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Phillip Dinh grabs a plate of sushi while dining with fellow Oregon State senior Briggs Kalish at Hana Sushi and Izayaka, located at 2001 NW Monroe Ave. in Corvallis.
Plates of sushi weave through the booths on a conveyor belt at Hana Sushi and Izayaka located at 2001 NW Monroe Ave. in Corvallis.
Co-owners of Hana Sushi and Izayaka from left Kevin Yuan, April Zhao and Max Zhao.
Plates of sushi weave through the booths on a conveyor belt at Hana Sushi and Izayaka located at 2001 NW Monroe Ave. in Corvallis.
Hana Sushi and Izayaka is at 2001 NW Monroe Ave. in Corvallis. The restaurant offers more than 50 varieties of sushi.
Hana Sushi and Izayaka is a new restaurant at 2001 NW Monroe Ave. in Corvallis.
Students on the Oregon State University campus are now just a few yards away from the newest sushi restaurant in Corvallis, Hana Sushi and Izakaya, 2001 NW Monroe Ave.
Kevin Yuan, Max Zhao and April Zhao held a soft opening for their conveyor belt sushi restaurant Aug. 19, with a grand opening to occur in mid-September. The classy interior of the restaurant, which is equipped with a full bar, sets it apart from other casual eateries on the street, including Cafe Yumm!, Qdoba and Yogurt Extreme.
The speedy experience is still a priority, however, and Max Zhao said the conveyor belt style perfectly matches the fast pace at which students often find themselves moving.
“Here you can grab 10 plates and go,” he said. “There’s a different clientele here than downtown.”
With conveyor belt sushi, customers sit at a booth and watch their food options slowly revolve by. Instead of reading each item on a menu and picturing how it will taste, guests are able to see and smell what’s right in front of them.
Sugoi Sushi is another restaurant in Corvallis offering the quick delivery style.
At Hana Sushi and Izakaya, the dishes are color-coded and correspond with a price: yellow is the cheapest option with a price point of $1.95, and brown is the most expensive at $5.95.
While these prices are slightly above what most conveyor belt sushi joints charge, the Zhaos said it is because their quality of fish is also higher than most places.
“We have over 50 varieties of high-quality sushi rolls,” Max Zhao said. “There’s nothing redundant about the dishes.”
The restaurant seats up to 77 people, and the belt can fit a maximum of 150 dishes. The plates are removed from the belt after three hours to preserve the freshness of the fish, but Max Zhao said they rarely last that long before being snatched up by hungry customers.
The fish is delivered three or four times a week, and the rolls are made fresh every four hours, which Max Zhao said results in “lightning fresh” dishes.
The Zhaos have been in Corvallis since 2009 and have stayed busy opening new businesses. They own Number One Hot Pot, Summit Bar and Grill, Mix Asian Bistro and April’s Tea House.
“We are sushi lovers,” Max Zhao said. “We’ve been seeking good sushi in town, but there are not many choices, especially near campus.”
Briggs Kalish and Phillip Dinh are rising OSU seniors who have known the Zhaos for a while and regularly visit all of their restaurants. While dining at Hana on Tuesday, they said they don’t have favorites; they just grab and chow down on whatever looks good.
Open from 11:30 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. every day except Monday, Hana offers all kinds of hand rolls, soups, seaweed salad and sushi “sandwiches,” which not many other sushi restaurants make.
“This is where food meets art,” Max Zhao said.
Joanna Mann (she/her) covers education for Mid-Valley Media. She can be contacted at 541-812-6076 or Joanna.Mann@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter via @joanna_mann_.
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Phillip Dinh grabs a plate of sushi while dining with fellow Oregon State senior Briggs Kalish at Hana Sushi and Izayaka, located at 2001 NW Monroe Ave. in Corvallis.
Plates of sushi weave through the booths on a conveyor belt at Hana Sushi and Izayaka located at 2001 NW Monroe Ave. in Corvallis.
Co-owners of Hana Sushi and Izayaka from left Kevin Yuan, April Zhao and Max Zhao.
Plates of sushi weave through the booths on a conveyor belt at Hana Sushi and Izayaka located at 2001 NW Monroe Ave. in Corvallis.
Hana Sushi and Izayaka is at 2001 NW Monroe Ave. in Corvallis. The restaurant offers more than 50 varieties of sushi.
Hana Sushi and Izayaka is a new restaurant at 2001 NW Monroe Ave. in Corvallis.
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