Okini Restaurant & Bar

1864 W 57th Ave, Vancouver
(604) 263-0155

Recent Reviews

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Charlene Bi

The food was absolutely finger-licking good. Shoutout to Kevin for making our anniversary and birthday celebration the best, not only that, but he jumped over the fence and ran to our car because I dropped my lipgloss. Someone give him a raise for those swift ninja moves and top tier service! The restaurant is quite dim inside, so we sat outside and that truly pulled the romantic vibes together.

Joanna Nguyen

My friend from out of town told me she wanted to try Okini out, and now I know why. It was very delicious!!

We had the oysters, the Salmon Soba, Wagyu Beef Carpaccio, and the Yarrow Meadows duck.

The Salmon Soba was amazing, the Salmon was cooked perfectly and paired so well with the Soba noodles. This was my favorite dish that we tried. The duck was tasty, and the sauce was perfect. Not too sweet or salty, just right. The wagyu beef was also good. It had a lot of beef slices compared to the bread, and the beef was delicious. The oysters were plump. I really love oysters that we even ordered another round.

However, I did feel a bit sick and had to use the bathroom. But I think it was from the oysters. But we all know there's sometimes a risk when eating it. No regrets, though, because it was bomb. 10/10 would order again and eat it.

If I'm ever in the area again, I'll definitely come back to try their other dishes!

Katherine Hamer

I don’t usually write reviews, but I just had to share what a wonderful experience we had at Okini. My husband and I went out for a little dinner date this past weekend and we were both so impressed. The food was absolutely delicious. Seriously, the salmon soba was out of this world. If you go, you have to try it. I also really loved the Vongole pasta. So flavorful and comforting.

You can really tell the chef puts so much love and care into every dish. Each plate felt special, like it was made just for us. It gave us time to enjoy our evening and really savor the whole experience. It was a bit loud, but there were a big party in the restaurant.

And a special shout-out to our server, Debra. She was just the sweetest. So friendly and welcoming, and she took the time to walk us through the menu with a big smile the whole time.

Such a charming little spot. I’m already thinking about when we can go back. Definitely a place to check out if you’re in the area.

N Lee

Very good food and service. Happy Hour wines were excellent.

Philip Raymond Lim

Okini by Chef Kevin Lin have always impressed me. His careful attention to every dish that’s prepared here is well-presented (attractive plating), taste perfect (balance or right harmony of flavours), and it fills the heart. He always pays attention to the source and quality of ingredients. I don’t know but this place just makes me happy. Not my first time, and will not be the last. And, thanks for the birthday ice cream treat. 🙏

Highly recommend.

Breanne F

Great all around! Loved the cocktails here- they’re very unique and were combinations I’d never tried before. Food had great fusion elements as well.

Food was amazing- I highly recommend the salmon soba. I was so impressed with how soft the salmon was and it was so tasty. Would also recommend the unagi pasta.

Will definitely come back!

Michael DiPietro

One of the best meals I’ve had in the city in a while. All unique dishes, great service, and a really nice setting. Will be back.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Salmon Soba

arvin

Service could be improved, from the servers perspective. The chef and owner I presume ran the food himself and his service was fine. This is a great spot for date night.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 3

Guenola Oliviero

Everything was fantastic! We tried the "Tainted Love" and "Accidental Eye Contact" cocktails, and both were absolutely delicious. The truffle mushroom yaki udon was a wonderful surprise—it exceeded our expectations! While the service was a bit slower than usual, I completely understand given that it was New Year's Eve.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Truffle Mushroom Yaki Udon, Unagi Risotto, King Salmon Tartare

Monica Yau

I made a reservation rather last minute, and requested a table outdoor, as we have our dog with us. The front of house greeted me promptly, but told me their heated covered outdoor seating can only accommodate small dog that is up to 25 pounds, and that is a regulation set by health authority. She is kind enough to ask the manager, and I saw the manager talking to the owner, and they were willing to accommodate us, which I am grateful. But I want to say I’m pretty certain Vancouver Coastal Health Authority has no such regulation like that, as my partner is the regional manager taking care of the food and food safety portfolio at this said organization. If it’s the restaurant’s policy/ owner’s decision, I wish they would just say so instead of blaming to another organization.

We ordered the leafy green and herb salad, which I find is too bland and not enough dressing. The braised beef cheek and unagi alla vodka pasta were lovely with the perfect amount of seasoning and flavors. We ordered the black sesame chocolate brownie to end our meal. I think if it would have been better if it’s a black sesame chocolate lava cake instead of brownie. The salted kinako flavor is quite unique, but don’t think the berry coulis does anything to the dish. I wonder if a miso caramel sauce would have been a better match.

Service is attentive, and food came out pretty quickly. Over all, it’s a decent restaurant, I wouldn’t mind coming again to try other dishes.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 5

lili zeng

The food was served very, very slowly, and there was no service the whole time. The waiter at our table was playing with his mobile phone at the bar. He couldn't even see the wave and didn't come over... The food was very average. There was too much garlic in the pasta, which made my stomach feel uncomfortable after eating it.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 1

My Ng

We came at 9:15pm. Waitress is OK but the kitchen isnt happy LOL.
I saw their eyes looking at our group. You know you have open kitchen right guys?

No one seated us, the whole team looked at us weirdly. Then the bartender had to come out and brought us to our table.

However, FOOD WAS SO GOOD. We enjoyed all the meals.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 5

Service: 3

Paul Chan

Great food, great service, love it!
Will definitely go again next time! 👍

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Evelyn Liu

Expensive but it is well worth a visit! Items on the menu are unique, a comfortable combination between Japanese and Italian/western food. Everything tastes very delicious! Portions of food are not big, but after two to three courses meal, will feel full enough.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Penny Rusty Sophie

Been meaning to try Land & Sea for a while and finally got treated here for dinner by my sweetie.

The location is a bit out of the way for us but plenty of nearby parking. It was quite busy on this night and the din from festive patrons was probably the only downside we had here. Still, service was quite good and thoroughly enjoyed our meal.

Started with their signature ora king salmon soba. The salmon is perfectly cooked and wish this came as an entree size.

Next up were the wagyu beef carpacchio with 63 degree egg, black garlic miso, pickled wasabi, crispy shallots and topped with parmigiano reggiano. This literally melts in your mouth.

The miso glazed sablefish was tender with large flakes and swimming in a delicious dashi broth.

They had a special holiday menu available so we opted for the mini "turkey" - which is actually a roasted Cornish hen stuffed with truffles, sausage and milk bread, holiday roasted vegetables, and truffle yakiniku gravy. Well worth the price and we couldn't finish the whole thing. The gravy was unbelievably tasty and the hen was so succulent and flavorful. The stuffing just paired so well with this.

We ended with the black sesame chocolate brownie with shiratama (mochi ball), and kinako gelato. I actually enjoyed the complimentary scoop of pistachio ice cream that they gave me for my birthday.

Overall, wouldn't hesitate to come back. Prices can add up here but the flavours of all the dishes were well executed.

Update: Returned in Dec 2023 mainly for their "mini turkey". This year's version uses sticky rice for the stuffing. I think i still liked last year's version with sausage and milk bread stuffing with holiday roasted veggies better.

Update Jun 2024 - A revisit to try their happy hour. A good time to order the wagyu beef carpaccio - still the same great dish but at a more affordable cost. Worth the visit by itself.

We also tried the pork tomahawk finally. The pork was so tender and juicy (loved biting the meat off the bone). The gindara saikyoyaki had succulent sablefish with egg tofu and a killer sauce. Rounded out our meal with the Brussels sprouts Caesar, yuzu ginger spritz, hojicha iced tea, and black sesame chocolate brownie

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

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