Happy at Haru

My friend JK wasn't able to make it to my party last Saturday, but wanted to take me out to dinner and drinks for my birthday. Who am I to turn that down?! He has been telling me about Haru's Sake Hour for years now, but I still hadn't made it there. So when he suggested that for Monday night, I was excited to finally give it a shot.

Haru has a few locations around the city (along with one in Boston and one in Philadelphia), and I had been to the Midtown ones for work lunches, but hadn't been to the newest one on Park Avenue South right near Union Square.

The interior is so nice...massive floor to ceiling windows allow for great people-watching from the bar area. There's a sleek, modern vibe without being over-the-top trendy.

Haru features a "Sake Hour" every weeknight from 5-7pm, featuring a small menu of appetizers and drinks priced around $5 that are only available in the bar area. We started with an order of edamame and a Sapporo, and then took a look over the options. I decided to go with the spring rolls, spicy tuna roll, and California roll. The vegetable spring rolls were delicious, although a little greasy, and were served with a great pickled plum sauce. Both the rolls I ordered were very fresh and the portion sizes were definitely larger than expected. JK really enjoyed his rolls as well.

While the prices aren't dirt cheap, they are pretty reasonable for an upscale sushi restaurant. But, if you order a few rolls and drinks like we did, the bill usually ends being about the same amount as if you ordered sushi off the regular dinner menu in the main dining room. It was a really fun departure from the typical nachos/wings bar food at happy hour though. And, the atmosphere is just a touch classier!

Haru
220 Park Avenue South
@ 18th Street
website
Menu Pages listing