(Dined/Drank 06/12/26 FR @ 8:00pm): This sake and sushi place wasn't too "far away" from my…read morehometown's stomping grounds!
A dear friend and I caught up for her belated birthday at Haruka Sake And Sushi, which was once the home of one of our favorite sushi restaurants years ago in Inchiban. Neither of us could recall how long it's been since Ichiban left, but we were amazed that neither of us have tried this replacement since it opened sometime around the pandemic. We both loved to support local businesses in our old neighborhood, so we were excited to see what the new restaurant did to the place. Was it a blissful evening filled with sake, sushi, and stories, or was this place a bit far off from what we happily remembered it to be!?
PURCHASE(S)
Sapporo Breweries Sapporo Premium Beer 4.9% ABV 22floz Bottle ($9.00 x2): Rich amber color, malty sweet aroma, low body, light malty sweet flavor, clean smooth finish, and light malty sweet aftertaste. Always a favor with sushi!
Deep Fried Shishito Peppers ($9.50): Butter sautéed shishito peppers with ponzu sauce, these slightly spicy tasty treats were fun to nibble on between sushi rolls!
Sesame Chicken Karaage ($12.50): A bountiful amount of deep-fried sesame seasoned chicken pieces, this was a meal itself as I had to stop myself from feasting on these hot tender crispy nuggets!
Garlic Albacore Fresh Cut Roll 8pc ($18.95): Albacore on top of a spicy tuna roll, accompanied by refreshing cucumber and topped with crispy onion and garlic served with a savory garlic ponzu sauce, this was an aromatic delight with plump succulent pieces of fish that melted in your mouth!
Lion King Baked Cut Roll 8pc ($18.95): Baked spicy tuna on top of salmon wrapped California roll topped with smelt eggs, green onions, and unagi sauce, each flavorful packed piece was the size of shumai that almost made me snore than roar due to an onset of food coma!
Hot Night Tempura Cut Roll 8pc ($17.95): Jalapeño, spicy tuna, sriracha on top of shrimp tempura roll, mild spicy crunch and spicy mayo on top, a beautifully-presented roll with warming spices from start to finish, I was fanning down a bit.
Salmon Crazy Tempura Cut Roll 8pc ($17.95): Spicy chopped salmon on top of shrimp tempura roll, topped with spicy mayo and green onions, another beautifully-presented roll this time with buttery salmon and a light sweet tempura casing.
SERVICE
Warmly greeted by a young hostess, she asked if the bar was fine (which it was) and led us there where we were then met by a friendly gentleman who gave us menus and glasses of water. After a few annoyed attempts by our female server to take our order (we weren't ready), we finally got our shit together and threw it down! Within minutes, everything arrived like an assembly line with minimal space to put it all... but we managed. With plenty of leftovers, they kindly packed everything up, we paid, and off we went into the night - arigato!
PARKING
(FREE): They shared parking within a smallish strip mall that featured a handful of other businesses such as Handel's Homemade Ice Cream, Rice & Nori, Kobeissi Properties, and more. Otherwise, there were spots along the main drags of Foothill Blvd. and Oakwood Ave. - 'nuff said.
ATMOSPHERE, DÉCOR, AMBIENCE
A clean modern open spacious layout with plenty of barstool, booth, and table seating, and a quieter small back dining room. The bar counter gave access to the chefs as you watched them prepare each creation. No promotional items at all, while the decor was minimalistic Japanese. A decent amount of natural lighting entered through the front doors and windows while an assortment of electric ceiling lights filled in the rest. There were no TVs while faint music played in the background.
ATTIRE
Totally casual, so I would normally be in a t-shirt, boardshorts, and flip-flops.
OVERALL
Haruka Sake And Sushi was a wonderful replacement for our beloved Ichiban, and we will definitely return! The food was fresh and tasted wonderful, the portions rocked, the menu was vast with plenty of options, the prices were comparable, and the service was outstanding (sorry for making the server wait for us). And, I preferred to support small mom & pop businesses (they had three total locations). I found complete value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (TOTAL paid experience was around $126.00 BEFORE any discounts, points usage, and/or tip). And, they accepted my credit card of choice... AMEX! 5.0 STARS