Love the Tsukemen! The staff are amazing and made sure everything was perfect, I love the atmosphere you can see everything being made and I felt very taken care of. Cannot recommend the Tsukemen lunch special enough will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ken Gardner
I was genuinely confused when deciding what to order. The price seemed so high that I was concerned about having too much food, especially since I knew I would not be paying the bill. The server had trouble communicating with me, so she brought a colleague, who also had difficulty with English. I decided to go with the salmon. It turned out to be a very small dish, but I didn't want to raise the price the bill for my host, so I waited until I got home to finish dinner. I know costs have gone up for restaurants, but...
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Uucky L
TLDR: Overpriced low quality plates.
Let me start by saying that the staff here are lovely and attentive, so my two-star review is purely for the food and overall experience. Bistro Sakana managed to turn what should have been an elegant omakase meal into a pricey comedy of errors.
First, let’s talk about the $68 sashimi omakase. For that price, I expected a little finesse. Instead, we were presented with 10 pieces of fish on a lackluster glass plate, garnished with cucumber and radish shreds that seemed to have had a long day. At $6.80 per slice, you’d think they’d at least serve it on something that doesn’t look straight out of a cafeteria line.
The menu itself was another surprise. For such a high-end price tag, you’d expect something nicely designed or at least visually engaging. Instead, we received a plain, office-grade sheet of white paper, covered in text-heavy paragraphs with no real layout. The highlights on the menu were actually done by hand, and—brace yourself—they’ve gone fully QR code only for a complete menu. The best part? A checkmark emoji for the chef’s recommendations, proudly marking one item: “$20 fresh wasabi.” Excuse me? So, unless I pay an extra $20, my $6.80-a-piece sashimi doesn’t come with fresh wasabi?
Adding to the ambiance was a charmingly cold 10-degree, rainy day. Nothing sets the mood like turning off the patio heater mid-meal. It might have been their subtle way of saying, “Move along.” And the lighting? Only half the table was lit, creating a lovely split-screen effect. Half of our group looked like they were eating at a different table entirely.
Then there was the $45 Omakase Sushi. I’m not exaggerating when I say I found unmelted ice in my raw fish. Let that sink in. Some pieces even had a watered-down texture, almost as if they were more aquatically inclined than usual. At this price point, I didn’t expect the quality to be on par with generic takeout.
To top it all off, a server popped over to suggest more dishes as we were practically done with our meal. Perfect timing, right? Perhaps they sensed my disappointment and thought, “Maybe they’d like a second try?”
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
ve ve
The food is average. When ordering, this one is not available, and some prices are on the high side. It is not worth it. After eating, only the side dishes are worth ordering. The environment is such that there is a table where people are talking very loudly, laughing and shouting. There is nothing I can do about it, but I will give you one star. The service is OK, the clerk's English is not good. I originally thought it would be worth eating more than the Minami opposite, but after eating I realized it was not as good as the one opposite. Won't go there a second time.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 4
John Livingston
Came here for a birthday dinner on Sept. 3rd. My family and I loved it! The food was great as well as the service. The waitress was very helpful in advising us on which sake to try, as we had never tried sake to that point. Will definitely be coming back to try some more of the food and sake. The prices for sushi are great too
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Wagyu
J Jang
Charged us regular pricing for happy hour items
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
David Perel
By its reputation, we thought Bistro Sakana would be great but we ended up very disappointed by the food. We started with 3 pieces of sashimi of toro and hamachi and they were excellent. It was some of the best sashimi we have ever had. But, unfortunately, the rest of the meal was below average. We ordered the Caprese Roll and the catepillar roll. The Caprese was undewhelming, the flavors dont work well together at all, despite the attempt to create something special. The Catepilar roll also was far below average, the dungeness crab had a too-fishy taste. (We regularly enjoy dungenss crab and know what it should taste like; this was simply not good.) Note: after we ordered we asked do you think we ordered well? and the server said yes. we would absolutely have changed to anythinng recommend. I notice in the review the owner has a habit of leaving nasty replies to people who didn't like the food. So, no matter what the reply to this review is, the meal started great and then was way below average. The service was also terrible, with two different servers who didn't know what the other one had done. After our first course of sashimi, the second server came over and said "are you ready for dessert?" We replied that we were waiting for two rolls. Then the first server came out with one roll. We asked where is the other and she looked very confused. A few minutes later the server returned with both rolls. It was almost funny, except that we were paying to watch this self-important restaurant (read how they describe themselves) deliver an experience that needs to be forgotten. OWNER RESPONDED: As you can see below, management responded to these comments. Bizarrely he seemed to downplay the presence of rolls, sushi and sashimi on his menu as "pedestrian" food. Quite strange considering that makes up what appears to be at least 80% of his menu! As for the Asian fusion concept he mentions, yes we enjoy that, but when a menu is mainly sushi rolls, nigiri and sashimi it's reasonable to expect a quality product. We certainly didn't get that. In general as you see management respond negatively to bad reviews and insult customers, we have found that when this happens by any business it's better to avoid them.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Markus Schulz
Reliably satisfying! Been going here for years, and still coming back frequently. Yuzu bomb is a great drink to try here, their pork gyoza is always delicious, and great sashimi, nigiri and rolls to choose from, always prepared with care and tastes fresh ??
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cheryl
This was one of the best sushi experiences we've ever had. Top notch sushi, fresh, creative and exceptional service. The sushi chef is truly a master! Perfect saki pairing and neighborhood vibe. We travel to Vancouver every year and Sakana Bistro is now a must have for future visits. We won't be trying any other sushi restaurant! This is now our go to place fir future visits.
Food is always fresh and good here! We liked everything....from Sashimi to sushi and rolls...and the Miyazaki beef! The owner went out of his way to use clean oil to do my fries due to my allergies! Truly appreciated!
Globalfoodie2
The restaurant and chef went out of their way to accommodate my shellfish allergies! The sashimi was fresh and delicious, and the Miyazaki beef was amazing! We'll definitely be back!
RyanP
Always a favorite. I've probably been here over 30x but only a couple under the current management. I used to live close and we'd go a couple times a month. The food is the same as before. Service is not quite as personable but that's probably because we knew a lot of the previous staff from going a lot. If you're looking for quality sushi and reasonable pricing (especially for Yaletown), this is the place!
ClarkD
Generally good except that this time the tempura wasn't available. Another tofu dish and a yam dish also weren't available. Rare for this place, but a little disappointed. We'll be back though.
Michael
A bit disappointing. We were steered to their original Japanese sheet, but only given one of these for the two of us. It took two separate requests just to get menus. Food wasn't bad. just not a great experience. The Japanese place across the street is much better.
Love the Tsukemen! The staff are amazing and made sure everything was perfect, I love the atmosphere you can see everything being made and I felt very taken care of. Cannot recommend the Tsukemen lunch special enough will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I was genuinely confused when deciding what to order. The price seemed so high that I was concerned about having too much food, especially since I knew I would not be paying the bill. The server had trouble communicating with me, so she brought a colleague, who also had difficulty with English. I decided to go with the salmon. It turned out to be a very small dish, but I didn't want to raise the price the bill for my host, so I waited until I got home to finish dinner. I know costs have gone up for restaurants, but...
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
TLDR: Overpriced low quality plates.
Let me start by saying that the staff here are lovely and attentive, so my two-star review is purely for the food and overall experience. Bistro Sakana managed to turn what should have been an elegant omakase meal into a pricey comedy of errors.
First, let’s talk about the $68 sashimi omakase. For that price, I expected a little finesse. Instead, we were presented with 10 pieces of fish on a lackluster glass plate, garnished with cucumber and radish shreds that seemed to have had a long day. At $6.80 per slice, you’d think they’d at least serve it on something that doesn’t look straight out of a cafeteria line.
The menu itself was another surprise. For such a high-end price tag, you’d expect something nicely designed or at least visually engaging. Instead, we received a plain, office-grade sheet of white paper, covered in text-heavy paragraphs with no real layout. The highlights on the menu were actually done by hand, and—brace yourself—they’ve gone fully QR code only for a complete menu. The best part? A checkmark emoji for the chef’s recommendations, proudly marking one item: “$20 fresh wasabi.” Excuse me? So, unless I pay an extra $20, my $6.80-a-piece sashimi doesn’t come with fresh wasabi?
Adding to the ambiance was a charmingly cold 10-degree, rainy day. Nothing sets the mood like turning off the patio heater mid-meal. It might have been their subtle way of saying, “Move along.” And the lighting? Only half the table was lit, creating a lovely split-screen effect. Half of our group looked like they were eating at a different table entirely.
Then there was the $45 Omakase Sushi. I’m not exaggerating when I say I found unmelted ice in my raw fish. Let that sink in. Some pieces even had a watered-down texture, almost as if they were more aquatically inclined than usual. At this price point, I didn’t expect the quality to be on par with generic takeout.
To top it all off, a server popped over to suggest more dishes as we were practically done with our meal. Perfect timing, right? Perhaps they sensed my disappointment and thought, “Maybe they’d like a second try?”
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
The food is average. When ordering, this one is not available, and some prices are on the high side. It is not worth it. After eating, only the side dishes are worth ordering. The environment is such that there is a table where people are talking very loudly, laughing and shouting. There is nothing I can do about it, but I will give you one star. The service is OK, the clerk's English is not good. I originally thought it would be worth eating more than the Minami opposite, but after eating I realized it was not as good as the one opposite. Won't go there a second time.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 4
Came here for a birthday dinner on Sept. 3rd. My family and I loved it! The food was great as well as the service. The waitress was very helpful in advising us on which sake to try, as we had never tried sake to that point. Will definitely be coming back to try some more of the food and sake. The prices for sushi are great too
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Wagyu
Charged us regular pricing for happy hour items
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
By its reputation, we thought Bistro Sakana would be great but we ended up very disappointed by the food. We started with 3 pieces of sashimi of toro and hamachi and they were excellent. It was some of the best sashimi we have ever had. But, unfortunately, the rest of the meal was below average. We ordered the Caprese Roll and the catepillar roll. The Caprese was undewhelming, the flavors dont work well together at all, despite the attempt to create something special. The Catepilar roll also was far below average, the dungeness crab had a too-fishy taste. (We regularly enjoy dungenss crab and know what it should taste like; this was simply not good.) Note: after we ordered we asked do you think we ordered well? and the server said yes. we would absolutely have changed to anythinng recommend. I notice in the review the owner has a habit of leaving nasty replies to people who didn't like the food. So, no matter what the reply to this review is, the meal started great and then was way below average. The service was also terrible, with two different servers who didn't know what the other one had done. After our first course of sashimi, the second server came over and said "are you ready for dessert?" We replied that we were waiting for two rolls. Then the first server came out with one roll. We asked where is the other and she looked very confused. A few minutes later the server returned with both rolls. It was almost funny, except that we were paying to watch this self-important restaurant (read how they describe themselves) deliver an experience that needs to be forgotten. OWNER RESPONDED: As you can see below, management responded to these comments. Bizarrely he seemed to downplay the presence of rolls, sushi and sashimi on his menu as "pedestrian" food. Quite strange considering that makes up what appears to be at least 80% of his menu! As for the Asian fusion concept he mentions, yes we enjoy that, but when a menu is mainly sushi rolls, nigiri and sashimi it's reasonable to expect a quality product. We certainly didn't get that. In general as you see management respond negatively to bad reviews and insult customers, we have found that when this happens by any business it's better to avoid them.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Reliably satisfying! Been going here for years, and still coming back frequently. Yuzu bomb is a great drink to try here, their pork gyoza is always delicious, and great sashimi, nigiri and rolls to choose from, always prepared with care and tastes fresh ??
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This was one of the best sushi experiences we've ever had. Top notch sushi, fresh, creative and exceptional service. The sushi chef is truly a master! Perfect saki pairing and neighborhood vibe. We travel to Vancouver every year and Sakana Bistro is now a must have for future visits. We won't be trying any other sushi restaurant! This is now our go to place fir future visits.
Fantastic spot for lunch.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lunch Sushi Set
Restaurantji Recommends
Food is always fresh and good here! We liked everything....from Sashimi to sushi and rolls...and the Miyazaki beef! The owner went out of his way to use clean oil to do my fries due to my allergies! Truly appreciated!
The restaurant and chef went out of their way to accommodate my shellfish allergies! The sashimi was fresh and delicious, and the Miyazaki beef was amazing! We'll definitely be back!
Always a favorite. I've probably been here over 30x but only a couple under the current management. I used to live close and we'd go a couple times a month. The food is the same as before. Service is not quite as personable but that's probably because we knew a lot of the previous staff from going a lot. If you're looking for quality sushi and reasonable pricing (especially for Yaletown), this is the place!
Generally good except that this time the tempura wasn't available. Another tofu dish and a yam dish also weren't available. Rare for this place, but a little disappointed. We'll be back though.
A bit disappointing. We were steered to their original Japanese sheet, but only given one of these for the two of us. It took two separate requests just to get menus. Food wasn't bad. just not a great experience. The Japanese place across the street is much better.
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