Best Music to Eat Sushi By

Japanese lanterns, bamboo, and chopsticks are things you expect to find in a Japanese restaurant. Portishead on the PA and wasabi in the shape of a happy face are not. Those are just two reasons we love Hanabi, a haven for Lower Haight hipsters in the gourmet ghetto that also features ethnic standouts such as Thep Phanom and the Indian Oven. Portishead is one of the more mainstream artists you'll hear at Hanabi. More likely suspects are avant-garde ambient producer Takemura Nobukazu, downtempo artists Up, Bustle and Out, and electro-funk group Peace Orchestra. But you'll like Hanabi for a lot of other reasons besides the music: the sushi, which is reasonably priced and always fresh; the friendly and attentive waitstaff; and Shinya, the sushi chef responsible for not only the eclectic mix of electronic music but the smiley face that began to appear on our wasabi after several visits.