If you live anywhere near Dawsonville and have not tried Hatsu Hibachi yet, you are missing out…read more
Daniel from Roundabout Deli recommended this place to me and told me June and her husband were back there cooking up some amazing food. After trying it for myself, I completely understand why people keep talking about this spot.
First off, this is NOT your typical small-town hibachi place where everything tastes the same. You can tell there's care being put into the food here.
I tried the steak lo mein, General Tso chicken, orange chicken, fried dumplings, egg rolls, fried rice, and the sugar donuts.
The steak lo mein was excellent. The steak was actually tender, which matters because bad steak can ruin a noodle dish fast. The noodles were perfectly cooked and loaded with flavor without being greasy or heavy.
The General Tso chicken was probably my favorite thing I tried. Super crispy, flavorful, and had that slight spice that General Tso is supposed to have. The orange chicken was also fantastic. Both had that fresh crispy texture where the sauce still sticks to the chicken without making it soggy.
And honestly, the pricing here is kind of wild in the best way possible. Most of these plates are around $10-12, and the portions are HUGE for the money. With prices going up everywhere lately, it was refreshing to walk into a local family-owned spot and leave feeling like you actually got your money's worth.
The fried rice was simple but really good. Just egg fried rice without a bunch of vegetables mixed in, which honestly a lot of people will appreciate.
The fried dumplings were great, the chicken egg rolls were crispy and tasty, and dipping them in yum yum sauce made them even better. The sugar donuts were awesome too. They're more dense than your typical donut and came out warm with sugar on top. Really good way to finish the meal.
The restaurant itself is beside a gas station, but it is NOT part of the gas station. Don't let that fool you. Inside is clean, comfortable, and nicer than people would probably expect. Plenty of tables and booths, nice setup, and they also serve Coca-Cola fountain drinks and bottled drinks.
Service was fast too. I ordered a lot of food and it probably took around 5-7 minutes. I did notice they stay busy with people constantly coming in and phones ringing, but the kitchen was moving efficiently and the food came out fresh and hot.
Very happy Dawsonville has a local family-owned place like this. June and her husband are doing an amazing job here, and I'll absolutely be back to keep trying more of the menu.
5/23 EDIT: Stopped back by Hatsu Hibachi with my wife and somehow this place impressed us even more the second time around. I had the teriyaki chicken with lo mein, my wife got the Mongolian chicken with fried rice, and both were excellent. The portions are huge, the chicken was tender, and the flavor on everything was spot on.
We also got to meet June, and she is absolutely amazing. She shared a little bit about her background and everything they're doing over at Hatsu, and you can genuinely feel how much care they put into the food and the customer experience.
On top of that, she kindly gave us an order of their homemade crab rangoons, and WOW. They prep and make them all in-house, and you can absolutely tell. Crispy, fresh, full of flavor, and such a great appetizer that paired perfectly with the meal.
Really happy to see a local spot putting this much heart into their food. Hatsu continues to be one of the best values around Dawsonville.