Insider Pages Reviews for Haru

5 Stars: Amazing Sushi decent price (by madmaze)

madmaze — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 09:00:00 GMT

First off VERY GOOD service! Waiter very friendly, personal and extremely educated about their menu.
Great food made fresh in minutes. Everything was quite tasty, i recommend the crispy salmon roll. Beautifully presented food.
Inside its perfectly decorated in a very modern style.
Very easy access from the prudential stop on green line.
I highly recommend this restaurant, one of the best in the area which says alot since there are alot of Sushi restaurants in the Prudential/Newbury St. Area.

1 Stars: Horrible everything (by scoozeme)

scoozeme — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 09:00:00 GMT

The service was terrible, they messed up our order and tried to blame it on us, when we talked to the manager they continued to try and blame us. this place is horrible and not worth it. Service stinks and the food is average at best.

5 Stars: Nice ambience and nice food (by sparrowwithabell)

sparrowwithabell — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:00:00 GMT

First of all, I think atmosphere was very nice. My bf and I were sitting by the bar. Waiter was extremely nice. One of drinks I liked to order was not available, the waiter found a half bottle and asked the manager if we can get the drinks by glasses. The sake served there was really good.

As for food, I think the menu is reasonable, it's not a traditional Japanese restaurant, but it has a standard sushi bar. Sashimi were fresh and price was reasonable. My bf is Japanese, he enjoyed it greatly.

I think it's nice place to hang out. I will not specifically visit this place b'cos of the food but for after work or weekend hang-outs and some bites, I think this is a great place.

1 Stars: Staff attitude problem (by csc_greycliff)

csc_greycliff — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT

We went to this restaurant few months ago with our friend. We went there because our friend is a real Japan fanatic. He speaks fluent Japanese and would go to Japan at least once or twice a year. So we thought this restaurant would be a good one for him (and us) to try out. We went there for lunch. After we were serviced to be seated on a table there was an Asian guy (I am not sure if he is still there, but who cares, since I will NOT go there any more!) who just kept talking with another waitress so we waited a little bit but that was fine with us. We got the menu and I found a dish called "Shell Steak" which I wasn't sure about what that is so I asked that Asian guy. He looked at me without any expression on his face (and eyes) and said "just steak..." Then he just looked at me with that expressionless eyes and face. No smile and no more to say of the dish. What a mean waiter! After he left for getting us some water my friend immediately said "This guy is so rude!" When the food came; the Chilean Sea Bass that my wife had was great, the tempura was just typical American deep-fry (there is a big difference between the Japanese tempura and the American deep-fry), and my steak was "just a steak", just like the mean waiter said, nothing special. Other staff of the restaurant were fine but that guy.
Part of a nice things for visiting a Japanese restaurant is the service but this one has near none about it.
They claim they are a modern Japanese restaurant but when the tempura was just typical American deep-fry style and a steak was "just a steak" I started to wonder what so modern about it. It seems to me that the reason they call themselves a "modern Japanese restaurant" may be because they couldn't make authentic Japanese food and provide traditional Japanese restaurant service.

5 Stars: a sushi experience to remember (by melsis64)

melsis64 — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT

I must say with no exaggerate that my meal at Haru was by far the best meal I have every enjoyed. My boyfriend and I live in providence (the land of some of the best restaurants in the north east) and we were both blown away by the amazing cuisine, service, and enjoyable atmosphere. I can't wait to go back! I would highly recommend this hot spot to anyone who enjoys Japanese cuisine.

4 Stars: Great food, nice service, hostess upfront needs and attitude check (by PK2008)

PK2008 — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT

I brought my girlfriend and her sister to Haru cause we were craving sushi and I live down the street. Place is very nice when I first walked in. The hostess barely acknowledged me and she had this look on her face like "I could care less about this job"

Sushi was excellent. I had the dragon roll, philly roll and a few others. We also tried the calamari and it was great so try it. Our server was friendly and since it was my GF's sister's BDAY, I ordered mint ice cream and it was awesome.

All in all it was a good time. Bill for everything came out to 85+ tip. Not bad for 3 people.

5 Stars: Great Sushi Restaurant (by Tasukete)

Tasukete — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT

I came here last week and was pleasantly surprised. The restaurant has a nice feel to it and is well decorated. This was on a Sunday at around 7:30 and not very crowded at all. The food was good- nothing overly amazing, but the menu had all the typical sushi dishes and I was very happy with mine. I'm not sure what the bill turned out to be like but my Chirashi cost $22 which is pretty average I think.

The only thing is that the waiters kept trying to take out food away before we were done. The appetizer was not even halfway finished before they reached for it, I was a little surprised. But other than that very good.

1 Stars: TOTALLY NOT WORTH IT (by kmac6225)

kmac6225 — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT

I was at Haru a week or two ago for dinner. My group and I went on a Thursday without reservations. We walked in and were greeted coldly by a group of hostesses who told us the wait would be about 10 mins, OK. We grabbed drinks at the bar and when we asked to have our check moved to our table the bartender made it seem like we were asking for their first born child. The service at the table was better but only slightly. The food left something to be desired as well. Other than the tar tars, we were rather unimpressed by the a la carte sushi, not to mention our hot and cold dishes came out about 10 minutes apart. All in all I would recommend this place for someone who knows very little about sushi and wants to walk into a very trendy looking restaurant. But if you know your sushi and know what good service is, I'l look elsewhere.

3 Stars: Good Sushi (by sgourmandp)

sgourmandp — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 09:00:00 GMT

The sushi here is good and the location is great. the service was cordial and very helpful and I liked the dining room. Good location for a late lunch.

4 Stars: Great decor (by Benjamin S.)

Benjamin S. — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 09:58:00 GMT

I would say i would recommend this place based on its location at the Prudential Center. That makes it ultra-convenient to eat and/or shop. The food does taste good

Good service

5 Stars: NEW HOT SPOT! BEST DECOR AND ATMOSPHERE I HAVE SEEN IN A WHILE FOR BOSTON! (by christophercarr)

christophercarr — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 09:00:00 GMT

Being a lover of both japanese cuisine and contemporary interior design, this place had it all for me. it might be the best looking modern restaurant i've seen in boston. the dimmed lighting is seductive, complimented by frosted glass, glowing bamboo pannels and dark wood floors and tables. I went on a thursday night, it was full but not crazy. i brought a date which was perfect. we had drinks, delicious apps, and a few specialty rolls. the super dynamite roll was INCREDIBLE. Not to mention Junior Seau and a few other PATRIOTS were just a few tables away from me! This is for sure a new hot spot that i will frequent.

1 Stars: Horrible Service!! (by jennlaneweaver)

jennlaneweaver — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:00:00 GMT

My fiance and I waited to get a table for 30 minutes at the bar, which was expected on a Friday night. When our name was called for seats at the sushi bar, we were told that we must close out our tab with the bartender prior to seating. My fiance went to close the tab as I went to sit down (since they said they wouldn't hold the seats!). After waiting almost 15 minutes, my fiance gave up closing our tab because the bartender (one on a Friday night!) had still not come to help him! As he sat down, he asked if I had ordered a appetizer yet since we were starving....but I had not because I had NOT BEEN HELPED STILL AFTER 15 MIN OF BEING SEATED!! Once we were finally helped, we ordered, but waited close to 40 minutes for our food!! We had a couple seated after us order, eat and LEAVE prior to us getting our food! I was so mad that I asked to talk to a manager and then he only gave us one roll off our bill! Horrible service and I will not be going back!

4 Stars: Great Date (by browniesprinkles)

browniesprinkles — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 09:00:00 GMT

Haru's decor seemed as though it was going to be very expensive but after sitting down and actually looking at the menu, it was pretty much average for a sushi place. My friend and I had three rolls and an appetizer and each a class of wine for 64 dollars, which I thought was a pretty good deal! The sushi was pretty good and they have a very interesting menu. The menu consists of fusion japanese food and I definitey enjoyed the sushi thoroughly. The so called 'fusion' sushi included jalapenos and mango...it was a very interesting twist to sushi and it was delicious! The drinks were normal, they did however have an extensive sake list. The service was great. The wait staff was extremely attentive, not to the point of annoyance but always kept an eye out for us. The manager of the restaurant even came out to see if we were satisfied with our dinner. I definitely enjoyed the food and the decor. It reminded me of many traditional asian restaurants in Asia. However, I do have to complain about the music. The music is sort of hip hop/pop music, which really doesn't match the traditional theme of a Japanese restaurant. Overall, I had a pleasant time at Haru and plan on going there again soon!

5 Stars: Pretty damn good (by chiswick)

chiswick — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 09:00:00 GMT

I went a couple of nights ago and maybe the managers have changed, but I didn't find their presence too attentive at all. They were around just enough to make us feel like we were being taken care of. The server (Dan?) was even better and the food was pretty great. I'm a New Yorker but am in Boston a lot, and think that this Haru is as good as the one I go to at home. The menu's more or less the same, as are prices from what I can tell. I've tried a few other 'hot' Japanese restaurants here and while a couple were amazing, I think Haru is the one for when you don't want to take out a second mortgage for dinner but still get a great experience. I'd definitely recommend it.

3 Stars: SO-SO (by 330xidriver)

330xidriver — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 09:00:00 GMT

As an original New Yorker, I have been a big Haru fan. However, Boston's locale doesn't live up to their reputation. The decor is that of a chain restaurant or hotel lobby. The sushi was good, not great, very fresh but very over priced. There is better to be had in Boston, and located very close might I add. Service was great, our waitress was sweet as pie but, WAY to attentive. As someone who works in the industry at a fine dining establishment...it got the the point of annoyance as a manager passed by our table every 2 minutes, as did the the rest of the service staff. Nevertheless it was nice to be taken care of. Cocktails were good, but generic and contrived...not original at all. All in all, give it a try but there is better for better money in our fair city.