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    Raku Japanese Kitchen

    4.5 (38 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Order Raku Japanese Kitchen Takeout or Delivery

    Raku Japanese Kitchen Photos

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    RAKU JAPANESE KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

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    Carolyn L.

    The menu here does change so come often if you find something you like. I had the raku tower previously and I liked that. Unfortunately it is no longer on the menu. The food here is pretty good. The quality and presentation are there. It can get pretty crowded on weekends. Weekdays are quiet. There is a lunch special menu here. I do find the portion a bit on the smaller side and I find myself hungry very quickly. Service is not that great as the servers don't pay attention to the diners after food is served. It took us many tries before we successfully flagged down a server. And it was only us and another table at that time. It's 4 stars mainly for the good food as this is in west van and there are not that many good Japanese restaurants in the area.

    Interior
    Cameron L.

    At first glance, you wouldn't think this place is a Japanese restaurant. The interior reflects something more of a cafe, but it's not! It made the experience different than normal, and actually made it stand out. There was chill music playing in the background and it was extremely spacious. The service was also very good as throughout my meal I was constantly being checked on to see if I needed anything. I got the Beef Teriyaki and it was great. It felt like there was a bit of a twist on it as normally I don't get bean sprouts with a teriyaki, but it worked. The beef tasted great with good texture but I wish there was a bit more for the price point. I also got the spicy salmon roll and it was also good, nothing fancy - just your standard roll. I wouldn't consider this my favorite, but it was good enough to where I'd get it again. Overall, I'd definitely come back if I'm in Ambleside. However I'd probably get a different main dish to try out.

    Hollyburn roll
    Evan C.

    Good food, service is kinda slow though. The chirashi bowl has great cuts of sushi. The Toro - only OK. Kinda a thin cut. What I really liked was the crispy oshi. Gotta try it - the rice is crispy and fried. They give you a fat cut of sushi as well. The salmon Oshi uses wild sockeye which is awesome but the cut is way too small. The rolls are good. The Hollyburn was great in particular. Also liked the unagi donburi. Pretty solid. I think this place is a bit below Sushi Umi on Lonsdale.

    Popcorn sushi
    Tracy X.

    What a surprise! Love the location, hanging out with your friends after skiing, hiking or seawall walking, this place used to be a cafe, so the seating and decoration are not typical Japanese restaurant style, however, the food is authentic, lots of choices. Service is great! Highly recommend

    Bc roll
    Natasha P.

    Paid a visit to Raku in West Vancouver due to the overwhelmingly positive reviews. Unfortunately I was a bit disappointed as we ordered a few items which weren't as tasty as other oshi restaurants for the same price point. Also, the BC roll lacked salmon skin (it was filled with salad). The one roll that both my partner and I liked was the red tuna oshi. It had the best flavour and was perfectly seared - oshi style.

    Mango mango sushi and tuna avocado
    Gisela C.

    Service was okay they're quick to take the order but sushi didn't all come at once. Slow. When we asked they kept saying it's coming we finished our first two rolls and kept waiting for the 3rd roll. Plenty of room for big parties and street parking. Clean bathrooms and complementary green tea.

    Deluxe Assorted Aburi
    Maria Y.

    This is a real gem in West Vancouver. Situated in the old Traffiq Cafe, this locale had changed hands many times. But, I hope, Raku Japanese kitchen is here to stay. This is my all new favorite hang out. The servers are polite and the service is super fast. The establishment did not change much but it remained just as beautiful. It is clean and bright. Love the themed toilets, it is a must to visit. The food presentation is also very beautiful and we enjoyed every morsel of what we ordered. Dinner time gets a bit busy, so, reservation is highly recommended. Or else, go early to avoid disappointments. Tables are mostly set up for four due to COVID-19 and I witnessed them turning customers away due to larger groups.

    crispy salmon oshi
    Hanna N.

    This place is kind of like a sushi fusion! They have so many cool new things to try, purple rice even! I got oshi and it was soo good! They're portions are just right and the food came fast. This place is my favourite sushi restaurant in all of north shore I definitely recommend it to everyone!!

    Jay Z roll in the back, I believe the nearest one was called the Oishi roll?
    Eric B.

    This is probably the best sushi I've had since coming to the Pacific Northwest. I want to bring particular attention to a sushi they have here where they fry the bottom of a rice block before putting the fish on top. It gives it a nice carnalities crunch when you bite into it. It's just fantastic. The staff are courteous and available.

    Raky Veggie Rolls

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    4 years ago

    Mediocre quality fish. Not the place if looking for higher end or authentic Japanese meal. Service was good.

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    7 years ago

    Awesome food and great service! Their California rolls are amazing and their waitresses are so nice! :)

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    Kiisu

    Kiisu

    3.9(45 reviews)
    0.4 kmAmbleside
    $$

    I first came here for dine out and the menu gave a good introduction to the dishes…read more The sushi was fresh, grilled Saba was nicely cooked, the aburi oshi sushi, tempura and agedeshi tofu were delicious. Not too oily. It was a lot of food for the dine out menu which made me feel I had my money's worth. I came back again with a friend and I had the lunch box. It was still very good food. My friend likes the simple California roll combo with nigiri and miso soup. On another visit, our party of four ordered a bunch of stuff to share. The curry Donburi was not too spicy, on the mild side and the potato croquettes were very tasty. The gyozas were good. Sashimi was fresh. Our friend who came in from Montreal declared it was one of the best Dragon rolls she had ever tasted. The crunchy topping for crunch crunch was delightful. It was all very good with great service and consistently fresh a food here. A bit pricy but you get quality food.

    Came here with my family and there was a good variety of food on the table but everyone started…read moredigging into their food before I could snap any photos so I only managed to take photos of my own food which was an Avocado roll and Angry Tofu. Loved both my dishes. The Angry Tofu is a nice change of pace from Agedashi Tofu. It's got a bit of a kick to it. Still love my Agedashi Tofu but it's just nice to have something slightly different every now and then. The Avocado roll was excellent. We usually like getting Avocado roll from another restaurant that's actually in the same block as this restaurant. Always happy to know of another place though where we can get a good Avocado roll. No signs of browning on any of the Avocado, and they were very generous with the amount of Avocado that was put into the roll. This place was apparently part of the Dine Out Vancouver event. They had a Dine Out menu that was $55 but none of us chose to go for that. We preferred to order off the regular menu. I like that they have some different offerings on their menu such as the Angry Tofu, and I also saw Oden on the menu. This is probably the first time I've seen Oden on the menu at Japanese restaurant on the North Shore. On the other hand, I was surprised that some of the usual items I tend to see on most other Japanese restaurant menus, were not on the menu here. Seafood Yakisoba for example, wasn't on the menu. I was hoping to bring home an order of that for my mother who hadn't been feeling well enough to come out with us but I had to choose a different item since Seafood Yakisoba wasn't on the menu. Service: Fair Parking: Free parking on the street

    Photos
    Kiisu
    Kiisu
    Kiisu

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    Bene Sushi

    Bene Sushi

    3.6(99 reviews)
    0.4 kmAmbleside
    $$

    Our daughter tends to have her favourites and sticks with them again and again for ever such a long…read moretime before she finally decides to try something new for a change. Well, she surprised her mom recently when we went to Bene Sushi and she actually wanted to try one of the "Exotic Rolls". She still wanted some of her usual stuff, which was Dynamite Roll and Avocado Roll, but in addition she also wanted to try the Ambleside Roll. I was quite full from our lunch earlier in the day and my original plan was to order a salad. However, when she suggested sharing some rolls with each other, and expressed an interest in trying something new...how could I not jump at the opportunity to see my child trying something new? Of course I would share with her! It meant stuffing myself silly but hey...my child wanted to try something new and if that meant eating carbohydrate heavy sushi rolls instead of a light salad...so be it! All 3 rolls were awesome. My personal favourite is still the Avocado roll. Even though it's a simple roll, this restaurant does it so well every time...it never fails to impress me. Avocados can go brown so easily, but every time we order Avocado roll from Bene Sushi, it is generously packed with avocado and the avocado is always such a bright and beautiful green colour. I don't know how they manage to always have perfectly ripe avocados for their sushi. I really commend them for it.

    Food was great except the teriyaki chicken had some pieces that were a little dry and hard to chew…read more Service was excellent and ambiance was great

    Photos
    Bene Sushi - Name of Restaurant

    Name of Restaurant

    Bene Sushi - Chicken Yaki Soba  Absolutely delicious! Highly recommend this dish.  Again another visit at my favourite Japanese restaurant

    Chicken Yaki Soba Absolutely delicious! Highly recommend this dish. Again another visit at my favourite Japanese restaurant

    Bene Sushi - West Van Roll

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    West Van Roll

    Okeya Kyujiro

    Okeya Kyujiro

    4.8(41 reviews)
    6.7 kmYaletown, Downtown

    I made a reservation at Okeya Kyujiro for my partner's 40th birthday, and he had the best time…read more Honestly, it was one of the most memorable omakase experiences I've had in Vancouver. Okeya Kyujiro is a Michelin one-star theatrical omakase restaurant, and when they say theatrical, they mean it! From the moment you're welcomed by smiling ushers in kimono to the closing tea ceremony, every movement feels intentional, precise, and elevated. The ambiance is serene and anticipatory. At the start, guests sit in silence as a black screen conceals the chefs. You see their shadows moving behind it. A bell rings, the screen lifts, and the performance begins. Dinner is a 25+ course experience priced at $325 per person. It's undeniably a splurge, but for a milestone celebration, it feels justified. The menu is seafood-forward, with many ingredients flown in from Japan. Each ingredient is presented before preparation, then carefully assembled and served directly from chef to guest. Courses arrive one by one, never rushed. The service team moves seamlessly in the background, refilling water and attending to drinks (available as an add-on) without disrupting the flow. The finale is a matcha ceremony, whisked in front of you with the same quiet precision that defines the evening. When the final sip is taken, the bell chimes once more, the chefs and staff bow, and the screens close. It was a beautifully choreographed dining experience, perfect for marking a special moment, and one I'd gladly return to for the next celebration.

    Service was really amazing with servers explaining each dish and drinks were always topped off…read more Food was good, but maybe this isn't quite my style of omakase compared to the other ones I've tried. This is a more theatrical style so expect louder music and a more theatrical experience (eg one of the servers played the flute for the guests celebrating birthdays). I prefer a more intimidate and interactive style of omakase where you can talk with the chefs. This lunch also felt a little fast in terms of progression of the meal. Some of the dishes were very tasty while others didn't wow us. With drinks, we were quite full despite some reviews saying portion is on the smaller size. Our total was around $500 with drinks for 2 people. A really good experience for omakase, especially if you are looking for a unique experience though not my favourite one I've tried.

    Photos
    Okeya Kyujiro - Inside the waiting area before being taken to your seat.

    Inside the waiting area before being taken to your seat.

    Okeya Kyujiro - Lychee jelly w/ brown sugar syrup, ginger icecream monaka, crown melon + japanese orange

    Lychee jelly w/ brown sugar syrup, ginger icecream monaka, crown melon + japanese orange

    Okeya Kyujiro - A5 wagyu sukiyaki

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    A5 wagyu sukiyaki

    Miku

    Miku

    4.4(2.6k reviews)
    5.9 kmDowntown
    $$$

    Who gave this spot anything less than 5 stars? I just want to talk lol. Seriously, were we…read moreexperiencing the same meal. Steep as it is, I decided I wanted a "quick little sushi lunch with a view", and a quick little sushi lunch with a few is exactly what I received. Although I don't recommend it, I walked right in from the street, no reservation, and was seated at the bar (in pretty casual street clothes I may add). I enjoyed a premium sake flight (which was fine...just fine), an old fashioned served with the perfect accompanying dark chocolate, and a good amount of sushi including their signature aburi style sushi in flight form and nigiri tuna flight (bluefin, chutoro, otoro). After visiting Japan last December, I'm a bit of an otoro snob but I have to hand it to them, all three of these cuts were perfect. The accompanying rice, perfection. The quality of the fish, divine. The view was the cherry on top of this experience. This will certainly be a spot I revisit next time I'm in Vancouver.

    3.5 stars if I could…read more Excellent service from the staff. They were attentive, checked in periodically and very professional. Michelin starred quality in their service by how they explained the menu, brought out the food, came back around to refill waters. Just top notch service and elegantly so. The food was good but not of value. Their lunch set was a good introductory to what they offer. I enjoyed the food for its flavours and presentation but I thought that it was a bit overpriced. Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful, fresh and definitely elevated, but it was $50 for 10pcs of sushi, 2 appetizer sized samples of their appetizer or entree dishes, and miso soup (which we did not get and didn't realize till much later in the day). If you're wanting an upscale experience (and portion) of good quality food or wanting to impress other parties, then this is a nice spot. For regular eats, it's a bit too luxurious to be a casual thing in my opinion. The ambiance is nice and calm. They have a patio, which has a meh view overlooking the harbor, but beware of a breezy day. It will catch a bit of a wind tunnel. They have heaters and blankets but the heaters don't really reach unless you're sitting next to it.

    Photos
    Miku - Inside the restaurant

    Inside the restaurant

    Miku - Spicy edamame (CAD $8)

    Spicy edamame (CAD $8)

    Miku - Little emperor (CAD $10) and Aka miso old fashioned (CAD $24)

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    Little emperor (CAD $10) and Aka miso old fashioned (CAD $24)

    Raku Japanese Kitchen - japanese - Updated May 2026

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