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Kerrisdale Nakamura

3.3 (41 reviews)
ModerateJapanese, Sushi Bars
Closed • Closed

Kerrisdale Nakamura Photos

Business Info

KERRISDALE NAKAMURA ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for groups

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Homemade gyoza
Remy S.

Conveniently located in the center of Kerrisdale, Nakamura is a true hidden gem in my opinion. The moment I opened the door it felt like I walked into a Murakami scene. Maybe it was the 60s jazz music playing or maybe it was the typical Japanese interior. Not gimmicky to make it feel Japanese, but truly Japanese. Tidy and organized, but yet with a very warm and welcoming feel. We were welcomed by the warm smile of the hostess. Both times I've been here there was the same hostess and same chef, I assume they are a married couple who operate the restaurant together. While the wife lead us to our table, the husband was entertaining customers in the bar seats with his stories. We ordered the homemade gyoza, karaage, assorted sushi, and cold soba that comes with tempura and paired this with a glass of umeshu. I really like the homemade gyoza. The sautéed outside gives it a crispy bite And adds depth to the flavor. Personally I wasn't a big fan of the karaage. I prefer my karaage juicy and tender whereas this one felt a bit like chicken jerky. However, my friend really liked it, so it really depends on your preference. The assorted sushi was good. The fish was fresh and we were served a good variety. We finished with the cold soba. This is one of my favorite summer dishes and didn't disappoint. The portion was quite large with the tempura added. The tempura was great. Fluffy but crunchy and the vegetables were well cooked. The food is very decently priced considering the effort and detail is put in it. As the restaurant is not very large and not loud at all, it's a perfect place to catch up with someone or for a date night. To me it's a surprise this place isn't busier. I would go here any day instead of waiting for over an hour at the sushi place at the other side of the street. The owners really make you feel like you are part of their family the moment you walk in. I would say, give Nakamura a try and you might be entertained by the stories of the chef or receive a warm smile of the hostess.

Ceci C.

Nakamura is a small restaurant with seating for 25 people maximum. When we arrived we managed to snag one of the very last tables. We decided to go with the Tasting Course Dinner ($38.00 per person). The tasting course consists of gomae, sashimi, baked seafood, tempura, sunomono, chicken teriyaki and sushi). The gomae was standard, and the sesame sauce was very fragrant. The cuts of sashimi were on the smaller side but each piece was very fresh. The baked shrimp and scallop with miso mayonnaise was one of my favourite parts of the dinner. The presentation was cute, being served in a scallop shell, and there was plenty of seafood in this. The miso mayonnaise didn't overwhelm the seafood and I would have ordered more if I had the stomach space! The sunomono was refreshing with a strong vinegar bite. The octopus was fresh and went well with the seaweed and cucumber. The teriyaki was standard, a good filler. I wish it came with rice as the sauce was on the saltier side. The tempura was light and the portion was generous. There was two shrimp, sweet potato, green bean, eggplant and kabocha. My favourite was the kabocha. Our meal finished with a a five piece nigiri set. Each piece was delicately made and the rice portion was very small in comparison to the sashimi. I really enjoyed this plate, and I think the next time I visit I will try more of their sushi and sashimi offerings. Overall I felt quite full after this tasting course. Service was on the slower side, but that was to be expected as I think this was a husband and wife team (husband was the sushi chef and wife was the waitress) who ran the entire restaurant. Everything was fresh and delicious, and I would love to come back again to try more dishes!

Hamachi shashimi
Annie M.

It's another Japanese owned restaurant at Kerrisdale. I found it from other food blog and highly rated. We went there on Saturday without any rsvn, we got seated right the way. I usually feel more comfortable for Japanese run restaurant of raw foods. However, the principle not apply to low end/causal restaurant nowadays. We're quite hungry and ordered a lot of food for 2 of us. Hamachi - It's ok. I would expect Hamachi taste fresh rather than frozen and mushy! Beef tataki - Definitely not AAA grade Beef for tataki, few slices were chewy. BBQ squid - It over boiled and slightly grilled it. Ungai don - Eel was prepackage and very salty Chopped scallop cones - It's good. Tobiko nigiri - It's mediocre. California roll - It's ok. Seafood chawanmushi - It's steam hot and great. Overall, the service was great but the foods were below my expectation. It wouldn't make me return soon.

The sashimi lunch set
Todd K.

Another good Japanese restaurant in Kerrisdale. Nakamura is set up with a mini sushi counter with a nice vibe of an authentic casual cafe in Japan. As expected, very clean and good service, both the server and sushi chef makes me smile. My stomach is also content with the lunch set, at comparable prices with the other Japanese restaurants closeby. The sashimi set is fresh and elegantly presently, but largely on the small side. I would give a return visit to try the dinner menu.

Teresa V.

Came across this place and decided to dine in for dinner. It's one of the cutest Japanese restaurants I've been to. The service was amazing and the food was great. Fresh tasting! The only thing I felt was off was the rice was a bit over cooked. But with that being said I still enjoyed my meal! Will be back for sure.

Louise Y.

Seriously, this is the worst Japanese restaurant I have ever tried in Great Vancouver Area! The price is ridiculous, and the food does not deserve the price at all! Not fresh. Everything is tiny amount! They charge $22 for 10 pieces of tiny sashimi. Vegetable tempura is made of green beans, green pepper, coin size eggplant and coin size carrot. The room temperature is even hotter than the outside. BTW, it is summer and 28+ Celsius degree outside. If there is one more thing I want to tell ya, it will be "Avoid it"!

I had assorted sushi lunch. I went there before noon so it was pretty quiet and food came right away. Some of the reviews here said their price is high but I found it pretty affordable. It's a decent Japanese run sushi place with a sushi chef (s) so it can't be compared with lower quality restaurants. I like that they use sockeye salmon instead of farmed salmon. Overall it's a good place! They don't do take out though. I couldn't find menu online before I went there so here it is!

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8 years ago

Amazing authentic food with great service! The owner and his wife were extremely friendly and helpful.

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7 years ago

Sure it's own by a Japanese person but that's it. Portions are small and you're paying an arm and leg for the dishes.

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12 years ago

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14 years ago

This is one of the best sushi in Vancouver. May not be as fancy as Tojo but just as good at half the price.

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14 years ago

Poor customer service despite being repeat customers and a very uncompromising and unappreciative attitude.

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4.3(1.1k reviews)
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Guu with Garlic has become one of my favorite Japanese restaurants in Vancouver. It's an energetic…read moreizakaya with a fun atmosphere without feeling over the top. One of the best parts is the ever-changing menu of daily specials alongside the regular menu, so there's always something new to try while still coming back to your favorites. This visit we ordered the shrimp garlic fried rice, Agedashi Nasu, Grilled Squid with Garlic Mayo, and an assortment of sashimi. The shrimp garlic fried rice is an absolute must every time. It's packed with flavor, perfectly seasoned, and somehow manages to be comforting without feeling too heavy. It is a large dish and can easily be shared by 3-4, depending on what else you order. We also love the Agedashi Nasu here with melt-in-your-mouth eggplant wrapped in a light, delicate coating that soaks up the savory broth. Service is always quick and organized, even when the restaurant is busy. Dishes arrive as they're ready, making it easy to share everything around the table, which is exactly how an izakaya experience should feel. If it's your first visit, don't skip the shrimp garlic fried rice, and make sure to check out the daily specials before ordering. They often feature seasonal dishes that aren't available on the regular menu and are well worth trying.

Great ambiance for a night out with friends for drinks and small bites. I like ordering a few…read morethings for the table to share so we can try more of the items. It really depends on how many people you come with though because the dishes are on the smaller side so you might need to make 2 orders of a dish for sharing. Okonomiyaki, gyoza, sukiyaki and udon are usually my go-tos for sharing.

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Stopped by this place whilst craving some Asian food and found this place on Yelp. It was not too…read morebusy during our visit. We were seated right away and ordered on the tablet. My partner ordered the Anago Tendon, which came with 1 eel, 2 shrimp, 1 chicken, 2 french beans, 1 yam, and 1 seaweed. I ordered the chicken katsu with curry. Both were super yummy and filling. In addition to the entrees, we also ordered chicken wings and a salmon handroll. The wings were cery large, we were surprised! The salmon handroll was just okay, nothing too special. Service was great and we enjoyed our visit!

As a Washington resident I did not know that the Vancouver Tendon Kohaku's menu was much smaller…read moreand the less formal vibe. I thought it was a nice change of scenery to be honest also I did miss some items I originally wanted and planned to try. There were some of the main dishes, like the bowls, and also mainly udon. The chicken karaage was extremely tender and fresh, you could tell because it was hot which was nice! The udon in both the curry and rose cream udon was very soft and tender as well, tender than what I usually have for udon. If you like your noodles al dante I don't think it'll quite fit your taste but I personally really enjoyed it! As for the taste the spicy rose cream udon tasted exactly like Buldak Ramen's Carbonara flavor, and everyone at my table agreed. The garlic bread was nice tho. To be completely honest staff and workers aren't very attentive, the restaurant wasn't full and I could see the workers standing around. Our table had to ask for water multiple times. Other than that however they're very kind.

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I went here for a special occasion dinner. Reservations are highly recommended because they are…read morevery small - 12 diners per sitting and 2 sittings per night. I made reservations about 4 months in advance. Upon arrival, one of the hostesses opened the door for us, and asked us to wait in a very ornate waiting area. We only waited a couple of minutes before another hostess seated us at the main seating area. The space is very dark, and only lit with candles while the rest of the diners trickled in. During that time they take drink orders, which is limited to sake, wine, beer and a few non-alcoholic drinks. Of note, they don't provide a drink menu, so we were a little surprised by the cost - the yuzu sake and the plum wine were $30 each. My non-alcoholic drink was $12, but a fair size. The theatrical portion started a few minutes later than the official start time - closer to 6pm. The shades lifted, the lights turned on, and the chefs introduced themselves. And from that moment on, they immediately went to work preparing our meal. They operate like clockwork to show the ingredients whole to the diners, and then preparing them, and serving them. Soon as the one dish was completed by all the diners, the next round came shortly after. Over 20+ dishes, there was very little wait time in between each. Each time a dish was served, a hostess was there to describe the dish and provided tips on how best to eat it. The food was overall was very good. I thought a few items were very average, most of them were very good, and a select few were truly outstanding. Most of the ingredients are imported from Japan, so I would imagine that it's part of the reason it's so expensive. This is definitely a splurge meal. I think half the diners at our sitting was celebrating a birthday. On the most part, the food is very good, watching the chefs at work is part of the entertainment, and the service is excellent. It's not some place I could afford to go to often, but glad to do it at least this one time.

Drove from seattle to make it to the lunch here - what a fantastic experience. Everything from The…read moreentrance to the end was ceremonial. You start in a small waiting room thoughtfully decorated with cultural touches before being welcomed into an intimate dining area that seats only about 12-14 people. The service was attentive and personal throughout. When it came to drinks, they first asked what we generally enjoyed rather than immediately pushing specific options. Once we narrowed it down to dry sake, our server kindly brought over several bottles and gave us a detailed explanation of each one before we made our choice. Lunch consisted of around 15 courses, with most served nigiri-style. Everything tasted incredibly fresh, and I loved the thoughtful combinations of flavors and textures throughout the progression. Each piece felt distinct without trying too hard to be complicated.The experience finished beautifully with ice cream and matcha--a simple, elegant ending to a memorable meal. Absolutely worth the drive from Seattle. This wasn't just lunch; the intimate setting, pacing, presentation, and hospitality made the whole experience feel special from beginning to end.

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Authentic Japanese Izakaya vibes here! Guu is the first to…read moredo it here in Vancouver, and the quality of all their dishes shine through. I love that they have daily specials from their chefs (shoutout to Kei and Shota!) which are creative, combining classic creations with their own twists. Service is pretty good and the staff are always friendly and accommodating.

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Kerrisdale Nakamura - japanese - Updated November 2026

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