A Japanese dog named Hachiko became legendary for his devotion to his deceased human. After the death of the man he lived with, the dog continued to wait for his return at Shibuya Station, a major hub for both Tokyo’s sprawling subways and commuter rail networks. Nearly a century later, a bronze statue of the Akita Inu stands outside the station. Unfortunately, Phoenix lacks a comprehensive transit hub like Shibuya, but near the more modest McDowell/Central station on the B Line, one Japanese restaurant has assumed the name of the legendary dog.
Hachiko Sushi House, its full name, is a Japanese restaurant in a ground floor retail space at the Muse apartment complex on the northeast corner of McDowell and Central Avenues, just across the street from the McDowell light rail platform. Like the other Muse retail tenants, it’s a local business that helps to diversify the development and make it less monolithic in appearance and feel. Bold red bike racks in the shape of Arizona or spelling the letter P-H-X are found along the Central Avenue sidewalk, as well as in a shady spot behind the restaurant’s small patio.
Although there is an outdoor area of modest size, most customers choose the dining room, which looks nearly the same as it did during the era of the prior tenant, a restaurant that specialized in Chinese clay pot cooking. The tabletops are covered with fictional images of international newspapers like the Shanghai News and L’Humanité. Elaborate tile adorns the counter at a centrally located bar and the floor underneath it. The attention to detail and design mirrors in many ways the location directly across the street from the Phoenix Art Museum.
As the verbiage “sushi house” implies, the restaurant’s primary focus is rice and raw fish, including selections of nigiri, rolls, and sashimi. The menu is of modest size and does not try to be all things to everyone but still incorporates a degree of variety by including a limited number of cooked foods. There is little on the menu that cannot be found at a myriad of other places around town, but everything that is offered is at a consistent level of quality that makes Hachiko a reliable and popular neighborhood spot, even in the absence of anything trendy or unique.
Appetizers include fried agedashi tofu, crisp pork gyoza, vegetable egg rolls, miso soup, seaweed salad, and several other items likely to be spotted on most Japanese restaurant menus. One unexpected treat is the house salad, which exceeds the expectations associated with a typical bowl of limp greens by instead offering a vibrant mix of mesclun lettuces, cherry tomatoes, and slices of avocado, all in a light but flavorful dressing. The salad is just enough to add some vegetables to the protein and starch that predominate as the menu progresses.
Nigiri and sashimi choices include about a dozen species, along with frequent bluefin tuna specials noted on a board. The carpaccio dishes are among the most appealing items here. Salmon, albacore, yellowtail, and tuna are all available in this format with the last offered either completely uncooked or seared. In each case, slices of fish are arranged like petals of a flower and swim in a sauce that complements but does not overwhelm them. A top layer of bits of jalapenos, drops of sriracha, and a sprinkling of roe adds additional notes of spice and salt.
As expected, there are also plenty of rolls, both standard and original. Saluting its location near the city center, Hachikoi’s Downtown Fever roll is bright and light with a mixture of salmon, tuna, yellowtail, shrimp, asparagus, and avocado minimally adorned so that each ingredient can speak for itself. The Moonlight Healthy roll follows a similar approach but with a wrapping of nori around the fish and rice. Of course, there are plenty of rolls with cream cheese and spicy mayo. A vegetarian sweet potato roll is also hearty due to the tempura preparation of the tuber within.
The restaurant has a “from the kitchen” menu with some noodle soups and cooked entrees, all well executed. Tonkotsu ramen is a solid version without surprises. The milky broth is full of noodles augmented with some sliced pork, a little naruto, pickled onions, and bamboo shoots in the bowl. Udon comes not only with the possibility of tempura in the bowl, but also with kitsune, sweet sheets of tofu in dark dashi broth. Beyond noodles, there are a few entrees like chicken or pork katsu that pair nicely on a plate with a scoop of white rice and a simple side salad.
At midday on weekdays, some of the most popular items from the menu are offered as lunch specials with added value in the form of miso soup and a small portion of an appetizer in addition to the chosen entree. Like most of the menu, the desserts offer few surprises. There’s green tea ice cream and matcha cheesecake, as well as mochi, not only in matcha but also strawberry and chocolate flavors. The small bar offers sake, wine, draft beer, and a handful of cocktails such as the Red Dragon, a sparkling, summery mixture of strawberry, lime, and rum.
Beverages without alcohol include Ramune Japanese sodas and a cloudy, intensely green matcha tea, available hot or iced. One aspect of the restaurant that warrants a mention is just how moderate its prices are. Inflationary pressures have left restaurant operators caught between their increasing costs and customer expectations. Somehow, Hachiko has threaded the needle between those. Unfortunately, Hachiko the dog never found his deceased human at Shibuya Station, but Hachiko the restaurant is easy to find from McDowell/Central station.
1616 N. Central Ave., Phoenix AZ 85004
https://hachikosushihouse.com
PHX Rail Food 