Hapa Izakaya – Yaletown

The service is excellent.
Food are fantastic.
Always the best choice in dt

I have been here a few times over the past few months and I am finally getting around to writing a review. There isn’t anything particularly special or different when comparing Yaletown and Robson’s locations however, I am inclined to write about a great experience I’ve had with my server, Nina, on two separate visits.
The first time I came out, I was sat on the patio with a few friends just after happy hour to have a few drinks. Drinks turned to dinner and throughout the entire evening, Nina went out of her way to answer every little annoying question we had about the menu in a courteous and friendly manner. Even though she admitted she was newer to the location she was very thorough in ensuring we all had a great night.
More recently, I came out with a group of work friends halfway through their meals. The servers were immediately on the ball in ensure that my order was pushed through quickly to better sync up with the rest of the table. My choice of drink was poked fun at by a few staff but in that deserved way when a guy orders the girliest drink on the menu.
Keep it up, Hapa, your staff will keep me coming back!
Drinks and food are both on point here as well. I was simply just more impressed with the team.

Great place, Love the food, Amazing people

Hapa Yaletown is an awesome little spot, great patio, and we were totally impressed with the selection, price and service. The Spicy Pork Ishi-​Yaki and the Renkon Gyoza Tempura were delicious and the prices are crazy good! «Happy Hour» was on point with Draft Beers for $ 4 Wine for $ 5 and Margaritas for $ 6 and the appies ranged from $ 3-​$ 6.50.

We came here on a Saturday night for dinner and the place was happenin’. It was after 9PM, and nearly every table was packed, including the bar. Fortunately, we were able to get a table by the open kitchen where we could smell and see all the yummy food being cooked.
The crowd/​scene seemed much fancier than where I’m used to hangin’. Most of the women were in dresses and heels, including the servers, and the men were in collar shirts and blazers. I felt underdressed being in a zipped hoodie and leggings, but at least I didn’t get that vibe from the attitude of the servers. They were all really friendly and helpful.
Since the place is known for its small plates/​tapas we asked our server for recommendations. She insisted that we try the Tuna Avocado Salsa Dip, as it was her favorite item. We also ordered a deluxe sashimi plate, which came with fives sashimis and the Spicy Pork Ishi-​Yaki, which was a rice dish that came in a hot stone bowl with minced pork, spicy miso and egg. I tried the Tokyo Iced Tea, which I didn’t find at all alcoholic. It was refreshing and light yet could not taste any alcohol, so felt it was a waste of money. The Tuna Avocado Salsa Dip was really good, as our server recommended. When they bring the dish out, a server actually will compile the chopped pieces of albacore tuna, an entire avocado and tomatoes and onions and make the salsa right in front of you. It was nice since we would’ve never known that they use an entire avocado! And the plantain chips that came with were complementary for the dip, as they weren’t salty or overpowering like corn chips. The fresh albacore and avocado was awesome. The dishes came out as they were ready, and the second dish was our Spicy Pork Ishi-​Yaki, that they again compile up for you, kind of like fried rice. They mix the rice, spicy miso, tomato, minced pork and the fried egg right in front of you and smear it on the sides of the hot stone bowl, to help it cook more. The server also warns you to wait at least five minutes until digging in, as the food will continue to cook in the bowl. And you can see this happening, too. It was a good dish, that filled up on the heartier side of our dinner. Although it was tasty, especially with the fried egg, I wish it had been much spicier as the name says. Our last dish, the deluxe sashimi included three pieces of sockeye salmon, albacore tuna, red tuna, yellowtail and five pieces of scallops. It was a solid dish, but did not care for the scallop addition. They weren’t whole scallops, but chopped pieces of it.
Overall it was a fun place for dinner with a menu worth checking out. They have many different kinds of plates/​dishes that I’d love to try for next time.

just say no, Don’t risk your time or money here specially if you are looking to entertain dates, celebrate occasions or feed business clients. I used to choose this location quite often and was a fan who recommended this restaurant when ever I could. Our group’s experience was legendarily bad with a specially horrible ending.
— The Staff but specially the Manager are unfriendly, rude and inattentive
— Food, drinks, Water and even cutlery were late and staff needed to be reminded 3 times to bring Forks and knives.
— In the light of our negative experience we opted not to tip and settled the bill at the bar. Moments later the manager rushed to our table and very loudly declared that «We were short of money» in front of our guests who were shocked by the accusation that we were dining and dashing.
I can only hope that you will spend your money on one of the other fine restaurants in the neighborhood who work hard to value customers and dining experience.

One of the few places that have good Happy Hour that includes food. HH is only from 5−6pm though but they’ve got good selection and there’s usually no line-​up. I come to this location because I’m too lazy to walk further. I’ve tried everything on their HH menu. Ebi Mayo is the best; tasty, fresh tasting, nice firm texture but not rubbery– seafood makes me itch but their ebi mayo is itch-​worthy. Their Negitoro is my 2^nd fave and is served with mashed tuna belly as a spread with a few slices of toasted garlic bread on the side to spread it on. They used to have the mushroom hot rice bowl as part of the HH selection but not anymore– now its just on their regular menu. The rest are OK and not memorable. My least favorites are the Renkon gyoza tempura and their Hapa hot wings, which are not hot, bland, and have too much batter.
No highchairs for toddlers. Obviously aiming for a more trendy, adult crowd. Only opened for dinner. Regular menu food is a hit and a miss and not consistent (e.g. sometimes their pork belly lettuce wrap is done alright, sometimes the pork is way too burnt). I usually just go for HH or for the atmosphere when I go out with friends.

I’m a big fan of this restaurant! I have tried a bunch on their menu but my personal favourites are the lobster tempura roll, hamachi sushi, spicy pork ishi-​yaki and the pork belly lettuce wraps. I love how balanced and flavourful they all are! Oh and not to mention, they make the best cocktails too!

I’ve been here a few times for both dinner and Hapa Hour. The food is always good. My favourites are the tuna avocado salad with plantain chips and the ishi yaki. The only reason why I give this place 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the service. The servers always act like they are too good for their job and are a bit snotty. Ladies: Please be welcoming, friendly, and appreciative of your customers! You will get rewarded with good tips! It doesn’t matter how big your boobs are — if you are a brat, nobody will enjoy your company or your service.

Great place and ambience! Servers are quick and friendly. Definitely worth a try. I ordered the avocado roll since I am a vegetarian. It was great!

I love their Hapa Hour it is super cheap and sooo good — it’s the best one out of all their locations! It is conveniently located in Yaletown which is a bonus for me since I live in that area. My favorite food to order is their ebi mayo and hot wings!

All I can say is, I’d rather go to Guu.
Overpriced for mediocre tapas.

Solid 3.5 stars overall.
4 stars for the amount of ridiculous eye candy but also backed by solid customer service & attitude. Unlike some places where they give attitude if you don’t order enough booze, 2 of us did out of 5.
Anyways, tried the Taste of Yaletown (my 3^rd and last one lol) and for $ 25, it’s insane value. Recommend the duck breast salad with red beets, the ravioli with an amazing cream sauce but stay away from the meat roll, didn’t do it for me. Did share the saba which was much better, the latter two aburi-​style where the server blowtorched right at the table. To be fair, I think there’s a bit more art to it from what other owners have mentioned but I digress, this photo shot more than worth than the taste lol.
Compared to the other locations, other than the patio, the layout isn’t as spacious. Though the few booths in the back on the right look cool.
Amex yay.

Went alone Friday nite. No hostess at the door. I walked in and was seated at the bar. Next to a drinker and a slob. It was noisy. Then, I was really annoyed by the bad service. Three strike. So, I walked out and bought a carvery dinner at Urban Fare. Turned out to be very nice.
Hapa Izakaya is not the right place for me.

We went to this restaurant for the first time last night. It was my birthday and we wanted a little ambiance. The seating situation was confusing because there was no hosting station. We had to stand their and look confused to get the attention of the staff.
We were eventually seated outside by a table that was soon populated by six obnoxious guys. A couple of them were visibly drunk and needed to be cut off. They were yelling and shouting inappropriate things. All of the patrons outside were clearly annoyed by them. A few tables moved inside. The guys at this table were even friends with the bartender. He came to he table multiple times to talk to them but did not tell them to quiet down.
My husband has worked as a waiter and even managed a less formal restaurant. A restaurant has a responsibility to ensure a pleasant atmosphere for their patrons. If not the server, but the manager had the responsibility to make the situation right. We spent what was for us a meaningful amount on the dinner and did not enjoy it at all. We were uncomfortable the whole time. The staff even seemed annoyed at these guys but no one said anything. They aplogized for them at the end of the meal but that was when the guys had left and we were done eating.
Overall worst dining experience ever.

I’ve been to Hapa Izakaya in Kitsilano a while ago which gave me a really great dining experience. So, for our foodies’ night, I wanted to try their Yaletown location so that my friends and I ended up here to try their Hapa Hour (aka Hapa’s Happy Hour) and dinner after.
My friends were all late, so I ordered some beer and Negitoro ($ 4.5) while waiting. The chopped Albacore toro was very tasty which was mixed with some sweet spicy sauce and topped with sprouts. It came with garlic bread but I didn’t like it that much.
They still didn’t come. So I ordered a Dynamite Roll ($ 3.75). It was way smaller than the regular ones but it was alright as I needed some snacks while drinking. However, the quality and taste-​wise, I didn’t enjoy that much. It was very plain.
After we realized their hapa hour items are not even enough for one person, we started ordering their regular dinner items. We started off with Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps ($ 9.49) which consisted of crispy pork belly, apple yuzu jam, pickled red onions, and green leaf lettuce. We were very disappointed. There were only 6? tiny pieces of pork belly. I’d rather go for Korean BBQ if I expected something like this. It was a huge fail!
We also got a Scallop Tartare ($ 8.99) — Chopped scallops mixed with housemade bacon, karashi mustard mayonnaise and served with wonton chips. The taste was alright, but it was disappointing as we expected the regular item’s portion would be more generous. This dish became our last one of the night as we decided to try other restaurants near by.
PROS
+ Fresh ingredients
+ Good location near skytrain
CONS
— Food not worth the price
— Hapa Hour is not Happy Hour in the end
RATING
Food 3.5÷5.0
Ambience 3.5÷5.0
Service 3.5÷5.0
Price $$
Address: 1193 Hamilton Street, Vancouver (Yaletown)
Phone Number: 604−681−4272
Hours of Operation:
Sunday to Thursday 5pm-10:30pm
Friday to Saturday 5pm-​1am

I recall coming to this restaurant a few years ago and the food and drinks were top notch. My bf says he was here at least a year ago and all of the above was great too… but sadly I feel this Yaletown spot is no longer a foodie’s dream. My issue was that we came in seeking specialty sushi which they used to have, but now no longer do. Sushi is sparse on their menu and maybe it was just my ignorance that expected to have sushi at this japanese restsurant.
We were seated by the kitchen I ordered a spicy ceasar and it came out watered down, no flavor or presentation. In fact it was so watered down the drink looked pink and I thought they sent me another drink incorrectly. I returned it for a gluten free beer that is probobly the closest thing to black strap molasses I’ve ever drunken. In any case we ordered the crab avo roll, this was truly very good, deep fried roll with seasoned crab meat, great starter but the rest was sort of down hill. Ebi spicy roll rice was hard, the pork belly was greasy and unflavorful and the item I craved; the karaage chicken was a bit greasy and nothing like I remember.
We didn’t wait around to have more drinks, we hit the Keg patio to make up for that. I’m a bit disappointed that many standards have changed here but none for the better.

Food is good here but much smaller portions than at the Robson location. We went for happy hour. This location has a few more happy hour items than robson. We had the ebi mayo which was good but prawns seemed a lot smaller. The mixed mushroom rice stone bowl was delicious. The Hapa wings were a total miss. They were bland and flavorless. The beef tartar was good but smaller too. The negitoro was good but about half the portion of robson st. They need to turn down the music. Better yet, turn it off. Way too loud and annoying.

Happy («hapa») hour from 5−6pm offers some reasonably priced options.
— ishiyaki (sizzling stone pot rice)
— beef tataki
— negitoro spread
Wagyu sukiyaki was very tender and tasty but definitely on the sweet side.
Drinks and service were fine.
Old school hip hop in the background sets the mood.

Already looking forward to heading back. It was recommended by a friend and it’s a popular joint, but don’t let that put you off. My husband and I came in without a reservation, asked what the wait time for a table was – eep, 40 minutes! – but she said if something opened up by the bar we can be sat right away. We put our name down then wandered around Yaletown for 20 minutes, asked if the wait has lessened and we were lucky to score an actual table that was by the bar!
We loved everything but our fave of the night was the chopped scallops with the wonton crisps. So yummy! And don’t forget the dessert. The trio chocolate is just faboo.