“ Immaculate vibes for a midtown eatery! This is allegedly the city's first izakaya. It has a divey, vintage 90s aesthetic and huge menu. Very accommodating to different diets, my favorite was the cod roe pasta and okonomiyaki fried in a small cast iron. Also I think the meal was $25 per person, shockingly inexpensive! Will definitely be back to try more of the menu! The service was great and we loved the ambiance! ”

“ Very solid spot, open lateish. Big tasty portions of omurice YUM. I love the decor with cute little vinyls covers of japanese music albums as well as the music playing in here ”

“ Walked in for a Tuesday dinner and got a table immediately. Everyone has to be there before being seated. They had live music, and there's happy hour. Overall we enjoyed the izakaya food and drinks. We had takoyaki, kushiyaki set A, mentaiko fries, and omusoba. It was filling. ”

“ Great Izakaya joint. Plenty of items on the menu and fairly inexpensive. Great for Carb loading if you are running the next morning since the menu is predominantly drinking food (japanese style). Reasonably priced sake that my friend often orders too many bottles of but i digress. Can't go wrong with the food here. Their chicken Nanban and omusoba is fantastic. ”

“ I came here with a group of friends before a Broadway show for an early dinner. I heard they don't take reservations (but I saw on Yelp you can reserve a table? So not entirely sure). There were 6 of us and we sat at a booth and had plenty of space. We got there early enough that they weren't busy and we were able to sit right away. It was during their happy hour so we were able to take advantage of that and get a couple discounted drinks. Lots of standard izakaya foods on the menu and we ordered a ton of items: agedashi tofu, daikon mentai salad, takowasa (wasabi fresh octopus), edamame, mentai fried potatoes, seaweed salad, kushiyaki A set (set of BBQ'd skewers), fried chicken gizzard, omusoba, mentai pasta, takana fried rice. Everything tasted fresh and really great.The happy hour drinks were good too. We had some high balls, draft beer, and frozen margaritas. I personally really enjoyed the lemon margarita as it was really sour, but if you like sweeter ones, then that one might not be for you. The decor inside is really cool with a retro type of vibe, with figurines, posters, and books on shelves. There's a pacman video game near the bathroom and there's a vinyl sound system that they use to play the music. Definitely a cool spot and would recommend their happy hour and coming with a group of friends so you can order multiple dishes and try a little bit of everything! ”

“ Nowadays Sake Bar Hagi announces itself as a bit of retro throwback, but considering they have been around since the mid 80s this is no gimmicky new comer. The Tokyo Izakaya vibe with retro sound system about the place, vinyl records on the wall and the firmly Gen-X music playing in the background (A couple of Depeche Mode tunes during our visit? TYVM I don't mind if you do). They have a solid happy hour which the waiter encouraged us to take advantage of since we were in a little before 6:30 on a Saturday. I managed to order a couple of Sapporo drafts before the cut off. The food is pretty extensive ranging from sushi to ramen to yakitori - there are bound to be dishes to please everyone in the group. The food was solid - perhaps not the very best versions, but they all hit the mark. The salmon tacos were a special - they were less tacos and more spicy chunks of salmon piled high on a tortilla chip. The ankimo was a good sized portion with nice thick slices of monk fish liver. The Kushiyaki Set B did the job with some decent skewers. My hope is they continue on for another 40 years because this place is a go to when I am in the Theater District. ”

“ Stopped by before a show. It was crowded but didn't have to wait. It is decorated aesthetically well with older media and sound systems, with the music to go with it. Loved the vibe. The service was attentive and friendly, without being overbearing. The Ankimo melts in your mouth! It is a little salty with the ponzu and fish roe, though the scallion helps balance it out. The Grilled Rice Ball (Yaki Onigiri) with Spicy Cod Roe was perfectly crispy on the outside. The glaze (soy sauce?) is flavorful, but overpowers the spicy cod roe a bit. I mostly tasted the glaze with just a hint of spiciness. The Rice Ball with Spicy Cod Roe had fluffy rice and a decent amount of spicy cod roe inside. It could use a little more salt though. The Kushiyaki Set B was half plain meats, and half marinated or salted meats. The plain meats were nothing special, wish there was at least some salt like the pork belly. The Salmon Taco looked good, though small in portion. They were towards the end of Happy Hour, but the waiter made sure we got our drink orders in before it ended! I personally don't drink much alcohol, so I opted for the Oolong Tea (iced). This was brewed pretty strong, which I enjoy, but lightened with the ice, if you like a weaker tea. The Hagi Dream had a wonderful coconutty cream, a little sweetness from the mango pudding and a black tea cake base all decorated prettily with bits of gold foil. Overall great vibe with decent food in the theater district. Prices are reasonable as well. ”

“ Sake Bar Hagi is one of my favorite after-work places to grab a drink or a bite in this area! They have happy hour until 6:30 every day that has $7 highballs, beer, and other drinks. I always get their Mentai Pasta, which is a delicious and comforting spaghetti dish with a mentaiko (fish roe) cream sauce. I've also tried a number of other things: the fried tempura is crispy and tasty and the sushi is standard but good. I also absolutely love their Hagi Dream dessert which is a collaboration w Bibble and Sip (the Asian bakery next door). It's a black tea cake with mango and coconut mousse, and tastes absolutely amazing! For drinks they have some fun looking cocktails, but I like their highballs, especially when I add the yogurt or lychee flavor (for an extra $1). Service is attentive, but it can get busy especially with the after-work crowd, or if there is live music that day! ”

“ Wow! What a fun suprise whole in the wall spot in the theater district. Came in for a happy hour and saw that they had a live band that performs soft japanese jazz on Mondays & Tuesdays. Food and drinks were all fairly priced for the city. Food was nothing special, but still really solid. What makes this place special is it's whole vibe. Japanese records hung up on the wall, Kill Bill posters, Pacman machines, and live music! Such a fun spot. $6 beers and sake for their happy hour! Will be back ”