Hibino

08/07/09

Go for dinner not lunch

by sweets509 at Citysearch

I'm pretty pleased that they finally opened a good Japanese restaurant in Cobble Hill. Very casual setting so it's more of a neighborhood joint and most customers are from the neighborhood on a outing with their friends or family (so not really a romantic date place.) The waitstaff is pleasant, the dishes are tasty and the specials are highly recommended if you want to try something new. I have eaten there for lunch and dinner. Do not go there for lunch. Like most restaurants they have a lunch special menu and the food is just not up to par. It's what you expect for a cheap boxed lunch. The first time I ate there was for lunch and I almost didn't go back since I was so disappointed. But due to all the raves, I went back again for dinner. And dinner in Hibino is fabulous! The specials are always unique and tasty and the sushi in general is wonderful. It's one of the better shushi places I have been to, and definitely the best one in Cobble Hill.

• Pros: good food
• Cons: very small so there might be a wait

07/25/08

Incredibly Fresh, Original Food

by charliequixote at Citysearch

I have eaten here twice and was suprised both times to find how fresh and pure everything tasted. It is a rare occasion when I bite into a snow pea and say -- Wow, that is a really good snow pea! Or, Where do you buy a chicken this good, this FRENCH? I felt like I was on the farm again, and that is no small accomplishment for a restaurant in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn! The flavor combinations are so instinctive, so wise, so memorable, I found myself lost in contemplation. The chef treats the ingredients deferentially, and when the purity and richness of the ingredients takes center stage, it's heaven. Hibino is not flashy, but it IS the most rewarding, most thought-provoking home-style meal in Brooklyn.

• Pros: Fresh ingredients, uncluttered and spacious dining room, fun music
• Cons: Can't eat there every day or the employees will think you are crazy

08/25/07

Fishy, warm, and many better options in our neighborhood

by rayknow at Citysearch

Read the reviews, thought we should actually try it - and what a Disappointment. Upon walking in, the restaurant was warm and muggy - not a good sign (especially when eating sushi). Service was adequate and the decor is nothing to talk about. The edamame was good, but a little too salty, actually a bit . Had a salad which was very good...I would stop there. When it came time for our rolls and sushi, the fish was warm and the salmon was horrible - extremely fishy. We couldn't wait to pay and get out. Here's a tip, they should offer low sodium soy and buy an air conditioner. Would not recommend!

• Cons: Fishy, Warm, and no ac...

07/13/07

Great sushi, but too much take-out action near the suhi bar ...

by germanfoody at Citysearch

Hibino serves very good sushi in a bright and stylish if slightly austere setting. The sashimi comes chilled over a tea-leaf on ice. Nice presentation even though I prefer my fish to "warm up" to me just a little while it's on my plate. The tiny obanzai plates are always a delight, and - therefore - usually leave me wanting for more. But obviously that's better than the other way around ... The staff is extremely friendly, yet not obtrusive. I love to eat at the sushi bar, which is a beautiful spot whether you eat alone or not. However, I would have enjoyed my last visit much more, would there have been fewer "transients" at the bar who just came in to wait, talking on their cellies while their take-out order was prepared. Since the sushi bar is almost like a communal table to me, I didn't like that part. Would be better to have a designated waiting area - or deliver.

• Pros: excellent sushi, surprising and delightful "obanzai" dishes, very friendly staff
• Cons: the take-out-pick-up-crowd "lingers" around the sushi bar ...

06/02/07

Great work!

by takechiyo at Citysearch

If you want to experience the best Japanese cuisine, this place is it... or I can even go.. "if you want to experience the best restaurant...." Foods are subtle still delicious. I like the homemade tofu, shrimp yuba roll, grilled salmon a lot, but everything tastes just amazing. We can tell that all foods, even the asparagus on the side, are absolutely fresh, delicately prepared with the Kyoto-trained head chief's committmen to quality. Their merticulousness to details is in everywhere, so you can enjoy the authentic Japanese cuisine just being there. Ambience is sophisticated still very friendly, including pricing. Absolutely recommended for all occasion.

• Pros: Food, ambience, service

05/15/07

Cozy Cobble Hill spot crafts daily-changing small plates of home-style Japanese cooking.

by Justin Hartung at Citysearch

The Scene
Hibino is the kind of restaurant where you might hear 10-year-olds expounding on the freshness of the tuna--families fill its tables, while couples flock to the small sushi bar. Japanese details like a dark wood lattice and unfailingly gracious service blend with more locally inspired accents, such as globe lamps and exposed original woodwork in the corner window.

The Food
The daily-changing, Kyoto-style small plates (called obanzai) keep a narrow focus on ingredients, with little spice or adornment. In this vein, pencil-thin asparagus and poached egg soak in a soy broth, while cod gets lightly battered and fried into addictive triangles. Some of the regular menu is too simple: Tofu, served in a cute jar, barely registers on the taste buds, while sushi works best with a little dressing up, like in the hearty panko-crusted eel roll. Tender braised short ribs and creamy soy milk pudding, however, prove "home-style" can transcend borders.

04/17/07

Wonderful authentic Japanese restaurant.

by aboutbrooklynfood at Citysearch

The dinning experience we had at Hibino was just wonderful. Have you ever wanted to savor the taste of the food after it was over? What more can you say about the food when you are happy and satisfied after you leave the resturant. We had the "Obanzai" (kind of like Spanish tapas) that the memu changes daily. The food was made delicately yet delicious. We had grilled chicken wings that was tender and non-greasy; fried sea bass soaked in onion soy based sauce; slow cooked banboo in seaweed soy based sauce that you would want to eat every bit of it. The Fresh Made Tofu was just unblievable! They made it in the kitchen twice a day and was served in a cute glass jar with a very light and aromatic soy sauce. Then it came the Sushi. We had Spicy Tuna and Eel Avacado rolls that the fish just melt in your mouth. The overall experience was just wonderul and the most important thing is that it didn't cost you a bundle.