Kumo Japanese Restaurant
Kumo Japanese Restaurant, located in southern Hamden, is open seven days a week until at least 10 p.m. Decorated with olive green walls, dark brown wooden chairs and light marble counter tops, Kumo is serene and classically Japanese. Featuring sushi, a Hibachi Japanese steakhouse and a bar, Kumo offers an extensive array of dishes. Two entire pages of the Kumo menu are dedicated to sushi alone, with prices (as of early 2010) of between 10 and 20 dollars apiece. Dinner entrees and combinations like Hibachi chicken, steak, calamari and lobster tail, are priced between 20 and 30 dollars each, and are often cooked teppenyaki-style at a grill in front of you. According to a reviewer at Sushi World Guide online, Kumo features "many Americanized...(sushi) rolls plus traditional styles," to round out its selection.
Kumo Japanese Restaurant
Hamden, Connecticut 06517
203-281-3166
no website
Sono Bana Japanese Restaurant
Sono Bana Japanese Restaurant, also in southern Hamden, has been consistently voted New Haven County's best Japanese food since 1998. Having been given the award every year from 1998 through 2004, by CT Magazine readers, and in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005 by New Haven Advocate readers,the restaurant has earned quite a reputation. According to Courant.com, the eatery "offers sushi, sashimi and other Japanese entrées, spiced up with Sono Bana's homemade teriyaki sauce and unique presentation." While sushi entrees at Sono Bana are comparable in price, as of early 2010, to those of Kumo, the quantity of food delivered is greater, with up to 20 rolls coming on one dish alone. Several teriyaki dishes are on the dinner menu, as well as vegetable and tempura dishes, mostly priced between nine and 14 dollars per plate.
Sono Bana Japanese Restaurant
1206 Dixwell Avenue
Hamden, Connecticut 06514
203-281-9922
sonobana.com
Sakura Garden Japanese Steak House
Sakura Garden Japanese Steak House is in the same neighborhood as Sono Bana and Kumo, and offers the same hibachi, up-close cooking experience that Kumo does. According to the restaurant's official website, "Sakura Garden Japanese Steak House offers a variety of dining experiences to suit any tastes. Our 'Hibachi' dining room features large grills at which a cowboy style personal chef cooks for the entire table. The chef's skills in preparation are on display almost as much as the food." The hibachi meals at Sakura Garden are a bit more expensive (as of March 2010) than those of Kumo, generally running between 20 and 30 dollars apiece. The individual sushi rolls, however, are very reasonably priced, as many of the simpler rolls come at just five dollars each. Reviewers at Courant.com have been impressed with the restaurant, saying "if the chic ambiance and presentation at Sakura Garden doesn't set it apart from the competition, the authentic Japanese cuisine will."
Sakura Garden Japanese Steak House
1869 Dixwell Ave
Hamden, Connecticut 06514
203-388-8836
sakuragardencuisine.com
