We'd had Izakaya Hie (pronounced "he-ay" or something like that) recommended by many and we loved it. The restaurant is lots of small private rooms and a few large tables in an open area, we sat in the open area. It has a good buzz...and the staff are lovely, but importantly the food was excellent. Try the mixed sushi plate and make sure to order some sake. You'll find Izakaya Hie to be casual, authentic and non pretentious. Make sure to book.More
Staff at our hotel referred us to Izakaya Hie. We were dropped off at the restaurant and found ourselves outside of a quaint traditional Japanese timber dwelling. If we didn’t know it was a restaurant we would have wandered past. Entering the establishment was like...stepping back in time. Weathered timber walls, waiters in traditional garb, cozy alcoves partitioned off from other guests by calico curtains and sunken eating tables - made this a must do location for a traditional Japanese dinner. Food was interesting and delicious. Without a reservation this place is difficult to get into.More
We went here based on hotel recommendations. Couldn't get in without a booking as it is always booked out. Hie is a classic japanese Izakaya. The food was absolutely amazing - yakitori sticks were great but then it just got better and better. The squid...tempura was to die for and was better than any tempura I have had before. The sashimi platter was amazing, as was the chicken karaage. But the pick really was the nigiri sushi. We watched the older gentleman make the sushi with care and expertise behind the bar. The result? Some of the most amazing sushi I have ever had (better than Tsukiji market in Tokyo in my opinion). The nigiri maguro (tuna) was simply beautiful and melted in your mouth. Great drinks selection, great staff. We spend about 5000 yen each including alcohol. We will definitely be back!More
We have been here many times over the years and always love it. A great cosy place, where the food and drink is always great. A wide variety of food to choose from, kids love it.
Fully booked most of the time during the season.. better book early to get a table. A very rustic traditional Izakaya in Echoland but well worth the visit. Food was good with good quality and not overpriced. Service excellent as always in Japan. Had a...great time. Really tasty skewers and the wagyu steak was really flavourful and tender. Have tried most in the ski areas of Happo and Echoland this one ups the ante.More
We had a great meal at Hie. We especially liked their tempura squid, chicken yakitori (including the one with leek), mackerel, baked camembert & their local cheese. Their smoked salmon salad was different and fresh. However, the serves are not big and we ordered a...fair bit to get enough to eat.More
We came here one night after a long day of skiing and we were immediately impressed. We got a Japanese style table that could fit 6 people. The service was prompt and if you ever need anything click the buzzer. The food was delicious, when...we needed a taxi they ordered us one. Overall this is a great place to have a amazing dinner!More
Went there with my 2 boys. Food was very good. Loved the crispy potato and salad, Wagyu steak was excellent as was the sashimi. Service was good and cosy seating. Good option in Hakuba
We had dinner here for NYE, 2 kids 2 adults. The salad with crispy potatoes was delicious as was the sashimi and chicken skewers. Limited choice of beer but good service and atmosphere.
Terrible service! We walked in and were told we needed to call to make a reservation. So we did the next day. We tried calling all day but to no avail! And were turned away! How annoying! Terrible service from a Japanese restaurant. We won’t...be partionising you at all!More
Was recommended the salad with fries but it wasn't that good. We also tried the sushi and it was really good but the price was too high. I do recommend the plum wine!
must go. very nice place, good service, great atmosphere, great food. try the potato salad! one funny thing is that they insist you order a drink before you're allowed to order food.
Really disappointed overall. Very expensive meal for the size and quality of the servings. Was left hungry and not fulfilled after spending 17000 yen between 4 of us. Best meal was the karage. Other than that it went downhill. Couldn't even provide warm and salted...edamame. Chicken skewers were OK but nothing amazing. Rest of the food was poor and overpriced.More
Always a great choice. Really good food, really fresh, really cool atmosphere, and well priced. Definitely a must do!
First off, you have to order a drink just to sit down for dinner. Before you even look at the menu or decide on what you want to eat, the waiter makes you pick from the drink menu...no drink, no meal. Second, the food is...ridiculously over-priced, especially for the portions (and quality). Between 3 of us, we ordered an edamame for the table, a round of drinks, 8 small yakitori skewers, and 2 of the $3500 yen "wagyu" steaks (200g each). The edamame smelled like feet, and tasted stale. Not a good sign, because how on earth do you butcher edamame? You drop soybeans in hot water...that's it! The yakitori skewers ($180-$220 yen per) tasted fine, but definitely were nothing to write home about. At a quality yakitori joint you can taste the nuances between the different cuts of chicken, and experience a culinary journey of sorts. We were left arguing which piece was chicken butt or chicken wing because all the stuff tasted and looked the same. Finally, we ordered 2 of the supposed "wagyu" steaks for the table. Only one came...which proved to be a blessing in disguise. They pounded the wagyu steak so thin it looked like the cow had been run over by a car before dinner. My buddy called it the unbreaded "schnitzel" of cows. Good wagyu has even marbling throughout the steak...the 200g steak that came to our table had about 40g of gristle and fat chunked to the side. If that passes for wagyu, then the McDonalds has serious claim to the Big Mac being made from Wagyu as well. Luckily, the waiter forgot our second order of steak, and so I was able to save myself from pointlessly dropping $3500 on a piece of shoe leather. Instead, I happily drove over to 7/11 after my buddies had eaten, and challenged ourself to see what we could buy with $3500yen from the 7/11 food isle. $1000yen later, I had a delicious Gyu Don, a side of chicken, a delicious apple cream sandwich dessert, $2500 left in my pocket, and a full stomach.More