Zakkushi is one of those places that reminds you why simple food done well is so satisfying. Every skewer we ordered was grilled with care, juicy on the inside and lightly charred on the outside, with seasoning that let the ingredients shine instead of overpowering them. The asparagus wrapped in pork was a standout, perfectly balanced and comforting, and the beef skewers with a squeeze of lemon were rich but clean in flavor. What really made the experience enjoyable was the consistency. Nothing felt rushed or sloppy, from the food to the pacing of the service. The atmosphere is cozy and lively without being overwhelming, making it a great spot for a relaxed dinner or sharing plates with friends. If you enjoy yakitori that feels thoughtful and well executed rather than flashy, this is a place you will want to come back to. read more

Zakkushi on Denman - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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What a great spot to eat and have a great time! The service is fantastic and all of the food items are incredibly tasty and well prepared. My favorite was the beef with Radish but you really cannot go wrong with any of the options. The restaurant is quite attractive and inviting, but reservations are very highly recommended if you have a party of more than 2 since they have limited larger tables. read more

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Really good yakitori restaurant!! A reservation is highly recommended as this place is popular at the tourist destination near Robson street. Upon calling the restaurant, 3 of us were able to reserve a spot for 1 1/2hour right after opening at dinner time. Thank you for the accommodation. We ordered variety of yakitori chicken, beef, pork and vegetables. All were delicious. Wow after wow I could tell the ingredients were carefully prepared. The meat were tender and flavorful with just simple spices or teriyaki sauce. Chicken thigh with teriyaki sauce, pork wrapped garlic spears and oregon beef were my favorite. No wonder this place has been here for a long time. Their food is simple yet extremely good. This place deserves an applaud. read more

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Everything was so tasty. My friends and I went here after the Vancouver Marathon as our second meal. We ordered 2 rounds. I recommend the pork belly. read more

Great yakitori and dishes. Best thing was this tofu yakitori and mushrooms actually. Dinner * Tofu yakitori (Excellent) * Mushroom yakitori (Excellent) * Chicken skin (Excellent) * Garlic beef (Very good) read more

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I don't know why or how I've never been to Zakkushi until now. This is the closest I have had to yakitori in Japan without having to fly there and I have to say everything about this place was really great - from service, to food, to drinks, to dessert. We made a reservation on the day of and upon arrival, a server immediately came to explain how ordering works. I liked that the menu had a picture of everything so I could order what appealed to me visually. The food was all really good!!! The skewers were grilled perfectly especially the beef. We ordered the premium set which featured wagyu, beef tongue, and lamb chop. I did not try the lamb as I don't prefer it but my friend said it was very well seasoned and grilled. Needless to say they cleaned it to the bone. My favourite had to be the quail eggs wrapped in pork belly and the scallops....what a delicious heavenly combo. My friends and I were also pleasantly surprised by the mentaiko udon - definitely one of the best ones in Vancouver. In addition, the oden broth was absolutely healing...I'm still thinking about the aroma and warmth as I write this review. Finally a drumroll for the dessert....I think we were just really happy with the food so we went all out and ordered all the desserts. They were all standard and great but the kinako mochi ice cream was the best! We also ordered a few round of drinks. I love the choices as they are all the typical Japanese yakitori cocktails. The servers were very attentive and came to clear plates and even did plate changes throughout the night. For everything we ordered and drank, I expected a heavy bill to finish off the night ($80/pp after tip). However, we did order heavily and I don't think an average meal would cost this much. It was an expensive dinner but in my opinion, flying to Japan to eat this would cost way more...so I count my blessings. I will definitely be back soon when I'm craving yakitori! read more

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I think this one tasted better than the toronto locations(idk why since they r a chain), it also was very cozy just like a small Japanese izakaya. We went there after a big event and we were dodging crowds, it wasn't very busy too but we waited for a long long long time for our food, everyone who came after us got their stuff already. After I complained they sent the food quickly, and apologized again and again. read more

Zakkushi on Denman - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

A Vancouver favorite - necessity - of ours. Not as inexpensive as 20+ years ago (?), but what is? Still a wonderful experience and SUCH yummy food. read more

Wonderful service, very attentive. Food was superb, amazing flavours and presentation was top notch. First visit but certainly not our last. Looking forward to coming back soon. read more

This was an amazing experience. My wife introduced me to yaki tori for the first time. Amazing. The Blue Fin Tuna and the Scallop sashimi were spot on. Great atmosphere. This was one of the best dining experiences I've had read more

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PHENOMENAL. Mouth watering GOODNESS. My partner and I were in VYR and walking past this restaurant on our way to another restaurant nearby, we took a photo of the signage outside to check out the next day. We stopped in without a reservation and were seated promptly into a table. There are about 4-5 tables, with more single seating at the bar area. You're greeted when you walk in and out, and things are brought out to you hot and fast! We ordered a few things just to try as a snack and not overindulge in case we weren't a fan... when I tell you everything we ordered we just were awe struck over how succulent, supple, flavorful every item was.. we wanted to order so much more but we're full from a previous spot. We probably ordered half of the menu of yakiyori available. We loved it SO much that we actually made a reservation for two days later which was our last night in VYR, just to eat the REST of the menu options before we left back for home. The waitress on our second day asked if this was our first time and we were both sheepish in our response "this is our second time.. our first time was 2 night ago" hahah! She was so shocked she bursted into laughter and was so happy we liked the food there. We tried the chef specials like the mental carbonara udon, wagyu beef sous vide in kelp, and their melon soda gin drink. Heavenly. I even went home and bought things to try to replicate the drink to no avail sadly haha. I can't pinpoint a single thing that wasn't delicious. I especially enjoyed the chicken gizzards and hearts. I can't wait to come back and get to relive this entire meal experience again, I'm drooling just thinking about it! I wish I could give more stars!!! read more

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Zakkushi used to be my go to restaurant when I was working in Vancouver downtown and living in the area. The food still tasted the same as I remembered. There are definitely a lot more choices compared to before. We ordered a bunch of stuff to share (for two people): 2 Zakkushi Set 1 Chicken Liver 2 Garlic beef 2 Negi Tongue 2 Cha-shu Yakioni 1 Sockeye Salmon Sashimi 1 Chicken Karaage 1 Hamachi Tartar Also note that by checking in on Yelp we got two free appetizers: Kurage and Takowasabi. Everything was very delicious. B also got a Yuzi Beer which he never had before. The bill with tips and taxes came to $130. The food was good but it seems like they are not as good as before. I do prefer this location more than the main street one. I will need to try the Toronto location to find out if it is better (which I have passed by multiple times and never got a chance to dine in). The sashimi was very fresh. The Cha-shu yakioni was my least favorite. I didn't like the burnt rice taste. Service has definitely been better than what it was before. The place seems to be less busy compared to the past. Overall, B and I really enjoyed the food and will definitely be back. read more

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I love Yakitori so much. I have been there many times. Good service ever. This place reminds me when I used to live in Japan read more

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So we wanted to try something we haven't had before and this place is sort of a bucket list item. After doing some research and we found out it's a short (but steep) walk, we made a reservation. Trust me, you want to make a reservation. The restaurant is located in a vibrant neighbourhood and the restaurant has lots of good energy that makes it quite lively. We sat down and started to glance over their menu. We ordered a bunch of stuff and it came in a steady pace not long after. The oden came out first and the broth is flavourful. Then the real goodies came along after. I highly recommend the pork skewers in general as it has more flavour to it. The other skewers are also good. But this place has good amounts of ambiance. It is very lively! Lots of people having a good time. And when we ordered our second round, the service team collected our old utensils and gave us new ones. I love the level of details for service. read more

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Parking is a nightmare. There are NO parking nearby and the 5 available spots in front are generally taken by the employees. Prepare to park at least 5-6 blocks away. Our wagyu was the basic type of wagyu, no true marbelling and was a bit dry. Kobe beef was very lacking in any flavor. Stick to their premium beef option, it's worth the extra $3 over the regular beef. Z read more

Zakkushi on Denman - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

OVERALL: 9.2/10 (Yelp Converted Score: 4.6/5). Ingredient quality is good (better than a certain izakaya place in Seattle). My partners thoughts: - Wasn't over seasoned - felt very true to japanese cuisine. - Chicken ball was really good! My thoughts: I can't think of a dish I didn't like. The beef tongue was so addicting I was debating on ordering more. VERDICT: This place is legit. You gotta come here! 1) VARIETY/SELECTION: 8.5/10. The only "gripe" about this place was it's lack of variety. It's quintessentially a skewers place - but it has some ramen options, and some sushi options. And some sake options... Now, don't get me wrong, their daily specials menu was amazing, and we ended up ordering some of our food from there, but the fact that all of the menus were all over the place, it was really hard to pin down "what was good here". For someone like me, with an appreciation of Japanese izakaya, I would at least have some idea of what to order, but if I was brand-new to this genre of food, I'd be overwhelmed by the options, and not even know where to begin. 2) FRESHNESS: 9.5/10. I think the foie gras was the highlight, bar-none, but every dish had it's own memorable flavours. The -0.5 stars would honestly only come from the fact that the uni we ordered was previously frozen. Besides that, it was AWESOME. 3) VALUE FOR MONEY: 9/10. For two hungry people who came in expecting to eat - it came out to $164 CAD - which is $125 USD - after tax and before tip. Wow, what a good meal. Not the cheapest in Vancouver by any stretch, but given the vibe, the cost, and the portion size, this place is definitely fair. 4) SERVICE: 9/10. I was impressed at how fast they came by to pick up empty dishes and provide things like more water/tea. I was slightly concerned at the lack of organization with regards to how to "tetris" the table to accommodate new dishes, but with a little bit of work, we got everything on the table, so no harm, no foul. 5) CONSISTENCY / FIRST IMPRESSION: 10/10. Definitely the best part about this place - they honour reservations! I called them ahead of my 5pm reservation that I was running late (thanks America), and they held our table (until 7pm). We arrived at 6:30pm, were quickly seated, able to quickly order, served quickly, ate, and promptly left by 7:05pm. This place was fantastic! read more

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The skewers were WELL DONE! The charcoal grilled skewers at Zakkushi on Denman were grilled perfectly and tasted flavourful. We had a fantastic time eating giant scallops and beef tongue. There are no minimum orders for any of the skewers. I wish we had ordered single skewers to have more variety. How many skewers can you eat? On the table: 2. Zakkushi Set 5 skewers $15 Momo (Teriyaki), Umeshiso yaki, Mé maki, P-toro and Oropon beef 23. Norimayo Tsukune 1 skewer $3.5 Boiled chicken meatballs w/ seaweed & terimayo 9. P-Toro 1 skewer $3.4 Crunchy & juicy pork 29. Beef Tongue 1 skewer $3.4 34. Okra 1 skewer $2.6 Okra w/ soy sauce & bonito flakes 35. Giant Scallop 1 skewer $8 Giant scallop w/ soy sauce & butter 37. Shishamo 1 skewer $3 Shishimo fish w/ spicy mayo 54. Kurage $5.2 Jellyfish w/ imitation shark fin in sesame oil sauce 55. Ika Mentai $5.8 Cod roe marinated raw squid 71. Aburi Shime Saba $14 Lightly seared pickled mackerel 81. Assorted 5 Kinds Oden $9.9 Chef's Choice Tip: Do not recommend for large groups. read more

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Zakkushi on Denman will fill your heart with a wide selection of yakitori and much more. Be sure to check out their cocktail menu with some unique drinks! Look at their board for specials of the day and we had the spot shrimp sashimi and the sashimi with yuzu. If you don't know what types of yakitori to get then they have two plates that come with a mix of choices. On Yelp they had a coupon for one free appetizer so check that out as well. Also you can conveniently make a reservation on Yelp. The atmosphere and service were good and I really enjoyed strolling the street of Denman afterwards. read more

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the best yakitori on the west coast at reasonable price. service incredibly friendly, fast. Food delicious, and prepped well. Slightly undersalted due to Kansai origins but amazing flavors on the tastebuds when pairs with lemon, radish, or ginger. read more

Zakkushi has been at this location for many years, and for good reason. Whenever I step inside I can feel the izakaya atmosphere like in japan. The grilling and smoke is all part of it. It's a rather small place so I recommend making reservations, or be prepared to wait for awhile. This location, in my opinion, is better than the one on Main Street. Their skewers are grilled and seasoned to perfection. It's good to get their sampler set to start if you can't make up your mind. We l also enjoy ordering sashimi here as it's always very fresh. We were feeling adventurous one time and ordered the pork intestine, I can't say it was the best I've had, a bit too chewy. Overall, service was speedy, food is good, and things were served at a fast pace. Can be a bit crowded but all part of that izakaya experience and vibe! read more

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We had dinner at Zakkushi while visiting Vancouver. Here are my thoughts: LOCATION: The restaurant is conveniently located on Denman Street in the West End area. Lots of shops, restaurants, etc around. ATMOSPHERE: If you have ever eaten at a Japanese Yakitori restaurant before, Zakkushi will seem very familiar. It features a traditional decor, which is very warm and inviting. As with all Yakitori restaurants (at least the ones I have been to) the kitchen area is open and you can see the chefs grilling the meats and preparing the food. SERVICE: The service here was pretty good. Nothing stellar, but in all fairness, they were extremely busy when we went. Every table was taken and they seemed to be a bit short staffed. They did try their best to attend to all the tables, but I think they were a bit overwhelmed. The servers were all very nice. They were running around like crazy--very hard working. Communication was slightly challenging because they didn't speak English very well, but we managed without too much issue. FOOD: This is where this restaurant really shines. We ordered several things and loved them all. We stuck to the grilled skewers, which were all amazing. Recommendations: Miyazaki Wagyu Rib Eye Lamb Chop Tebasaki Oropon Beef Saikyo Miso Beef Garlic Beef Yakioni Zucchini Garlic Prawn read more

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Small restaurant on Denman in the north downtown area, serving Japanese skewers and other items. Quite busy and lively on a Saturday night. We had a reservation and go seated at the counter with the best view of the grill. We ordered a whole bunch skewers. My favorites were the pig intestines. The chicken hearts were also pretty good. We also ordered the mackerel dish and a server will come to the table and sear the fish skin with a hand torch for a quick show. Overall, liked the food. It is one of those places where you can run up the bill if your party has a big appetite, since each serving of skewers is not that big. I think we averaged like $65 per person. read more

Zakkushi on Denman - various skewers - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

It was super delicious. I think this is the best Japanese skewer restaurant in Vancouver. The service was great. The staff were nice and attentive. The vibe is also immaculate. read more

One of my favorite spots for skewers! I love how they have two locations (one on Main and one on Denman). Checked out the downtown one yesterday night and went right at 5:00pm and it was not busy at all. The restaurant is nicely partitioned with hand sanitizers on every table. The food itself is fantastic. Perfectly seasoned grilled meat. I personally love the beef tongue, the hearts, the gizzards. The lemon provides a nice cut of acid. And of course, can't go wrong with a pitcher if Sapporo. Delicious! read more

Zakkushi on Denman - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Very authentic yakitori. We are our way through the menu with gyūtan (tongue), momo (chicken thigh), teba (chicken wings), ra-yu yaki (chicken w sesame oil), kawa (skin), hatsu (chicken heart), tsukune (chicken meatballs), eringe (king trumpet mushsrooms. Then, we added some sides: tsukemono (pickles), tako wasabi (grilled octopus with a wasabi dressing), gindara saikyo yaki (grilled sea bass w miso). We finished with perfectly executed yaki-onigiri (grilled rice ball) It was nice to eat in a Japanese restaurant run by young Japanese read more

Zakkushi on Denman - Grilling the yakitori in a bustling kitchen - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Might have ordered too much for two people but everything here is tasty! My favorites meat are lamb chop and premium beef tongue. Salmon sashimi and tuna sashimi are surprisingly super fresh ( some izakaya places don't have good raw fish). Cute and cozy ambiance, good for friends to get together/ late dinner. Drink up and eat up! read more

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Always a great experience. Good food and good service. We go for the skewers. Haven't tried the sushi. This place is a must every time we head north. Best to make a reservation. read more

After an early dinner, we came here for a late(r) night meal. We had reservations for 6, but ended up with a few more of us going. It was a tight fit. We ordered a variety of skewers. They came out really quickly and we were a bit overwhelmed. It seems we could've spread out the skewers into two rounds. Out of everything I tried, my favorites were the uzura maki (quail eggs wrapped with pork) and the beef tongue. Some of the skewers were too salty. If you plan to come, make reservations! read more

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Excellent, authentic izakaya with a focus on yakitori. We tried a range of skewers from hearts to tsukune to skin. They were all yummy, as were the grilled onigiri. I wish they had brought out the latter at the end of the meal, as they would have capped a delicious meal. We also ordered some sashimi, but it was a mistake. It wasn't the best thing to order here. The green tea ice cream was delicious, with a strong matcha flavor that balanced with sweet cream. read more

Zakkushi on Denman - Yakitori station - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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An amazing place that is in keeping withe izakaya atmosphere and feel. While each skewer is not cheap, ranging from 3 to 5 dollars, they are all well worth it. A few recommendations: Zakkushi Set- a good value set that let's you try the staples of the restaurant Saikyo Miso Beef- super tender and a balanced flavour Eryngii Mushroom- soft and slightly sweet with the great umami you'd hope from mushrooms and a great break from all the meat Umeshiso Yaki- my personal favorite. The perfect balance of sweet and savoury with the fattiness of chicken thigh The staff also super polite and attentive. This would've for a great date night or meeting with friends. Just remember to put in a reservation in advance to secure a table. read more

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Great all around, and probably as close to an authentic Japanese izakaya experience you'll get here. Excellent selection of Sake, Yakitori (grilled skewers) and various other appetizers, sashimi/seafood and don bowls. We made reservations (which is pretty much a must for this tiny and very busy location) and we were seated on time without any issues. Sunday night but the place was still packed and buzzing. (Also, it gets super hot in here. Little to no air on a warmer summer day, so dress light and cool!) Food was good, sake was great, service overall very friendly and professional - extra kudos as the staff really kept their cool despite the crazy busy and tight space. Our bill came out to quite a bit - about $370 for 4 of us. We had some excellent higher end Sake, and a bunch of food. The prices are a bit on the steeper side given the portion sizes of the izakaya eats, but you could easily keep it budgeted with a simple beer and light bites as opposed to a full-on meal. Appetizers Takowasabi 6/10 (Teeny but decent flavors.) Yakitori Lamb Chop 8/10 Hearts 6/10 Tongue 7/10 Gizzards 8/10 Chicken Meatballs 8/10 Age Mochi 9/10 Pork Belly 6/10 Garlic Beef 6/10 Miso Beef 7/10 Pork Mochi 8/10 Shiso Beef 6/10 Quail Eggs with Bacon 8/10 Chicken with Cheese 5/10 Zucchini 8/10 King Oyster Mushrooms 7/10 Chicken Skin 8/10 Others Hamachi Kama 7/10 Mentaiko Udon 6/10 (Sadly, not nearly enough roe!) Oden 8/10 We would go back but we wouldn't spend nearly $400 again. Now that we know what we liked and didn't like - cool place for a drink and some light bites. read more

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Best Izakaya outside of Japan! The food! The service! The vibe! Absolute perfection! Miso beef! Garlic beef! Chicken liver! My favorites! Available on the specials menu tiger prawns! Try the Tako Wasabi Everything is awesome read more

Good service, fast enough for skewers cooked fresh, delicious everything, just get anything you should be fine. read more

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A friend of mine took me here for dinner and I really enjoyed the food! In total, we had 14 dishes (it sounds like a lot, but the portion sizes are small; perfect for sharing). The only criticism I have for this place is that practically all 14 dishes came at once, so not only did our table space get too crowded, some of the food started to get cold. My favourite was the chicken heart yakitori, because the texture was unparalleled to anything I've had before--and it was delicious! I seriously encourage you all to try it. However, if you're not feeling up to that, I also recommend the norimayo tsukune, which is essentially a chicken meatball on a stick served with some seaweed flakes and Japanese mayo. read more

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Staffs were great, food was good, however, there was some food that was burned and shouldn't be serviced or at least brushed off. Get the premium beef tongue! It's a lot better than the "standard". Garlic beef was very tender and the horumon was delicious. We will definitely be back! read more

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Izakayas are my favorite hang out spots. They're great if you want to enjoy little snacks and japanese tapas while drinking tons of sake, beer and cocktails. The atmosphere here is super cute and Zakkushi reminds me of a lot of izakayas and bars in Japan. My favorite skewers of the night were the Lamb Chops, Garlic Beef, Premium Beef Tongue, Chicken Gizzards and the Miso Beef. All the skewers were very tasty, there weren't any that we ordered that I didn't enjoy. Of course, the best and yummiest skewers are the pricier ones, but worth the extra dollars. Izakayas usually offer obscure cuts of the animal, like heart, gizzards, and tongue, which you may or may not be used to. These can be chewy and they can be super tender, and if you're feeling adventurous and want something other than your typical beef, chicken or pork, then I highly suggest giving these a try. read more

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Friendly and attentive staff. Decently clean and nicely decorated place, but very tight in space. Lots of people and best to have reservations. The washroom is quite clean too. Lots of food to choose from but portion is so small. I was shook how small the Yakioni (grilled rice ball) was. Most food are delicious but a few different beef skewers were over cooked.the chicken were tender and lamb was fine. Had a nice night but not a place I'd come back to. I don't mind if my friends or family wants to, but personally I won't come here on my own. I've had better bbq, grilled, sashimi. read more

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The Food Trying out Zakkushi for the first time while visiting Vancouver for the second. We were traveling as a group so we order quite of bit of food. Got Appetizers, along with a lot of their Yakitori, Oden, and Hot Tapas (Finishing Touch). - Lamb Chop w/ sea salt & pepper - Duck Breast w/ yuzu citrus chilli - Chicken Liver w/ teriyaki - Chicken Heart w/ teriyaki - Chicken Gizzard - Pork Negima - Uzura Maki - Beef Tongue - Yakioni - Eryngii Mushroom - Assorted Oden (Chef's Pick) - Genmai Ochazuke The Yakitori are well done, and I enjoyed that they are all flavored different. The Oden is also good, and you can try your luck with the 5 out of 9 Chef's Pick. Ochazuke is something I don't see or get too often, so is quite the unique experience for me. We also got the Yama Yuzu Shibori at the end, and it was a good finish to the meal. The Miscellaneous Zakkushi is not super big inside, but with the bar area, there are good amount of seating. It also seem that the restaurant has limited hours, so is best to make reservations. They have good service and sincere employees, no complaints. Their menu have quite the selection of food to choose from. The prices are typical for a Yakitori place, which mean it can stack very quick. But the quality of the food is good, so I definitely would return to try the rest of their menu. read more

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The most authentic Izakaya I have visited in North America, even to the smells and ambience of the entire place. It executes the food and drinks brilliantly without trying too hard. Perfect place to unwind. I ordered a few of the staples Yakitori items and paired it with Coedo beer. And then ordered some takowasa and more beer to finish the meal off! So good! read more

My boyfriend and I came because it was suggested to us and totally understood why it was suggested to us. Food was made to order and absolutely delicious. It's not a big place so reservations are recommended. Overall it was a great experience and we will be back when we visit Vancouver again in the future. read more

Zakkushi on Denman - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia