Rich food but weak service: Restaurant Hato (18. April 2018)
Truly horrible service with decent dishes is the best way to summarize the experience at the Restaurant Hato. At first, upon arrival, things were still fine. I was brought to the table in a friendly manner and the waiter took my order to bring sparkling water to the table which appeared quite rapidly. The “Edamame Salt” (CHF 9.00) which I had ordered as a starter arrived within no time and was actually quite fine.
However, things started to get a bit worse from there. It took them quite a while to take our order. The “sweet and spicy grilled Japanese eggplant with bonito flakes” (CHF 17.00) finally arrived and I must say, it was surprisingly delicious. Especially, considering I was not supposed to eat any meat.
The “Morning Glory Chili Garlic” (CHF 12.00) is quite intense in flavour and taste and I’m not sure how it actually will create any ‘morning glory’ if you have this for dinner.
The “vegetarian fried rice” (CHF 12.00) was probably the thing which was the best in terms of taste – simple yet quite delicious.
I am a bit torn apart about the “three kind Omakase sashimi” (CHF 34.00). On the one hand the sashimi was actually super tasty, however, the issue with it all was the price. I mean, you end up paying quite a substantial amount for just a few pieces of fish.
The “Hato sorbets & icecreams (Yuzu, Apple-Wasabi, Banana Curry)” (CHF 18.00, CHF 6.00 each) is definitely overpriced, however, definitely on the more interesting side of life in terms of flavors. Ultimately, when in your life have you had something like banana curry ice cream or apple wasabi? It definitely does not follow the usual tastes for ice cream or sorbet.
You wonder why the service was bad – frankly, pretty simple. They were just not attentive, just not there. Somehow, there was a complete lack of attention of the personnel – it was just entirely unpleasant. So, in a nutshell, I would go here for the dishes again – I wouldn’t do so with regards to the service though.
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Hato
Brandschenkestrasse 20
8001 Zürich (CH)
Tel.: +41 44 280 18 80
E-Mail: zurich@hato-restaurants.com
Homepage: https://hato-restaurants.com
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
