Today, I’m going to let you in on my little secret: the gem that is Sake Bar Hagi, a super delicious place to grub on Japanese Izakaya/pub fare while drinking super affordable sake. I usually come here with a group of four to eight friends, spend around $20 and leave full and happy.
Most dishes are around $5 and usually don’t go above $10. And their $6 bottles of Nigori sake?
It isn’t that this Izakaya is the best in town (Yakitori Totto will be better quality) but it has an atmosphere that’s relaxing and makes you feel like you can come here every day and it’d be okay. Gotta love a place in Manhattan that doesn’t break the piggy bank…
This place isn’t hard to find, but you should know that it is tucked away in a basement near Times Square. The wait for me is usually around 30-60 minutes and it’s convenient because you can leave your name and number on a list and they will call you when your table’s ready. They are also usually pretty accommodating so it definitely makes things easier if you have a larger group of people to coordinate.
The most recent time I’ve been here, I came with a group of three people and here’s what we got:
My Favorites
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| Karaage-Ponzu – deep fried chicken with ponzu citrus sauce and grated daikon radish -$6 |
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| Kimchee Fried Rice – with slices of pork belly and kimchee – $9 |
We didn’t order it here tonight, but I also love the Sunagimo which is deep fried chicken gizzard (ewww, I know right?). If I didn’t tell you that it was chicken gizzard, it would just taste a bit bouncey and almost flavorless but surprisingly addicting.
Also recommend the Seafood Okonomi-Yaki, a japanese pancake with seafood, and Yaki-Soba, pan fried egg noodle with chicken with yaki soba sauce.
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| Hamachi Kama – grilled yellowtail collar |
Their extensive menu has everything you’re looking for, something yakitori, something grilled, deep fried, sautéed, delicious noodle and rice dishes, you name it, they’ll have it. And the amazing thing is that everything is executed so well.
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| Age Takko-Yaki – deep fried octopus ball – $6.50 |
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| Deep Fried Squid Legs – $5 |
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| Arabiki Sausages – pork sausages – $6 |
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| Kushi Mori B Set (Yakitori) – chicken, washu beef, shishito – $7 |
Man this post has got me wanting to go back to Sake Bar Hagi as soon as possible. Guess I know what I’m doing this weekend.
Seriously though, I ❤Sake Bar Hagi!!!
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Sake Bar Hagi | Yelp
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* Restaurant Name |
|---|---|
| Sake Bar Hagi | |
| * Shelly Stars | |
| ★★★☆, Pretty good, worth trying | |
| * Neighborhood / Cuisine | |
| Times Square / Japanese | |
| * Street Address | |
| 152 W 49th St, New York, NY 10019 | |
| * Phone | |
| (212) 764-8549 |
