Hana Japanese Eatery to close in uptown Phoenix after 19 years

Hana Japanese Eatery, the family-run sushi spot that has been an uptown Phoenix favorite since 2007, is closing its Plaza Siete location on Seventh Avenue just north of Missouri.

Co-owners Lori Hashimoto and Lynn Becker announced the news on Isocial media today, and the message also pops up on the restaurant’s website. The reason: a dispute with the landlord, Hashimoto told The Arizona Republic. A final day hasn’t been set yet.

Hana has been a family operation from day one. Hashimoto, a third-generation Japanese American, runs the sushi counter alongside her brother Rick, while her mother Kay and stepfather Kaz, a veteran of Japanese kitchens for more than six decades, have long cooked in the back.

Hashimoto and Becker opened Hana in 2007 partly so her family, especially her chef stepfather, could cook on their own terms rather than working for someone else. Hashimoto also stood out as a woman behind the sushi counter, a job long dominated by men, and hired other women sushi chefs.

Her father, Ed, was sent to a Japanese American internment camp with his family at age 10. He later spent more than 50 years as a commercial vegetable farmer in south Phoenix, bringing young Lori along on deliveries around the Valley and eventually supplying Hana with okra. That farm upbringing is a big reason seasonal Arizona produce shows up on the menu.

Award-winning restaurant

The strip-mall eatery built a loyal following for its pristine fish, earning Hashimoto a James Beard Award semifinalist nod for Best Chef Southwest in 2022 and a shelf full of local Best Japanese Restaurant honors.

Hana’s fans have included some big names. When Martha Stewart was in town for the Phoenix Open in 2015 and craving tempura, chefs Chris Bianco and Silvana Salcido Esparza pointed her to Hana.

Still, Hashimoto has always measured success by her regulars, not accolades. Asked earlier this year about the Michelin Guide’s arrival in Arizona, she shrugged off the stars and said the community around a restaurant ‘‘is who makes you what you are.’’

Not ready to say goodbye

Neither the post nor the news coverage mentions plans to reopen elsewhere, though the post’s talk of closing ‘‘his chapter’’ and ‘‘this location’’ leaves the door open.

For Hashimoto, the hardest part is the people. ‘‘The worst thing about this is losing all my families,’’ she told the Republic, recalling the kids whose parents trusted her to feed them raw fish.

The owners thanked guests for nearly 20 years of birthdays, engagements, anniversaries, and ordinary weeknight dinners, saying ‘‘there is no better customer than a Hana customer.’’

Fellow Valley chefs were quick to respond, with Bernie Kantak of Gladly and Gio Osso of Virtù among those posting heartbroken notes and sending love Hashimoto’s way.

Their ask: come in for one more meal, bring a friend, or just stop by to say hello before the doors close.