09/07/09

Okay Sushi

by KidDinMe

there's way too much mayonnaise on every roll..screaming O roll starts to taste like the piano roll, then soon your palate can't distinguish the difference at all b/c everything taste like spicy mayonnaise.

I would go back for the fresh raw fish, such as my favorite, the blue tuna..it was the best. Other than that, take it easy on ordering too many rolls, they start to taste the same.

• Pros: fresh sashimi
• Cons: too much japanese mayonnaise

04/20/09

Don`t buy Gift Certificates for this restaurant

by Birdtoys1

My son bought us a gift certificate for this restaurant. as a Christmas present. He did the same thing last year and we enjoyed it so much that he did this again this year. My husband had an operation in December and ran into complications that left him ill for at least 3 months,and I wanted to wait until he felt better to use this treat. When we went to pay, the waitress said that the gift certificate had expired. I had never heard of a gift certificate having an expiration date, and was unaware of one on this one. We asked for the manager and he was very arrogant and gave us a hard time. My son paid full price for this gift, no coupon or discount was used. After about 20 minutes they reluctantly let us use it. I will never visit this place again and warn people about the attitude of the management. There are plenty of new, excellent Japanese restaurants in the area.

• Cons: They only give you a 3 month period to use it.

04/03/09

Best Suxhi In Raleigh

by djh232

My wife an I eat Sushi about once every two weeks. We have tried many many places in Raleigh and we have tried a number of the claimed hot spots. We usually give a place a couple chances. We have now eaten at Hyashi about 5 or 6 times and every time has been great. We have settled in now and this is our place. If you like Mura or Sushi Blues, but don't like the prices, try Hayashi. It is way better than Tokyo House (Ok), Mizu Sushi (not good), Waraji (ok) , or Shaba Shabu (terrible) and it is reasonibly priced and a decen atmosphere.

• Pros: Good Food. Friendly staff. Cozy atmosphere.
• Cons: small...can be busy and or a little slow at times.

02/15/09

Our favorite dining spot for Sushi!

by wf27587

We have dined at Hayashi at least a dozen times and maintain it is the best Sushi dining experiene in the area, and we have tried many. Quality is excellent, presentation exquisite, with an attentive and friendly staff. Highly recommend!!!!

• Pros: Food qualtiy and presentation.

07/27/08

Fantastic dining experience

by chefzen

Just tried this place for the first time the other day, and was quite pleased. I cannot yet speak for the sashimi quality since I only ordered rolls, but the ingredients were outstanding. The atmosphere is elegant and classy, with stone and wood throughout the restaurant. The wait staff and sushi chefs were friendly and attentive. My order came out fast and had a wonderful presentation. I would recommend giving this place a try. I will have to return several times and try more items before giving them five stars, but so far they are well on their way. Oh.. and be sure to try the spider roll. Their tempura is fantastic! :-)

• Pros: Delicious rolls with wonderful presentation, served by friendly staff
• Cons: None so far... will have to return a few more times. :-)

06/22/08

Don't bring a large group here!!

by wfsushi

As a member of a dinner club, I have eaten at some wonderful places in the Triangle. Last week it was my turn to pick the place. I have always enjoyed the food at Hayashi and wanted the group to try it. Keep in mind that the last time we ate here, we were a party of 5 and it took us 40 minutes to get a seat. So I called a week in advance but we were turned down FLAT! They were unwilling to accommodate us because they said the dining room was too small to seat 12 people. Pardon me? Too small to seat 12 guests? At 6:30? We purposely eat early to avoid the large dinner crowd. Can't seat us?

Well, as our family has owned restaurants, I was pretty shocked. I understand that large groups tend to stay a little longer so turnover is not as quick, but I also know that large groups tend to order more, drink more and automatically get an 18-20% tip added in for the wait staff.

And what if we had shown up as 3 tables of 4? Would we not have been seated? Essentially there is no difference. Only 4 of the 12 had ever been to Hayashi and the other 8 are no longer interested in dining there. We certainly will not go back. The food is good, but not that good.

Instead we made reservations at Sawasdee, the Thai place, which is just as tiny (maybe smaller) and they were as friendly and glad to have is as Hayashi was disinterested. We had great food, great service and in the end, I was glad we did not get the reservation at Hayashi after all.

So, bring a date, but not a family or you may find yourself out of luck!

• Pros: Good food
• Cons: Too small...or so they think of themselves

04/22/08

Decent sushi, cozy atmosphere

by juantastic

We recently checked out Hayashi for the first time. We love sushi/sashimi and our whole family enjoys it at least twice a month. Our standards are pretty high so 90% of the places in town dissapoint in at least a few areas. For starters the place is clean and unassuming, the tatami rooms look nicely appointed, the menu has pictures which is a nice touch. Service was better than average. Fish, good quality fish is a must, this place had a mix. All was fresh but quality was average although some of the fish was really nice. The rolls we had were really very good. They also had a good selection of japanese sakes and a few deserts. We will be back for sure:)

• Pros: clean, well decorated, unnasuming, great rolls, good variety
• Cons: some fish was average in quality (but fresh)

04/01/08

Horrible ToGo experience, Bad Service!

by cjbdude

If you get anything togo from this place make sure everything is in there! I hate having to go back when a restaurant forgets something in your order because by the time you get it resolved your food is now cold. So I usually expect a restaurant to compensate me on my next order with a discount or a gift card for their mistake. Of the few restaurants where I've had problems they were appologetic and always offered some compensation.

Not this place! They basically said I had to come back or too bad! They were not appologetic and refused any compensation for our incomplete meal. After arguing with their "manager" we gave up and basically crossed it off our list of regular restaurants.

11/13/07

Come for the yellowtail, stay for the Pocky

by pipanale

Based on reviews, we decided to check Hayashi out this past weekend. It was good, but not as good as we would have liked. We had a Hayashi roll and the Screaming O roll. Both were very good. The sushi selections brought on mixed reviews. We enjoyed the Yellowtail and even ordered 4 additional pieces. The tuna, salmon, and red snapper all left something to be desired. The snapper, in particular, was chewy. My wife liked the eel, but I thought it was too sweet. The scallop sashimi was a bit on the yucky side.

But, appetizers were good and there was a nice wine selection. We had a lovely waitress and she took very good care of us. Ice Cream for dessert came with Pocky, so that?s almost worth a return trip in and of itself.

If we hadn?t had better just around the corner from there, we?d go back, but we may not for now.

• Pros: Nice decor and a very attentive wait-staff
• Cons: Fish was a bit "eh"

11/03/07

BEST SUSHI IN RALEIGH

by bethmarieann

Excellent sushi, try the MANGO ROLL, better than screaming o roll, Nice atmosphere, the staff hover a bit around the table which can be annoying at times, The shrimp tempura is excellent and food is fresh. I only wish they were open on Sundays and didnt close from 3 to 5 most days.

• Pros: Execellent food
• Cons: Staff hangs around table to long.