Hakashi Sushi Bar & Grill

I keep coming here for Chef Julio because he offers up a great omakase experience for $160 and I don't have to travel all the way to SF for it!

- T R U S T T H E C H E F / o m a k a s e -
21 items including the soup, appetizer and desserts for $160
This was from what I could hear from the chef that evening:
1. King oyster mushroom, fried
2. Manila clam soup with fish
3. Shima aji Spanish mackerel
4. Barracuda Hamasu
5. Gizzard shad Kohada
6. Scallop with herb aioli and shishito peppers
7. Butter fish Ebodai
8. Yellowtail Belly Hamachi Toro
9. Bone marrow with Uni
10. Albacore Belly
11. Nama Hotate Scallop
12. Australian Wagyu
13. Kuromatsu
14. Kinmedai Golden Eye Snapper
15. Snapper
16. Umimasu ocean trout
17. Akamatsu - black throat seaperch
18. Octopus
19. Baby crab
20. Wagyu
21. Ice cream

One of my favorite items from here has to be the clam filled with fish and rice crackers. Or the shigoku oyster with quail egg and uni. The bone marrow and pork belly are also so rich and flavorful. Some of these weren't included during our second time here, but they were during our first! This place has a great variety of hot and cold items served in between each sushi piece and I always leave super satisfied. There are so many different textures at play and complex flavors that all work so well together. I always have a great time here with the chefs, and the owners are also very sweet and friendly, which is why I keep coming back.

- D R I N K S -
My favorite sake is the Dassai 23. Dassai 45 is a pretty good deal and if you prefer something sweeter, go for the nigori one. The Joto sake with the clocks is also a favorite that we always get. Make sure to pour some for the chef as well!

Mezcal highball was refreshing and pretty tasty. The
Passion fruit margarita was strong and flavorful, also quite tart. Cocktails were overall pretty great.

- P A R K I N G -
There's a parking lot behind the restaurant. As well as plenty of street parking that you pay for up until 8pm basically everyday

Overall, love this place and love Hakashi in SF too, but this is much closer.

Call for a reservation ahead of time and sit at the bar. Also check when Chef Julio is working because you'll be guaranteed a good time and won't be disappointed. The kitchen and wait staff are all very friendly and nice, and love to have a great time. This is by far one of my favorite spots to go because not only is the food impeccable, the experience itself is one I continuously talk about with my friends and family.

Checked out Hakashi for the first time. The staff are friendly and the order came out quick.

We got a Chirashi entree, Hakashi Roll, Rainbow Roll, and an Arizona roll. The Chirashi is one of the best in the Bay Area, great quality of fish and the right amount of sushi rice. All the rolls are great as well.

So why one star off? We also ordered the Mixed tempura (shrimp and veggies) but it is the blandest tempura we have were tried. I think they forgot to salt/season this dish, because even when dipped in the included soy sauce it was still bland. Hopefully, this was just an anomaly.

I believe this is a relatively new spot in WC and we love trying new sushi spots. The service when we went was lacking and not very smooth. Aside from our server, we had 3 different people approach our table asking if we'd been helped leaving us with an impression that operations are a bit disorganized. Our server was new and still learning the menu, but whenever I mentioned an item he asked which one and had me point to it on the menu so he could write it down. Seems odd that you would put a server on the floor that isn't familiar with the menu.

The food was tasty overall but some items we ordered were better than others. The chawanmushi I was so excited for it but was downright bland. We ordered 3 apps, 2 rolls, and a few nigiri. Our rolls came before our appetizers which was unexpected. Then our 3rd app (some oyster shooters) hadn't arrived by the time we finished our other food so we asked to cancel it. We asked for the salmon belly but just got regular salmon, thankfully they didn't charge us for the price of toro, but these are details that affect our overall experience. Our bill was on the pricier end for dinner for 2.

Finally, one of the main reasons our dinner was not the most enjoyable was due to the noise level. There were some rowdier groups at the bar hooting and hollering and downing sake bombs. I'm glad they were having a great time! But boy they really need to find a way to tamp down the noise levels whether it's some wall panels or something because it was practically deafening at times making it difficult for dinner conversation. I'm not sure I'd go back anytime soon.

Just had a wonderful experience at this restaurant. Super fresh fish with the perfect proportion of rice in the nigiri, delicious maki rolls and a perfect balance of sweetness in the matcha sundae dessert. I'll definitely be back to try the omakase! Ambiance and service were great.

Our new favorite sushi restaurant in the area (tied with Toyosu, which is a little pricier), Hakashi has amazing rolls and fast, friendly service. The ambiance is nothing to write home about but we are here for the fresh fish! Will be back soon!

Well, he did it again. After launching and subsequently building a destination sushi experience in San Francisco, Chef Julio and his team have brought their talents to the East Bay.

I hope all the other sushi restaurants in the area have plenty of capital socked away because you're going to need to change your business model. Think about opening a burger joint because nothing in the area can even touch the quality of the product Julio and his team are sourcing at Hakashi. You won't find imitation anything on the menu. You want a California roll? That's coming with real crab, not imitation, and definitely not the "red" crab nonsense that every other place tries to sell you as real crab. The sushi game here is so above and beyond anything Walnut Creek has ever seen. My advice is to get in as soon as possible because it's only a matter of time before Hakashi takes over the town and the waitlist for reservations are no longer measured in hours but weeks.

(Mic drop)

Service 9/10
Food 10/10
Environment 9/10


Hakashi Sushi Bar & Grill offers an outstanding dining experience. Despite the busy atmosphere, the service was excellent. Our server, Han, was exceptional--knowledgeable, friendly, and adept at making great recommendations.

The food was superb, with fresh, delightful flavors. The chef's meticulous preparation of the sushi rolls was evident, and we enjoyed nearly all of them without a single complaint. The intimate setting is ideal for a party of four, and bar seating is available for those who prefer a more casual dining experience.

Hakashi is renowned for its imported Japanese fish and exquisite cocktails. I highly recommend this restaurant for anyone looking to enjoy fresh sushi paired with fantastic spirits.

Soooo fire. Hakashi is one of our newest go-to date night spots. Downtown continues to surprise us with the quality Asian food.

Though it's been packed every time we come here, we've never experienced a wait longer than 5 mins. The staff are highly attentive and approachable. Some favorites:
- ERINGI NO TEMPURA (the sauce is fire)
- HAKASHI ROLL (the most perfectly balanced roll)
- CHAWAMUSHI (soooo silky and flavorful)

The one thing I wish was that sound would absorb better somehow. Talking and laughing echoes all over the restaurant, prompting everyone to kinda yell to hear each other across the table. AND, it's always packed at dinner, so you can imagine the noise. God forbid a large group is seated near you-- then you'll really be straining to hear anything. Once we had the misfortune of coming in during a large company party (like 20+ people) and it was just 2 hours of screaming and laughing and thunderous clapping bouncing off the walls. At that point, they might as well shut down the restaurant for a private party...

I went four times in a week. Ha! I love this place so much. I'll be coming back soon!

It was great to find this new sushi restaurant in downtown Walnut Creek! We tried their Hakashi roll, rainbow roll and lobster tempura.

Lobster tempura - this one was a surprise. The lobster was very juicy inside and crunchy outside. It was decorated with some enoki mushroom tempura. But it paired well together. I enjoyed this dish despite the portion was very small.

Rainbow roll - fish are fresh and appreciated that rice was well seasoned too. So it is a good safe choice.

Hakashi roll - I wish the dressing (spicy mayo and unagi sauce) could be less. It was a little overpowering.