Hanagasa - Carmel By the Sea

From the moment we arrived, we felt the unwelcoming atmosphere. We ordered the Hawaiian ahi poke appetizer, which turned out to be extremely spicy and contained very few pieces of ahi tuna. We didn’t touch it and decided to return it. To our astonishment, the server reacted angrily when she took it back to the kitchen, and we overheard her and the cook yelling about it. At that point, we considered leaving but decided to give the restaurant another chance—a decision we soon regretted. The rest of the food was mediocre at best, but the poor service continued throughout our visit. Eventually, we had enough and asked for the check, only to find that the returned appetizer had been added to our bill. When we requested its removal, chaos ensued. The server and the manager became confrontational, yelling and refusing to take it off the bill. After a lengthy argument, the manager finally acknowledged his mistake and grudgingly removed the charge, but not without making it clear he was unhappy about it. He even placed a receipt in front of me to sign, which felt very uncomfortable. In summary, this place offered terrible service and a hostile environment. I strongly urge people to avoid it.

This local gem is a family-owned restaurant that offers fantastic sushi. It's definitely worth checking out!

I'm keeping an eye on this restaurant. It offers the best Japanese food in the Monterey Bay area. It's like a hidden gem that stands out from the rest.

My aunt and I came here tonight after a negative experience at another local sushi restaurant (other review posted) . We were feeling upset but right when we walked into this restaurant we were immediately greeted kindly by the owners and a local couple. It was our first time there and the locals told us everything was amazing and we couldn't go wrong. My aunt and I got the Hanagasa boat 2 and everything was delicious. I especially loved their crunchy roll and special roll. The nice local couple even bought us a bottle of sake as they were leaving. The great food, amazing service, and welcoming and friendly atmosphere completely turned our night around! I wish I lived closer so I could go back. I highly recommend!

Nice, hidden Gem!! if you go to Carmel-by-the-Sea and you are craving for good quality, awesome flavor sushi, you have to stop by Hanagasa!! fresh ingredients, fast service and nice service to top it off. we are definitely coming back!!