Hana Asian Bistro Offers Solid Food on the Cheap

The best part about Hana Asian Bistro may be its prices. There are far better options for Chinese food and sushi in the area if you’re willing to pay a premium, but diners on a budget can head to Hana for solid fare.

Located in the Skokie Fashion Square shopping center, the restaurant at 9434 Skokie Blvd. has lovely décor with mellow illumination provided by hanging lamps and lights embedded in wooden pillars. The dining room features plush cushioned seats and mellow music. You can also grab a seat at the plant lined sushi bar and watch your maki being made.

The place was fairly quiet when we came in for an early Friday night dinner, as there were a few families and couples also dining. Even so it took a while for us to get service. When we did, our server was very friendly and happy to share with us what selections were the most popular and let us know about some good deals such as the Sapporo ($7), a large can of Japanese beer that can easily be split between two people.

Hana has a great happy hour from 4-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, with plenty of appetizers available for just $3. We got in just under the wire so our server took our orders while we perused the sushi menu. The food came out quickly, so that we were still working on our appetizers when our rolls arrived.

The potstickers ($5.50) were the first things to come out, served in a woven basket over a bed of lettuce. We ordered ours steamed, though they’re also available pan-fried, and they were our favorite of the appetizers. Served very hot, the light dumplings contained a flavorful beef filling that tasted great covered in dipping sauce.

The crab rangoon ($4.95) were a little heavy on cream cheese and light on crab, but they still were solid with the sweet interior and crispy outside working well dipped in the very hot mustard sauce they’re served with.

We liked the sauce so much, we asked for extra to pour onto our Japanese croquettes ($4.95). Our server was very accommodating, first bringing out another small dipping tray and then a bowl of the stuff when we told her we’d want more. We were glad we did, because while the potato filling inside the croquettes was nice and sweet, they were a little dry without any sauce.

The only total disappointment was the salt and pepper calamari ($7.50). Our server had recommended the dish, but we found the lightly fried squid fairly bland, just flavored by a bit of its namesake spices and the bed of chopped onions it’s served over. We each tried a bite, and then ignored it. Since we’d only paid $3 for the plate, we didn’t feel particularly bad about an order that didn’t work out.

The sushi was the best part of the meal, with the elaborate specialty rolls beautifully presented. The lobster mango roll ($9.95) was truly standout, and I’ve seen restaurants charge nearly twice the price for items of similar quality. The mixture of lobster and avocado topped with mango puree, tobiko and thin pieces of fruit was delightfully sweet. It worked well with just a little bit of wasabi and soy or dipped in the sauce that came with the firecracker roll ($10.95).

Our server had said the firecracker was the spiciest sushi on the menu. While it had solid flavor, it didn’t really have any heat. Still it was a pleasant novelty, a rice-free roll that featured a mix of crab meat, salmon, spicy tuna and cream cheese deep fried and served with dollops of spicy mayo to dip it in. The crunchy outside provided a nice contrast of textures with the fish and cream cheese inside.

The food at Hana Asian Bistro isn’t extraordinary, but if you can make it there for happy hour, it’s a lot better than you’ll find elsewhere for the same price.