Hachiroku Shokudo & Sake Bar Opens In New Haven-Prepare to be WOW'ed

When your editor says “it’s one of the best Japanese spots I’ve ever been to,” you quickly look at your calendar and figure out how to get there. Folks: You too, have to get there.

Most of us can’t claim to be experts in Japanese cuisine and yet those of us who spend our days dreaming about food, know good food; we know passion when we see it, and we know when a chef’s world revolves around creating with the best ingredients and when those ingredients are treated with the utmost respect. Not only was our time at Hachiroku unforgettable with every sense turned up a notch, but before we exited the building, we were dreaming of our next visit.

The group behind Hachiroku Shokudo & Sake bar, which opened in May, are no newcomers to the food business. Owners Yuta Kamori and his wife Sanae, along with partners Gen Hashimoto and Hiroyuki Fuji Yuta started several years ago with Brooklyn Ramen, then branched out to a successful bento box business and Japanese sushi stores tied to the Maruichi grocery establishment throughout CT and Boston. According to our server extraordinaire, Tim Bang, “their bento business really blossomed during the pandemic which gave them the opportunity to open Hachiroku with Chef Yutaka here in New Haven.” 

Bang could not have been a more wonderful docent to our experience at Hachiroku. From a musical conservatory in Germany, to the air force as an Arabic translator, and now, to the corridors of Yale to study computer science, Bang’s passion for the restaurant’s cuisine and his extensive knowledge regarding it, as well as all things Sake, made an already exciting adventure even more remarkable. When I asked him about being there and what he loved so much, he said, “Beyond the quality of the food and the team, Hachiroku is like a magnet, it attracts many foodies that may or may not be tied to the industry; but regardless, these people are what keep me going. Being able to share my passion with these people and learn something new every day from them, I couldn’t ask for more.”

I should note, in the midst of what seemed like an intellectual, albeit fervent dissertation on the food and bevvies of the restaurant, Bang alerted us to one of those special people the restaurant attracts while we were enjoying Chef Yutaka’s delicious display. Just a few feet away at the bar, sat Lucas Sin, Food & Wine Best New Chef of 2021, Forbes 30 Under 30, and Eater Young Gun of 2020. No joke. I would love to know what he enjoyed most that night. That said, he seemed to relish his time as we did. I’d say his visit was extra special, especially since just days later, Sin announced on instagram that he was leaving at the end of the year to go home to Hong Kong. “I’m headed to Hong Kong, where home is…it’s been too long,” Sin writes “…there’s plenty of cooking I need to catch up on.” Out of all the places to sit and savor, it’s nice to know Hachiroku was on his list before starting his next chapter. 

Signature Jako Anchovy Salad

So, what is it? According to owner Yuta Kamori, the concept of the restaurant is simple, “Every item of the menu that is added and or removed is based on daily availability and above all something we enjoy eating!” Well, easier said than done. Many other restaurants also work with local and what’s available and yet don’t deliver such a WOW experience.

Although the food is certainly front and center, and a sensory jubilee of color and taste, also worthy of note, hence the name of the place, is the array of Sake and Japanese Whisky. At last count, the menu boasted 35 different Sakes with extensive details about the region and rice at its foundation, and nearly 30 Whiskies, served, if you wish, on a rock of  ice shipped in from Kanazawa. Seriously. If you are not ready to commit to one, and, like me, you wanted to try a little of a lot, you can start with a Sake or Japanese Whisky flight.

And so, the food. 

I shake my head in confusion because everything was just a new, fresh, surprising burst of unbelievable umami flavor. Some of the little-bite standouts, however, were the Yaki Kinoko Mushrooms, and wow, the Agedashi Tofu with Eggplant to bigger bites like the Shio Koji Tora Kara (salted rice malt with fried chicken) and Kamo Ni (roasted rose duck breast with scallion) or the where-has-this-been-all-my -life Miso Black Cod  or Bluefin Tuna. Despite the electric chatter that surrounded our party of eaters, amidst each new bite, there were closed eyes, and…silence.

Housemade Tofu

Even a star closer to home–right there in New Haven as a matter of fact– 2021 Chef of the Year, Chef Emily Mingrone, made a point of going to Hachiroku on a rare night off recently. “We love it,” Mingrone says. “They really have a vision.”

Brown Sugar Ice Cream with Red Bean Paste

When you walk up to Hachiroku, you see a simple black box with the tiniest sign near the door; it’s an unassuming space that could be easily passed by. The decor inside is understated, yet sleek, with minimal, subdued lighting. After we left, I decided the setting reminded me of live theatre,  at which you enter and take your seat, and, at least  for a few hours, nothing else exists. 

Hachiroku Shokudo & Sake Bar 261 Orange St, New Haven, CT 06510