Izakaya Hashiguchi

Atlanta, Georgia
(404) 896-9455
Price: $10-$20

By Jui-Chen Liao

Located in the busy Atlanta area next to the Lenox Square Mall, Izakaya Hashiguchi is easily overlooked. However, after spending time looking for Izakaya Hashiguchi and enjoying food there, I found an original Japanese flavor, and an unforgettable taste.

The restaurant’s name, Izakaya Hashiguchi, has a specific meaning. Izakaya is a place that people can drink, talk and relax after a hard working day, similar to American pubs. The atmosphere is lively, and it may seem noisy, but this kind of restaurant is a good example of Japanese culture. The restaurant’s decorations, tables, chairs and the menu all awoke my memory, reminding me of my travels in Japan. Oh! I hoped the food would not disappoint me. I really want to eat a true Japanese meal in America, not an Americanized Japanese dish.

My friends and I ordered four different entrées and four pieces of nigiri sushi, tuna and squid. The tuna was fresh and tasted delicious. If you like sashimi, you have to try sashimi here. If you are afraid of eating raw fish, you should try it because the fish was so fresh that you can’t detect that you are eating the raw meat. I also found dreamy Japanese rice that was soft and chewy. When you eat Japanese rice, you know you have found heaven. The temperature of the rice is important; it can’t be warm but cold. Only cold rice can make people experience the flavor of ocean. Izakaya Hashiguchi’s rice reminded me of Japan. When I traveled to Japan, I often went to some special but not well-know restaurants which were hidden in the country’s dirty and traditional markets. Izakaya Hashiguchi’s gave me the same feeling as those special restaurants in Japan.

Sake-Shio, is a traditional Japanese dish that contains only grilled salmon and Japanese rice. The chef used a lot of salt to flavor the fish and then put the fish on the grill until it was cooked. The two ordinary pieces of salmon make you forget weight concerns and focus on finishing the great meal with one big bowl of rice, or maybe one more.

Don, the most seen meal in the Japanese restaurant, is rice and has meat and vegetables on the top with soy sauce. Because of that, my friend ordered the Katsu Don. The thick and solid pork was covered by a crispy husk and sprinkled with soy sauce. From the look of it, I knew the Katsu Don must be tasty, but my friend thought the meat itself was too salty. However, after I ate one bite of the pork, I really liked it. The mouthful of the pork was as palatable as if you were eating a peach and was better than other Katsu Don I have eaten.

Oyako Don, which is chicken, onion and eggs cooked with sauce over rice, is delicious too and is like Katsu Don but with chicken not pork. The chicken was tender, but, Izakaya Hashiguchi seems stingy with its chicken, putting very small pieces in the meal. I ordered my mother’s favorite food, Unagi Don, eel with teriyaki sauce over rice. Although the Unagi Don is the most expensive Don, it made me feel as if my mom were accompanying me, and I finally discovered why it is my mother’s favorite dish. The eel was soft and did not have a fishy taste. The sauce and eel were a very good match, and the amazing Japanese rice increased the integrity of the dish.

The taste of Izakaya Hashiguchi’s food is as delicious as in Taiwan and Japan, but Izakaya Hashiguchi did change a little to meet Americans’ taste, like providing salad. Of course, the price is important. Believe me, you only have to spend less than $20 and you can experience the true flavor of Japan.