Hanamizuki Japanese Restaurant

Reviews 3

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Arlan Law

Before I begin this review, allow me to provide some background. My family and I have been to 5 states, twice as many cities, and triple the amount on vacations. One of my parents worked in a capacity where he was required to travel the world, many countries and cities, and has had the opportunity to indulge in their respective cultures. To sum this up, we have tried such a large variety of food, both good and bad, and I myself, a culinary fanatic, know how to separate the two. On this day, we were on vacation in Florida and have been here 3 days thus far. We have been on vacation in this state more than 10 times in the past, as it is a popular vacation destination, and have had more than ample time to try the local culinary selections. We decided to have lunch at a sushi locale close to our hotel, and upon arrival we decided it was not what we were looking for (It was a quaint sushi kiosk at a local shopping mall, and I have no opinion on their food as I have not attended to it). Instead, we wanted to find a restaurant where we could all sit down and discuss our vacation over traditional Japanese food that we were so familiar with from previous restaurants we have gone to. We ended up deciding on this place, Hanamizuki, which had many, over 100, positive reviews that placed it at 4 stars or better. Upon entry we were greeted by an unmanned server booth, which we stood at for about a minute before a bubbly college-aged female server greeted us. She directed us to our table and handed out menus before attending to other tables. The menu was comprehensive, the sushi addition was limited, and the wording complex. When the server returned we ordered our drinks, and my parents requested information on menu items, to which she had no information or clue about. A middle-aged female whom I assume to be a manager came to our table to decipher the menu, which we then agreed on what to order, and she left to bring them. Two of three appetizers arrived at our tables promptly, both of which were perfectly fine. We then sat and talked for over 35-40 minutes before our meals and the 3rd appetizer arrived. That is when the shock set in, what was just brought to our table? What was this roll, this roll, this one and that? Where were my rolls, your rolls, or her rolls? The female “manager” returned and pointed out what we ordered. Apparently the roll I ordered was ground cat food, my mother ordered a vinegar roll, my father ordered a both of raw fish and vegetables, and sour, aged, tuna, avocado, and cucumber rolls for the rest. In addition, I ordered what was described on the menu as chicken, scallions, egg, and other assorted vegetable fried rice, which apparently was none of those things but a soupy brown rice, smelly, boiled chicken, splattered egg, box. Again, let me reiterate for people who might contest this review. My family and I have ALL eaten traditional Japanese food in the past: ramen, udon, fried rice, sushi, sukiyaki, tempura, tonkatsu, and the list goes on. THIS FOOD WAS NONE OF THESE THINGS. It was sour, salty, dry, smelly, soaked, and more disgusting adjectives that I could not fill this review with. The reviews on all sites this pseudo-restaurant is posted on are, without any doubt, posted by family members and people paid to write one. The articles and newspapers that exclaim them, placed outside their restaurant door, are from over 2 decades ago. The bottom line: This is not a restaurant, not traditional Japanese food, and not food you would feed to your pets. THIS IS NOT FOOD, THIS IS GARBAGE, DO NOT EAT HERE. I stake my very reputation on anything I write, and I am completely honest when I say this does not even deserve a star for its horrid service and garbage served on a plate.

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Andria Barratt

I go to Hanamizuki regularly. There is no better place in Orlando to get authentic Japanese cuisine. Hanamizuki has amazing ramen (lunch only) and other dishes you wont find in a sushi restaurant: katsu, shabu shabu, sukiyaki, and seasonal dishes. We have a smattering of restaurants in downtown Orlando that purport to be Japanese that are simply masquerading as such. Hanamikzuki is the real deal, the only one I know of in the area. There is no better place for Japanese cuisine. However after visiting yesterday, I must add some words of caution about the service, which has deteriorated noticeably over the last year. I came in just after opening at 5pm with a party of 6. They are, for some reason, closed for lunch until January, so I was unable to call ahead earlier in the day. The restaurant was packed, but neither of the two hostesses I spoke to could estimate a wait time. I asked if I could put my name in for later that night only to be told by the confused hostess (who appeared to be a native English speaker) that she didnt recommend it. I asked if I could call ahead later in the night. No response other than a confused look. I asked, "do you do that here? Do you offer call-ahead seating?" to which she responded, "I dont think so." Okay?? So we came back at 8pm and were told it would be "30 minutes or more" (it took 50 minutes). I did feel bad for the wait staff as there were several huge parties waiting to be seated, groups of a dozen or more people. However, we got one round of food and the other 3 people had to wait 15 additional minutes for theirs. This is not the type of service Ive come to expect at a restaurant that is typically ahead of the curve. One other thing I found out last night: they do not follow the most commonly understood practice of a closing time here. Most restaurants Ive been to will seat parties up until the posted closing time. A sign on the door outside listed holiday hours, specifically the day we were there, December 28, and clearly listed the closing time as 10:30pm. When I inquired about closing time to the hostess, I was told "well be closing at 9:30pm, maybe earlier." This was baffling to me... But sure enough, as soon as 9:30 rolled around, they unplugged the open sign and started turning customers away. If I were a customer coming in at 9:30, expecting the restaurant to be open another hour, I would have been pretty upset. Im not denying that the food is incredible here. I wont stop going to Hanamizuki, most likely. However, this is the last time Ill ever go when the place is this crowded, at least until the hosting staff is better trained.

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Adam Jusino

I have eaten here several times in the past few weeks while traveling on business. The menu is extensive and even a bit intimidating. I am determined to try some of the selections that are prepared table side, but always end up in my comfort zone ordering sushi. On the first trip there, I ordered some sushi to start, then a Japanese Kobe steak (standard $25 per ounce). I was expecting this to be delicious having had Japanese A5 Kobe beef at several places before. The sushi was delicious and fresh. When the steak came out, I knew I was going to be disappointed just by its appearance. What should have been a small, plump 5.5oz medium rare steak was a very thin, stringy piece of meat. I had ordered it with garlic sauce, which seemed to just be minced garlic all over it which completely overwhelmed any flavor the steak may have had. Kobe is supposed to be high fat content, but the marbling is supposed to be even. This was far from it, and almost mimicked a very thinly sliced Delmonico with chunks of fat and string membranes. I figured I had been taken advantage of for having ordered a $130 steak. Charleys in the same plaza offers a large (American) Kobe steak for a little more than half the price, and although I havent eaten it, the look of it makes me confident it would be better tasting than what I had eaten. While I was there, I heard two other tables order the same steak. I thought maybe I was being over critical, or maybe I was snubbing a delicacy, but I didnt stick around to hear their reactions. So - all that and why 4 stars? The sushi was good. The staff was friendly with me, and the iced oolong tea is delicious. I keep going back because the sushi is good.