Fresh, Beautiful, and Consistently Great! ​I returned to Shizenya after a while, and it reminded me why I love this place. Even on a Thursday night, the restaurant was nearly full, which speaks to its popularity. ​I ordered the Tako Sunomono and the Premium Chirashi Don. ​Tako Sunomono: The octopus was perfectly tender and the vinegar dressing was refreshing--exactly what I needed to wash away the fatigue of the day. ​Premium Chirashi Don: The presentation was stunning and immediately worked up my appetite. Every piece of seafood was incredibly fresh and of high quality. You can really taste the difference here. ​If you're looking for healthy, fresh, and beautifully presented Japanese cuisine, Shizenya is a must-visit. Highly recommended! read more

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This was my favorite meal of our entire trip to Vancouver. The decor is small and intimate. They did offer us a highchair and did wipe down the inside of the chair but the outside was fairly dirty so my toddler opted for a regular chair. Children utensils provided which was very much appreciated. Restroom in the back was clean. The food was fresh and delicious. SAKURA BLOSSOM ROLL - brown rice - comes with a lot and delicious UNI TEMAKI (2pc) - my husband and I each had one. very refreshing with the uni and the brown rice. SOCKEYE SALMON SASHIMI- very fresh and thick slices. I had one piece - good. MENTAIKO YAKI UDON - My favorite food item from our entire trip. Omg. I can sit there all day long and just eat this. I always order this when I see it on the menu and some places really don't do a good job. VEGETABLE UDON SOUP - for our toddler read more

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If you love Japanese food that feels both clean and indulgent, Shizen Ya is a gem in downtown Vancouver. We tried: Brown Rice Salmon Roll -- Absolutely outstanding. The richness of the salmon with the nuttiness of the brown rice makes every bite feel light yet deeply satisfying. A "healthy luxury" type of roll. Avocado Dragon Roll -- Fresh, creamy, and packed with flavour. Great balance between the sauce, veggies, and rice -- no heaviness at all. Charcuterie-style starter -- Not something you expect in a sushi spot, but it worked. Quality meats, toasted bread, and a fun little twist before diving into rolls. Ambiance: Cozy and warm atmosphere with a calm, zen-like vibe ‍ Friendly staff, service was attentive even when busy Clean, inviting, and comfortable for a relaxed meal What I love most here is that you can enjoy sushi without feeling weighed down -- fresh ingredients, beautiful presentation, and flavours that stay with you. read more

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Great sushi was recommended another place that was super busy and didn't look half as nice. I ate there anyway and was underwhelmed. Shiver ya was just all around much better. read more

What a wonderful place! I've never had more delicious rice and I love that it's organic and brown rice. We happened to get here just in time for happy hour so we ordered beer (an ale and a pilsner - both delicious) and tempura cauliflower, a pumpkin cone, a spicy tuna cone and on the regular menu seaweed salad, agedashi tofu and avocado rolls. Everything was perfect. I was stuffed. Service was kind and attentive. The restaurant is lovely. I can't wait to go back. read more

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It was right next to our hotel so we tried it for dinner and the food was really good!! It was very authentic Japanese home style food that's so comforting. Food was very carefully prepared and price was reasonable. The inside of the restaurant was cozy and tidy. The shop owner was playing some beautiful jazz music that really created a soothing ambience, yet soft enough to allow conversations. Service was prompt and the waitresses were very friendly. I would go back! read more

"That shi was gas. Hit it up if u can" says my guy. Excellent and delicious. Service is great, and decor + tunes are a vibe.

Terrific sushi spot with lots of gluten-free and dairy-free choices, clearly labeled on the menu. Many items are organic, they offer brown rice, and I appreciated the small environmental touches -- paper straws and recycled brown napkins that quietly reflect care for sustainability. Great lunch specials. In addition to the combo, I ordered the vegetable sunomono (fresh pickled vegetables) and it was absolutely delicious. The staff are kind, attentive, and genuinely understanding about dietary needs. The space feels cozy and calm, with warm wood tones and cool jazz playing in the background. Relaxed, elegant, and welcoming. Highly recommend. read more

The sushi was extremely fresh and it was nice having a California roll with real not imitation crab! The service was fast and polite and the place was quiet so great for a good conversation! read more

I stopped in for an early dinner looking to try their Tri-Colored Ramen ($16), which is default vegan. I also got an order of their tempeh roll ($9 for 8 pcs). The roll came out in about 5 minutes. Their sushi comes default with brown rice, with avocado, cucumber and of course tempeh. Simple roll, well-made and with that classic nuttiness from the tempeh. Good stuff. The ramen came out 5 minutes later. There was a ton of corn, spinach and bean sprouts, some impossible ground beef, and plenty of kale noodles. Sadly, the broth is weak, lacking depth, a little too sweet and not salty enough. It sort of comes together but it's just really lacklustre and cannot compete with the many great vegan ramens in Vancouver. Service was extremely friendly, typical for Japanese restaurants, and fairly astute. Decent spot for sushi and other Japanese fare, but don't bother with the ramen. read more

Shizen Ya - Tri-Coloured Ramen (vegan) - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Overall we really had a good experience here, the service was great, atmosphere really nice, super clean and priced decently so no complaints there at all. The sushi itself was a little bland and I was not super impressed with the brown rice over traditional sushi rice. We still really enjoyed the restaurant and service but I guess I should have paid more attention to the brown rice situation. read more

We had a fantastic dinner at Shizenya when we visited Vancouver last week from Seattle. The sushi was so yummy and we loved the brown, instead of white, rice they used. The seaweed salad was so good and the veggie salad with miso/ginger dressing was very good too. The agedashi tofu was good but later found out that the tofu was fried in the same oil as the meat and fish, which as vegans, is NOT ok. Items that are using the same oil as animal products should NOT be labeled as vegan on the menu. Our Kabocha pudding dessert was sublime. The servers were all warm and friendly and very quick. We'll definitely go back when we're in BC again. Gochisosama deshita! read more

Stopped by for a quick bite for lunch downtown! The sushi is very healthy here as they use brown rice. It's a bit on the pricier side compared to other cheaper sushi restaurants around town (my two rolls cost about $15) but I always feel healthy and not rushed when I eat here. I got the dynamite roll and negitoro roll. The dynamite roll was tasty with the prawn tempura and loaded with lots of veggies. The negitoro roll tasted fresh but I expected the green onions mixed with the fish and not just added on top like a garnish. read more

Shizen Ya - Dynamite roll and negitoro roll - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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If they didn't have a gyoza my lunch would have been cooked tbh. Chicken roll tasted foul. Tough scene.

My kid loves this place and anytime we are in Vancouver we swing by. We only had time to eat it to go but the brown rice sushi is delicious. This time it was a bit al dente, than normal but c'est la vie. The star of the menu is the sockeye salmon sashimi read more

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Great service. Amazing, tasty and healthy dishes. Lots of organic options. Its clean as well. This place is very unique and a gem on hornby st. 5 stars read more

I was visiting the area from California and this spot caught my eye. I never had sushi with brown rice before and everything I had was delicious. Would definitely recommend coming here! read more

Shizen Ya - Sockeye salmon sashimi - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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We were looking for an affordable sushi place in downtown Vancouver and this place seemed to fit the bill. At first, we were a bit surprised that they use brown rice across the board, even for their nigiri, but it actually tasted pretty good! The sashimi itself was pretty fresh and a thick slice each. The brown rice does fall apart more easily than regular sushi rice, but it didn't deter from the taste or experience much. Sashimi platter (TST sashimi) was a very affordable price and tasty. The nigiri come by the piece (there weren't any combo platters), so we ordered the toro tataki, salmon and tuna. We enjoyed all of them. All in all, it was a simple dinner (though there are plenty of menu options, not all of them are sushi/sashimi) for us and it was enjoyable. No complaints there. Interior of the restaurant was decently big but seats only about 10-12 small groups. They had some beers or sake on the menu as well, or the default of hot tea. Service was good but nothing stood out. Not a bad sushi place! read more

Shizen Ya - TST sashimi set - $28.85 - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Service was amazing and the ambiance is adorably refreshing. Dishes came out fast and correctly. Their fish is fresh and they have lots of options. I'd only knock them for fish quality but I'd preface this with this place being inland getting super fresh fish is expensive and their prices were reasonable. I will 10000% come again for a sushi fix but if I want super fresh and super quality I'd prob stick to the beach cities. read more

We were looking for a sushi place close to our hotel and ended up trying this place. It wasn't busy on a Monday night, which was good. This place is cute service was quick and attentive. We ordered 5 different rolls, all fairly standard, aside from the brown rice, which I really liked. We also ordered a chicken Udon, which I would pass on, and agadashi tofu, which was good. Overall, this place was a good, healthy option with reasonable prices. read more

Shizen Ya - Assorted brown rice sushi rolls - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Awesome sushi with brown rice. I wassurprised with savory taste from the light sweet taste of brown rice plus salmon, cucumber, and avocado. I recommended ordering vegan dish combo B came with fried tofu, a bowl of salad, lotus pickle ( a little sweet), and a bowl of miso soup. read more

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Didn't realize this place is a "healthier, sustainable, and organic" friendly version of sushi until I sat down. It's a pretty cool concept - they use brown rice and organic products in their rolls and other food. I had their spicy tuna and spicy salmon avacado rolls and they were solid. Quick and friendly service. The brown rice doesn't hold/stick together quite as well as traditional white steamed rice... but from plate to mouth it was not a problem. Note that their spicy rolls are ACTUALLY spicy; I feel like most places with spicy rolls are pretty mild or not spicy at all. read more

Shizen Ya - Spicy Tuna and Spicy Salmon Rolls - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Great food, great drink options. Friendly and attentive staff made this an enjoyable dinner. The music was relaxing and the lighting was nice. read more

Shizen Ya - Avocado and veggie rolls - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Delicious sushi and friendly, helpful wait staff. Cozy and quiet, despite the full dining room. Our favorite place for sushi in Vancouver.

One of my favourite "healthy" sushi spots. They offer rolls, Japanese entrees, and appetizers. They do use brown rice in their rolls so keep that in mind before making a visit. I love the curries here on a cold day or their udon but have yet to try their rolls. Their service is also quick and friendly! read more

I know this is supposed to be healthy and all, but brown rice in sushi.... After trying it.... It'll be a hard pass... It's not just the sushi though. We ordered the beef udon, and that wasn't great either. Everything was a bit bland, I would say. None of the rolls were that good. However, the the fish tasted delicious by itself, which is why we ordered the assorted sashimi. read more

Shizen Ya - Beef udon, assorted sashimi, and some rolls - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Here's a 'blink-and-you'll-miss-it' jewel box of a Japanese restaurant you definitely don't want to miss! When I walked in and saw vegan-this, sustainable-that, and brown rice-the other thing, I almost walked out. 'Woke' Japanese? Who needs it? Guess what? YOU do!!! I'm glad I stayed. WHO SHOULD GO: Fans of Japanese cuisine, open-minded diners, lovers of healthy and sustainable cuisines. WHO SHOULDN'T: Fans of Claim Jumper and similar feed troughs; you're not going to 'get' this place - go back to CJ and strap your feed bag on. THE ROSES: Clean, airy, rather zen-like dining space. A staff whose warmth and charm are exceeded only by their professionalism and efficiency. Portion sizes that are 'right-sized' - and priced right too! Actually, the prices are pretty amazing when you consider the quality of what you're getting. We had the chirashi don (sashimi served over brown[!] sushi rice), and were delighted with the quality and precision of cut of the seafood. For reactionaries like me, there are some rather attractive beef dishes on offer, but I must confess the vegetarian/vegan and seafood dishes were so delightful and satisfying I wasn't missing the meat! THE THORNS: Honestly nothing to speak of. If I have to find something to nit-pick about, the space may (?) have been titch spare? But seriously, I really have nothing here. THE VERDICT: Shizen-Ya is without a doubt The Real Deal. Superb authentic Japanese cuisine that is attractively served and attractively priced. Very highly recommend; get in here!!! read more

OMG! it's always been good - but now it's GREAT food! such choices for vegan or meat - and the freshness!! imaginative and colourful and flavourful and joyful. thank you read more

Shizen Ya - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

One of the best sushi restaurants downtown Vancouver super clean and best quality. Great for vegans too

This is a tough one. I have to say I went in with very high expectations after reading the reviews and looking at the pictures. The food was good but I wasnt blown away which is what I thought would happen. The sashimi cuts were also not as high quality as I expected. Maybe the headchef was off that day or something. One more issue I had was everything is brown rice. I think they should have the option of white sushi rice or brown. Somethings should just be left alone. If you try to make the Indian Naan bread with soyabean millet flour it may be okay but it wont be a naan. The same way sushi with brown rice is not sushi.....for me. Clean place with a good vibe and nice service. All in all not bad but was expecting more. read more

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Fast service and good food. I particularly liked the yam tempura roll, that was unique and had great flavor. read more

Shizen Ya - Yam tempura and spicy salmon rolls - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

My friend happened to find this place through Yelp, and we're pretty happy to have found this place. Casual little shop serving organic Japanese food. Never tried organic Japanese food before (where they tout the food as using organic greens, organic brown rice, not using any additives, is MSG free, and vegetarian friendly). It initially didn't sound too appetizing to me, but....hmmm, it must be pretty popular coz the place was packed at dinner time with long lines and crowds waiting for a table. so being in the adventurous mood, I decided to give this place a try.....and thank goodness we showed up just before 6pm, the place was already crowded, but we managed to get a table after just a few minutes. Service was very nice and friendly despite how busy this place was.....kudos on the staff and how they were able to keep up. As for the food.....hmmm, again. It looks a bit different from the regular Japanese food we're used to....especially the brown rice used in the sushi vs white rice. So yes, everything looked really good, considering it was the healthier organic version. We went ahead and ordered as many dishes as we could, just to get a taste....like the TST Sashimi.....comprising of 5pcs each of Albacore Tuna, Wild Sockeye Salmon, and Toro (tuna belly), the Unagi Nigiri grilled eel sushi), Negitoro Roll (chopped tuna belly with green onions and brown rice), Sokeye Salmon Black Gomaae (diced cut wild sockeye salmon with homemade black sesame sauce), Chicken Gyoza, Assorted Tempura, Special Roll (mango and avocado, recommended by the server), and some red and white wine to go with it all. Admittedly, it all actually tasted really good! Much better than I expected for organic food! ....and the best part, the prices are actually the most reasonable I'd ever seen for organic.....and not to mention Japanese.....food! We all definitely enjoyed our dinner here very much. read more

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Was a bit disappointed by the food. I was really looking forward to my dinner and unfortunately this restaurant did not live up to my 3 dollar grocery store sushi that I usually purchase (not a high standard). Although it was quite cheap, the texture was not to my liking and I would not eat here again. The service was nice but they kept asking me if I wanted more things and would NOT leave us alone to eat our meal in peace. I would not come here again, but i recommend if you want a healthy sushi alternative for a cheap price. read more

Shizen Ya - Avacado roll and dynamite roll with BROWN rice - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Solid. The food is so delicious and high quality. I can eat a lot but never feel too heavy after since it's very healthy. The sashimi is always delicious and rolls are perfect! I keep coming back for the service though, they are so quick and attentive even when busy, which I find a rarity in Vancouver. I highly recommend. read more

Excellent food. Feels healthy after a full meal. We had some rolled sushi, wheat Tempura, and beef udon. If you're used to the classic Japanese sushi taste, this place is very different. One may feel the rich brown rice flavour almost over powers the fresh ingredients. The wasabi is fresh but doesn't offer the same kick if you prefer the strong punch to the nose. The reason I couldn't quite give it 5 stars was because flies kept attacking our food. We had to keep fighting them off but one successfully landed on our food. Tea was also a mystery. We weren't clear if it's complimentary after asking so we settled for water. Would like to try the quinoa hand rolls next time. read more

Found Shizenya on Yelp and we came to here for breakfast because of the review and the price. The price turned out to be not much cheaper than other restaurants, but their ingredients seem healthy. We ordered an eggplant appetizer, chicken udon lunch combo, tuna nigiri and shiawase for dessert. The eggplant might be the best out on all, because the sauce was nice (a bit too much). The udon flavor is a bit lacking and I think it might be because they are going for something really healthy. They used chicken breast in the udon and it's just chicken breast tastes like chicken breasts, nothing special (although I've had really good chicken breast from Costco). The shiawase was misleading because on the menu it looks like jelly, but it's just pudding. The nice thing about the pudding is that it's vegan and made out of pumpkin. Overall the experience is okay. Healthy ingredients but I do expect slight better tasting food as I'm eating at the restaurant. It would be nice if they figured out how to really balance their sauce and flavor (ex. Eggplant sauce and syrup for pudding was too much, udon is too bland). If you want to come here, I would recommend coming during lunch time and get the lunch combo special. It has more variety. read more

This place was so delicious! A short walk down from the Fairmont hotel I stayed at. Sat us down straight away without a booking! Lovely service and the food was beyond! The freshest sushi I think I've ever had. I did the usual sashimi plate with 3 different raw fish. Each were to die for. Melted in my mouth. Then ordered the spicy tuna, crab and salmon rolls, they came in a shape of a big flower and were so yum! Then ordered the deep fried eggplant and spicy tofu. Not something I'd generally ever order but sounded interesting. OMG they were insanely good! I want it everyday! The flavours were divine and cooked to perfection! Wish I had more time in Vancouver so I could go here everyday for lunch or dinner! HIGHLY recommend trying this! read more

Love the plant-based options here! The brown rice is great too! Everything is so fresh. #ContestEntry

Fresh and good food, came out piping hot. If you're looking for regular style sushi rolls, this is not the place. Made with brown rice, which is fine, but not that great on the palate. Super nice service. read more

My partner and I decided to try this place out based off of the Yelp rating and reviews. We didn't even really read the menu or the reviews; we trusted what Yelp had. We were seated right away, and were served with water a couple of minutes later. We realized that the menu was super healthy. It was sushi made with brown rice. We both have never tried that before and my partner was lowkey hyperventilating and wanted to leave before actually trying it out. But I am sooo happy that we stayed and tried the sushi with brown rice. We ordered several rolls of sushi and sashimi, and everything was delicious. I ordered a cold sake and her a beer, and it was everything we wanted it to be. We ate so much, but we didn't feel full at all. We had room for dessert, gluten-free ice cream. We loved the ice cream itself but could've done without all the caramel on top. I found it odd as well that our drink menu kept being taken from our table. My partner noticed that the tables in the middle all didn't have drink menus, but the tables on the sides did. I don't really know the purpose of it, but it would have been nice not to keep asking for the drink menu. read more

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