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    Tendon Kohaku

    4.3 (216 reviews)
    ModerateJapanese
    Closed 11:30 am - 10:00 pm

    Order Tendon Kohaku Takeout or Delivery

    Tendon Kohaku Photos

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    TENDON KOHAKU ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Trendy
    Outdoor seating

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    Japanese Beef Udon - Chef's Special
    Jackie D.

    Great value for quality dishes. Pro tip - come hungry! For the udon, you get upsize of XL / XXL noodles for FREE. Udon noodles were bouncy and complimented the broth well. Service is prompt upon ordering on the table tablet. Ambiance is slightly elevated casual. Would go back if visiting the area! Try it out!

    Shrimp Prawn tempura curry
    Shirley S.

    Visiting from California and we came upon this cute Japanese restaurant. There were nine of us and we had no problem with seating as it was before the dinner hour. We were able to order off an iPad, which allowed us to pay separately. I ordered Sashimi Aimori Tendon which was pretty good. I think the sashimi was more like poke as it was cut in very small cubes. I wish the tempura had some kind of potato. Some of the vegetables were not traditional (at least what is normally served as vegetable tempura), but I would say still very good. The service was nice and quick and overall everyone seemed to enjoy their food. I also had the Matcha latte which was made well.

    Jessie H.

    Amazing meal I had a few days ago. bit heavy on the fried items so only wish I had something acidic like sour krout or pickled veg to go with it. Most definitely some of the crunchiest tastiest tempura I ever had. super high quality food and so comforting and warm in the cold rain. Service was good too they say me quick but otherwise they didn't do much since you order on kiosk at yr table. it came fast!

    Sashimi Aimori Tendon
    Selina T.

    Came on a Thursday evening around 7p with no wait. Casual restaurant where you can order from a tablet at the table though they also give you actual menus as well. My husband and I both ordered the sashimi aimori tendon and a beef rice bowl for my son. There's an option to get sauce on the side for the tendon and they have a choice of spicy or regular sauce. All the food was good but nothing special. However, the food and our drinks came out pretty quickly which was nice especially when we have our son with us!

    Anago Tendon
    Daniel P.

    The kohaku signature item is now my new favourite at this restaurant. The classic is great too! I recommend getting the spicy sauce if you like a bit of heat. It is probably 2/10 on the spice scale, so not spicy but you feel something. I found the bottomless is nice but I never actually order for a second batch of cabbage and miso. Just the tendon bowls are plenty enough.

    Salmon Handroll
    Sahand S.

    Good option for Tendon in Vancouver, but one thing that really stuck out comapred to Tendon place I enjoyed in Japan was the portion sizes, as in Kohaku's being much smaller than Japan. The pictures on the website show portions including shrimp tempura sizes larger than what you actually get. We even paid $3 for an "extra" portion of beef which was still small, and mostly a little beef with a lot of onion and cabbage to disguise it. The unlimited rice, soup and cabbage salad was a nice option for just $3 more. I especially liked their sesame dressing in the salad. As for service, the touch screen ordering system is a bit akward, in that you have to even order drink refills, and we also went a long period after ordering something where the server didn't show up.

    Menu Page 1
    Dexter D.

    We read the reviews, and they made the restaurant seem interesting. This was a style that we had not previously experienced, so we decided to give it a try after also looking at their website. The restaurant is not particularly large, but it seemed that turnover was quick and there was always a table available. We were greeted upon entry and pointed to a table. Menus were presented and we were asked if we wanted hot tea or water. On the table was a mounted ordering pad, forks and chopsticks. I asked a server about the free ice cream and he said that we each signed up for their loyalty program, we would get each get one that day. So we signed up! We had: Classic Tendon - 4 - Good rice, each of the components was tasty although they looked a bit greasier than we expected. However, nothing really tasted oily so that was odd. Kohaku Tendon - 4 - Slightly variation in ingredients with a yummy runny egg. Chawanmushi - 5 - Very tasty. Hokkaido Style Soft Serve Ice Cream - 5 - Absolutely delicious. Seemed to be what we thought was a grassy flavor. Figured that's what the cow had been eating. Something made us burp and each burp gave us the aftertaste of the ice cream. It wasn't off putting, and we'd eat the ice cream again. Yes, we're weird.

    Takoyaki

    Huge, beautiful bowls! Loved the presentation. Food was delicious! Our service was great.

    Menu (nov 2025)
    Charlie T.

    We really liked their location in Bellevue and were pleased to see their location here in Downtown area near our hotel. The menu here is slightly smaller than the Bellevue one. We ordered a few things to share. They have an option of what size udon bowl you want and it's all the same price. We got the XXL one, which was plenty. The katsu curry was good as well. The staff here were super attentive and friendly as well.

    Anago
    Danni O.

    Reminds me of the tendon spots in Japan! The taste, presentation, iPad ordering, and sides were spot on. I had the anago with an order of the add on rice + miso + cabbage salad and was super full at the end. Service was quick even though it was only two people. Would come back again.

    Michelle S.

    A place in downtown that I passed through a lot, yet had never been since lots of their tempura contained shrimp. Regardless, my friend and I stopped by late at night one random weekday and were pleasantly surprised. Price was decent by Vancouver standard and I really like the high ceiling decor. We ordered using a tablet which was a pretty seamless experience, but food and drinks took a while to get served. Overall, a pretty nice casual spot for lunch or dinner. Vegetables Tendon ($14.25) Pretty good tempura, batter was crisp and light, crunchy without being greasy. Standard types of vegetables tempura (mushroom, squash, etc) and pretty plain without the sauce. I do think the tendon sauce that they have on the table is way too concentrated versus the standard though, will be good to have it more diluted. Katsu Curry ($16.95) + omelette on rice ($4.75) Despite being mostly known for their tempura, the katsu curry was really decent and the extra egg looked very insta worthy. The level 1 spicy was as expected not spicy at all, but curry tasted pretty rich, nothing too mind blowing but a really comforting meal.

    Katsu curry udon
    Jessica G.

    This was on a friend's list of places to go in Vancouver so we decided to check it out while looking for lunch in the area - and we're glad we did! There isn't a whole lot of signage so you can almost miss it, but it's right on the corner of the street. It's pretty much all windows so you can see the restaurant from the outside (which also means it's nice and bright in the restaurant too!). Looks like they also have some outdoor space, but that wasn't used when I was there. Inside, they have booths and tables. The tables that are close to each other are also separated by a plastic wall. You order on the kiosk or with the server and service was super quick from there. I ordered the Katsu Curry Udon and it definitely was one of my top meals of my trip. Such a generous portion and the curry flavor was just spicy enough. Udon, as usual, is a little messy if you get slurpy so just keep that in mind if you're wearing a white shirt. Bonus points: you can get a free upgrade to XL or XXL. Definitely worth the trip for a satisfying lunch in the area!

    Spicy Rose Cream Udon
    Emily Y.

    The food is affordable and tasty! It's usually pretty busy so you'll need to come a bit early to line up during peak hours. The servers here are all super nice, refilling water every so often. The decor is nice as well. The spicy cream rose udon was delicious; it was creamy with good amount of spice. There is free size upgrade which is nice so you can get a bit more food for the same price! The tempera fried food in the tendon fish is so light, crispy and fresh!

    Spicy tuna sashimi

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    Guu with Garlic

    Guu with Garlic

    4.3
    (1.1k reviews)
    1.3 km
    $$

    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.

    Maybe it's an American thing to linger and enjoy a dining experience. To stay longer than needed to…read moresoak up the ambiance and give a good moment some extra time for memories. But in other parts of the world the meal is what's important and so is a quick turn around. Guu with Garlic reminded me a lot of the Izakaya restaurants I found under the train lines of Tokyo in many ways, including the amount of time it felt right to stay. The food came out quick, the servers took orders quicker, and the alcohol came out chilled and as nice contrast to the hot food. Looking around and you see the hand written menu on blackboard surfaces on the walls and this feeling of authenticity. The heat of the flames from the kitchen can be felt and seen if you sit at the bar. And the flavors just hit all the right notes. Starting with appetizers, a section izakayas shine at, the first dish we got was their scallop and mayo pizza. With a crispy crunch on the bottom and crust, this reminds you of the flavors of a baked volcano roll or scallop roll you can find in almost any North American sushi restaurant. Just like that dish, it's important to eat it while it's still hot so it doesn't get gross and 느끼 에. Then came the yellowtail tuna "tempura" pieces. Thick pieces of yellowtail tuna flash fried for just the right crisp on the outside with slight pink of the fish inside. It is meaty without being oily or fatty. Great bite. The beef tongue after was interesting. From the color of the sauce it accompanies it you would think it would be heavy in flavor but it is actually light and citrusy. A good cut into the richer tones of the beef tongue. The yaki udon was one of the best I ever had. It was smokey without being overpowering. The beef was thin and tender and balanced well with the mushrooms it also came with. The udon noodles stayed bouncy and chewy which I didn't expect from being grilled. Very tasty and highly recommend this dish. For our final bite we shared a hot stone bowl of their pork and cabbage rice. With the hot stone bowl constantly cooking even after this dish arrived it was imperative to stir the ingredients together constantly for the first two minutes. It allowed for the runny egg to meld with the rice and the crispy texture of some ingredients was a nice bonus. All in all, I loved eating here and if my appetite was bigger I would've tried more on their menu. A solid place to eat with a great atmosphere, if you're looking for delicious food that won't take too much of your time but still lingers in your memories you have to check out Guu with Garlic.

    Photos
    Same decor as 20+yrs ago when this was our go-to place for drinks & snacks!!
    Same decor as 20+yrs ago when this was our go-to place for drinks & snacks!!
    The delicious individual bite of their yellowfin tuna tempura
    The delicious individual bite of their yellowfin tuna tempura
    Una-Meshi

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    Saku

    Saku

    4.5
    (526 reviews)
    1.2 km
    $$

    First time at this Japanese restaurant, and it was really great!…read more Signature Japanese Fried Pork Cutlet Rosu Katsu $27 This time I was smarter and ordered the cut with a good balance of fat and lean meat. The moment I bit into it, it was bursting with juice! The meat was incredibly thick but not dry at all, and the outer skin was crispy like snowflakes. The first bite was amazing; I've never had such a delicious pork cutlet in Shanghai. Curry Pork Cutlet Rosu Curry $29.5 My friend ordered the curry pork cutlet today, and it was surprisingly excellent! The curry flavor was incredibly rich and full-bodied. Wrapped in the crispy pork cutlet and eaten with rice, it was pure carb bliss! Freshly Ground Sesame Powder I have to praise their freshly ground sesame powder; the aroma of the sesame seeds you grinded yourself was a real highlight. * With lemon salt: Refreshing and original, a perfect way to cut through the richness! * With barbecue sauce: Mixed with sesame powder, the flavors develop layer by layer. With two flavors to choose from, it's really hard to stop! I'll definitely come back to try it again next time.

    We had a great meal here celebrating our 25th 1st anniversary…read more and reminiscing the great katsu dishes we had in Japan just a few months ago. We both ordered the Tokujyu Rosu Katsu. The crust was light and crispy and tte pork loin pieces have the perfect balance of fat and lean meat. How was it perfect? Every bit I took had a good portion of juicy fat. The lean meat was tender and moist as well. The whole meal was mouth watering bite after bite. Rice, miso soup, and cabbage came with unlimited refill. I was planning on requesting a second serving of cabbage but I was full at the end. The dipping sauce for the katsu was a little too tard for me though so I could only dap my katsu pieces very very lightly in it so I wasn't able to experience the full flavour of the sauce. However, I was able to savour the flavour of the pork loin itself. It was a lovely meal. The staff was very helpful, professional and friendly as well. The restaurant decor is modern, airy, comfortable, and inviting.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Zenbu set with refillable soup, rice and salad
    Zenbu set with refillable soup, rice and salad
    Zenbu katsu

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    Zenbu katsu
    Okeya Kyujiro

    Okeya Kyujiro

    4.8
    (44 reviews)
    0.6 km

    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.

    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.

    Photos
    Inside the waiting area before being taken to your seat.
    Inside the waiting area before being taken to your seat.
    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
    A5 wagyu sukiyaki

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    A5 wagyu sukiyaki
    Guu Original Thurlow

    Guu Original Thurlow

    4.1
    (841 reviews)
    0.4 km
    $$

    Found this little Izakaya spot while visiting Vancouver and it was such a great experience. It's as…read moreauthentic as it gets and reminds me a lot of Japan when I visited in 2025. This place gets busy, so I highly recommend reserving a table online (via OpenTable) but we did show up early to see if there was walk-in seating available. Luckily, we did get the last 2 seats at the bar. The staff are so friendly and cheery. They greet customers that come in and thank every customer when they leave. People who haven't been to an izakaya may think it's loud and noisy, but the point of izakayas is they're supposed to be vibrant, high energy, and filled with cheerful chatter. Think of a tapas-style pub/bar for people to unwind and gather to chat after a long day at work. I loved the atmosphere, as it's casual, entertaining, and lively. The food was great and I couldn't think of a dish I didn't like. The sashimi were so fresh and high quality. Of course they use freshly grated wasabi too. The hanger steak was cooked perfectly and super tender and flavorful. The saba mackerel is grilled to perfection and reminds me of the ones I ate in Japan. I'm not a big fan of bonito but the yaki udon was so tasty, I still ate it with the bonito flakes on top! I would love to come back or go to their Toronto (closer to me) location next!

    I came here for dinner on a weeknight with two foodie friends of mine. Said friends lived in Japan…read morefor over a decade and they've dined here often in the past, saying it's very "authentic" Izakaya and it reminds them of their past life in Japan (which they miss a lot). Me, I know nothing about Izakaya or what is or isn't authentic Japanese cuisine, so this review is coming from someone with zero knowledge or expectation of any specific foods or experiences. Despite it being a weeknight, the place was packed. It was good that we had a reservation. There was a couple in line before me and they were walk-ins, and there were no available seats for them. I noted how small this place was, and crowded, with the tables close together and a long bar with a counter and barstools there (also close together). Our reserved table was right by the front door - literally, - so every time the door opened, we got a gust of cold air (and it was a cold February night when we were there). I kept my coat on. Truth be known, I was not very comfortable. Also, it was loud. Very loud. I like how the staff shout Japanese greetings to diners whenever they enter but between the frequent shouts and the sheer volume of chatter from all the diners, all sitting close together in close proximity, it was kinda hard to hear what my friends were saying during our dinner. That said, the environment was super vibrant and, again, my friends said this was very typical of an Izakaya in Japan. Food-wise, I have no idea what my friends ordered. The menu was primarily available by way of a QR code and I had no idea what the dishes were, so I deferred to my friends' knowledge. But I can attest that all the dishes were DELICIOUS. We had some sort of Japanese street food "pancakes" (they were wonderful). We had some sort of stirfry beef with noodles (amazing). We had two types of sashimi (omg both were so fresh and so so good!). We had a few other dishes that I can't recall, but I remember I loved them. So.... the food here was GREAT. Service was also attentive which I hadn't expected, being as busy as the restaurant was. I really liked this place but I'll probably go back in the summertime when the weather is nicer as I was cold there, and I'd dine at an off-time, when the volume wasn't so loud. (I'm too old for the loudness!).

    Photos
    Guu Original Thurlow
    Fried pork belly
    Fried pork belly
    Eel with rice

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    Eel with rice

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