What do you want for dinner? It’s the question asked time and time again — almost always followed by, “I don’t know. What do you want?” If we had a nickel for every time we overheard this conversation in the lobby…
Luckily Anaheim has an exciting new option for foodies and Japanese cuisine lovers alike that will make choosing your next meal nice and easy — Hanagi Japanese Restaurant. Located inside Majestic Garden Hotel near Disneyland® Resort, Hanagi is a new popular lunch and dinner restaurant for locals, tourists, and hotel guests alike.
One of three in the world, Hanagi is a restaurant specializing in fresh and creative Japanese cuisine. Premier Hotel Group, which owns Majestic Garden Hotel and already has a Hanagi restaurant in Guam and Sapporo, Japan, saw an opportunity to bring its Japanese culture to a second location here in Southern California, and we are very excited to have this unique restaurant in our hotel!
“We are looking forward to providing the Hanagi experience to not only our hotel guests but also the greater Orange County dining audience,” Chef Hiro said. “Guests will find an on-trend Japanese dining experience at Hanagi, with options for the whole family.”
When you dine at Hanagi, you experience the fine skills of Chef Hiro, whose creativity and passion for Japanese cuisine is clear in every bite.
Chef Hiroyuki Ikeda (aka Chef Hiro) crafts a magical dining experience thanks to his years of creating experiential meals for guests all over the world. He is trained in various Japanese specialties including sashimi and sushi-making. The menu is colorful, unique, and — of course — delicious!
Whether you’re a longtime Japanese cuisine lover or you’re curious to stop by for your first bite of shabu shabu, we wanted to give you some background on our favorite dishes on the menu.
Bento Basket
You may have heard of bento boxes before, but here at Hanagi we put a twist on the traditional bento box — we call them bento baskets. They’re the perfect little arrangement of food, served in a basket, typically complete with a salad, meat, and sides. The best part of bento baskets is that they come in so many varieties! Our bento baskets are made with market-fresh ingredients and include a salad, tofu, and rice.
Bento baskets have been around for a long time — since the 5th century! The word “bento” comes from the word, biàndāng, which means “convenient.” — and bento baskets are very convenient! They started out as lunch boxes for Japanese farmers and have traveled all over the world becoming popular meal options for everyone.
Shabu Shabu
When making shabu shabu in a hot pot, guests create their own Japanese-inspired dish with their choice of broth, meat, seafood, and sauces, making each meal their own. What more could you ask for?
This unique dish is created by putting raw meat into a pot of boiling water and swishing it around. Did you know that’s where the name comes from? Shabu shabu is a Japanese onomatopoeic word for ‘swish swish’. Trust us, you’ll soon know what we’re talking about!
Dating back centuries, soldiers would gather their limited food supplies, slice up thin pieces of meat, and then cook their meals together around a big pot of boiling water. Since then, the dish is widely served in Asian cultures, and we’re happy to be able to bring this dish to you at Hanagi!
Castella Japanese Cake
We can’t forget about dessert, right? Of course not! One of our favorite dessert items on the menu is the castella Japanese sponge cake. Topped with a decadent anglaise and a velvety cream cheese sauce, this sponge cake with dried fruit is the perfect ending to a magical meal at Hanagi.
There are many types of sponge cakes out there. Derived from, Pão de Castela, meaning “bread from Castile”, Portuguese merchants brought this particular type of sponge cake over to Japan in
the 16th century. Because the cake has a long shelf life, it was popular among sailors who kept the cake on board for months at a time. If you are going on a long voyage around Anaheim, you’ll want cake every night, right?! We would.
This is just the beginning. Other menu options include kid-friendly options like kid’s curry (complete with a rice panda bear) and a full selection of Japanese beers and sake. By now you’re probably craving some Japanese cuisine, right? Our magical Japanese dining experience is open to both local guests and hotel guests, so be sure to stop in! Head on over to our Hanagi Japanese Restaurant site to get a glimpse of more menu items and reserve your table! Validated parking is available for restaurant guests.
(Not feeling Japanese food? That’s ok. We have plenty of other dining options for those looking for restaurants near Disneyland® Resort or around Anaheim)
