Hapa Izakaya

Love their «Hapa Hour» weekdays from 5 to 6:30 pm. Excellent food and drink for very reasonable prices. Restaurant is great for big groups. One area for improvement is their tendency to be forgetful. They take our order but tend to forget to bring out our complete order and then charge for the item that was not brought out. This has happened on each of my visits (4 times). They are always very apologetic and willing to take off the incomplete order off the bill without any hassle or argument, but to increase the rating even more, I’d encourage them to improve the accuracy on this matter.

We celebrated a friends birthday at Happa on Saturday night, and with a party of 10 you never know what to expect (forced set menus, frustrated servers etc.) We were pleasantly surprised to be seated at a cozy table for 10, and the servers were attentive and friendly! Our water and teas were always filled to the brim– and for my friends who were drinking– the server recommended some great shots for the table. The food was fantastic, the Waygu steak bites are to die for, as are the Ebi Chili Shrimp. The price point was actually quite impressive. For $ 50 a person we got a huge variety of Japanese tapas + cocktails and shots for ⁷⁄₁₀ people (3 pregnant women not drinking in the group). The server actually grabbed a few other wait staff to deliver a unique birthday desert and energetic version of «Happy Birthday» for our friend, they legitimately seemed happy to help us celebrate.
We had friends who had visited Happa earlier this year and commented that the restaurant has definitely improved, I guess their experience was much better this time around. We will most certainly be back to visit soon!

The second time I went to Happa and I was impressed with the food. They have an interesting twist on Japanese/​Korean but still have the classics. I would recommend trying the renkon gyoza, the spicy pork stone bowl and the temari! I went to Happa for the first time last year but wasn’t impressed with the food. We decided to give it another try since it’s very conveniently located. They have some great happy hour items from 530 – 630 every day! And daily drink specials too!
The service was quite good. Our server was not very knowledgable about the menu as I suppose she was new so we were patient. Another gentleman came by and made sure we were enjoying everything and made recommendations which was very helpful!
I would definitely go back!

I was very excited to check this restaurant out when a friend from out of town came visiting. We were looking for fun experience for our night out and were not disappointed. The service was excellent and we were well looked after by our server and the rest of the Hapa staff. Starving as we were, the food was good and we were excited to see that okonomiyaki was on the menu! It was delicious as were the spare ribs and the cold pressed tofu. Prices were a bit steep but we still had a great time on a quiet Tuesday.

A few tasty dishes. Enjoyed the beef and tuna tataki, and some of the rolls. Would definitely recommend going during Hapa Hour from 5:30 — 6:30 when a selection of menu items is on for half price. Combine this with the Thursday drink special on martini-​type drinks (1oz for $ 5 and 2oz for $ 7.50) and you have a great combo!

Team Fam came here for dinner and we ordered the following:
Beef Tataki
Soba Noodles
Ebi Mayo (deep fried prawns in mayonnaise sauce)
Dynamite RollYaki Udon
Beef Tataki (thinly cooked beef slices marinaded with lots of flavour)
Ika (grilled squid)
Kakuni Bun (pork belly bun)
Oshinko (pickled vegetables)
Coffee Brulee
Generally at these izakayas each person orders 2 – 3 plates to be full. This is also the case here. My favourite dishes of the night were the Beef Tataki and Coffee Brulee. The tataki was well seasoned in sauces, was nice and chewy on the inside and ever so slightly cooked on the outside rim. The other food items were standard fare but didn’t stand out as much as the beef tataki. I’m pretty sure in Vancouver these might be called carpaccio but whatever My least favourite of the night were the Oshinko. I’m not sure what these pickles paired well with the best so maybe I was doing it wrong, but I think that money could be better allocated to dessert. The pickled vegetables were crunchy but maybe it’d be best to pair it with a rice dish.
The Kakuni Bun was interesting in that you are supposed to scoop up some pork belly, encase it in the provided steamed bun, and eat it with your hand. This was fun but the pork belly was a little too fatty for my tastes.
Now the dessert was something to behold. This coffee brulee came with some brownie and raspberry friends dashed with icing on the side so its not just a crème brûlée. The custard was warm and smooth under the crusted top which gave a satisfying crunch as I broke through it.

Japanese cuisine meets Spanish tapas. In reality, Japanese cuisine is already served tapas style with dishes such as sushi, tempura, and sashimi. However, I certainly don’t mind (and appreciate) Hapa reminding the public and creating their own tapas-​inspired dishes along side traditonal favorites.
Ebi Mayo…4.5 stars. Tempura prawns in a spicy mayo sauce. A very tasty dish, though I would’ve liked the prawns to have a bit more crunchiness. The prawns are coated in the mayo sauce but I’ve had this dish elsewhere where the tempura still retained its texture… perhaps the dish sat in the kitchen a bit too long.
Beef Short Ribs…5 stars. Excellent! Simply the best Japanese short rib dish I’ve ever had. It’s not rocket science, just thinly cut short ribs grilled to perfection… crispy grill marks but still tender and flavorful. Even the fibrous tendon around the bones were easy on the palate. These were the tiniest ribs with the thickest layer of beef I’ve ever seen! The protein literally sticks out 3″ or more away from the bone.
Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps…3 stars. This dish isn’t terrible but nor was it great either. I was looking forward to trying this but was left a bit disappointed. It’s all about the meat (or filling) when it comes to lettuce wraps. The porkbelly was grilled nicely but just didn’t have the flavor I was looking for. In fact, the porkbelly had very little flavor, at all. The protein was also too firm. A more flavorful braised and flash-​grilled cut of porkbelly would’ve been perfect (think Ki Modern).
Buta No Kakuni…5 stars. Braised porkbelly in a sweet soy broth served with bao (steamed rice flour buns). Nice thick cubes of tender porkbelly. By themselves, the porkbelly doesn’t have much flavor, but when you wrap them in the buns and dip them in the soy broth, it’s heavenly! A fun and well balanced dish.
Wagyu Steak Bites…2 stars. Sautéed wagyu steak cubes served with a side of maple polenta and fermented serrano sauce. The steak cubes were surprisingly over cooked, well done at best. If Hapa corrects this, this dish would easily be 5 stars… here’s hoping it was a one-​time mistake. The sauce is spicy but flavorful; loved it! The polenta offers a nice escape from the rich steak and spicy sauce.
Dynamite Roll…3 stars. You can certainly taste the freshness of the tempura prawn, cucumber, kaiware, wasabi mayo, and teriyaki sauce; however, the sushi was extremely delicate. If you’re not careful, the roll will fall apart on you. Here’s hoping this was another one-​time mistake, as I really like this place.
Green Tea Brulee…4 stars. A nice take on an old favorite. The brulee custard was a bit thicker than the original variety but was none the less tasty. The bites of brownie and raspberries were a nice touch.

As with many izakayas, there is a regular menu and a fresh sheet outlining daily features. I noticed that the menu seemed to be smaller than that in Vancouver (the menu has expanded since my visit!), but there was still a fair amount of options to choose from. In addition to ordering a la carte off the menu, Hapa offers a 12 course prix fixe menu at $ 35 per person and has a ‘Hapa Hour’ menu from 5:30 — 6:30 pm with certain plates offered at 50% off.
Our meal started off with the Bintoro ($ 12), which is a seared Albacore tuna sashimi in ponzu sauce. The thick cut slices of the lightly seared tuna were so fresh, and I loved the slightly tangy ponzu sauce. The greens, seaweed, and garlic chips were a great accompaniment to the fish. I could eat this tuna all the time.
Hapa Izakaya also has a decent selection of sushi rolls, so we went with the Kin Roll ($ 15) and Umi Roll ($ 15). The Kin Roll is made with asparagus tempura, onion, miso mayo, yuzu rind, and topped with yellowtail that is torched tableside. The fish is fresh, asparagus still slightly crunchy, and the sweet miso brings all the flavours together. The Umi Roll on the other hand is made with chopped scallops and avocado then topped with Ahi tuna and pickled onion vinaigrette. The Ahi tuna carries flavours similar to that of their ponzu sauce. The rest of the roll is less flavourful, but that allows you to taste just how fresh and sweet the raw scallops are.
When I visit izakayas, Takoyaki is always at the top of my list of things to order. The Takoyaki ($ 7.50) at Hapa Izakaya is on the fresh sheet, so unfortunately it isn’t always available. However, if you get the chance definitely order it! These crispy balls of octopus in smooth batter are something you don’t want to miss.
Finishing off our orders was the Spicy Pork Ishi-​yaki ($ 12). Served in a hot stone bowl, rice is topped with minced pork, garlic sprouts, tomato, lettuce, spicy miso, and a raw egg. Similar to Korean bibimbap, this rice bowl is mixed up table side and allowed to sizzle in the pot. There was plenty of sauce to coat all the ingredients and the crispy rice. I loved the punch of spicy miso and garlic flavours, and it’s a bowl of rice that will definitely warm you up on a cold night.
Offering something different compared to the traditional Spanish tapas, I’m sure Hapa Izakaya has been happily embraced by those who enjoy going for post-​work drinks and small plates. Our server was knowledgeable and attentive, and it was a great upbeat environment to dine in. I’m a little sad that Hapa Izakaya hasn’t expanded up to Edmonton, but there’s always hope!

What started off with an above average dining experience unfortunately ended up being an annoying, insulting mess.
I had arranged a group dinner for my birthday, and three things went wrong during my experience at this restaurant:
1 — At the time of booking, I had told the man on the phone that we wanted to do the prix-​fixe menu, and that I (the birthday girl) dont eat pork. I had asked if the pork course be substituted by something else? «Sure, no problem», he said. So I was a happy camper. When we were AT the restaurant, the waitress straight up told me the two pork courses will not be substituted. I didnt cause a fuss because it was my birthday, and just decided to pass the pork to my friends at the table.
2 — At the time of booking, I had told the man on the phone that we would like separate bills at the table. He said to just remind our server at the beginning of the meal. So when we were at the restaurant, I told our waitress we want separate bills, and she nodded and said «Okay, no problem, noted!» HOWEVER, during the course of our meal, our waitress’s shift was over, so she left without passing this info on to the next waitress. At the end of our meal, sure enough our new waitress came with one bill. I told her that the first waitress noted down that we wanted separate bills, but this new waitress said she wasnt told of this, so basically ‘too bad so sad’. One bill it is.
3 — This was the last straw. My group was only eight people. So after each of us figured out our bills with drinks, and paid, the new waitress comes to us saying we still owe $ 62. All eight of us were still there, and we had all fully paid for our portions. Even after we all showed our receipts to her, she kept pointing out bizarre math and trying to justify how we still owe money. It was ridiculous beyond comprehension. I was fuming by now. Separate bills like the first waitress had written down would not have resulted in this. We were literally there for 35 minutes, three of us taking turns to punch in the numbers FOR the waitress while she still protested that we owed money. The manager came over, and I told him that I was extremely displeased because we were now wasting our time and ruining our mood by standing around figuring out something which we have already paid for. He just nodded and said «right right, I understand, but it’s gotta be done». So at the end it turned out we were only three dollars short. My friend took out a fiver and handed it to the waitress, so we could just leave. But by then the waitress was still confused and went to the back of the bar to do the math AGAIN with the manager and ANOTHER waitress, to verify if we were speaking the truth! Another 5 minutes later, she came back and asked for the three dollars. Needless to say, we handed her the same fiver we offered earlier, and left.
For a restaurant with such popular roots in Vancouver, this place was a PATHETIC display of customer service. There was NO apology from the manager, or anything at all. The whole crew there made us feel like we were either a) illiterate when it came to math, or b) thieves. Which is quite inaccurate since we were a group of mostly young professional engineers. And they wasted almost 45 minutes of our time because of their own incompetency and lack of communication between each other.
The only reason Hapa Izakaya Calgary gets two stars from me is because the food and drinks were tasty. But thats where it ends. The overall experience left a bad taste in my mouth, so I will NOT be returning. If you value your time, patience, and good customer service, I recommend you dont come here either, especially with a group.

Sigh. I’ve never been to the other locations in Van, so I can only write based on my experience here + the quality of their food and beverages.
Let’s start with the food: Honestly, average westernized Japanese fare. On par with most of the other average sushi places in Calgary, but with the markup of the higher end places. I’ve had better Maki at Co-​op, so I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to come here for that. I do appreciate that they had GF soy sauce, though.
The cocktails are where they shined. I ordered the Hello Kitty and had a sip of my friend’s pear martini, and someone’s Ginger Kitty (basically a Moscow mule). The Hello Kitty had strawberry purée and vodka, and while it (presentation-​wise) looked like something you’d see at a bar that serves pre-​made mixes at a 1000% markup; it was actually really fresh tasting and refreshing. It was pretty enough that other people ordered one after mine came to the table.
Now on to the service: My friend had called in advance to make the reservation and request the $ 35 tasting menu (prixe-​fixe?). They refused to accommodate her request to swap out 2 of the pork items on the menu for her, but she didn’t fuss about it, as there were plenty of other people at the table that don’t have cultural restrictions. They did let me pick items off of the regular menu rather than the prixe-​fixe, as I’m vegan and have a severe gluten intolerance.
The first waitress was pleasant enough, and even kneeled down next to me to show me which items were friendly. We told her at the beginning of the evening that we were paying our bills separately, as the manager told us to do exactly that when the reservation was made, and she assured us it was no problem.
However, she failed to let us know that she was nearing the end of her shift. Halfway through service, she seemed to be tag-​teaming with another waitress without letting the other waitress know about any of our needs. I had my menu taken away 3x, even though I was clearly still reading it.
— Not a huge deal, I guess. I get things abruptly taken from my hands all the time because people assume I’m sleeping, but really it’s because I’m Asian. -
Waitress 1 didn’t pass any of her notes to Waitress 2, Waitress 2 seemed frazzled and awkward and by the end of the evening was taking out her frustration on our table. She seemed really annoyed that we wanted separate bills, and her solution to this was to hand us separate bills for food, but one bill for drinks. The above sentence took 20 minutes. I know, because I kept checking my phone as I had another event to get to. The gratuity was included, so I paid my bill and after the debit machine made its loop around the table; headed out the door to change in to an outfit for my other engagement.
15 minutes later, I walked back and noticed my friends still standing around inside the restaurant. I went inside to say goodnight, and heard they had been accused of short changing their bill by $ 62. As I had witnessed each person pay according to the bills they received, this was clearly due to the waitress forgetting to include items on the bill. Remember, the 18% gratuity was included, as we were a group of 8, so it wasn’t because someone forgot to tip. The waitress’ confusion and frustration came to a head as other people in the group took out their phones and started showing her calculations as well as their receipts. How we could’ve been short $ 62 — UNLESS — items were left off the bill SHE prepared for us is beyond me. The recalculations by our table brought the total to exactly what we ordered + $ 3 so one of us offered our waitress a fiver, but she refused and kept insisting on the $ 62.
My friend voiced her disappointment with the manager who was brought in. He seemed irritated and did nothing to hide this, and gave my friend abrupt responses. Still, he too recalculated the bill, and also got the original total + $ 3, so again the $ 5 was offered. Again, we paid the bills we received, so we were NOT attempting to short change anyone, but the waitress was still confused, though the $ 5 bill was finally accepted.
—
TL;DR This is an overpriced sushi joint with less than stellar service. Next time: Kinjo.

Food ordered: beef tataki, negitoro with garlic toast, pork belly lettuce wraps, hapa roll.
In terms of menu, nothing stood out as extra unique or different. Atmosphere was comfortable, open, with cushy seat cushions.
Service was attentive tho inconsistent — sometimes within a span of 15 mins 3 diff ppl checked up on the table and sometimes no one for 30mins, but all were nice.
I normally don’t talk about bathrooms but I appreciate that they were able to put 2 stalls in the girls loo — Thank you!!!
Happy hour 5−6pm — has happy hour food menu, $ 4 beer (can’t remember which one) and $ 5 wine (white/​red).

Hapa is one of our favorite places in Vancouver, so when we found out there was one in Calgary, we were quite excited to check it out!
Unfortunately, the Calgary location falls short of the experience we’ve had in Vancouver.
What’s good?
Well the food is good. The croquettes are done very well, and so are the gyoza. I also enjoy thier rice bowls. The Sake selection is also quite good.
What could use improvement?
We found the atmosphere not quite as inviting as the Vancouver locations (Robson & Yaletown). Also, the service could use some work. The manager was great, but the servers seem quite inexperienced. Finally, their dinnerware… Yeah funny thing to comment on, but we were expecting a small side plate and small bowl (as is common in thier other locations), but here you get a soup bowl and chopsticks. Wha???
What’s missing?
Where is the oyster bar and other seafood dishes? We were looking forward to this as good seafood is in short supply in Calgary. Unfortunately there is not much seafood on the menu.
And no Calgary, sushi doesn’t count, you don’t go to an Izakaya for sushi. There is a lot of sushi on this menu, more than what I recall being on the Vancouver one.
Anyway, try it out if you have a chance. Go for the food, and don’t expect much else.

I can appreciate that this place is trying not to be traditional, however some of the dishes miss the mark. Also, my cocktail tasted like water.

New restaurant in Calgary. I couldn’t care less about it being from Vancouver, Calgary has a good sushi game, we weren’t saved by Hapa! Anyway, the place is nice inside, has cute waitresses, and they’re all quite lively even when no one is there (Sunday evening). The menu is small, but we found what we’d like. The sushi and sashimi was good. The sashimi portions were small. Everything on the menu is more expensive than the norm in Calgary — I hope this doesn’t become a trend. The Midori salad is quite good, and huge enough for a while table to share.
Overall it’s good. We’ll probably stick to Globefish in the future though.

All right crew.
Quick disclaimer from the top. I’m from Vancouver and have been to each one of the Hapa locations.
Ambience wise, the Hapa here in Calgary is on par. The waitresses and bar manager are lovely people, and they are always down for a good time.
I came by with a large group of dodgeball friends on a Sunday night (yes, dodgeball) and it was a blast. Drinks were flowing, and needless to say, we have an amazing time. The manager hails straight from the Vancouver locations, so he knows what he is doing.
Sadly, if you speak to the Japanese food purists from Vancouver, the food here isn’t the same. Fair enough. But Calgary needs this in the food scene as there is much more to Japanese food than California rolls and gyozas.
Oh and ramen. Who can forget about ramen?

I’ve eaten at the Robson St YVR location about 3 – 4 times and was blown away by the food. I was in disbelief that they were opening one here in YYC.
Tonight I treated myself after work, and found a seat at the bar. Same great whole staff welcome and goodbye, similar dark and trendy modern décor, and the same lively sound system as the Robson St. location.
The service was attentive, friendly, warm, and the food… on point and consistent to the Robson St. original. You have to try the Karaage– I dream about it often! Reso’s are taken FYI. This is a great night time eatery with a modern but casual vibe. Although the menu is smaller than YVR locations, that will change, as will any supposed service inconsistencies (which were not apparent on my visit) –it’s a newly opened restaurant, so cut them some slack folks and just enjoy the visual and flavor sensations this «Incomparable» Izakaya is known for. I can’t wait to go back!

I had to see what all the excitement was with this new Zapata in Calgary. It definitely will be a nice, trendy place for hanging out and enjoying time with friends.
The menu has a nice variety and their beverage menu is quite eclectic.
Be prepared that the portions are smaller than the norm and meant to be shared.
We ordered an assortment of dishes:
Ahi tuna
Albacore Tuna sashimi
Pork belly wraps
Curry hot stone bowl
Grilled Ika
Dynamite roll
Spicy tuna roll
Japanese pickles
Chicken karage
All had great flavor and came in timely fashion. Our table was quite small so it was packed with many dishes.
Service was prompt and friendly. We encountered a service issue where an incorrect dish was ordered and we received the Ebi Shrimp instead of the Chicken karage. When we noticed, we advised the manager and he apologized and even let us keep that dish! The chicken karage followed shortly after. Great service recovery!
Be prepared that each guest is greeted loudly by ALL staff and also the same when you’re leaving.
Great location, great concept!
Arrigato Hapa!

This restaurant is well known in Vancouver, but new to Calgary. When I arrived on a Wednesday night the place was rocking with club beats and quite a crowd. Probably the best way to describe it is a bar with a Japanese-​Korean fusion food. As such, they are open from 5pm until 2am, but the full menu is not available until this late. The bulk of their business right now is the after-​work 5pm crowd, or the late night folks looking for somewhere to hang out on late at night.
As already mentioned the food menu is small, but all of the items I tried were delicious. The food portions vary greatly by size and at the time of night we arrived (one hour before kitchen closed) a number of items on the menu were sold out or not available. Personally, I would rather a small menu well done than a giant menu of okay food.
I would have given it a higher rating but the service was spotty — and our server was really inexperienced. Unfortunately for her, she was serving a table of servers, so the gaps became quickly apparent. The spottiness was not just in not knowing the menu (e.g. she didn’t know which three beers they have on tap), it also included forgotten orders, ordered food that was no longer available, missing cutlery and long gaps at the table waiting for her. We didn’t mind too much because we weren’t in a hurry, but I have to question the management’s choice to put such an inexperienced server on the floor.

This place just newly opened last week and has multiple locations in Vancouver. The atmosphere and dining environment is very modern and trendy. The food had its ups and downs, the beef tataki I found was quite small for the price while the pork belly lettuce wraps were absolutely delicious and a must try in my opinion!
The reason why I give it a 3 star was not only because of the food but because of the service was a little lacking and our table was sticky, didn’t seemed like it was cleaned properly.

This can become one of my favourite spots for Japanese food and drinks. It’s trendy, lively and the food was awesome. Try the Hapa hot wings and the Spicy pork Ishi-​yaki, it won’t disappoint. @albertlam282