Ichirin → HaNaBi omakase&izakaya - Izakaya restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City

The name says it plainly: omakase and izakaya under one roof, which is a rarer combination in Thao Dien than it sounds. Omakase implies surrender to the kitchen — a sequenced, chef-driven procession of dishes where the menu is whatever arrived fresh that day. Izakaya implies the opposite register: ordered at will, shared freely, best consumed alongside cold beer or a pour of whisky. HaNaBi holds both modes simultaneously, which means a table can commit to the full counter experience or graze through small plates at its own pace.

The dual identity — still branded with its predecessor name Ichirin in places — reflects a venue that has evolved rather than arrived fully formed. That evolution appears to have landed well: 203 Google reviews averaging 4.6 puts it among the more consistently rated Japanese concepts in the neighborhood, a district that is not short on competition from ramen counters, sushi bars, and pan-Asian fusion restaurants.

Where many izakayas in Thao Dien lean into the casual gastropub format and stop there, the omakase strand here signals a kitchen with genuine technical ambition. The counter format — wherever the chef's counter sits — creates a fundamentally different kind of dinner than table service: pacing is shared, courses are explained, and proximity to the kitchen becomes part of the experience itself.

The crowd tends toward couples and small groups willing to spend more deliberately on a weeknight or mark something specific on a weekend. It draws the kind of diner who prefers depth over breadth and is willing to hand over some control in exchange for a meal that has a narrative arc rather than just a price point.