we were at the aberdeen food court at around 6:26 pm on a wednesday. instead of my usual go to, i decided on giving saboten a try. i had the #2 loin set, served in a classic bento style presentation. the golden brown cutlet is perfectly breaded and fried to a crisp, the pork itself was tender and juicy. it was accompanied by a generous serving of steamed white rice and finely shredded cabbage for a refreshing crunch. the dressing was quite vinegary, though i prefer a sesame dressing, alongside, there's a bowl of warm miso soup, rich with seaweed and tofu, providing a comforting balance to the meal. condiments include saboten's signature tonkatsu sauce and ground sesame seeds for dipping, adding layers of savoury depth. a small serving of pickled vegetables adds a bright, tangy contrast. the meal is neatly presented on a tray, a perfect portion for a simple yet satisfying japanese dining experience. read more

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We were shopping around, and got hungry. Walked around the food court, any my cousin and I decided to grab something from here. I ordered the Chicken Katsu-Don and she ordered the Chicken Katsu Curry. It was a bit of a wait for our food. Food was decent, nothing too memorable. read more

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Saboten is upstairs in the food court. I ordered the chicken katsu set. The chicken sits atop a bed of rice and is delicious. I only wish the curry was a bit thicker. It was too watery for me but it had a decent amount of flavor. The set comes with a side of pickles and a miso soup. I normally get the tenderloin set and add shrimps but opted to try something new to no avail. read more

Saboten - Curry chicken katsu - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

My daughter wanted katsu for dinner but according to her it was cold so the katsu might have been sitting out for a while. Taste was a little bland. We are used to California's way of making pork katsu. Overall, it was just OK. read more

Saboten - Loin set - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

I wanted to like this food court staple but it just didn't hit the mark for me. I got the pork katsu sandwich which was premade and the oil from the katsu had soaked through the bread and it was cold. Utter disappointment. Next time I tried the katsu pork dinner and the pork was mealy with a thin drizzle of sauce but the rice was good. They are always busy so some people like what they are putting out. read more

7/8/2023 Decided to come back to saboten!!! I grabbed dinner here. I ordered the katsu pork loin, and the coating is very crunchy, nice and light,and the pork is well cooked. The sauce was light and I enjoyed their katsu. Or come with side pickles and cabbage and I ordered extra cabbage. I wish saboten will come to Washington! read more

Saboten - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

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We swung by this place (in a large food court) while shopping in the Aberdeen shopping center. We got 2 sets both shrimp and tender loin cutlets combos. Will definitely be coming here again bc the kids loved it. The food in general are pricey but that's the way it's been every where you go; inflation and all. But definitely worth it to come here. read more

Saboten - Tenderloin and shrimp combo - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

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American mall food courts have nothing on Asian ones, even those in Canada. The tenderloin and Japanese curry was restaurant quality delicious. Unfortunately, the cabbage on the menu looked scrumptious, especially the fresh Green color, but the real product was White and somewhat tasteless. They definitely need more seats. read more

Saboten - Very very good. - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

Japanese cutlet food stall in the Aberdeen Centre food court. Tried it on a weekend lunch time and the whole food court was busy. Ordered their loin katsu don which comes with a small bowl of miso soup. The place was busy so they took a while to get the orders out. 15 minutes before I got my food. My friend who ordered from a different stall was almost done eating when I got my food. Katsu don tasted decent. Had the correct flavors. The pork loin katsu had a decent thickness and crust. Overall was alright, a bit slow due to the busyness. read more

Saboten - loin katsu don - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

Ok for pork loin set for $15.95 CAD. They had miso soup, pickles, rice and cabbage along with the protein. The curry sauce is more on the sweeter side. read more

Saboten - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

We were wandering the food court in Aberdeen Center when we stopped here to get dinner. Saboten was one of the few places that accepted credit cards, so we were grateful to get some food since we didn't have any cash on us. The chicken set meal was sooo good! The chicken was super tasty and it came with sauce to put on the rice. The miso soup was also great, but we weren't big fans of the plain cabbage on the side. Our order came up relatively quickly and it was easy to find a table amid the food court. This particular spot is right at the start of the food court, so easy to find too! read more

Saboten - Chicken set - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

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Light, crispy, and delicious. Took a bit to come out but I'd rather have it fresh than cold. Plenty of seating as it was located in the food court. Would recommend. read more

Saboten - Saboten Set - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

=== 1. VERDICT/VALUE There's not a lot (or any) competition for tonkatsu in the Aberdeen food court, so it's easy for Saboten to be a good choice if you have a hankering for fried, breaded pork...but portion size and price make Saboten a solid choice regardless! === 2. FOOD Loin Set ($11.75): simple, yet satisfying! A good-sized piece of pork tonkatsu highlights the dish. The coating may not be as light and delicate as that found in Japan, but the coating here is not too thick, crunchy, or hard. The standard fare of rice, shredded cabbage, and miso soup round out the set. I wish there was an option to get more rice and cabbage (as is typical in an authentic restaurant); however, that's not possible here due to COVID or otherwise. === 3. SERVICE & ENVIRONMENT It's a food court stall, so you're really here for limited interaction and takeaway. From that perspective, service was alright, the meal was prepped in about 10 minutes during the lunch rush hour, and the environment shared the same colours and contemporary decor as the rest of Aberdeen Centre. It also means it's wide open, so those with wheelchairs and baby strollers will have no issue coming and going. Parking is as available as it typically gets at Aberdeen (which can be challenging from lunchtime onwards)! read more

Saboten - Loin Set ($11.75): simple yet satisfying! Solid choice. - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

This restaurant is at the food court inside Aberdeen Centre. Here's the basic rundown: Food Quality **** (4 Stars) Price ***** (5 Stars) Service *** (3 Stars) Food I ordered the Saboten Set: two small pork cutlets and a fried prawn served with rice, miso soup, and shredded cabbage. As you can see in my photos, what you think you are getting and what you actually get are quite different. However, for only $12.95 CAD ($9.87 USD), I can easily let it slide. The breading was on a thicker side for Japanese katsu. Both the katsu and the fried prawn were crispy but not oily. Also, the meat and the prawn inside were generous in size. Service Yes, the cashier was not the friendliest (as other Yelpers reported), but I can let it slide for the price and the decent quality for the food. I was here around 5pm on a Tuesday, and there were not many customers. I got my food in about 5 minutes after ordering it. There was a plenty of seating at the food court. Recommendation It is not a great restaurant by any standard, but it's a really good food for a mall food court. Beside, we can get a meal for less than $10.00 (USD), which is unbelievable. When I'm at Aberdeen Center, I'm sure I will come back here again. ***************************** If you found something useful in my review, please hit "useful" to let me know. Your feedback helps me improve my future reviews. If you love food and traveling, follow me, or better yet, let's become friends on Yelp! If you think your friends will find my review useful, please share it with them! Thank you and happy Yelping! read more

Saboten - What you actually get! - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

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Got take out here through Uber Eats and their food portion was small and not as good compared to the one in Burnaby and Coquitlam. I've had better Katsu curry. Their meat was HARD too! This place was below average - I would not order nor eat at this location again! read more

Saboten is a pretty average chain and although it's nice to have as a food court option (I wish we had it in the US), it's not that good. Will definitely satisfy a tonkatsu craving, but won't blow your mind. The pork is always fine, but nothing fancy. I personally like katsu sandos and they're great for takeout/lunch next day. While it's conveniently located, Saboten also has tough competition because the Aberdeen Centre food court is loaded with delicious vendors. read more

Rated A for Average. If you need a quick bite and are craving katsu, this place located inside Aberdeen Centre's food court is OK. The curry is good and slightly sweet, but there is not enough for the amount of rice. The katsu breading is good but comes off easily. The rosu meat is tough. Meat will get stuck in between your teeth, and sometimes you have to eat the whole piece in one bite. read more

Saboten - Rosu (loin) katsu kare with extra side order of rosu katsu - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

When Saboten first opened, I heard the lineup was over an hour. After so many years after their grand opening, I finally got a chance to try their fried chicken. I got the Shrimp katsu and pork katsu. To my surprise, the shrimp katsu and pork katsu was super delicious. It was not over cooked (juicy inside). Best of all, it goes super well with the sauce they provided. It's hard to explain the batter that they use. But the pork and shirmp was very fluffy crunchy (not sure if that is a good description). The entree comes with rice, cabbage, miso soup and pickles. Very delicious. Portion is a bit small but I am a small eater so that's ok. It is expensive for food court food. If you add $0.50 to your meal you get to add cold tea with it. I highly recommend giving this place a try. read more

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We ordered the Chicken katsu and Tenderloin Katsu but they did not give us the Tonkatsu sauce; they give us a mystery sour sauce. We only realized this after we ate. It was unethical for them to trick customer - the dish is not what it is supposed to be without the right sauce because the food relied on the sauce. read more

Got take out and ate it probably about 5 minutes after at a nearby park. Crunch held up well, didn't go soggy on me in the couple minutes in the take out container. Good portion of rice, cabbage, side dishes and sauces. Tenderloin was really tender, the regular cutlet was ok, nothing to write home about. I had a sampler with other friends the same night at Katsu San and Saku and I think its on par with the other two competitors read more

Tried out saboten set for a variety of their food. The katsu and prawn were tender and juicy and cooked very well. It comes with a lot or sauces and options to eat your pork tenderloin katsu and prawn tempura. This was very reasonably priced as it was only around $12 and you get a bit of everything! Great deal read more

Saboten - Saboten set. Tenderloin, prawn - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

I've been wanting to try this place for so long and good thing I tried Saboten today! I got Loin Katsu Curry ($8.75) and my food was so yummy. Love at first bite I have to say. Pork loin was tender and crispy with bread crumbs on top. Also meat was thick and juicy which I liked. It came with shredded cabbage, pickles and Miso soup. Miso soup tasted okay. However I really enjoyed Katsu Curry and I can't wait to go back to try something else. You can also get stamp card to get stamps from here, Mazazu Crepe and Frappe Bliss. Just ask staff for a stamp card with purchase. read more

If you like to have a cold pre-made katsu sandwich which sits there until it is sold out, rather than a freshly made katsu warm or hot sandwich than this is the place for you. Absolutely not acceptable. Pork should never be eaten cold! Cashier lady had a big attitude. read more

Saboten - Aberdeen Saboten.. Used to be good... - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

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Good value for money for their Loin Set meal for around 10cad. However, waiting time is just too long especially during lunch or dinner rush. I think they need to allocate their staff more efficiently, at the time I ordered, there was a long queue for ordering and those waiting for their food already but only one person cooking the katsu and slicing them -- and she was moving so slow.. By the time they put my katsu on the plate, my miso soup has gone cold. Katsu itself tasted good with the dipping sauce with sesame seeds. Also, they use a lot of single use plastics for the different condiments and pickled side dish I counted 4 small plastic condiment containers plus the styrofoam plate and soup bowl. I hope they can opt to be more eco friendly in the near future too. read more

Dang! This katsu keeps calling me back. Very tender meat, deep fried very very well. Just makes me happy every time I eat here.

I only get the pork katsu sandwich when I come here. its compact, convenient and when you are lucky enough to get it fresh out of the fryer it is scrumptious. The plain 'Wonder bread' like white bread and the schmeer of mustard works perfectly against the crispy cutlet, reminding you of the school lunch box sandwich you wished you had. This is my pre-meal snack as I wander the food court to see what I am really going to order. its no good to be too crazy hungry or you might choose erroneously. I can't speak to anything else on their menu. get the sandwich so you don't go mad from hunger! read more

I had the saboten set which offered pork and shrimp katsu with rice, cabbage, pickles and miso soup. The meat and shrimp were crunchy and moist and were good with the sauce. The rice was very hard and dry and the cabbage, well, it was just shredded cabbage. The wait time was very long. I went there on a friday and it was around 2-3pm, but still had to wait 15-20 minutes to get my order. read more

Saboten - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

Saboten is a popular franchise in Asia, and it came to Vancouver finally. It grand opened at Aberdeen center food court. I was hoping to have same Tonkatsu as in Hong Kong/Japan. Tonkatsu means Pork cutlet!! Well.... Just an average food and not worth to line up for 30 mins to try it out!! Hmm.. deep friend pork cutlet was crispy and good, it sliced in few small pieces still looked very tiny. The curry was too watery. In addition, it costs $9 to eat at food court, worth it??? read more

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Very slow service. I waited more than 20 mins for my order and the food was cold when I got it. The staff were not friendly either.

The service is very bad! I've ordered a Saboten Set at $18.75; the sweet soy sauce for the cutlet was not enough for the whole set! I went ask for more sauce, the staff asked for $1.25 extra! I was shocked! She argued over 5min with me saying that every set has the same weight of sauce; but I told her the cutlet pieces for each set is different & prices are different too! The Saboten Set is most expensive & have 1-2 more pieces than other sets so it's natural it needs more sauce than other sets! She continued to argued that it costs extra for more sauce!! This is unbelievable!! The original fried pork cutlet shop in Japan (even other Asia countries) have unlimited sauce, vegetable & rice! Here in Vancouver, this shop would purposely try to earn money even for sauce!! Extremely unprofessional & bad service!! I will never ever go again ever! read more

I tried the second time but there's some room for improvement. 1.Miso soup is too salty 2. The rice is too hard and not hot enough Thank you read more

Their prawn katsu combo was pretty good. Price is up there similar to a restaurant. If I have the choice, I would go to a restaurant instead of food court. read more

Saboten - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

Good service and pretty fast. Reasonable prices and so tasty. The katsu are all crispy, flavourful, and yet it's not hard or dry at all. Good portion and bat the food court so lots of tables and seats. Usually lots of people but you can almost always find a seat somewhere. Easy to find (third floor) and lots of parking spaces (free). There is the skytrain right outside Aberdeen Centre too. I wouldn't go all the way just for it but if I was around and hungry or craving katsu or even curry, this is the place I'd definitely have in mind. I would for sure come back again and highly recommend people to try! read more

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Three stars is as much love as I can give this place. I've been to Saboten countless times in Taipei and have loved it every single time. Needless to say, I just gotta have it when I saw this place in the Aberdeen Mall. Upon checking in, was surprised to see that it only had three stars. The food arrived promptly ( I got tenderloin pork katsu donburi), but a first glance at the food said it all. It looked like leftovers that from yesterday's dinner that had been microwaved. However, I have to say the pork was moist and tender, and flavor was decent. The katsu wasn't crispy though, and breading was super soggy (sigh). It tasted like it had been sitting in the donburi sauce for awhile, yes, like yesterday's leftovers. Pickled cucumbers were good. Miso soup just average. They also charged an extra CAD 1.50 for a side of shredded cabbage. We finished all the food, and I wasn't grumpy afterwards, but it's really sub par compared to the real deal. However, I guess it's not bad for mall food *shrug*, but please don't let this place be a representation of the real Saboten if you have never had it in Asia before! read more

I wanted to order the tenderloin katsu sandwich but they were sold out. I do not understand how they do not have enough ingredients on a weekend and was disappointed. The cashier placed a display sign that it sold out afterwards. We ordered the loin katsu curry. Cutlet was fried nicely. The mildly spicy curry sauce paired well with the cutlet and rice. The pickles were not memorable. read more

Saboten - Loin Katsu Curry ($10.45) - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

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Surprised that this place isn't rated higher! Located in Aberdeen Centre's food court, their pork katsu is one of the best I've had outside of Japan. Wait time won't usually exceed 10 minutes. Their breading is a really unique and light texture, unlike other restaurants where it can sometimes be thick and taste heavily fried. I got the pork loin and loin katsu combo, which came with a generous serving of cabbage, miso soup, and pickled cucumber. Overall, all the sides work well with the main dish and this is definitely a great place to go in Aberdeen's huge food court. read more

Saboten - Pork loin and loin katsu - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

I needed to go to Aberdeen Mall for a visit recently, and after watching their commercial on TV the day before, I decided to go and try it out. I ordered their Tenderloin and loin set that consisted of rice, 3 pieces of meat, miso soup and the 2 sauces (1 for the meat, the other for the small batch of vegetables). Honestly, the meat really doesn't taste terrific, don't get me wrong, it is definitely okay, but personally I think they kinda over exaggerated how good their meat was on their commercial which I am not surprised as I already thought that might be the case. But nevertheless, the meat was at least relatively good quality, especially for a food court area, so come check this place out if you're in the neighborhood. read more

I've had their pork cutlet meal sets on other occasions and I found them to be average. Nothing extraordinary but nothing horrifying either. On this visit I tried the pork cutlet sandwich with a friend of mine. It consisted of two slices of plain white sandwich bread with the crusts cut off, a cutlet cut to be the exact dimensions of the sandwich, with a tonkatsu sauce mixed with whole grain mustard. The whole thing was cut into three equal sizes to fit a tiny to-go container. The sandwiches were premade and the cutlet was cold. There wasn't enough sauce and although the mustard cut back on the taste of cold fatty meat, I feel like the tonkatsu sauce would have done the same thing. For $6 I would rather try to make it on my own. 2/5 for the sandwich and 3/5 for the usual meal sets. read more

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Food is ok but waiting time is unreasonable, l line up 15 minutes to take a order, last time took 35 minutes to get the food! Believe or not, l given up to do business with this 'dump'. They screw up again Feb 28th ,2019. They forgot make rice and people already waiting 30 min plus! read more

Saboten - All the people at here is waiting for food, for the Japanese standard, this is not acceptable. - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

Lunch in Richmond usually means a quick trip to Aberdeen Centre mall for some sort of Asian delicacies. My go to is Saboten and their express pork cutlet eatery. This time I went with the deep fried pork loin katsu curry plate and tenderloin katsu sandwich. I love katsu curry dishes and mixing the curry, pork, and rice together. Saboten offers some pretty tasty and solid pork cutlet options, all of which are well prepared and tasty. read more

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