50 Best Japanese Restaurants in Vancouver

“Every grain of rice, every slice of fish contains the weight of their dedication and respect to the food and culture.

It was an edible performance!

We tried their lunch menu first and It was such a wonderful experience.

We will definitely return for the dinner course!

Michelin well deserved!“

“Great little spot for an elevated sushi experience. It’s a very small restaurant so make a reso. The attentive but non-disruptive service is appreciated, as the tables are quite small so the tidying is a nice touch. The prices are not cheap, for example, my nigiri set was $65. Pay street parking is available so arrive early for your reso to snag a spot nearby.“

“The food is great but the service makes it outstanding.

Shoutout to Daniel, Chloe, and chef Felix for making this dining experience top tier.

Atmosphere is beautiful, moody, every detail feels intentional.

Standout was the pappardelle. Oysters always good. Tiramisu also delicious.

The pork - UNREAL. The juiciest, soft/qq, overall just a great bite.

Come with friends and share a lot. Come yourself and sit at the bar. Either way, worth checking out.“

“I would get the volcano roll again. Came with a small spicy sashimi salad instead of chopped on top of the roll which was nice. Wouldn’t do the nigiri set although it’s fine and decent value. Takoyaki was good. Basic roll like Cali, dynamite and yam were to expectation.“

“Conveniently located in Gastown, this tight space restaurant just wins my heart. Upon seating we were notified about the two-hour dining time. Since it’s our first time, the server briefly went over the menu in quite a fast pace - we definitely feel the pressure to speed up the order and dinning experience. This is the least favourite part of the entire evening. Exceptional food - the beef tongue cold appetizer is delightfully pleasant and tasty. The premium sashimi platter is plentiful with various types of sashimi with decent thickness. Totally love it. The bluefin tuna hand roll is good. The beef tongue steak with teriyaki sauce is very juicy, soft, tender and melt in the mouth. We genuinely enjoy the food. Wish the service can be less rushed and it would be the perfect dining experience. Overall, highly recommend.“

“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!“

“Everyone is always super friendly when I come in and I love the food here.
The dynamite roll has corn flakes but the menu does say it’s their house style so I asked what made it different and I wasn’t surprised
I actually like it just as much as the tempura because it retains its crunchiness“

“Great lunch deals! They also have gluten free options - you grill your own veggies, meats, and seafood, so you can just ask them to only season with salt and pepper (no sauce). They started having a gluten free ginger barbecue sauce recently which is delicious and you can use it as a dip!
Very friendly service as well.“

“A great little sushi place! There are two seats for dine in but I did take out through their online ordering. The couple who runs the shop have the best hospitality. They care very deeply about the food and service!

The fish was amazingly fresh and I really enjoyed the saba shiso roll. I'm very excited to try they their other rolls next time!“

“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.“

“This is our new favorite spot in Vancouver. The lunch sets are great value and allows you to have a taste of a lot of their dishes.

Would recommend their Fuji Gozen lunch set that comes with the truffle Wagyu cream udon. Absolutely delicious and full of creamy goodness. The battera sushi is also extremely tasty and the rice is very good quality.

The decor and atmosphere is very cozy and retro. Would definitely recommend a visit to this cute restaurant.“

“Some of the best sushi I’ve ever had! 🍣 The Alaska Rolls and Salmon Nigiri were outstanding — so fresh and full of flavor. The menu has a wide variety to choose from, and while it takes a little time for the food to come out, it’s absolutely worth the wait.

The restaurant felt very clean, and the staff was friendly and welcoming. A fantastic spot for sushi in Vancouver…highly recommended!“

“Yummy good, 服務態度非常好“

“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 always order take out to go and the friendly service is top notch! 10 stars out of 5 guaranteed! Chicken is fresh, juicy, crunchy, perfectly seasoned, tasty and this is always consistent!

Highly recommended place for clean, comfy and friendly vibes.

This place has saved my life multiple times! :D Thank you, Mogu Chicken Team!!!“

“One day you will eat at Pizza Coming Soon“

“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.“

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

“Had an amazing time coming to Motonobu! The food has always been delicious, one of the better spots to bring people out of town to eat! Been here multiple times and every visit has been pleasent! Only downside is the waiters/waitresses can be inattentive at times. Overall though, Motonobu is a great spot to celebrate milestones at!“

“Going here for a second time. Food and atmosphere is still good. Parking is expensive though, $10/hr. Their chawamushi is so smooth and tasty. Prawn tempura just ok. Nigiri are good. Beef yakiudon is good. Udon is tender. Dessert pear ginger mousse is too sweet.“

“Such an excellent experience from start to finish!!! Food was delicious, plentiful and unique. Chef Tom was so friendly and guided us through each dish very well. My new favourite spot in Vancouver, I recommend to all looking for a thoughtful experience.“

“Well priced sushi with good quality fish.
Very welcoming and no-nonsense.
Good quality / price ratio.
Owners are friendly.
If you want an easy and tasty sushi experience with a very Kits / Vancouver vibe, this is your place.“

“Thoroughly enjoyed the experience from beginning to end, drinks to food, all great. I cant remember what was in the oysters that we were given but that sauce was so good. And the clarified fruit loops cocktail was super interesting, unique experience and will be going again for sure.“

“Great food with fresh fish! Highly recommended.“

“I like their newly renovated store. Chic, simple and clean. Service is great! Food is awesome! I like my spicy chopped scallops hand cone (not included in the photos). Exquisitely delicious with some dried garlic bits scattered on the top which enhanced the taste like new fusion style. Highly recommended to try.“

“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“

“Good food and amazing service!“

“Great hidden gem in the mall. The main attraction is the onigiri. They have a nice variety to chose from. We had ours made fresh in front of us.

Great deal on 2 + miso soup.

The udon was also nice and hit the spot with the kakiagi. Definitely a can't miss choice in the mall.

Excellent prices too. Highly recommend“

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

“One of the highlights of the Joyce area, a small cozy home made kind of place. I'm a big fan of the Ume Shiso Onigiri, I keep coming back to it and trying different kinds of dishes around it. Their tempura and noodles are also delicious on a chilly rainy Vancouver afternoon. The space fills up quickly so better plan your visit since it has limited space. A convenient option for Joyce area, worth every penny.“

“This restaurant is phenomenal. You get Miku/Minami quality Japanese food for much cheaper.

We used to rotate between sushi restaurants around the area, but since it opened we only go here.

Service is very attentive and knowledgeable of the menu. They're really friendly and accommodating.“

“Tried this place on a Saturday night & it was a fantastic experience! I got the basic set with 4 hand rolls. Everything tasted unbelievably fresh & high quality. The bluefin & yellowtail were my personal favourites. Truly delicious fish! Additionally the service was excellent. Very friendly staff & they were all eager to help, which you don’t see everywhere. I wouldn’t say it’s expensive, but it’s definitely on the higher end as far as sushi goes.“

“Came here every day on a recent work trip. The bento boxes were excellent, with good portions too. I only ordered takeout, but the restaurant looked clean and bright, and the staff were friendly. Looking forward to eating here next time I'm in Burnaby!“

“After some time of seeing the restaurant while on the bus, I finally decided to give them a try, and it was very good!

I ordered their Deluxe Sushi Combo with their Pikachu Roll, as well as a Salmon Nigiri and Salmon Maki.

The fish was very fresh, the wasabi seemed of at least a bit better quality than the average wasabi in other restaurants of sushi, and the quality of the rice was also good. Additionally, the food was flavourful.

Regarding the service, it was pretty quick. As for the atmosphere, it was comfortable, and the restaurant looked clean overall.

To be honest, other items of their menu also seem interesting, so I would love to try more of the food the restaurant has to offer.“

“Family had a craving for Japanese food so we tried this place out. Ordered online and it was efficient and the service was friendly. The restaurant in a Tuesday was very busy which is great to see. We ordered mainly sushi with a beef udon and a tofu donburi. Seafood was fresh and the sushi was well prepared. It’s not totally authentic food but it’s pretty tasty food.“

“Delicious omakase. We loved how the nigiri rice was made, fresh wasabi, well balanced seasoning of the nigiri. Small hot appetizers prior to nigiri course were also amazing. Deserving of Michelin mentions if not more. Price is amazing for the quality and amount of food. We would certainly come back!“

“A lot of the time, the restaurant is only as good as the server. Hapa is a superior restaurant and my server was Shione! She recommended the Chipotle. I went with that and it was real tasty! How a server interacts with the customer is the most important part of the experience. She reacted as though she was rewarding me for going out to enjoy my food. Her mannerisms told me that my presence was important instead of someone who was just making her work. Thank you!🙂“

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

“Loved this place from beginning to end! A welcoming atmosphere, friendly staff, very tasty food/fish/sushi, reasonable pricing, and the tip options on the credit card terminal included a 12% option!!, which I never see anymore. Needless to say that I did not choose this option because of how wonderful my experience was :)“

“⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Food was excellent and incredibly fresh. We ordered sashimi, bonito, and uni — all top quality.
The service was amazing, and the chef was super fun and engaging.
Great atmosphere and a memorable dining experience. Highly recommend!“

“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.“

“Came with a vegan friend and we tried the veggie ramen, veggie gyoza and veggie katsu set. Everything was delicious and fresh. I think they made all the components in house including make the salad dressing and pickles. They also served free ice cream for dessert. Will definitely be back to try non veg options.
FYI they have stool seating which can be uncomfortable if you have back issues.“

“We came in mid-afternoon to pick up a few ready-to-eat meals and bought way too many things! Love your selection of food items, drinks, raw meats, treats etc. Your prices for the ready-to-eat food items are fair; thanks for making things affordable. Our baby enjoyed looking around in the carrier as we shopped. I really enjoyed the Spicy Ebi Mayo donburi and ate it before I could take photos. 😂 Mom brought over yummy meals from you when we were in hospital last year as well.“

“I went there (this past Xmas season) with my son & had a delightful lunch. The menu selection was varied & I enjoyed my choice. Atmosphere is very small to accommodate surprisingly so many tables. Parking is limited...I went there by Skytrain...public transit is so efficient in Vancouver. Yes I would go there again & try the other items. I took an umbrella & the cafe had a stand ti inswrt your rainy protection device. Just remember, other patrons also use it too...I had to sift through the lot of many crowding the stand.“

“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!“

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

“Great service and lovely atmosphere. We particularly enjoyed the warmth on a rainy cold day, and the yummy appies. The oshi we found a little dry and hard, however, and the aloha roll we also found a little bland. Nonetheless, we’d go back for sure—good little neighbourhood sushi joint.“

“Fresh and balanced delicious meal also reasonable priced to boot, what not to love! 😋“

“Delicious, beautifully presented dishes and desserts. The staff were all super friendly, and the restaurant was clean and visually appealing. I will definitely be back!“