. read more

Great food! I've been trying to look for a good sushi place near me and this place was excellent! I really liked the seaweed salad too.

I'm not really a sushi type of guy but this place was delicious. Huge menu lots of items even for my types. My only compliant is the restaurant does get warm on hot days, so avoid in hot weather. Other than that fantastic place. read more

I have been coming to this place for years now, the service is mildly slow but its to be expected at and establishment like this, the appetizers arrive promptly and there are always waitresses ready to assist you. I have yet to be disappointed by this Restaurant. I recommend the JJ roll and the U.F.O. Appetizer! read more

Great sushi. Great service. Great location. The Sushi Regular was plentiful and super fresh! The cozy ambiance made the experience even better and the wait staff was courteous and super quick! read more

This place closes at 2:30 P.M to prepare for dinner service, which starts at 4:30 P.M. My girlfriend and I went in yesterday at around 2:00 P.M and were given a rude greeting, with the manageress coming to our table and saying "We close at 2:30, so next time get here earlier." That's already a bad start. She hands us our menus and leaves. One minute later she comes back, no water or anything, and asks if we're ready to order. We were not, so we said no. She then impatiently and sarcastically responds "Take your time, take your time!" Her vile attitude put us off so much that we got up and left then and there. I don't think we came in at a particularly bad time; 30 minutes is ample for the kitchen to make us our food before closing. The manageress had no conceivable reason to treat us like that. It's a shame really because I used to enjoy going to this restaurant frequently, and now I'll never set foot in there again. The manageress should learn a thing or two about customer care before attempting to run a restaurant. read more

This place is an average Sushi joint, the service is not great, and if there're busy be prepared to wait a while for your food because the staff can't seem to work the room in a manner that keeps everybody happy and content, it's too bad because they used to be more personable and the food seemed to be more appealing. read more

We've tried this place several times, and I'm disappointed to say that although the food quality is good, the service is terrible. It took forever for the server to take our orders, hardly ever checked back with us, I feel like I'm squished into the place, and it took forever to get our check. Not my preference. read more

Our party of 5 got there around 530 this last Friday and good thing because its a very small place. It got crowded very quickly. We had their (edamame, jalapeno apptz, fried tofu, salmon sashimi-the best and freshest-SUPER GOOD, old & new auburn roll-very delicious, tempura-yummy, Chirashi Bowl-Superb, and Hamachi Jaw plate-super good). We wanted to order their green mussels, but Christina warned us that it would take approximately 15min to cook only after the chef was done completing other orders, so we didn't bother. Our server, Christina was super nice and very accommodating. With a party of 5 or more, get there early. We would definitely come back and try their different roles. Their sashimi is fresh, excellent, and delicious to try. read more

I love sushi. This sushi restaurant is pretty good. I go here about once monthly. I really enjoy the Popper and the lunch menu. The prices are more than other options around, but the food is better also. The service is fast and having sushi for lunch is completely do-able without being rushed to eat. The restaurant is small, so I enjoy sitting outside when possible. Writing this review made me hungry, I think I'm going to order sushi for lunch today. The pros: Good food The cons: A bit expensive read more

Hanami has some of the best sushi around. My favorites are 1) Hanami Special (I love soft shell crab). 2) Rainbow Roll, they do an awesome Rainbow roll and this is my favorite when you want lots of fresh fish. 3) Philly Roll, I also love cream cheese so this is a must for me. If you're looking for a very flavorful roll with lots of tasty ingredients you should try the OMG roll (my daughters favorite). read more

It was my privilege to visit Auburn shortly after Hanami's Grand Opening in January, 2007. I stumbled upon the restaurant without suspecting the treasures waiting inside, and I will never forget the wonderful evening I had. I have since moved to Auburn, and dine at Hanami Sushi every chance I get. From the moment I walk in the door, I am enveloped in a brocade of attentive service and lovely atmosphere. Soon after ordering, authentic, delicious and well-portioned food is presented beautifully, and the service is always very friendly, personal and prompt. The staff is genuinely happy to see my young daughters when we visit, and my family and I always leave Hanami with smiles on our faces. Since I posted this review months ago, Hanami's staff has changed. If they found a better manager I would promote the fifth star. read more

It's beautiful. they have seatings outside by the fire place now. I was there last week with my dog, it was really nice to eat outside with my dog. Service was great as always, and food as well. Try Hanami speciall roll, my favorite! read more

Absolutely love!!! Wide variety of rolls, I have yet to try one I didn't like! So fresh and full of flavor! We always sit at the bar and the chefs and staff are so friendly and fun! Never disappointed with our experience! read more

Quaintness, Quality and Quantity this little sushi place in the downtown Auburn has it all. It can get busy but absolutely worth it. I've never had a sushi roll so big that was also made with care and quality. Service was fast and friendly. Highly recommend this place. read more

Used to be one of my favorite sushi places but not anymore. Service and food has gone downhill. One of the sushi rolls was really bad (almost had a chemical taste) and we very nicely advised the waitress that something was not right with that roll and we could not eat it. She did not offer to exchange it for a different roll and did not take it off our bill. I will not be back. read more

Not bad. Had the Crazy Salmon Roll based on other reviews. Something different from my usual Spicy Tuna or Dynamite Roll and others. My only comment might be the price. $15.00 out the door for the roll to me was a little high for what I ate. But consider we are in the middle of gold country. Will go back and try other stuff. read more

Best sushi spot in Auburn! Come here every time I am in town. Can't miss the "Old Auburn Roll".

Went on a Saturday eve and wasn't crowded. Kind of a small place. The young servers were walking around with their heads in the clouds. They forgot to order our apps, brought un opened beer bottles, no cups for saki, brought someone else's roll to our table and in the course of 1 hr had 3 different servers with no explanation. The food messed my stomach up, too, and that is very rare for me! Won't be going back. read more

We have been several times and each time we love it!! We tried the Dragon ball yesterday So good!!

Awesome sushi, although I have heard stories about my friends seeing roaches in there....GROSS!! I didn't personally see any, but there were flys in there. It smelled funny inside and the service was horrible. I was on my 1 hour lunch and was waiting there for one roll for 35 minutes! They were not even busy AT ALL! The guy making the sushi was just goofing off and talking to other co-workers when he should have been making peoples' orders. Overall, I did not enjoy my experience and will not be returning. read more

This place is awesome!!! We live on the central coast and are originally from the auburn area. We have yet to find a sushi restaurant that tops this one. Even in Morro bay which is a fresh fish haven. Anytime we are in town we make sure to find time to go here! I would recommend this place to anyone who is a sushi lover! read more

I should start off by saying that this is a Japanese restaurant in Auburn. That should already have tipped me off that it was not going to be the picture of excellence in Japanese cuisine. But regardless, it was below par. To start, the futo-maki was just horrible. Secondly, everyone else's bentos (different forms of chicken teriyaki, California rolls, and salmon teriyaki) were big but was the fast food equivalent of "Japanese" food. The Sex on the Beach roll I ordered had mayonnaise in it and it didn't indicate that anywhere on the menu, and when I explained that I can't eat mayo the server offered up the explanation that there isn't enough space on the menu to show all the ingredients (maybe because the menu is about 12 pages long - which is scary enough in and of itself). She took the plate away and said we would still have to pay for it. Bad. Sorry I feel bad rating any place this low but it was just really unpleasant. read more