One-line review: Very, very good. We came for the heated patio option and returned repeatedly. It was great. We tried a variety of food items -- chicken katsu curry, chirashi, chicken wings, scallops, and more -- and all of it was well-executed and tasty. The value here was excellent -- a big plus in my book. Service ranged from good to excellent. We were well-cared for on every visit. Parking was free in the neighbourhood or very reasonable at the meters. Bottom line: We really enjoyed this place and highly recommend it. read more

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A mid sushi spot, I feel the music is always too loud esp when theres a DJ/show theyre playing.

A staple every time I visit Vancouver! It has a funky vibe with classics playing on screen. The cocktails are fun and rotating, the sushi is great and reasonably priced. The service last time I was here was alright, not bad or outstanding. Definitely a place to check out if you like sushi! read more

Absolutely perfect experience across the board. Our band rolled into Vancouver hungry and tired. Randy made us feel welcome and taken care of, and every dish that came out was balanced and delicious. I recommend this spot with my whole heart! read more

This place is the definition of mid. The food is mediocre, but it's great for vegetarians. Service is alright. The DJ is so loud that I can't actually have a conversation with my friends. The decor is unique, but the restaurant just feels like it's just trying too hard to be cool and unique. The best thing was the miso soup, which was a side that came with the donburi. Unimpressed. I knew there was a reason they've been open for years in my neighborhood, and I've never been. If you want fusion sushi in a very loud restaurant with drinks or you're into this hipster-y vibe, you'll enjoy this place. read more

Just looking at it from the outside, I always thought the aesthetic of this place was kind of garish, which put me off from visiting, but my friend lives nearby and recommended it for a big group of us, and when I actually was made to go in and give it a chance, I thought the look was actually genuinely eccentric in kind of a fun way. And they were able to seat a party of 8 immediately on Sunday night which was great. They have so many rolls it was hard to choose, but I ended up going with the Popeye Roll and the Yoko, two veggie rolls. The Popeye was basically gomaae in sushi form and as a gomaae fan I really enjoyed this. Unusual but simple. The Yoko had a lot more going on but was also really good. I liked this because it had lots of layers of flavour which is sometimes hard to find with vegetarian sushi (at least at places that aren't specialized). The house rolls (6-8 pieces) come at a pretty good price! The veggie rolls are all under $10 and the non-veg are all in the $8.5-$11.5 range. Basic rolls are even cheaper, the oshi are all $15. The entrees are also a great deal, everything is under $20 with most plates being around $15. I ended up getting a cocktail too, the Coco Colada. Definitely could have used more rum, just from a flavour standpoint to cut the sweetness of all the juice, although I didn't get as much of an effect as I usually do when I drink so I doubt there was a full 2oz in there. Our waitress was good. Friendly enough and attentive without being overbearing. It seemed like they mostly brought the dishes out as they were ready, so there was some staggering. Maybe that's just part of the deal when you go out as a group of 8, but one person ordered donburi and it didn't come out until everyone else was done or almost done so I felt a little bad for him. read more

The General Public - The Yoko (front) & Popeye Roll (back) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I'm giving a solid three stars for The General Public. A few things are preventing me from giving this place a higher star review: #1 As an avid crafter, I appreciate the work that went into the busy decor. However as the evening went on and the natural light started to dim, the black light lamps kicked in and my eyes started going berserk from all the different colours turning into neon shades. Instant headache. The music was a tad on the loud side. I had to ask my daughter to repeat herself often #2 Service was friendly but slow. #3 the food took a very long time to arrive. To balance my review, here are three great things: #1 the food was delicious #2 the ambiance was chill and relaxed #3 the restaurant was clean including washrooms. I've never been to a Japanese style pub before. Definitely a new experience for me. Will we go back? Probably not. We went tonight because we were craving Japanese food and they were the only Japanese place that offered dine-in. read more

The General Public - a bowl of soup and a bowl of soup - Sushi Bars Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Love the eclectic decor here. Had the Ebi Mayo, the baked San Francisco sushi and the Sailor Moon cocktail. Everything was delicious!

We've driven by here a few times and it looked like a pub. What we thought was a bit weird was that there's a sushi roll sign hanging outside of it. That struck us as very odd so we finally decided to give this a shot. It definitely felt like a dark pub with lots of eclectic decorations all over the place. They presented us the menu and lo & behold, it was a sushi menu. Lots of drinks to also order but we stuck to the food. There seemed to be a never ending list of options for sushi (seriously!) and a pretty creative names for most. We decided on the Barbie roll, dragon roll, Godzilla and the Main. All of them were quite good and fresh. They definitely pride themselves on making it a unique experience and enjoyed the food. Definitely come here for a funky fresh sushi event and get your drink on (if that's what you want). read more

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Service: 2/5 Ambiance: 4/5 Food: 3.5/5 Overall: 3/5 The two best parts of the General Public are the eclectic vibes and the funky sushi rolls! Right off the bat, the ambiance hits you in the face with the glow-in-the-dark lighting and random figurines hanging form the ceilings which definitely sets it apart from any other restaurant in the city! We had made a reservation for 4 on a weekday night and saw the restaurant get busier as the evening went on so we would definitely recommend booking if you don't want to wait! The menu has TONS to choose from including plenty of vegetarian options which is awesome! They also have a good drink menu with some tasty drinks as well. We ordered a couple of veg rolls, the japanese curry, and a peach sake margarita. The quality of the sushi was mediocre at best - Vancouver definitely spoils us when it comes to good sushi and while it's fun to try some of the rolls that you can't get other places, the quality of the sushi isn't great. The margarita was delicious though! The worst part of coming here, as many others have mentioned, is the service. The first time the waitress came to ask for our order we weren't quite ready and then we ended up ordering a good 15-20min later since she was nowhere to be found. The same thing happened at the end of our meal when we were ready to pay, it took way too long to be able to flag down our bills and pay. Overall, a cool spot to check out and try some new sushi rolls, but be prepared to spend a lot of time here because it's hard to track down service and the food is just okay read more

Food was hideous service was non existent. Ambiance was the best part. Won't be going back. read more

CAN WE BRAGGGGG ABOUT THIS PLACE FOR A SECOND. After you find parking its all uphill from there. The decor of this place is DECENT. It is unique and adds to your visit immediately. Then the servers look comfortable, they can dress their speed so they add to the ambience. Our server was named Sabrina and she did a great job explaining the menu and attending to our party of 5. Miso soup always a must, and I got some drink that came in a mason jar that was perfect, as well as some chocolatey kinda shot I loved... Prices are reasonable and I was definitely in my happy place! I was visiting Vancouver from DC and this definitely add to my trip. Thank you all! read more

The General Public - perfection - Sushi Bars Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Cool atmosphere, delicious drinks, yummy food and great service! The ring of fire platter was all so delicious and great to share with 2 (or 3) people, 2 of us had the equivalent of 1 roll leftover. Not pictured but also DELICIOUS was the Fat Elvis, definitely a fun place to go out for some tasty eats read more

The General Public - Lychee mojito mason jar, soooooooo delicious and refreshing - Sushi Bars Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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I enjoyed my experience here. It's very visually stimulating as they have bright art creations hanging all over the room. They also have a large movie screen on which they display films and have a cool tiki style bar. I always liked the Eatery in Kits, so I was happy to hear its sister restaurant was on Main St. To be honest, I thought I'd be more blown away by their sushi creations, but I think I just need to try more of them. I only had two rolls - the S&M roll and the crunchy spicy tuna. I'll definitely be back to try more of their rolls. I like that you can order platters to share; I think that's the best way to try many rolls at once. They also have interesting bowls of fish & rice as well as several vegetarian options. I like the local beer they have on tap. I had Driftwood's Fat Tug IPA; that's a go-to for me whenever I'm at a restaurant that serves it. There are also several other options for drinks. read more

The General Public - Sushi Bars Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Being a vegetarian, and loving sushi can be very difficult. However, with the general publics vegetarian options - it makes it SO much easier! I am very happy with the menu, so much to choose from they definitely can accomodate vegan/vegetarians! Great vibes inside, well decorated, great spot for large groups, good patio. Cant wait to come back and explore more items on the menu! read more

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For the longest time, I thought this place was a pub since people on the patio have caesars, sangria, beer, etc. My friends asked if I wanted #sushi and I said 'sure'. They also originally thought this place was a pub but said it's sushi. It's like The Eatery so inside has hanging displays made up of toys put together into bigger objects like gun. Also you may get the 'hot girl discount' when you come with some girls. Would it be bad if you come with some girls and don't get the discount? Got the lychee mojito. It was really good, had lots of mint. We ordered a bunch of rolls and appetizers. The aburi was good and somewhat melts in the mouth. The 'finding nemo' us like the spider roll. The 'roe money roe problems' was pretty good. I would come back and try their other items. read more

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2 main reasons you should visit The General: 1) Cool AF vibes. Dark lighting, neon furniture, UV lights, cool decor made out of toys, and old movies on their large tv screens. This place screams trendy the minute you walk in. 2) The delicious, delicious, delicious, sushi. If you're a fan of authentic, simple, plain sushi... then skip this place, because it is not for you. But if you're a fan of sushi that's deep fried, unhealthy, and covered in sauce (like me), then you need to come here ASAP. Just a few things I've tried and loved: + Miso Soup + The Berkeley + Jalapeno Popper Roll + Green Hornet + X Rated + Dragon Roll + Red Ninja + Devil's Tail But real talk, I think I could eat everything on their menu and be happy. Choosing something to eat from this menu was a struggle. I'd recommend bringing a small group along with you and ordering 6-7 rolls and splitting them all between your group. It'll be more than enough. Honestly, this spot is like the cooler older sibling of other sushi restaurants in the city. I can't believe how long I've gone without checking it out. Now that this place is on my radar, I will definitely be back more often than not. The General is also the sister restaurant of The Eatery in Kits. I have yet to visit, but if it's anything as good as The General, then I know I'm going to love it just as much. read more

The General Public - Sushi Bars Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Planned to come since it was close to where we were staying. Is posted as open until 1030 on Sundays on their website. We arrived at 950 and were turned away with no explanation besides "Sorry we are closed!" as she turned around and walked inside. There wasn't much left nearby open at that time so we were out dinner for the night. read more

This is my second time here. I came back for the spicy tofu agadashi. The first time I met friends on Sunday night. I had heard people talking about this place already and was happy my friends suggested it. The spicy tofu agadashi is so yummy. I had suggested we share, but my friends said oh no, you won't want to share it. They were so right but loved it. This is a bustling restaurant and very hip. The service was excellent and everything was amazing. My server on this visit went above and beyond. I was so Jonesing for the tofu agadashi that I arrived just before opening. She was kind enough to see me and let me in. Her name is Holly and she's been wonderful. All the staff seem wonderful read more

The General Public - Funky atmosphere. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

A little surprised that the rating for the food itself is so high. Not sure if quality has gone down or we were unlucky. My partner had dined here a couple times approximately a year ago, and recommended we try it out. Let's start with pros: Love the projector and the decor is very quirky and fun. I bet it'd be a lot of fun during the evening, but we came during the afternoon and the restaurant was pretty empty. We were the only other table, and were served immediately. Cons: We ordered the San Fran, Tataki Attack, Red Ninja and Godzilla. Considering we were the only other table, I had expected our rolls to be prepared with more care. There was so much rice, compared to the filling, to the point where the ends were basically all rice. The presentation was so poor, that I KNOW I could definitely roll it better. Oh well, every though presentation matters, looks aren't everything. As long as the it tastes good... Now, going into this, I know it wasn't going to be authentic sushi, but I was still expecting fresh seafood and a good meal nonetheless. None of it tasted fresh. The tempura pieces were so soft and soggy, opposite to what you'd imagine tempura to be. The spicy tuna was so fishy. Again, not sure if we were just unlucky, but this had to be among some of the worst sushi I have ever eaten in the city. Even my partner, who really enjoyed this place before, agreed that the meal sucked. tldr; food sucks and would make this restaurant 1 star, but service is okay and the decor is nice. read more

I hate to give this place a 2-star and if you look at my reviews, I'm not one to shell out bad reviews as I understand completely a restaurants livelihood depends on its referrals and public opinion. Firstly: the good. The food! EXCELLENT. It's 4.8stars based on the food served. Very fresh sushi. Priced at a small premium but worth the extra few bucks. The bad. The two nitwit girls who were too busy talking behind the bar to focus on the customers around them. As I passed the bathroom I heard them complaining about someone not tipping on a $90 bill which struck me as rude but as my meal went on I told my wife - this is why people don't tip. Terrible service!! Tipping at a restaurant not only hurts the servers but it hurts the poor kitchen staff and for this I am sorry. However - tipping encourages management to not do something about the terrible service. Perhaps under staffed? Either way it's not an excuse for poor service. 3:45pm on Saturday, September 18th. Not sure I'd come again. Would try the spot across the street that looks equally as tasty and perhaps more focussed employees. :( read more

The sushi here is AMAZING AF! I had no idea this place existed on main but I am glad my friends took me here. I wish I could comment on the sushi I had but my friends ordered for me. The only thing I remember was the amazing rolls and sashimi and how awesome our server was and the decor. The paper mache here is amazing and I love the big screen showing movies in the back. The heated patio is also nice. But the sushi here is amazing. read more

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After a bad experience this evening, rude servers because of a dispute over a bill I would not recommending coming here .. sad .. Randy needs to train servers for better customer service. Rick & Yvonne who have been coming here forever .. we will not be coming back .. lots of great sushi restaurants along main .. no need to come here .. .. read more

It's the sister restaurant to the Eatery! Come here if you want reinterpretations of sushi, cheap drinks and a nice vibe. Came on a Monday night at 8ish and the restaurant was half full - they were playing cult classics on the screens (Evil Dead and Betelgeuse). Service was pretty good - they kept coming around to refill water and make sure we were okay. Grabbed a few of the Monday specials - a pint of Sapporo for $5, a MDMA roll then some picks of the menu: Maguro droplets, Salmon pressed sushi, Italian Stallion roll. Italian Stallion was a cream cheese and prosciutto roll which was different and very fusion. I liked it once the Roll had half the cream cheese than some earlier pieces. MDMA roll was a mix of avocado and mushrooms which I liked the texture of. The pressed salmon sushi was like a elementary version of the Oshi sushi popular around town. The flavours were there but it was pricey. read more

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The only thing good I can say about this place is the drinks are huge and very strong. You'll need to get drunk because the food is inedible and the service is so bad you might think they are deliberately trying to fuck with you. read more

The first thought that came to mind when I walked in was that the place looked eerily similar to The Eatery out in Kits. Turns out this is a sister restaurant. Parking is available along Main as well as the side streets. Just like the Eatery, the place has that funky hipster pseudo-Japanese theme. Strange looking knick-knacks, vintage hipster furnishings, and funky posters line the entire place. The chain is definitely unique in this regard. Not sure if the Eatery has updated their decor, but this place has some really trippy looking masks with fluorescent paint. The place is also coated in black light. Try not to get cataracts when eating. There is a nice but small patio in front of the restaurant. Staff were friendly, and quite quick. Unfortunately, just like the Eatery, this place is expensive. If one isn't careful, one can probably spend at least $30 on a dinner before drinks. My ebi (prawn) mayo was $7 on special, and that was really just 5 battered prawns. Yes they were delicious, but not $7 delicious. I would've left hungry if I didn't eat beforehand. Beers were also more expensive at $6. Hence the 3 stars instead of 4. They do have a good thing going. I just wish they were cheaper. read more

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(Migrating old reviews from my account on another review site to here) The vibe is great, and the decor is awesome, plus they have a drinks menu. The rolls are mediocre and overpriced. It's cool to see neat ingredients like asparagus, sundried tomatoes, and hollandaise sauce on the menu in the rolls and such, but not quite worth it. Had their "Room for 2" platter, which gave a good assortment of their rolls ($34.95), as well as their flamed sushi (3 pieces of torched salmon belly/$6.50). Also had their Jailbait drink, which was yummy. But overall, too expensive for what you're getting. read more

This is probably the whackiest sushi restaurant you will ever visit but it sure is delicious. When you step inside you will be greeted with dark lit / neon / whimsical decor some inspired by The Shining because why not. The servers here are nice and you will be seated right away even on a busy night. There is a multitude of things to choose from - when you open the menu the list of rolls is endless. Some are not so good, some are great. There's a lot of trial and error here before you decide what suits your tastes, so don't be afraid to try something new. Some of my favourites are the X-rated, which is topped with sriracha and on the inside is delicious tuna, salmon, eel AND crab! Japanese Fortress, which is a spicy tuna roll with a giant pile of yam fries on top. They have new specials every single day and have the best mojitos you will ever have. The sangria is also served in giant pitchers and made to order. For appys, I would definitely recommend trying the bacon striptease ...don't mind it is like cholesterol on a plate. This place is fun, family friendly (during the day) and has great vibes. It's fairly dark and loud inside so not the greatest place for a date but the food is delicious. A great time and awesome food. read more

Holy fuck this place has awful service. We were there 25 min before we got our drinks and over an hour before the food came.

Arrived at 9:30pm on a Friday, and asked to sit outside. The hostess asked if I wanted to place an order to go. Nope. I repeated myself - I'd like to eat here and to sit outside. I sat myself at a table, where twice, wait staff came outside, attended to other tables and went inside. After 20 minutes I decided to take the hostesses hint and call my order in, and make it a "to go". 15 minutes later - now close to 40 minutes from when I arrived, wait staff came out asking if I'd like to place an order. Nope. Already did. By phone. From the same seat I'd been in on the patio. Ten minutes later my to go order was brought out to me by the hostess. I pay, leave and arrive home to see my an item missing from my order. I call back, only to hear that the very hostess who brought me my order, and "packed it myself" insinuates I must be wrong. Sad that the music in this joint is so loud that staff can't even hear, nor can they tend tables in a timely manner or ensure good service overall. Far too many awesome sushi places mere steps away on Main to ever go back to General Public again. Thanks for offering that I come back to get the item that you clearly didn't pack, Randy. Better luck with your next visitor. read more

My favourite spot for sushi. The food is always fresh and delicious. Waiters are always nice and friendly. Interesting interior. Highly recommended! read more

The General Public - Baked rolls - Sushi Bars Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

They use their own phones for checking vaccine passports, mine has NEVER been denied, but I was turned away here. I think it was just a nice way of saying they didn't want my business. Don't worry, won't ever be back. read more

2nd time I been here, love this place is so geekster and sweet music and videos they play on the screen. They offered for us to sit outside but I come for the ambiance. Plus the patios smelled like pee. Staffs really friendly. Food is good price is not bad either. Can't wait to come here again. read more

Decided to drop in today after walking by at lunch and finding that this restaurant was pretty empty. That should have been a dead giveaway for the experience to come. Servers allowed you to choose your own seat. We initially chose a table that had water and glasses already set on it. The table was not wiped down and had crumbs everywhere (let alone any proper wipe down during a pandemic!). We would have flagged the wait staff to clean it, but they had disappeared to the back or the restaurant. We decided to switch tables. No menus given, but there was a QR code so we scanned that. Took a few tries to flag down a server to take our order. She wasn't polite, didn't say hello just just "what do you want?". Once we ordered, she just walked away. We ordered 2 sushi rolls (nothing made to cook), and it took 45 mins for it to come. There were maybe 5 other parties in the restaurant, and 2 had sat/ordered before us. Maybe the chefs were on the lunch break, but no food was coming to any table. Eventually, at the half hour mark, and being ignored, we tried for about 5 mins to stop one of the servers to ask about our food. She kept just waving us off and disappearing into the back, and coming out empty handed. She looked really annoyed that she had to wait on the few people who were there. When we were finally able to stop one of the servers to politely ask if she could check on our food, she didn't even wait for us to finish asking before she walked away. After about 10 mins, she came back and said it would be about another 5-10 minutes. No apologies, no excuses, but more annoyance that we were even asking for something from her. When the food did eventually come, she put it on the edge of the table, about to fall, if we didn't catch it. She didn't even stop to care. The rolls were not made with any standard of care and I'm pretty sure an amateur could have made a better roll. The sushi barely had any filling and the rice came apart easily. The rolls were also pretty small. We would have ordered something more but didn't want to wait again. We paid and left in a hurry. Decor on the inside was nice Food was sub par Service was sub par Cleanliness was sub par I'm not sure how this restaurant is surviving! Update: my spouse got food poisoning from the sushi. read more

A lot of people seem to describe this place as "fun." I guess my idea of fun doesn't include consuming a pint of mayonnaise surrounded by a seizure inducing interior. Seriously, almost all the dishes are slathered in mayo. I get that they're not going for traditional sushi, but jeez lay off the mayo. This place seems to mostly cater to college kids and white people (for the record, I'm white). Drinks are ok but service is spotty at best. If you want good sushi go around the corner to Toshi. Not surprised that this is the sister restaurant to the Eatery. read more

3.5*s -- not quite as much fun as the eatery... Way more hip of an ambience (but it is Main Street....) it's basically the eatery but for the Main Street crowd (read: hipsters, not beach bums) Good drinking atmosphere, normal tasting interesting food w tonssss of options. I can take it or leave it! Also, the electric banana was interesting! I am a fan (hope that didn't make me lose all cred in your eyes, stranger friend). read more

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What a cool place to grab sushi during the night! This place was recommended by our Airbnb host & it so happened to be down the street. The atmosphere can definitely draw you to this place. * Ordered: - Fat Elvis (4/5 stars): Its basically deep fried avocado shaped like fries. If you're an avocado fan, this is a little extra, "good" FAT for an appetizer. Small bowl, decent for 1 person what seems like 1 sliced avocado. - Miss Piggy Roll (3/5 stars): Per reviews, this seemed like a popular pick so I went for it without reading the rest of the menu. Of course, there's bacon in it! Makes sense why it's "Miss Piggy!" lol. However, I was not a fan of bacon in my sushi. I wasn't able to finish it. - The rest of my table ordered between the salmon rolls & I should've went for a fresh sushi roll instead. I give their plates a good 3-4/5 stars. Definitely better than my Miss Piggy Roll. * Ambience: Loud, dark, & fun looking decorations. They have a projector to watch television, a full bar, star wars decor, & old school toys glued together shaped as an animal or gun. It all glows! The only downfall is that you have to yell in order for the waitress to hear you & there was zero air conditioning even if the place is open space under a rooftop. It was extremely hot in here. The ambience was more attractive than the food, but they have a very wide selection of sushi & food. I'd go back here for their fun looking drinks as well. read more

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Loved Japanese Portress! Wanna have a cool night? This restaurant would be the best choice for ya. read more

The General Public - Sushi Bars Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Nice little spot on Main if you're in the mood to grab drinks with friends in a lively environment. The first thing I noticed were all the cool light up fixtures on the ceiling right when you walk in ! It's actually a pretty cool vibe. A bit loud, but I feel like it adds to the energy of the place, I don't mind the noise! Normally I order veggie sushi rolls because I'm allergic to seafood, and I was happy to see a whole page of options! The menu is pretty long, might be overwhelming for some, but I personally liked having a lot of variety to choose from. I ordered a Lonetree cider, which was on special for $5 (friday nights), potato croquettes (deep fried, delicious goodness), and the spicy veggie roll, with an extra side of ginger. I enjoyed the food a lot and I was put in an even better mood when our server kept checking on us to ask if everything was okay and to re-fill our drinks. It was all around a GREAT time. They even let us do the semi-disruptive ritual when we ordered sake bombs. I love how chill these guys are Also, it was my friend's birthday so they surprised him with a deep fried mars bar with ice cream and a candle! SO CUTE! read more

Great food , Great staff. we came here after a horrible happy hour experience . It was awesome my adult kids come here all the time . The rolls where fresh , the portions huge . Our waitress was fabulous and bought me a drink when she found out it was my birthday. Atmosphere was great , kitschy reminds me of Sophie's Cosmic Cafe another favourite of mine . read more