Hakataya in Edinburgh, City of

Great place to eat some east asian food. When we arrive the poor guy working there (I would imagine the owner) was understaffed, so it was a little bit of a slow service. However the wait was worth it, as the Ramen and sides were quite nice. Prices are in line with Edinburgh.

Hakataya is a nice wee Japanese restaurant with a good selection of food and drink. Very friendly and helpful staff. Dinner was lovely.

Lovely place, friendly staff and the food was wonderful. For sure we will come back!

Really tasty food in a restaurant with personality. Chicken gyozas were very interesting, wigh a flavor that I couldn't tell. Maybe ginger? Pork belly starter was delicious. My ramen (which sadly I forgot to take a picture of) was good but not as flavorsome as I was expecting. On the menu it was described as the tastiest but I found the Hakataya Tonkotsu to be tastier. Loved the fried banana + ice cream that I had as dessert. The waiter had a very pleasant attitude.

Absolutely amazing ramen! Best I’ve ever had!!

Coming from LA, there's an endless amount of ramen, and this place has the BEST ramen I've ever had. Everything we tried was so fresh and delicious! The waitress and chef were both amazing. 10/10

Some of the best ramen I’ve had in my entire life. I ordered the Hell Ramen. Each element was delicious from the broth to the pork, spinach, and the egg. Everything tasted fresh and just gorgeous.

We always have Japanese cuisine in every new places that we went to and this place never disappoints! I loved the takoyaki, gyoza and teriyaki. My husband loved his ramen too. Crew gave us a table even tho we did not book which is so nice and is smiling the whole time. 😊

Last year my friend came to visit me in Edinburgh and she discovered this Japanese restaurant that I had never discovered. I left Edinburgh three months later to study for a master's degree in England and returned to Edinburgh again last week. The weather started last week was not good, cold, rainy, foggy. But when I set foot in this Japanese restaurant again, I was surprised by the short trip. You can imagine it on a rainy evening with dim lights and everything in fog. Walking alone on Princes Street with an umbrella, the fog and the castle, then walk into the alley and find this small restaurant. And then enjoy authentic Japanese cuisine alone. Memories and touches come flooding back to your heart, and you can enjoy a moment of tranquility and comfort.

Although there was only 1 member of staff in the whole place, he served delicious ramen and was friendly and joking with us. I love this restaurant.

The food here is well worth the wait, it absolutely melts in your mouth and is the perfect size to fill you up for the day. The service is great and although the place is small, it's not over crowded so you have room to sit back and enjoy the incredible ramen here. Can't rate it highly enough. A tucked away gem worth visiting!

The food was delicioussss but he did at that time cook alone so it took a bit of time but overall it was a really good restaurant.

Hakataya is a little gem hidden in Rose st! I think it’s been four years I’ve eaten at this beautiful, small, authentically Japanese restaurant and the experience has always been positive. Fantastic food - tasty and not overcomplicated - , great customer service - attentive but not overbearing -, and lovely atmosphere at honest, well-proportioned prices. I’ll always come back!!

Amazing place, food and service! The ramen was super👌 highly recommend!

I’d come here purely based on the reviews which were fully justified. We were served by Rebecca who was excellent. Nothing was too much trouble and she had lots of information for us , particularly about the sake trio which was superb. Food was all amazing - it was a great ramen. Clearly have great chefs here too as well as the serving staff. Would love to come back and try more. Great food.

I’d come here purely based on the reviews which were fully justified. We were served by Rebecca who was excellent. Nothing was too much trouble and she had lots of information for us , particularly about the sake trio which was superb. Food was all amazing - it was a great ramen. Clearly have great chefs here too as well as the serving staff. Would love to come back and try more. Great food.

My family and I wondered in just 30 mins before the kitchen was taking last orders. The food was delicious and the service excellent. The menu was varied and had something for everyone, even our children. A great little relaxed, hidden gem.

Walked in for a take away and ordered the tonkotsu and hell ramen. The hell ramen broth was spicy enough while the tonkotsu broth was light, flavourful and wasn't too heavy. I've had ramen from multiple different places, they tend to have multiple ingredients that each try to stand out in the bowl, sometimes overpowering another. The ingredients in each bowl from Hakataya were simple but work together to complete the flavour. Even after 30 minutes the ramen still tasted great, I think it would have tasted even better if we had it in the store. One of the best ramen I had. Highly recommend. 多分今までイギリスで一番美味しいらメンの中。

Tiger looked after us so well tonight! Truly wonderful food and lovely, attentive service. We will be back :)

Unfortunately, the place doesn’t deserve its high rating. Although the service was good, all the food was very low quality and the portions were too small for prices higher than in many places in London. The salmon was over-fried and dry, while my tuna sashimi didn’t look very fresh but was okay. On a positive note, the interior design and menu looked quite impressive. We’ve not tried ramen but the place is definitely not good for sushi, bento and yakitori.

Really cool place, with amazing food.

Absolutely delicious. We went to Japan last summer and the dishes in this restaurant had the same flavors. Thank you so much! 🌸

Delicious starts and some mind blowing Ramen. Service was awsome.

When in Edinburgh this is the only Japanese we will go to. It is fantastic everytime. Proper authentic Japanese. Everything is tasty. You will not be disappointed. The best ramen we’ve had outside of Japan

The food here is extraordinary worth every penny Went here 3 days in a row in our 4 day trip ! Thank you chef for the amazing food and drinks !!

Edinburgh is lucky to have such a gem of a restaurant.

Great little spot, thoroughly enjoyed the food and the service

Had the chicken broth shoryu ramen and it was delicious, filling but not heavy. Takoyaki was also good. Good friendly service. Will be back!

Amazing, the food is delicious, the atmosphere is cozy and fun and the staff are just top notch, can have a laugh with them and it all feels very friendly, highly recommend to any and everyone

Opted for the Spicy Beef Ramen as I needed a comparison with another Japanese style Restaurant chain - that's more common in our high streets. It was hot and spicy and I had to take good care to avoid slurping the soup as I would have ended up coughing violently. It was really not that special; in all honesty. The portion could have been larger too. My friends opted to have the Saki - but as I was driving I dared not indulge. The waitress was very hospitable; she was very informed on the Saki versions they had on offer. Overall - I thought it was pretty average - but that's based on the Ramen being compared with the high-street offering (whose name starts with W) They also had Grade A5 Wagyu Beef - which I was tempted to try; I'll try it next time. Downside: difficult to get to - as you'll need to park up in Edenborough; long way to go for a Japanese restaurant. Prices on the Wagyu A5 is high - so make sure you have a few notes to spare. I cannot recommend, but on a special visit to Edenborough only.

First time eating here and it was very good - Rebecca our server was really lovely!

Me and my sister had a lovely time eating the delicious food here. I highly recommend hakataya for everyone my sister had the ramen and loved it so much I had the salmon and cucumber roll with katsu don which was delicious. My only regret is that I couldn't eat anymore. I can't wait to come back such a lovely peaceful place in Edinburgh. Thankyou so much

Lovely little restaurant hidden away just off Rose Street behind Princes Street. I went with my 9-year-old daughter for dinner and we had sushi and ramen. All very fresh and the service was excellent. Highly recommend it.

Food was excellent. Only problem was not knowing what menu choice to take. Be better prepared next time.

This place is hit-or-miss. My family and I have been here twice. The first time was during the 2023 Christmas season, and it was fantastic. The food and service were both very good. We ordered the ramen, some temaki, and some sashimi with sake and loved it. We returned this past week, about 7 weeks later, and were sad to experience subpar sushi and noodle dishes that tasted nothing like what we had before. Our server this time didn't have a good command of English, which wouldn't be too much of a problem except that she forgot or didn't write down our order and had to come back twice to check what we ordered as we pointed to the menu. She was nice, though; it was really the quality of the fish and the food that was the problem. If we decide to go back, it will definitely be during a busy season.

Really cozy atmosphere and great quality food. It is one of the most authentic japanese restaurants and cuisine that I ever tried in Edinburgh. We tried the sushi class as well and the chef is really friendly and competent, helping you step by step. Five stars deserved!

We came for lunch today and had really great ramen and sushi here, and the service was great! Thanks Rebecca :) I've visited previously a few times and always loved the food.

Such a lovely little restaurant hidden away just off rose street, when we turned up the restaurant was empty unfortunately and the owner said he was planning on closing in half an hour due to having no customers all night, suffice to say he was delighted to serve us. The food was exceptional as were the cocktails, the pork belly is delicious and the ramen I could eat again and again. The bill was also very reasonable for the quantity and quality of the meal. The fact the owner kept the restaurant in the heart if Edinburgh open just for us was so kind and generous and please if you enjoy Japanese food then make sure you visit Hakataya so the restaurant is as busy as it deserves to be!

Me and my wife absolutely loved our date night here. The atmosphere was excellent the perfect mix of “if you want to dress up then why not/im just nipping in for some food after work” basically all inclusive. The service was brilliant, our waitress Rebecca was ace, she kept us right with the menu because we had no idea what anything was and had a smile on her face the entire night. Finally, the food. It was incredible! You won’t be disappointed, and courses came out really quickly. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Friendly service. Ramen broth was borderline salty. But I’d take that over bland broth any day. Hell ramen really got some kick to it. Super enjoyable if you’re fan of spicy food. Nigiri sushi was decent. Will check them out again for some other dishes.

A lovely little restaurant tucked away. Great drinks, food and music (thank you to our server for sharing the playlist!). 10/10 would come again.

Best ramen, very authentic and delicious

Found this hidden gem on a cold day and the ramen hit the spot! It was rich and creamy and tasted great. We also got a maki roll which was tasty and the waitress was very kind and service was quick.

Lovely food, was a bit of a wait, but we were happy to wait for good food. Delicious gyoza. Small so would suggest booking, we just turned up but saw others turned away.

Hakataya is a must-visit for anyone seeking an authentic and delicious Japanese ramen experience. Delicious food, attentive staff!!!

Went here on my friends birthday, it’s such a cute restaurant! We managed to get a reservation, he was working on his own, doing the cooking and serving and drinks but you wouldn’t know it! Every plate he served was delicious and the pork in the ramen was the best pork I’ve had, dumplings were fresh and squishy and the portions won’t leave you hungry after! He was so lovely and clearly very talented! Highly recommend to anyone celebrating or just wants an authentic relaxed bowl of goodness after exploring Edinburgh!! Yum yum!!

Over £60 for two gyoza starters a chicken noodle dish, katsu curry and two alcoholic drinks. The atmosphere wasn't very welcoming. The gyoza was tasteless, the frozen boxed gyoza I get from Asda are better. Katsu curry was good. Chicken yakisoba was ordered without onion, due to a painful food intolerance. The dish arrived full of spring onion and at least half a white onion. Could not be ate. Had to get up and ask for bill, server came to table saw that one dish was untouched, and that we were asking for the bill within less than 10 minutes of recieving order. No questioning as to why the dish hadn't been touched and ignoring large pile of onion that had been placed to the side, this was the same server who took the order and confirmed he understood the request for no onion. Had a cheek to hand the card machine over asking for a gratuity. This is an expensive restaurant when compared to the other restaurants and bars along Rose street. When paying a premium I always believe I'm paying for the experience. I expect the food to be edible as a minimum anywhere but if I'm paying significantly higher than usual for a meal I expect the service and experience to be something noteworthy, to leave planning my next visit. This is not the experience here, overpriced, food that isn't up to scratch, service that is non-attentive and clearly doesn't care about the customer experience. If I could give 0 stars I would. Greatly let down. Do yourself a favour and visit one of the many other Japanese/Asian cuisine restaurants within walking distance it will be at least 50% cheaper and likely far better tasting food and better service. Went to Pret and got a sandwich after, the sandwich was great and service to match. It's not difficult to do.

This ramen restaurant is tucked away in a small alley. I ordered Yokohama ramen to try strong broth as mentioned in the menu. The broth was good, thicker than other ramen places. The meat was not the extremely tender pork slices, as said in the menu. There was just one half of marinated egg in the ramen (which made me wonder where the other half went, if they do not have two ramen orders at the same time). All of it would be acceptable but with its price of 17.95£, I think it is really pricey for the quality I got.

Good and rich broth and the pork was really good as well, albeit a little bit on the pricier side

We have come here 4 times for our anniversaries and Valentine's Days and it has always been excellent. The atmosphere is cosy and the food/drink is authentic and tastes incredible. We have the pumpkin croquettes every time. We'll keep coming back!

Price is high.. Quality is low.. Most of all, the server is not educated.

Fantastic place tucked away off Rose Street. The food was fresh, tasty and very filling. Service was great. I’ll definitely go back!

Loved this place. Food was fantastic and service was great.

Everything was nice warm and all. But the best thing that this shop has, is the excellent customer service! The server was so polite and kind! You feel welcomed even tho we stayed until late and they were ready to close. If ill want to eat this kind of food again, ill go to this place just because we felt valued and welcomed from this server! 10/10!!

Great Asian cuisine just off the main road. Recommended: agedashi tofu, bibimbap and ramen!!!

Hidden gem, real food of Japan. Much better than the big brand restaurants.

Hokkaido miso ramen was good! I really enjoyed service from my waiter amit he was very friendly and really enjoyed the service because of him.

Enjoyed my lunch. Good flavours and filling.

Really enjoyed our visit. Excellent Japanese food and great service. I had the chicken ramen, gyozas and tempura batter banana with ice cream. All excellent. Our second time there.

Beautiful little restaurant with delicious food.

Take your own gluten free soy sauce. Great food, knowledgeable about gluten free, but lacking in gf soy sauce sometimes.

It used to be good. I used to go there often to taste authentic Hokkaido ramen. Unfortunately we went back after a while and I don't know if they changed owners, but it wasn't the same. It looked like instant ramen. For £17.50 I would like to eat a good authentic tonkatsu ramen not the instant one I find in the supermarket. Even the spicy ramen my partner ordered was tasteless.

Our family dined at Hakataya while visiting Edinburgh last week and had an excellent meal. As fans of authentic Japanese food, we were delighted by the traditional dishes and simple ambiance. We brought our 12-year-old daughter Mai, and she also gave rave reviews! Mai found the restaurant online when we werelooking for options after visiting the nearby art galleries. She loved the food, saying it was amazing, and thought the service was great with everybody being so kind. If we lived in Edinburgh, she said she would definitely want to eat at Hakataya regularly. While not inexpensive, I found the prices reasonable given the quality of ingredients and authentic preparation. We left satisfied and impressed with the culinary experience. I would certainly recommend Hakataya to other travellers looking for fine Japanese cuisine while visiting Edinburgh. Whether dining solo, as a couple, or with the whole family like us, you are sure to walk away happy.

Been here countless times in the past few years and tried just about everything on the menu, never once had a bad experience. The food is always absolutely beautiful and the atmosphere is nice and cosy. Never been served by the same member of staff twice, but everyone that has served me has been extremely polite. The place seems to be very clean, including the customer toilets. Hope to go back soon!

They serve the most appetising Raman and gyoza

Ramen was fine but a bit expensive for the quality

Disappointed as I used to love this place. I hadn't been in Edinburgh for a while and was excited to finally eat here again because I used to love the food and the friendly service. I don't know if management has changed but the service has gone downhill, it was very slow and the guy was very rude, definitely won't be back.

I usually don't give review like this esp for Japanese food but i would have to mention a few so the shop could make improvements. The ramen taste horrible (the soup taste just okay) and not even properly cook. Other food we ordered taste just okay , nothing spectacular for a shop with such rating. I tried order the most expensive Wagyu Premium , however was disappointed with the way it is served instead hot grill, it came with Nigiri style which does not bring out the taste of a good meat. The waiting staff was nice and pleasant and its the only thing why I did not walk out the premise. The cook however I find him rude , and give customers and un pleasant and not welcome stare. Its important to have a cook or chef to have a pleasant attitude with customers , otherwise stay in f%*king kitchen and don't come out. Not going back to this place.

Tiny wee spot that does great food, great service and feels like a real Japanese place.

One chef, food took forever, and have never seen the tiniest sushis ever. So not worth the price they charge! It can't even pass in a fast food court. AVOID AT ALL COST.

Great place, awesome service, the food was very good, didn't have to wait long to get it and it was hot, really loved the wide variety of stuff to order

Came here for dinner. Would recommend booking as the restaurant doesn’t have many tables. The ramen was excellent. Service was quite slow but we weren’t in any rush so we personally weren’t bothered by that. Think it’s pricier than your average Japanese restaurant but it’s worth it

I took my boyfriend here for his 21st birthday and we both loved it! For the price it’s absolutely amazing. So much sushi made and tasted so good. I can now make sushi perfectly 🤩 thank you!

I had a lunch at Hakataya Japanese restaurant. The food was great, and the service was ok; however, the restaurant was full during lunch hour but only had one chef and one waiter. I waited for 45 minutes to have my ramen and Gyoza. It's better to read the menu online; it will save you time during the rush hour.

Exceptional, authentic and welcoming. Heavy rain made the neon signs a very inviting prospect on a recommendation from a friend. The service was simple and not interfering. The broth for both types of ramen was the best my partner and I have experienced outside of Japan. We were quiet for a considerable time enjoying the food. Would recommend to anyone and plan to come back anytime we can. Top special!

Food was very mediocre. In hindsight I couldn’t justify paying 16.50 for a katsu Don where it was bland and the rice wasn’t sushi rice. The portions you get for the price paid wasn’t worth it either.

DO NOT MISS! I cannot commend enough this place - everything is exceptional! The food (most importantly) is just perfect, very tasty and full of flavour. We were so happy that we actually forgot to take photos of our mains - a couple of different ramens and katsu currys (I liked the chicken better than the pork one, as it had a bit too much fat for my taste, but that might be just me). Their Yakitori might be the best we had outside of Japan (so far, at least)! The place is small and cosy, and the service is great! Whenever in Edinburgh we will definitely return; no doubt about it!

Canny little place we found by chance. Food was lovely

As a regular visitor to rise street - I didn’t know this restaurant existed until invited by a friend. The small space and the number of covers shouldn’t put you off - it’s one of those places that you shouldn’t let first impressions put you off. We shared a selection of sushi to start and it was fresh and tasty with the right balance of flavours. For the mains we picked a noodle dish , stir-fry and rice dishes. Again they the flavours were fresh and well balanced. The service was chaotic to say the least with our mains coming as soon as our starters hit the table - and picking wine seemed to cause a total melt down with staff (is it wrong to expect white wine to be chilled?). All in all the staff were friendly and helpful and it made for an excellent night with friends.

Staff was quick and friendly, seated us immediately and filled up quick after opening. Food was delish, tea was strong.

Had this on my to-try list for ages and when I eventually got there this week was rather disappointed. Very average bowl of tonkotsu ramen for £17.50! I was in Bonedaddies in Soho the week before, not exactly a cheap area yet that was 4 quid cheaper for much, much better broth and ingredients. Service was also slow and rather vague.

1 person serving the 30 seater restaurant but only a few tables used at the time we were there. Service was still good but I'm sure he would have been excellent had someone been there to assist. Food was lovely although they came at different times.

Two stars all around. Sushi was mediocre, messy, and made us feel kinda ill. On top of that VERY expensive for what you get. I wouldn’t recommend this place if you want sushi. My friend on the other hand ordered some delish plum wine and a ramen and was happy with that!

Meilleur sushi de edinburgh à mon avis. Cela fait 3 ans que j’ai été à Edinburgh et je pense encore à ces sushis. J’y ai vécu 5 mois et y suis allée 5/6 fois. J’ai emmené des amis, ma famille, mon ancien copain. Et TOUS m’ont dit qu’en effet ces sushis sont incroyables. Je ne peux que les recommander. N’hésiter pas a y aller. Mention spéciale pour les tempura.

My friend took me here, it’s in the little alley off the rose street, I would never find it myself, I have to say, I’ve had probably the best ramen ever plus the best matcha crème brûlée! Highly recommend. ❤️

Went for dinner here to kick off a weekend in Edinburgh and left quite disappointed. Having been to a few japanese restaurants, the price range and photos of the food here gave the impression it would be quite good but everything we had was very uninspiring. Had the salmon crunch sushi roll, then tempura donburi and katsu curry between us. Not enough sauce with the two mains, rice on the curry dry and clumpy rather than steamed and sticky. Friendly staff, but would not recommend a visit.

It was beautiful experience. Ramen was perfect and well cooked. Everything was awesome.

I recently had a late lunch at your restaurant and wanted to give you some feedback to help make the experience even better. 1. Rice Quality and Texture: The rice was a bit dry for my taste, especially as someone who's familiar with Japanese food. It would be great if you could make the rice more moist and fluffy. That would make the dishes taste more authentic and delicious. 2. Katsu Chicken: I have to say, your katsu chicken was amazing! It was so crispy and flavorful, and it really made the meal enjoyable. It would be awesome if you could maintain this level of quality with the other menu items too. 3. Pan Asian Cuisine: If you're a fan of pan Asian food, your restaurant offers a good variety of options. However, I think it would be helpful to work on refining the flavors of the dishes so that the taste is consistently outstanding across the entire menu. 4. Lack of Free WiFi: One thing that could improve the dining experience is having free WiFi available. When I was there, I had trouble connecting to the internet with my 02 network, and it would have been nice to browse online while enjoying my meal. Providing free WiFi would be a great addition for customers who want to stay connected. By considering these points, your restaurant can work towards creating a more enjoyable dining experience for a wider range of customers. Thank you for taking this feedback into account, and I hope it helps you make continuous improvements to your establishment.

Very authentic place, quite small so I'd recommend booking ahead of time but very worth the visit!

Best Japanese I tried in Edinburgh

Despite the yummy tonkotsu broth, our meal regrettably underwhelmed us. The karaage was bewilderingly limited to only two flayed chicken drumsticks - all but impossible to share, both in quantity and in practice, and tasteless. The fried pork cutlet that came with our curry was ok, but the curry was bland and thin and the rice was dry, with some bagged salad thrown on top. The only thing that was decent was the ramen - broth was good and the noodles had decent bite. But I think they skimped on the chashu. Sad to say that it wasn't strong enough to carry the meal though. Sad but honest truth.

There was only one person serving, but the service was still good. The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was lovely. We will be coming back again

a gem of a restaurant hidden away at this street well worth going to went for a meal and was very good customer service was good and meal very good

Broth is good but pork slightly off taste.

My husband and I had walked over to another Japanese restaurant for dinner and were shocked at the prices. Disappointed, we left and wandered through the streets looking for a good meal. We happened upon Hakataya and it did not disappoint! We had the gyoza, which was handmade. It is the best we have ever had. My husband had the Japchae (potato noodles) with prawns. He said it was incredibly flavorful. I had three sushi rolls that rival anything I have had. The service was excellent and attentive. Would definitely return. If you are in Edinburgh, it’s worth the walk!

Hard to find, a very limited space for only 6 tables. Expensive and not valuable.

Visited this restaurant while staying in Edinburgh for a short break. The staff were lovely. The delicious food is recommend My daughter loved the Sushi and I had Chicken Katsu.

Hidden restaurant off the main road. Would never have seen it if someone hadn't suggested it. Had a lovely lunch.

Amazing place. Highly recommend

I had a fantastic meal, and the restaurant has a cozy and relaxing atmosphere.