To begin with, I have to say this post focuses more on the disadvantages of Thai Hana & Sushi Bar. It has a high rate in TripAdvisor and an average score in Yelp. From my point of view, Thai Hana & Sushi Bar is a below-average restaurant. The main reason is the unpalatable food. It offers Japanese sushi, Thai food, and Chinese food. So many cuisines of food, but none of them is tasty. I can’t image a cook is proficient in sushi, noodle soup, fried rice, salad, and Thailand appetizers. I also think it’s time-consuming and costly to prepare some many types of raw materials.
Another potential issue is the change of cooks. I remember the food was nice when I first went there. One of my friends used to go there a lot, but then she told me it had a new cook and she didn’t like the new flavor. I’m not sure if this information is correct, but I see several comments on Yelp report the same problem: food does not taste well as usual. Frequent guests change their rating and claim they will not come again. The deviation on rating score in Yelp is vast. Someone gives five or four stars; they are satisfied with low prices, fast and friendly service, and taste. Someone only gives it one star, they are disappointed about the mediocre flavor and delivering service.
Safety Issue
There is a comment on Yelp is about the safety issue. User Devin W. claims that her boyfriend throws up after eating food in Thai Hana & Sushi Bar. There is no way for me to testify the authenticity of the story, so I check the news about food safety issue in Thai Hana. Thai Hana did temporarily close due to consumer alert by the Allegheny County Health Department in 2017 [1]. The official document reports the following issues: cold foods at unsafe temperatures; the presence of roaches and flies; unknown liquid leaking from the ceiling; dishwasher not sanitizing; bags of rice in unsound condition/infested with moths [2]. Here I want to alarm the potential safety issue in sushi. Not aim to Thai Hana, but all sushi bars. Sushi usually contains uncooked seafood, and it’s easy to get infections by eating non-fresh raw fish. The good news is Thai Hana closed for one month to solve safety issues. In the recent food safety assessment report, Thai Hana has updated their equipment and resolved the safety issue.
Summary
All in all, I think Thai Hana & Sushi Bar is an OK Thai restaurant near campus, and I like the sweet chili sauce there. I think it is changing to better meet customers’ tasty, and I have confidence in Thai Hana. If you want to eat Thai food, it could be an option. Here are some pictures of food in Thai Hana:
Tips
- Location: 3608 5TH AVE
- Open hours
Closed on Sunday. 11 am to 9 pm from Monday to Friday. 12 pm to 9 pm on Saturday.
- Official website: https://thaihanarestaurant.restaurantops.co/
Reference
[1] “Consumer Alert Posted At Thai Hana & Sushi Bar In Oakland”. 2018. Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Accessed October 22, 2018.
[2] “Consumer Alerts And Closures | Food Safety | Health Department | Allegheny County”. 2018. Alleghenycounty.Us. Accessed October 22, 2018.
Panther Eats 
Very informative writeup. Health violations are important to know
LikeLike
I’m glad you included the safety warning. Pictures look great though so I’d say worth the risk!
LikeLike
I think so! I still recommend it as a nice place to go.
LikeLike