I think they have changed owners and are no longer Japanese-owned. The quality doesn't seem as good now. We came for the happy hour, which is every day from 5 to 6:30 pm. However, they don't seem to advertise their happy hour anywhere - you need to specifically ask for it. We noticed that customers that came in after us did not receive any happy hour menu, just the regular one, even though it was not 6:30 pm yet. Interesting. Everything was a bit oily and the restaurant certainly smells like it as well. My clothes had the same smell for some time afterwards. The prices for happy hour were fair. We ordered nearly everything on the happy hour menu to try. The food was just okay. The spicy mayo sauce was used on many items - the ebi mayo, the yam fries, the karaage. So these dishes all had a similar taste. Nothing really stood out to me. The sushi was just okay as well. I think we saw them microwaving the sushi rice in the kitchen. Service was okay. I think the waitress we had was new. Also, I would note that their washroom is kind of separate from the restaurant itself. You use a keycode to get into another lobby where the washroom is. They share this with Robba da Matti. I likely won't be going back. The kitchen staff and boss spoke Cantonese to each other. This is quite different from before, where the staff were mostly Japanese. I think they've had an owner changeover for the worse. It's too bad because I remember the quality being much better for the price, and most happy hours end earlier so this would have been a good spot. read more

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Part of the Dine Out Vancouver Menu for $59/pp. Parking is always a premium in this area so be aware you may have to walk a couple of blocks. Also a heads up you will be hungry after this so you might want to plan a second dinner, pre-game, or order extra from their specials menu. Reservations are recommended but not necessary during the weekday. Wait staff were friendly and attentive with clearing plates and filling drinks. Each plate was delicious with some hits and misses. The super white tuna was my favourite along with the scallop motoyaki. I could definitely eat those all day. Dessert was a little confusing with the honey drizzle and sweet potato. It was good but felt like it tried to be more than what it really was, ice cream with a side of potato. read more

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I was here for dinner last night with two of my friends and it was incredible! The service was exceptional, they were so attentive and kind. The food was AMAZING and with such good portion sizes as well. This will definitely be on my list to come back to next time i'm in Vancouver and I will be recommending it to all my friends who visit! read more

I find that with many sushi places you don't get that friendly service. It's more like....you go in...you order....you pay....and you leave. There's nothing wrong with that, but if you like receiving great service, this is a sushi place that gives it. We went for lunch and the food was wonderful. Fresh, tasty and beautifully presented. The Box A for lunch had tempura, Cali roll, rice, fried chicken, sashimi and yellow watermelon to finish off. Nice! The spicy sockeye roll was delicious. The spicy sauce is something in between spicy and sweet and the salmon tasted really fresh. I was quite impressed by the Pork Gyoza I ordered. It was pan-fried which is my favourite and the pork ingredient on the inside was delectable. The dip that came with the gyoza was a mix and had sesame seeds and it was very tasty (see pics). This spot will definitely be our go to sushi from now on. read more

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Nice food. Big menu. Not bad sushi. The staff didn't want to make mods, I get it. But they came through and were kind. read more

Decent food (sashimi, aburi), but not extraordinary enough to justify the higher price tag. Chirashi Don was good, but the octopus was undertenderized. The other pieces of sashimi were solid. The salmon aburi was fine, but not as flavourful or well-seared as at some of the finer aburi restaurants. The squid was melt in your mouth tender and delicious though. The beef aburi was so juicy, especially with the sweet glaze on top. read more

Bistro Sakana - Chirashi don - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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I've had many amazing dinners here at Bistro Sakana, and it never disappoints! I'm from the San Francisco Bay Area, and whenever I am in Vancouver visiting family, this is a must have. Yama San was very accommodating and prepared lots of great sushi and other dishes. Everything was not only delicious, but beautiful to look at. I'm already looking forward to my next visit here! read more

Bistro Sakana - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Went here for dine-out week, the food is just so-so. Too expensive compared to what you can get somewhere else.

Came here as a part of the Taste of Yaletown promo and was blown away. I don't know why this place doesn't have more 5 star reviews. The food was awesome - good portion sizes, and nice presentation. Can't remember which aburi sushi it was, but it was so soft and buttery that it just melted in our mouths. We also ordered a side of sashimi (I'm such a sucker for anything flown in from Japan) and got what the chef recommended. Good news, the chef did not lead us astray - the sashimi was very smooth and tender. Went very well with the accompanying ponzu sauce. And the Iberico pork? Tender and fatty. Two thumbs up for the awesome dessert - green tea mousse cake, but my friend loved the vanilla ice cream mochi better. The service was awesome, food came out at a good pace. I would definitely come back. They have a huge menu (...and a huge drink menu!) and daily specials including a pretty large selection that is "flown in fresh from Japan". (omg, be still, my tastebuds!) Nice cozy space with plenty of seating. Free wifi available. read more

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DINE OUT 2021 Coming here felt like I took a trip back to Japan. The vibes were right, and the delicacy of the food really brought out the Japanese culture. The portions were decent, definitely on the smaller side, but the quality was definitely there. APPETIZER: seafood cocktail, smoked hamachi aburi, and salmon toro yuke. The seafood cocktail was probably our favourite. It was served in a shot glass with prawn, salmon, and scallop in a CREAMY tofu sauce. The sauce was so creamy, we didn't think it was tofu. ENTREE (1): a yaki hassun box that came with chawanmushi (Japanese egg custard), angus beef skewer, scallop and crab creamy gratin, and a crispy almond prawn. We loved the chawanmushi, it was smooth and delicate, with a savoury dashi taste. ENTREE (2): Mini chirashi don and 4 pieces of aburi. We found the aburi rice a little too hard; however, it still melted in my mouth. most importantly, it was nice and warm. DESSERT: This varies by day, but I got to try a four layer strawberry/lychee mousse. this was not heavy at all, which we really liked!! Covid Protocols: It's a very small restaurant, half of their seating is out on the patio with outdoor heaters. Tables were spread 2m apart with plexiglass dividers, and all the employees were wearing masks. ---------- PRICE 。$54.00 per person (dinner) read more

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Decided to try this place instead of Minami. It is a world of difference - ambience, pricing, service, food. Service was so-so. I seated myself. Waited a while for the bill despite the sushi chef informing the wait staff a couple of times. The sushi chef paid more attention to the customers than the 3 wait staff on duty. The place was not even packed. I had the lunch box as it seemed to be what most were having. The sashimi was fresh but thinly sliced. Tempura was crispy without being oily. The rice was tasteless and hard (seemed overcooked). Somehow the meal was forgettable. You could have this combo anywhere in Vancouver. Probably not a place I will go to anytime soon when there are still so many restaurants for me to try in yaletown. read more

Bistro Sakana - Lunch set A - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

The ambience is very nice it's in Yaletown. The food is pretty good too, the Omakase chef special is very delightful. Presentation is great as well. read more

Bistro Sakana - Beef tataki Chef Omakase special menu Caterpillar roll - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

This Sushi bistro is amazing.. the menu you can find a lot of good options. If you were there before 6p.m. I suggest you choose one of the happy yours, because it's cheap and good selections for 1 person. The sashimi is really fresh, there are some options with fish from Japan. So you know what I'm meaning... There are some niguiri really good :) and the amazing rolls The creme brullet was amazing, perhaps the banana one, it was not so good :/ The place is so clean and nice with a cool patio. The service was really good and helpful.. read more

Bistro Sakana - Special of the day :) - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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A true sign of a great meal is when we flip back through our pictures and the tastes and smells come rushing back into our minds. This was definitely the case here when we were invited to sample the sushi, Omakase style, at @bistrosakana! They did not hold back as they served us piece after piece of their fresh fish from their menu. There are several places in Vancouver that get their sushi from Japan, but this has to be the best we've had yet, with every piece being fresh, moist and delicious. Some standout pieces include their O-toro with Caviar, the Japanese Tiger Prawn, the Japanese Uni, and their crab meat sushi! We were extremely impressed by the quality of the fish offered and after this meal, Sakana Bistro has definitely became one of the top spots in town for us! If you have not had a chance to try this restaurant yet, definitely add it to your must-visit list. read more

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Bistro Sakana is located at heart of Yaletown. I found there are some good reviews of this restaurant and wanted to try it out. The staffs were friendly, however, the food really below average! Red beam salad - 5 pieces of red beam were mild taste (either not fresh and frozen for too long) and salad dressing so bland. Salmond chowder - it's mediocre and quite watery chowder Beef tataki - Beef was ok but the sauce quite salty. Cure meat sushi, ebi mayo, alburi salmon, smoked sablefish - Bite size sushi and taste ok. Green tea tiramisu - Awful! Cheap green tea powder and too sweet tiramisu Vancouver is full of good Tapas places, so just avoid this place for just lower quality of food. read more

Hands down this is he beat sushi place in Yaletown. I've been coming here for 15 years and it never disappoints.

Came here as Minami was full with a wait. I had never been nor heard of bistro sakana but considering they had a happy hour on drinks (after 9pm) we decided to give it a try. Food: - the food was mediocre in my opinion - salmon oishi, satori sashimi (considered a must try) was flavourless ($30 for a measly 5-6 pieces) - pork belly was not bad - chicken karaage was ok - shrimp aburi (3 pieces for $15) was my favourite - happy hour drinks were just beer and gekkeikan sake and they said they don't have happy hour food Interior: - nice and heated covered patio - washroom is in separate establishment outside of resto - no wifi Service: - just ok - many of the items we wanted were not available including some alcoholic beverages (umeshu) Overall it wasn't that great but considering how busy Yaletown gets on a Saturday night it gave us a place to sit and eat quickly. read more

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If you haven't dined at Bistro Sakana, you are seriously missing out. My boyfriend made reservations here for Valentines Day. Our other option was Miku but I wanted try this place out given their aburi options AND they had the wagyu beef aburi that I wanted to have. We both haven't been to Bistro Sakana before so we weren't sure what to expect walking into this restaurant. The minute we got there, we were quickly greeted and were seated at the outside heated patio. Service was phenomenal and you can definitely tell that they pay close attention to the detail and flavors here. The highlight of the night was the bafun uni that they imported from Hokkaido, Japan. We had also ordered the local ones to compare it with and the bafun was definitely the cake winner. It is part of their dine-out menu, so I recommend coming here before dine out fest ends. Overall, it was a fantastic experience dining here. We will be coming back for their BAFUN UNI!!! :-) read more

This pandemic has forced restaurants, who can, to only offer pick up or delivery. I love dining here and now I am forced to do delivery. I ordered a variety of tuna - hamachi, toro and blue fin. Delicious. Arrived well presented. It is pricey but you pay for quality. Another successful delivery for my end of week Sushi routine. Thank you? read more

Bistro Sakana - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Came here two times and both experiences were great. Food are amazing and fresh. Staff are very polite and responsive. Everything is reasonably priced. read more

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I've been here a few times while I was craving sushi in Yaletown. I've had the mango, tuna, dynamite rolls and sockeye jalepeno aburi. I thought the food was okay, but at the same time, it doesn't shine relative to the competitive selection of great food in Yaletown. Their portions were also small compared to other places. However, I wanted to point out that I'm fond of their customer service. I sat at the outdoor patio with a friend one time while it was raining and the waiter had blankets prepared. Although we didn't use them, I'm pleased that they took the initiative to prepare blankets for their customers while it was cold outside. read more

Disclaimer: This review is for Bistro Sakana's Taste of Yaletown 2017 menu. I've tried Bistro Sakana's Taste of Yaletown and Dine Out Vancouver menus in the past and have always had a good experience, so I decided to bring my fiancé here to try this year's Taste of Yaletown menu. Unfortunately, we left very disappointed. I had heard that Bistro Sakana recently had a change of ownership (not sure if it's true), but their Taste of Yaletown menu looked enticing enough that I chose them as my only Taste of Yaletown meal this year. It definitely seemed like they were providing the best value for money (bluefin tuna, wagyu, lobster, etc. for $45). When we first walked into the restaurant, it was quite warm inside so we asked if we could sit outside. We were told the patio was full, but we had the option of moving outside if there was any availability later. With that, we decided to sit at the sushi bar while we waited. We ordered a large bottle of Kirin to share (and ordered another one later in our meal), and we both ordered their Taste of Yaletown menu with the Surf & Turf as our main. Our first course was the Crispy Ahi Tart with creamy truffle sauce (topped with arugula). This was tasty, but I wouldn't call it a tart... it was really a thin sheet of crispy pastry crust. Overall, this was quite tasty, though I would've appreciated a slightly thicker slice of ahi on the "tart". The creamy truffle sauce was good but I tasted a little shiso in the mix - not my favourite - but this is just personal preference. These are just minor things though, so this first course gets a 4/5 from me. Next course was their Super Premium Nigiri Set. There were 7 pieces, including blue fin akami, blue fin chu toro aburi, ora king salmon, wagyu aburi, madai (red seabream), and 2 pieces of wild sockeye jalapeno aburi "hakozushi". When we got our food, our server was telling us what each piece was but she paused when she got to the madai (red seabream). We could tell that she had forgotten what it was, but instead of going back to the chef to double check, she just told us it was hamachi (which it clearly wasn't). Anyway, back to the food. We enjoyed the three pieces of traditional nigiri the most (king salmon, madai, and blue fin akami), but the fish, while fresh, was sliced very, very thin. Sitting at the sushi bar, we saw that all of the fish were pre-cut. Usually, I wouldn't be upset about this, but considering the price we're paying and how premium the ingredients were, it just seemed like a waste. The sushi rice was also very cold and hard (we watched the sushi chef squish each piece of sushi rice in his hand with a lot of force). This premium nigiri set had a lot of potential, but due to poor execution, I'm giving them a 2/5. At this point, I noticed there was a table available on the patio (a party of two just left), but instead of offering the table to us, they immediately seated the couple waiting by the door. Not a big deal, but just an observation. For our main course, we chose the Surf & Turf: lobster and pork belly. Before I can even begin to comment on the taste, the presentation of this dish was all over the place and very confusing. On the top of the plate, there is an empty lobster tail shell. The actual lobster tail is actually separated into two preparations: half poached, and half in an avocado salad. The poached lobster tail was good, but the lobster in the avocado salad got lost in the poorly seasoned avocado salad. The Kurobuta pork belly confit, however, was delicious. It was braised in a sweet, salty and slightly spicy sauce, topped with crispy potato shreds. The pork belly could've been more tender, but flavour-wise, it was really good. Now, let's talk about the sides. We have some steamed bok choy underneath the pork belly (bland), and then a mixed green salad with apple cider vinaigrette (very acidic) that's spread across the plate. On top of that, there are additional garnishes such as crispy lotus chips, mango sauce, small slivers of grapefruit, and spiralized beets placed randomly on the plate. If it sounds confusing, well, it tasted that way too. While I really enjoyed certain elements of this dish, this Surf & Turf only gets a 3/5 from me. Last but not least, the dessert was a Green Tea Tart with mixed berries. This was actually quite tasty and I have nothing bad to say about it. The green tea tart gets a solid 4/5. Overall, the food quality was decent but the execution was poor. Service was passable but not great. At this price point, I expected a lot more. I will not be back. TLDR; Taste of Yaletown 2017 menu was bad. Quite expensive. Sashimi is pre-cut and sushi rice is cold and hard. Don't come here. read more

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3.5 stars. My experience here is similar to many other reviewers' : the food is amazing, but the service is harried, disorganized and spotty. My family came here because my kids were in the mood for sushi. We booked a table on Open Table (I LOVE that option and wish more Van city restaurants took reservations), so there was no problem getting a table four our party of four. We were here during the Happy Hour window and, wow, the prices for dishes were pretty amazing: $4 for various sushi or tempura plates, and $10 for a "Happy Meal" that included a few various meal choices, along with a draft beer. That really is an incredible deal. One kid ordered the Miso Salmon Chowder that had a ton of seafood and corn in it, and she said it was probably the best soup she ever had in her life. Hubby ordered the Happy Meal with chicken karaga, steamed edamame, the Dynamite sushi roll and another dish which I forget (all for $10! All this food PLUS a big draft beer, all for $10 total. Best deal of the night!), along with an additional order of prawn tempura. I ordered the Dynamite roll and prawn tempura as well, and our other kid ordered sashimi (she said this was SO fresh and delicious). Oddly enough, even though we all placed our orders at the same time, the server brought out my kids' meals and my husband's Happy Meal - and not my tempura or sushi (even though my husband and I ordered the same tempura and sushi!). So I told my family to please start their meals while I waited for my two dishes (and it took nearly ten minutes later). Strange. You'd think they'd prepare my husband's and my prawn tempura at the same time, and our Dynamite sushi at the same time. (I suspect they may have forgotten about my order, but I'm not sure). Once my food came, I must say, it was all delicious: very fresh, the tempura was perfectly cooked, the sushi was wonderful and flavorful. We were all impressed with the expansive menu and many daily specials listed on the chalkboard on the wall. We didn't recognize many of the variations; I think this place caters to sushi aficionados (and we admittedly are not that! But we aspire to be...!). We also liked the large, enclosed and heated patio area. I bet that'd be a great place to dine in the warm summer months. The prices were really reasonable here. Happy Hour prices are a steal. Despite the glitch with the wait for my dishes, the value of the food, and the quality of the fish, really can't be beat. We'd definitely return here. read more

Quality Japanese cuisine with reasonable price. I'm a regular when I'm in the area. Especially the chirashi! My favourite!

I was stepping into puddles with my light weight free runs on while looking for a restaurant that I was recommended to try. I got lost and stumbled across this place. It was a good stumble. I apparently came right before their rush. Menu is a bit different than I'm use to in the states, but I'm always down to try new things. I ordered Thursday's special which was wild caught sockeye salmon teriyaki. It came with miso soup (they don't give you a spoon), rice, ebi (shrimp) sunomono salad and a choice of 1 out of 3 rolls. I choose the dynamite roll, which is also different from what I'm use to. I opted for brown rice for my roll and meal. My roll tasted very healthy and fresh! Salmon was a small portion, and it came out very quickly like they were prepared in bulk earlier. This is most likely the case because it was he special of the day. I would've like for my salmon to be more flavorful, but it was still good. Oh, and immediately as I sat down I was greeted with hot green tea! My favorite!!! read more

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Fantastic sushi been coming here 5 years or so now. These guys are from the old school. Impeccable sourcing, Japanese training. If you know anything about good sushi then come here. If your sushi knowledge stops at knowing what's in a California roll, then no problem but you might not appreciate the quality of the experience and the price tag that comes with. Please don't rate them poorly for what you don't understand. read more

The sushi is fresh and delicious. They pay attention to detail here and unique flavours. The offerings are not your typical dishes. Patio is cute and great for people watching read more

Bistro Sakana - King crab aburi roll - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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2/5 for the food. 5/5 for the service. I used to frequent Sakana for special meals when I lived in Vancouver over 3 years ago. Back then, Etsuko-san was the head chef and she had a great menu that was not too big, but everything on it was amazing and had so much care put into each bite! The sake was also amazing! It was very much an unassuming but amazing little gem in Yaletown. Back in town, we decided to drop by. It was much busier and hectic than I remember it being and it turns out that the restaurant changed ownership a couple of years back. I was sad to hear that but thought the crowds must be a good sign! The menu has maintained a few items but has grown a lot. Excited that they still had the caprese roll (mozza, tomato, basil pesto, scallop, lightly seared and served with olive oil drizzle and balsamic glaze) I got that again as well as sockeye salmon sashimi, gomae, assorted tempura, salmon aburi, and some nigiri and motoyaki. Oh man, so disappointed. The old menu was balanced and light. This time around, the caprese roll was smaller, too much rice, and not even close to as fresh tasting. Just heavy and oily. The aburi rice was not cooked well and the flavours were lacking as compared to the same dish from the old kitchen. The salmon sashimi was decent but I've had fresher. The assorted tempura was okay but the batter could have been a touch lighter and crisper rather than crunchy. The ikura nigiri was decent. My husband had a piece of Toro nigiri that was apparently pretty gross and very fishy... Now his stomach of iron is aching. My hotate was fresh and his was okay. The gomae was good and a very large amount foe the price! Motoyaki was cute (small oysters) and decent but a little more oily than I like it. I got a virgin mojito which was not on the menu and it turned out to be $8 which seems excessive for the size. My husband's sake was pretty good and a decent price. The saving grace is that our server was great! She was sweet, attentive, and paced our meal well. This place could be so good but the food has sadly gone downhill. Don't think this will be one of my go to's anymore.... read more

We tried the Valentine's day tasting Menu and it was quite surprising. I would recommend getting the Flounder aburi again. It was just as good as having a piece of Toro! Their selection of sashimi was great too and the quality was perfect. Didn't love the Sea Bream, it was super salty - but I think thats a personal preference item. Only thing I would note is that it took quite a while to get our food, otherwise it would be a 5/5. Good spot for a date. Ambience is fun! read more

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Been here a few times, for Taste of Yaletown, then again when I moved last July checking out the neighborhood, brought a cousin here last Oct then and again tonight. I have to say it was very good. I went with a group of 8 and was on the fence about recommending it since it's been a while, and we all enjoyed it. Some of the stand out items are their aburi items: 1) Sockeye Jalapeño aburi (torched salmon) in a miso sauce on top of boxed sushi rice 2) Gindara (Black Cod) Aburi Black Cod flame seared with their 'unique' sauce. 3) Crispy King Crab Aburi Roll Prawn, Avocado, Tobiko, Cucumber, flame seared over a duo of their specialty sauce. From their cooked speciality items: Saikyo Misozuke Miso Black Cod) Grilled black cod marinated in saikyo (white) miso served with pickled ginger shoot and fried kale and a grilled Japanese mushroom to top it off. It melts in your mouth. We had some sashimi as well but the aburi items were the star of the evening. Also their spicy tuna and spicy dynamite rolls are pretty good. Pair it with some Junmai sake and it makes for a great evening. read more

Great happy hour deal! This place has one of the best happy hour deals! For $12, you get a large beer, a volcano roll, tan fries and edamame. If you are craving some sashimi try their in house smoked smoked salmon! You will be surprised at how good the flavour is and the cool presentation! read more

Bistro Sakana - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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I got the uni nigiri and chicken teriyaki udon. The uni nigiri cost $14 and has strong fishy taste which I did not like. The chicken teriyaki udon was mediocre, nothing special. read more

Bistro Sakana - Chicken teriyaki udon - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Only tried their cooked food, and I'm already a fan. The chawanmushi was definitely one of the best I've ever had. I had uni chawanmushi, it was worth it. Grilled kama hamachi was good too, I could tell the fish was fresh, and the flavour was already good even without ponzu sauce. The sauce added more flavour to it. White miso fish was super good. They ran out of cod the day I went, so I got the sea bass instead. It just melted in my mouth. Crispy kale that came with the fish balanced the texture and taste really well. I have to come back to try their sushi soon. Service was great too! read more

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Overall 2 thumbs up from me and my buddy! We been here a few times and the sushi is always good and fresh! Not too busy either considering it's a Friday night! We sat in the heated plastic enclosed patio and pretended it was a warm Summer night! We ate, lamented over the sad path our beloved Vancouver Canucks were traveling down, and he tried to convince me not to invest in real estate in the States. I digress... The food was excellent... My minor complaint is that the toro was a bit tougher than I like. It's supposed to melt in your mouth, this toro did not! Still I'm not a nit picker so I still give this place a big thumbs up! The service was efficient and friendly. We ordered too much food! In the end we waddled home slowly. Enjoying the cool breeze of a rainless Vancouver night! The End... Haha read more

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Fine dining and inexpensive pricing. If I lived in Vancouver, I'd have lunch here weekly. Especially since it's in trendy yaletown. My lunch, which was incredible was less than $20. Also, I ordered too much food, their $11 lunch special would have been more than enough. Everything was tasty and had distinct fresh flavours. Plating had finesse. I enjoy sitting on the patio even when it's rainy. This should become your new favourite spot in Vancouver. Oh and service was practically perfect. read more

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Was there for dine out Vancouver, love this place awesome sake selection. Friendly waitress, food was great, price( i think it's reasonable since its in yaletown location and food its with quality). Will be there again.. read more

Bistro Sakana - Dine out 2015.. - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

This place brought me so many memories in my 20's. I always have a great time and enjoying the high-end Japanese menu. The sushi are always fresh and well presented in a traditional style. There is nothing much to say but to give an applause for all this years. read more

My boyfriend and I their omakase, which was $100 per person the night we went (price differs depending on each day and what will be served). In total there were 9 courses with our favourite being the live sweet prawn + deep fried after. Other highlights included a deep-fried mini crab, sesame tofu and seaweed sunomono with gold flakes, and wagyu on a little rock we cooked ourselves. Our meal took almost 3 hours but it was a fun dining experience. Call ahead to book if you are going to try the omakase - they can tell you the menu and change it to include specific things you want to eat if you give them heads up. Busy little restaurant but great food and presentation. Full review with photos on my blog: https://sincerelyloewe.com/bistro-sakana-omakase/ read more

I've literally been coming here for years. Since it opened in fact! I've never had a bad meal. They serve some of the freshest sushi to be found in Vancouver. The wild sockeye sashimi is a favourite of mine and the Dungeness crab roll is always perfect. The fact that Sakana isn't packed every night is crazy to me. For the price you pay, you are easily getting some of the best sushi in Vancouver. It's immaculately clean with a modern and unique atmosphere. They have a great traditional and fusion menu with an interesting fresh sheet. The owner is great and always stops by my table to chat. I will definitely be continuing as a customer every time I get a hankering for awesome sushi. In fact I rarely go anywhere else. Annnnnd! One of the sushi chefs is a woman. Something you rarely see in this city, let alone anywhere else. How cool is that! read more

Bistro Sakana - Smoked salmon and avocado roll and Dungeness crab roll! I'm salivating just looking. Lol - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

We decided to sit at the bar to watch the sushi chef's at work right in front of us. It added to our overall dining experience - I highly recommend it. We ordered the Beef Sukiyaki ($16), which is tender sliced beef and veggies cooked at your table in a slightly sweet soya sauce broth, and Sockeye Jalapeno Aburi ($14 for 7 pieces) to share. I personally got albacore tuna sashimi ($7.50 for 5 pieces) and 1 hamachi nigiri ($3.75), while my friend also got herself 1 baby hamachi nigiri ($4.00) and a negitoro nigiri ($3.50). I would pass on the Beef Sukiyaki because it was a little too sweet for my taste buds and barely had any beef. The sashimi was incredibly soft - just as you'd expect it to be. However, the pieces were small for the price. My favorite part of the meal was the Sockeye Jalapeno Nigiri. Instead of the need to dip into soy sauce, they froze the soy sauce in jello-like cube shapes and rested them on top of each piece of nigiri. Gastronomy! I had never seen this done before and loved the tiny explosion of soy sauce in my mouth as I chewed. For the cool experience, amazing flavour, and price, I recommend trying the aburi! I would recommend trying menu items that you haven't seen before at other Japanese restaurants. Although the portions may be small in general, I think getting to experience unique dishes is worth a visit to Bistro Sakana! read more

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