50 Best Japanese Restaurants in Vancouver

“This is quite possibly the best restaurant I’ve ever been to.

I don’t know if this is the typical experience, but whenever I go to a fine dining restaurant I end up enjoying the amuse-bouche and appetizers more than the entrees. Maybe I’ve just had bad luck. But not this place — every single dish was executed to perfection, and the mains were the best I’ve had of their kind: the fondue omelette, the pastas, and the fried fish were absolute standouts. The truffle fondue omelette in particular blew my mind. I can’t recommend this place enough!“

“Beyond amazing really. Everything we ordered was off the scale in terms of taste, texture, temperature. One of the best meals we've had in the last 10 years. Can't recall what we ordered, but here are 2.
Nigiri set
King salmon (we had 2 of these..)
Countless other small bits and pieces.
The service was amazing, very Japanese, extremely friendly.
We left there elated, a complete food euphoria with tastes so amazing we talked about it for a while. One of the chefs my girlfriend reads up on says that he’s been following the Sushi Hill chef for a while and every time he eats there “my eyes roll into the back of my head”. We certainly had that feeling. Sadly we can now never again go to another sushi place in Vancouver lest we want to eat cold fish wrapped in rice and dead seaweed. But it’s a small price to pay. We’re already scheduled to go back April 12th.“

“I looked for new places to try on this trip to Vancouver. I usually end up at the same places every time so this time I decided to try new places. Sushi Okeya Kyujiro is a one-star Michelin restaurant, so I was eagerly looking forward to my visit.

Located in Yaletown on Mainland St, it is an intimate space with a small waiting area. The servers are dressed in kimono and greet you at the entrance. You are led into the U-shaped bar and there are black screens hiding the chefs and the workspace from the diners. Once all diners have been seated and served their choice of drinks, the screens rise, and the performance begins.
Lunch consists of fifteen courses for $180CAD. Dinner consists of twenty courses for $325CAD. I went for lunch as that was the only reservation I could secure on the desired date.

Each course is a piece of art, and you are requested to consume it within 10 seconds of it being presented to you. The servers explain each item as they are presented. There is a main chef and two subsidiary chefs working on the pieces of sushi.
The first course was a trio of appetizers, followed by chawanmushi, then eight pieces of nigiri sushi, a bowl of ikura and crabmeat, a bowl of soba with pieces of Wagyu, then a piece of maki sushi, and a slice of tamago. The finale was dessert consisting of red bean with mochi and a green tea ice cream sandwich.

I had two glasses of beer (one rice, the other yuzu) with my meal. Interestingly, there are no menus … The servers explain the five kinds of beer, and the different wines and sake available. The total came to $220.05CAD + tip. This was arguably the finest omakase I have experienced. I cannot wait to try dinner and there are locations in Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto so my next visit might be to Montreal.“

“Wonderful, attentive, and friendly service. The portions are perfectly sized. Not too much but not too little. Pricing, while note cheap, is extremely reasonable for the quality of the food that you're getting. A wonderful gem hidden in Kits. I highly recommend this to anyone. My bet is that you'll be left wanting to come back again.“

“I had been wanting to come to this Udon shop for quite some time, but it was always closed when we got there. Finally, we got in.

Udon soup was perfect for a gloomy afternoon. All the staff seemed to be Japanese and the taste of the two items we ordered was authentic. It reminded me of the days I used to live in Japan.

We ordered one beef seaweed udon soup and a spicy tan tan noodle soup. Udon had a great texture, chewy but not too soft. Tan tan came with some cha siu which was the cherry on the cake.

We were served Genmaicha and were charged per person. We did not recall we were told about the charge, but it was on the menu under soft drink.

They might be on the more expensive side, but given the overall experience, it was not too bad.

Probably would come back as it is a specialized udon place after all, and I love udon.“

“Our experience at Pidgin was incredible and one I will always cherish. From the food to the staff, everything was immaculate. We had the “chef’s table” experience and felt truly spoiled. It was well worth the cost, and I highly recommend the tasting menu along with the recommended drinks that pair with each course. An unforgettable experience, and we can’t wait to go back again.“

“值得推荐的日餐，意犹未尽 ！“

“Absolutely amazing restaurant ! The food is all so fresh and quality is amazing. Staff is friendly and efficient.
I highly recommend tuna or salmon sushi, the karaage chicken.
And get the corn entrée ! (You can’t order enough !)“

“We had the pleasure of experiencing an extraordinary 19-course meal at Sushi Jin, and it was nothing short of perfection. Every single dish was top-notch, showcasing the absolute best quality and freshest ingredients. From start to finish, it was a 3-hour journey of remarkable flavors and innovative presentations that left us in awe. The attention to detail and the care taken in every dish made the experience unforgettable. A huge thank you to Sushi Jin for such impeccable service and for making our evening truly special. A must go when in Vancouver.“

“Excellent dining experience. High quality fish and service. I had the omakase dinner and the variety of dishes and sushi was very good! Thank you so much for a wonderful dinner Tetsu Sushi Bar!“

“We were in the room for friend’s birthday party. We had Omakasa menu and food was great. They allow you to bing your own sake. We bought in 1.8L sake charge for $100 corkage. Parking is horrible in these area. Not easy to find a parking spot near by during summer time.“

“My husband and I were happy that we celebrated our 35 wedding anniversary @Ancora last night💕 We enjoyed our delicious dinner Staff were respectful and attentive We sure to come back soon and tell all my friends and family about the great service! Keep up the good work guys🙌“

“Great ambiance and exactingly prepared nigiri is what Maumi is all about. Extensive sake list and some nice Champagnes.“

“We've done takeout a number of times and we have been extremely happy with all our orders. Our usuals are salmon sashimi, chopped scallop roll, dynamite roll, and salmon maki. Sashimi is always fresh, firm, and tender (never those tough scrap pieces). Rice is really good and never mushy nor dry.

Really good value for the quality.

Staff are super friendly. Ordering and picking up are convenient.“

“Recommended here by one of our Nurse friends, so we dropped by for an early lunch today w/ my 2 coworkers. Sooo yummy! First impression? Delish!!! huge servings & the use of fluffy brown rice was the determining factor of the meal NOT being gastro-heavy! Very nice presentation! Good size servings! Will definitely return on another lunchbreak! yummmmmy!“

“I dine here at least 3 times a week as I’m close to here everyday. Friendly, super fast service and always there to answer questions about food/allergens. One of the best poke/ramen places in downtown Vancouver“

“My girlfriend and I were visiting Vancouver to attend a concert and decided to visit for an omakase dinner. The entire experience was very pleasant and Chef Tom was a great host. From the food to the conversation we both left very satisfied. We’re aiming to dine there again in the future!“

“What you see here is the three piece Mogo chicken rice bowl for $16. Like others have found, the chicken is perfectly battered and good sense of crunchiness. The shio garlic sauce I did not use because I found it too salty, especially when the chicken itself has been marinated in salt already. The sweet chilli sauce might make a better balance. Finally, The bowl is topped with the most delicious little kale salad lightly seasoned with a sesame dressing. It would be worthwhile to order the kale salad either on its own as a side, or with teishoku. Seating arrangements are limited, so best to keep your group size maximum at six. Even so, you’ll likely spend some time waiting for a table - consider takeout.“

“Yummy good, 服務態度非常好“

“The atmosphere here has a cozy 1980s Japan vibe, making it feel nostalgic and very Instagrammable—even the music takes you back to that era. I noticed that New Fuji is part of the same chain as Raisu and has perfected a similar aesthetic. The interior is highly Instagrammable, but the food fell a bit short of my expectations. The portions were surprisingly inconsistent; for instance, the hamburg steak was as small as a typical Italian meatball, which disappointed those of us hoping for more. In contrast, the chicken karaage was quite a large portion, so the sizing doesn’t seem consistent, even considering it’s an izakaya. The ebi mayo was enjoyable, the unagi omelette was average, and the battera sushi was good. Mentaiko udon was great. The dessert, tiramisu, although it looks pretty, the taste was pretty bad - we were able to taste strawberry pure for the most part only.

Overall, it was a pleasant experience because of the ambiance, but I’d love to see improvements in the food.

Tips: It’s tough to get a reservation here, but people do cancel. Either book well in advance or join the waitlist in the appointment system.

Parking can be limited - paid street parking available until 10 PM on most days.

Parking: Paid parking streets“

“an edible NFT you've got to be hete“

“This is one of the few places in Vancouver where you can enjoy great food at very reasonable prices, despite the high cost of living. Chef Tom is not only friendly but also highly professional. He has been making sushi in Vancouver for many years and has also trained at a long-established sushi restaurant in Japan. It’s a family-run business, and now his son is also training to become a sushi chef. This restaurant has a deep understanding of Japanese food culture. You can enjoy your meal while chatting with him at the counter or relax at a table—either way is great. I really like this place.“

“We ordered some food for the Mother's day family get together, the service was fantastic, the order was ready on time, every single item was so delicious! Extreme good quality, a lot of varieties to choose from, excellent service, would highly recommend.“

“What a great experience! At just under $100 it’s one of the more budget-friendly omakase in the city, but you still don’t sacrifice much on taste and experience. Many of the dishes had a unique blend of flavours and textures that we haven’t experienced at other restaurants. Our favourites were the poached oyster and the tuna“

“Came here to celebrate my birthday and the whole experience was amazing. The service was top-notch from beginning to end and they surprised me with a cute and refreshing dessert on top of the complimentary bday set. Everything we ordered tasted great and the servers were so attentive the entire time. It was definitely a very special dining experience. Will be back for sure!“

“The food was absolutely fantastic! Complex and satisfying. Everything we tried was delicious!“

“delicious!!! Japanese service = kindness and attention

The place could be nicer but it's not terrible. It's not for going on a date with your girlfriend if what you want is to take photos in the place... if what you want is crazy food, this is the place.

come on, dude“

“The Hire Katsu was so tasty and tender, very friendly staff too.“

“Check out Itamae Tomoko at their Brentwood location. The food and service are impressive. I'm waiting to write a review of their Burnaby restaurant.“

“Real hidden gem in Vancouver. Authentic Japanese homemade foods. There is only a lady on the kitchen, with a server sometimes, so please be kindly patience with your order. The microwave is for pre-prepare food for the day. If she have to cook from scratch, it will take more time than now. All the dishes are freshly made on kitchen and very reasonable, compared to other Japanese restaurants.“

“Weird experience here. My gf and I were ordering from Tom Sushi and using their website, we placed the order and upon arriving realized the order was placed at Akira Sushi. Very strange since neither of us heard or even viewed Akira Sushi/ their website. Both restaurants use a website host called “Code Fusion” to handle the online ordering. Either there was a glitch in the system or our order was rerouted to Akira. Regardless the sushi at Akira was really good apart from some bones in our salmon sashimi. But we were definitely very confused with what happened in the ordering process.“

“Sorry I ate two pieces in the photo already
It was so good I couldn’t resist.
One of the best sushi trays I’ve had in forever and I eat sushi every other day.
The ingredients were so fresh and prices r great. 👏“

“Best sushi restaurant in the Joyce collingwood area. Friendly staff and always quick with their orders!“

“Good food and amazing service!“

“Sushi here is so much better than your average sushi place in Toronto area for the same value. The prices are very reasonable for anything in the menu. Both the dine in and take out are really good. I'm going to this place the most out of my trip to the Vancouver area :"(“

“Went here with my mom and 6 month old. Accommodated a big stroller right away— staff was friendly and the place is cozy and clean. The food was fresh and very reasonably priced. Great addition to the Fairview neighbourhood— will be back!“

“I'm somewhat of a regular here (1-2 times a month) and after each time I go there the staff is always friendly and accommodating. From time to time they have new servers and they're always super nice. They always memorize my usual order too!“

“Standard menu for a casual sushi restaurant with many basic and special varieties of sushi, and bento, poke, teriyaki, noodles, etc, all fairly priced. Staff is very professional and nice, and the environment is relaxed. I got their veggie dinner bento (Bento C). It was your average no frills bento except for the tempura yam roll which was a thicker roll that also included other veggies like cucumber and avocado and a drizzle of sweet teriyaki sauce, instead of the plain yam roll usually included with veggie bento. Nothing fancy but nothing to complain about; perfect to satisfy my bento craving.“

“Different kind of breakfast, reasonable price.“

“Great food with fresh fish! Highly recommended.“

“The ingredients are exceptionally fresh, and breakfast is reasonably priced at just $13. Unlimited miso soup refills are a nice touch. The service meets the high standards you'd expect in Japan. Plenty of parking is available, and there was no lineup when I visited before 11 a.m.“

“Words cannot describe how awesome the food are, just go and try it out. My recommendations: okonomiyaki, yakisoba, nebeyaki udon (on a rainy, cold day) and king roll!“

“It was so delicious that every time I come to work, I come here instead of eating the lunch I brought... Haha, I recommend eating chicken teriyaki with spicy sauce! However, the spicy sauce is really spicy, so I recommend sprinkling a little on the side at first and then adjusting it later... haha ​​It's really spicy, but it's really delicious! An addictive taste“

“wonderful atmosphere, very polite and kind staffing, wonderful food, awesome song selection for Kareoke. Definitely coming back tomorrow for more!“

“Great option to have sushi on Davie St. Fast, polite and very professional customer service! Dishes are quite big and very tasty. I have tried a wide variety of dishes and they all have been very good! This evening, I went for the Assorted Sashimi and, as you can see on the picture, it was awesome, very fresh and very tasty! Also, their Gomae is delicious, so much so that I had two portions tonight! 😋“

“Service was very quick and quite friendly. Restaurant seems a bit old and a bit rundown. Food was tasty with lots of options. Was surprised by the diameter of some of the rolls. Far to large to eat in a single bite and cut too thin to pick up easily. Almost needed a fork to eat.“

“It was an amazing restaurant close to the water and nice for a really nice evening walk at the sea wall. Food was delicious and good.“

“We had a great experience here! The food quality was excellent—especially the nigiri, which was incredibly fresh and well-prepared. There's a great variety of options and even my child enjoyed the meal. I highly recommend trying the aburi sushi and their nigiri selections. The service was attentive and friendly, making the whole dining experience even better. Definitely a place we'll be coming back to!“

“I love the freshness of the sushi. Area for improvement; The staff should be trained to relax a bit when releasing pre-ordered and prepaid platters. Every time I go in, which is often, I mention the company name on the order and who placed the order, I also usually have my uniform jacket or shirt on identifying me, and I still get the third degree as if I've hacked their computer system and I've devised an elaborate scheme to take someone else's order. Why? because I don't get the phone number used when ordering correct the first time, since we have multiple lines. Common sense combined with trust, please 🙏“

“I have to say. It is quite hard to beat their $14 Unagi bento box, especially on a hustling street like main.

The sushi tasted great, even if it's a simple California roll.

I enjoyed each bite of the bento box. They serve 4pc tempura instead of 2pc that you would typically get at other Japanese places.

The environment is nice, the interior really captures that Japanese izakaya feel.

Service was friendly, fast, and efficient.

I love that they offer you free dessert after your meal. Most places will not have that.

Overall, my experience here has been excellent. I will come back again!“