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Zakkushi Dining On Main

3.9 (257 reviews)
Closed 4:30 pm - 11:30 PM

Zakkushi Dining On Main Reservations

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ZAKKUSHI DINING ON MAIN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for kids
Good for groups

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Jackson W.

Great place to get some delicious binchotan grilled skewers. The place is cozy and lively. Service is friendly and food comes out quickly. My favorites are the giant scallops, lamb chops, and beef tongue. The only negative is the parking. They only have 2 spots in the small parking lot. So most likely you're going to have to find parking elsewhere.

Cecilia M.

This is a long time establishment and it's been years since I've last been here but a friend who is temporary moving out of the country wanted to dine here before departing. There is a small parkade with approximately 10 parking stalls for 3 restaurants, Solly's bakery, and I believe another store. They had a special seasonal menu plus their regular menu ranging from around $3.5 to $8+ per skewer but more for premium ones like wagyu. I ordered the cold monkfish liver appetizer, chicken with leek skewer, thick cut beef tongue, giant scallops, special seasonal stuffed deep fried lotus root, assorted beef skewers, chicken heart, chicken gizzard, and their special salmon seared hand roll. The service was quick, friendly, and warm. Tasty food at a somewhat reasonable price but the skewers can add up quickly. My friend and I ate about $70/each plus tip. Solid joint and definitely recommend - there's a reason why that are a long time establishment.

Various skewers
Holly C.

NYC used to have a couple of izakaya that also used charcoal for their yakitori until the city decided it violates the fire code and requires restaurant to use a specialized ventilation hood which is very expensive so the restaurants would rather just not use charcoal altogether. So when we saw that this place uses charcoal specializing in yakitori, we immediately needed to try it out. We went on a Sunday evening, as a last minute decision. Went on yelp at 6pm and was able to make a reservation for 8pm. We arrived at 7:30 and were delighted to hear that our table was ready by the friendly hostess. The restaurant had an authentic izakaya vibe where as soon as you step into the restaurant, the grilling smell would stimulate your senses and you just can't wait to get your hands on those skewers. We ordered a variety of dishes offered on their menu including sashimi, oden, tako karaage, mentai carbonara udon and of course a various of skewers. The oden broth was rich and hearty, the daikon radish was my favorite as it was tender and soaked up all the flavors from the broth. The sashimi was fresh and I love how it was thick cut which gave it an even better texture. The tako karaage was one of our favorite. The octopus was tender, fried to perfection without it being too oily. The yuzu pepper mayo was a nice touch that balanced out the heaviness of the dish. The udon was creamy, al dente, and the cod roe added another level of texture. As with the skewers, although the beef were good and tasty, I feel the highlight was the chicken especially the chicken wings. It was crispy on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside. It was also well marinated and flavorful. My kids enjoyed the chicken meatballs which we tried both teriyaki and sea salt and we all liked the sea salt more given we feel we can appreciate the charred flavors of the meat more. Another one of my favorite was the zucchini. It was sweet, although completely cooked yet still crunchy. The grilled rice balls is also my must order item and it did not disappoint and I liked that I was paired with some pickled vegetables on the side. Overall, everything was scrumptious and I appreciate that they use bincho tan which is a high quality charcoal that helps preserve and exchange the flavors of the food. The only minor thing I can complain about was our was a little forgetful and seemed confused about our order at one point. But it wasn't anything significant and we still thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience. We will be back for sure.

Family of 4 dinner. $224 before tipping.
Jenny L.

This cute little restaurant offers a variety of skewer options. Prices seem reasonable, but food portions are on the smaller side. The meat is good and tender. The Japanese skewers here are delicious, offering a wide range of flavors and textures. From beef to seafood, there's something for everyone. We ordered quite a bit of food for our family of four, and even our children loved it! Our total was $224 before tipping. The service was nice and attentive. The parking lot is small, with hardly any spots available.

John C.

Over the years, I tried stopping here for a meal, but it was always so busy I never ever ended up trying it. But during the recent Car Free Day event, this place was quieter than usual, so we stopped in here for lunch. It's dark, dimly lit place, which is a good atmosphere for just hanging out, drinking and snacking. We tried a variety of items, and all were good. I like yakitori spots because it's a chance to try a bunch of little things, but the cost adds up quickly. Our lunch ended up being much more expensive than I had anticipated, so going on a completely empty stomach was not a good idea. Service was polite and attentive. No issues. Overall, a good visit. Good food, good atmosphere and good service. Best suited for just hanging out, as a opposed to purely for a meal.

Hojicha tiramisu
Issie C.

They specialize in Japanese BBQ, especially Yakitori - Japanese skewered chicken. They have a Yakitoti chef on a daily basis. This place has been around for over a decade at least. While the restaurants near by have changed so many times, they are still here. This place is always busy. Reservation in advance is necessary. My friend and I went on a weekday evening. The store front has a dark and wooden classic Japanese theme decorated by a row of hanging white paper lanterns. Almost unnoticeable from outside, but as soon as you walk in, the warmth and vibe plus the smell of the food stimulates all your senses. We were on time, and the host welcomed us cordially. She took us to a tight 2-seater booth shortly. It was around Christmas, and the interior decor was a bit Christmasy. We ordered many different kinds of skewers although they also serve a relatively fewer options of sashimi, appetizers, salad and cold tapas, hot tapas, oden, rice and udon, etc. We ordered cocktail: - Berry berry cassis soda - Peach ginger Both of them taste very refreshing and contain the flavour of the ingredients plus the alcohol. My favourite has to be: lamb chop, scallop, garlic stem wrapped in sliced pork, the chicken and the beef, etc. It's a nice combo in the Zakkushi set, which has 5 skewers of beef, pork, and chicken with different seasoning. They have a choice of either sea salt or teriyaki option for some single skewers. Their homemade roasted green tea tiramisu (Hojicha Tiramisu) was a must try as it carries the full body flavour of hojicha plus the creaminess of the cream and spongy cake. One critique is their ordering sheet. There is no lines and it's hard to line up the number next to the item you want to order. The server didn't recap the items on the ordering sheet. In case you order the wrong item, they will refuse to change it. Free store front parking is limited. It's either meter parking or some free street parking if you're lucky.

Salmon sashimi
Kenny L.

Wow this place is awesome! Absolutely delicious and one of the best yakitori / Japanese izakayas we have been to in Vancouver. The staff are all Japanese and are very welcoming and great at making you feel at home. We used to live in Japan and missed this feeling of dining in an Izakaya. All the food was delicious. Especially the yakitori, fresh sashimi and carbonara. We will definitely go back again to try all the other dishes!

Blair L.

Great service and flavor every time! We love their yakitori, especially the premium beef tongue, momo, and chicken wing!! Super juicy and perfectly grilled :)

Edward W.

Several months ago, we went to this Japanese yakitori restaurant for dinner. We ordered a variety of items: miyazaki wagyu, short rib, pork belly, momo, tsukune, sockeye salmon sashimi, gindara saikyo yaki(grilled black cod), mentai carbonara udon, yakioni(grilled rice ball), and giant scallop. Standouts were the tsukune, scallops, mentai carbonara udon, and sockeye salmon sashimi. The miyazaki wagyu was $19/skewer but it was a bit of a letdown. I expected to be a melt in your mouth kind of wagyu beef but it was a bit chewy. Otherwise, it was a pretty good meal.

Norimayo Tsukune chicken meatballs with nori and mayo.

Reservations is a must. This place was filled after opening. Look very authentic, one knock the seating is tight. Ordering can be in three rounds with a limit of two hours. The main type of food is Japanese skewers. We ordered for the first round some chicken, pork and beef tongue. The standouts are the daily special of octopus karaage. Sea salt momo(chicken). Chicken karaage was one of the juiciest chicken I have had bonus is that it is boneless. We shared two bowls of don, one chicken and one pork. The soft boiled egg mixed in so smooth. For the second round we tried so chicken gizzard. Okay but wanted to try it. The miso and garlic beef were so tender and flavourful. The Tsukune (chicken meatball) very tender and tasty Why the 4 stars and not 5. Was we asked for one cup of hot water and never received it. The prices are not cheap but we were there to celebrate a birthday so it was not a problem. I would return for some of my favourites.

Zakkushi Set

Excelent and kind service. The ambiance was so beautiful, cozy, warm low light but well lit for eating. The food was basically perfect, the pork belly yakitori changed my life. Such an incredible experience, I wanna go back every day.

Ika-mentai (Raw squid with marinated cod roe)
Takeshi K.

Came here at 7:45 on February 26 (Saturday) for a date night. The place was packed but we were promptly seated since we had a reservation at that time. The staff was nice, and it did make the experience a bit more 'authentic' since I was able to talk to them in my mother tongue. We ordered a lot of food so I'm going to try my best to break them down. Special skewer of the day (I forgot the name but it was a special part of the chicken heart) 5/5 It was AMAZING. Much more tender than the regular chicken heart with a lot of flavor. Wagyu-Don 3.5/5 Would not repeat. Don't get me wrong, the meat was great. But it was one very thin slice. And the meat was smaller than the picture in comparison to the bowl. They gave us two bowls to split between the two of us, but the meat was hard to split and share. There was also way too much rice for the amount of meat you get even though the bowl was small to begin with. Definitely not worth $22.50 either. Ryu-kyu 4.5/5 If you like yellowtail, it's a good dish to try. I loved the combination of the dish and shiso (Japanese basil), but my partner did not enjoy the shiso, as it was too overpowering for her. Zakkushi Set (thigh, umé-shiso, me-maki, p-toro, oropon beef) $15 3.5/5 I was quite surprised to see that they chose these skewers as their 'set', and not things like tsukune (chicken meatballs), ton-toro (pork jowl), gizzard, chicken skin. Umé (sour plum) with shiso was forgettable and not too juicy. Mé-maki is a skewer with garlic stem wrapped with sliced pork. It was perfect. Crunchy garlic stem with a juicy slice of pork. P-toro was very tasty and juicy Oropon beef was a good combo but the meat tasted a bit dry and very chewy Tori-kawa (Chicken skin) 3.5/5 My partner liked the crispy-ness but I found it way too crispy than the ones I'm using to eating in Japan so I did not enjoy it as much as she did. Tsukune (chicken meatballs) and Nori-mayo tsukune 2.5/5 I was quite disappointed by this one, partly because it was my childhood favourite back in Japan. The meat was small, bland, and it just did not have a great texture either. The nori-mayo did make it taste a bit better but it was just not good. Uzura-maki (quail egg wrapped in pork) 4.5/5 Tastes exactly like you imagine. Solid skewer. Mochi-maki 3/5 Not exactly sure what I was expecting, but we didn't really enjoy it. The other mochi dishes we tried were great though. Ikada (Japanese leek) 4/5 We loved how sweet the leek was and how it blended well with the sauce. The only reason why it's a 4 was because the last piece in the skewer was undercooked and it was spicy. Elingi (king oyster mushroom) 4/5 These were good but it was hard to taste the butter by the time it came to the table. Yaki-onigili (Soy sauce and Soy sauce with butter) 3.5/5 The char on the grilled rice ball was great but the flavor was definitely lacking even though they seemed small enough to brush on a good amount of flavor. Houlensou no Goma-ae (spinach tossed in sesame) 3.5/5 It was good but it tasted a little off than what I am used to or have tasted in the past in Japan to make me want to order it again. It was also a bit more bitter than I expected. Ika Mentai (squid tossed in marinated cod roe) 4.5/5 I LOVED how they cut the squid. It really improved the texture and the overall taste with the cod roe. Was a bit disappointed by the amount of shiso they put on, which was not like the picture at all. Age-mochi (fried mochi) 4.5/5 Crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Solid dish. Tako-yaki 4/5 Solid dish tako-yaki in Canada. Just wish the octopus was a bit bigger. Oden highlights We also ordered a couple oden, and I just wanted to mention Mochi-kinchaku. It's called 'Sticky rice' on the menu, but it's basically mochi (sticky rice cake) inside fried tofu. You can tell that it absorbs the soup well and the mochi is very soft and floppy like it's supposed to be. We loved it. Konjac (yam cake) was a piece that my partner really enjoyed due to the hard jelly-like texture. Drinks We did enjoy the yuzu calpis (calpico) series a lot. It was like juice so it can be a bit dangerous lol Yuzu shibori was also nice, but the lychee pineapple was a bit too sweet and the pineapple overpowered the yuzu in our opinion. Dessert Dorayaki with Matcha icecream Dorayaki is a traditional Japanese dish that has redbean inside a Japanese pancake. For the price, I thought it was great. I loved waiting for the icecream melt a tiny bit before inhaling it. Overall, we really enjoyed the experience here, and I was very grateful that our waiter (Unfortunately, I forgot to ask his name) chased after us to hand us our takeout box. Thanks a lot!

Christy P.

So tasty. The servers were accommodating, letting us sit earlier than our reservation. The food came out promptly. Some standouts: - Me maki (garlic stems wrapped in sliced pork) - Uzura maki (quail eggs wrapped in sliced pork) - Shiokonbu cabbage I also tried the sesame ice cream, it had a nice soft texture.

Mentai Carbonara Udon $16+

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Great tuna jaw and enjoyed the sake flights as well as the rice bowl. On the pricey side though

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food was so good! It became our boys' favorite restaurant ! Will be back again for sure.

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Zakkushi Dining On Main Reviews in Other Languages

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Miku

Miku

4.4(2.6k reviews)
4.3 kmDowntown
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Who gave this spot anything less than 5 stars? I just want to talk lol. Seriously, were we…read moreexperiencing the same meal. Steep as it is, I decided I wanted a "quick little sushi lunch with a view", and a quick little sushi lunch with a few is exactly what I received. Although I don't recommend it, I walked right in from the street, no reservation, and was seated at the bar (in pretty casual street clothes I may add). I enjoyed a premium sake flight (which was fine...just fine), an old fashioned served with the perfect accompanying dark chocolate, and a good amount of sushi including their signature aburi style sushi in flight form and nigiri tuna flight (bluefin, chutoro, otoro). After visiting Japan last December, I'm a bit of an otoro snob but I have to hand it to them, all three of these cuts were perfect. The accompanying rice, perfection. The quality of the fish, divine. The view was the cherry on top of this experience. This will certainly be a spot I revisit next time I'm in Vancouver.

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

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Miku - Inside the restaurant

Inside the restaurant

Miku - Spicy edamame (CAD $8)

Spicy edamame (CAD $8)

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

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

Guu with Garlic - Fish carpaccio

Guu with Garlic

4.3(1.1k reviews)
5.1 kmWest End
$$

A coworker and I went to this place (thanks to Yelp reviews)…read more Really good and fresh fish. Super friendly staff

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.

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Guu with Garlic - 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!!

Guu with Garlic - Una-Meshi

Una-Meshi

Guu with Garlic - The delicious individual bite of their yellowfin tuna tempura

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The delicious individual bite of their yellowfin tuna tempura

Saku

Saku

4.5(521 reviews)
5.0 kmWest End
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Eating at Saku has totally reset my katsu scale because this is far and away the best katsu I've…read morehad. They make their own panko and the chicken katsu was cooked perfectly. It was so light and crispy and the chicken was tender and juicy. Saku's katsu was so good that when I think about the katsus I've had is the past at other places I realize now they were just decent katsu. Other highlights here are their house made sesame dressing - so good. They sliced the cabbage salad so thin that in combination with the sesame dressing it was a great combo. I usually don't like that much raw cabbage but I ate every bit of it. The ambience is airy and cool. The staff were really great and asked us about any allergies. We'd walked by this place before and seen a line out the door. Now we know why.

I came back for dinner. Had the Rosu nabe this time (last time I had the regular Rosu)…read more The pork katsu comes served in a (super hot) cast iron dish with a nabe broth with onions and eggs cracked into it. Still comes with a little side of pickles, and unlimited rice, cabbage, and miso soup. No katsu sauce. The katsu was fried to perfection. Juicy, tender, cant complain. But since they serve it in a broth, it does get soggy really quick. Still good, but after a few minutes its just soggy. The broth is nice with rice; comforting kind of meal. The unlimited rice/soup/cabbage is just icing on the cake. My dining partner had the Kake udon (pretty good, noodles good texture and slightly smaller strands than most places) and Menchi Cheese side - basically a pork meatball with cheese and deep fried katsu-style, served with katsu sauce. This was excellent. My original review still stands. Excellent katsu, plus they have the consistency and reliability. $28-30/meal and its plenty of food for 1, especially with unlimited cabbage/rice/soup. Restaurant is nice and comfortable, good spacing and not cramped. Easy recommend. 5/5.

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Saku - Inside

Inside

Saku - Zenbu set with refillable soup, rice and salad

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Saku - Zenbu katsu

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Okeya Kyujiro

Okeya Kyujiro

4.8(41 reviews)
3.3 kmYaletown, Downtown

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

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

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

Inside the waiting area before being taken to your seat.

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

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

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A5 wagyu sukiyaki

Guu Original Thurlow - Pumpkin croquette

Guu Original Thurlow

4.1(838 reviews)
4.3 kmDowntown, West End
$$

Restaurant is very small so reservations (thru open table) is high recommended!…read more Street parking in downtown area is crazy, make sure to give yourself plenty of time to make your resos Staff is very nice, we were running late and calledI to see if we can push back our reservation 15 mins and they did. My daughter spilled water and the staff was very kind about it, I felt so bad! Food is amazing, everything has its unique flavor and texture. All is so good is all I can say!! We had left over fried rice and ate it next morning cold but was still so delicious!! Love that you can order the sashimi combo (choose 3) and get a little of everything. We got spot prawn, salmon and yellow tail... so so so good Restaurant is very small so it does feel crowded and can get very noisy. We went with 2 younger kids and they weren't bothered. The booth seats are high so no boosters are needed. Food is so good!! The only complaint is noise level/ crowded space but it can't be helped since it's a small shop and the food is totally worth it

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
Guu Original Thurlow - Fried pork belly

Fried pork belly

Guu Original Thurlow - Eel with rice

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Eel with rice

Hello Nori

Hello Nori

4.5(323 reviews)
4.4 kmWest End
$$

This is a good spot to grab a bite and take a break from shopping on Robson. It's very spacious…read moreinside with modern aesthetics and the hostess was welcoming. Every guest is seated around the bar where they can watch the rolls being made fresh. Upon being seated you place your order by marking a piece of paper. We started off with cocktails: kaiju en neguroni and peach pafekuto and they were both refreshing. We each ordered a few rolls and my fave is the unagi hand roll. The unagi was flame-torched right in front of me. Prices are on the expensive side with small portions, but everything tasted fresh.

Hello Nori was our last lunch before checking out and heading to the airport, and it was such a…read moresolid way to end the trip. We picked up the 16-piece Premium Cut Rolls (toro, yellowtail, scallop, and truffle lobster), and the quality really showed in the taste. Everything was clean, fresh, and well-balanced -- no heavy sauces, no distractions, just really good fish. The toro was rich and smooth, the scallop was buttery, and the truffle lobster added a nice depth without overpowering the roll. Pickup was quick and seamless, and the food was packaged well for eating on the go before a flight. Portions are standard, but the flavor and quality are absolutely the highlight here. If you care more about how sushi tastes than flashy extras, Hello Nori is a great choice. Would happily come back next time.

Photos
Hello Nori  - Interiors - seating area

Interiors - seating area

Hello Nori  - Salmon oshi ($8) and ebi oshi ($8)

Salmon oshi ($8) and ebi oshi ($8)

Hello Nori  - Wagyu handroll

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Wagyu handroll

Shizen Ya

Shizen Ya

4.3(615 reviews)
3.9 kmDowntown
$$

Fresh, Beautiful, and Consistently Great! ​I returned to…read moreShizenya 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!

This was my favorite meal of our entire trip to Vancouver. The decor is small and intimate. They…read moredid 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

Photos
Shizen Ya - Inside the restaurant

Inside the restaurant

Shizen Ya - Sockeye salmon sashimi 5 piece

Sockeye salmon sashimi 5 piece

Shizen Ya - View of restaurant

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View of restaurant

Zakkushi Dining On Main - japanese - Updated May 2026

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