Hidden Gem. Hiding in full sight on Powell on the edge of old Japan town this restaurant was truly a surprise. Rustic interior with a beautiful bar underneath a ceiling that seems too high to be real. The restaurants name means, Hokkaido's children. The food style is representative of the region. The foods presents itself extremely well in appearance and nails your senses with a wonderful aroma upon serving. What will blow you away is when you find out the chef is Canadian. A mixed marriage with a beautiful outcome. No lie. You would never know the chef is not Japanese. My wife , an extremely accomplished cook and Japanese born and raised could not stop praising the presentation and taste. If you want to taste unmolested , non fusion Japanese food. This is where you can find what you crave. read more

Dosanko - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I had to check this place out after seeing all the mouth watering pictures on their Instagram. Dosanko is located right in the downtown east side for those of you trying to locate it on Powell. It's situated east of the other popular restaurants down there (cuchillo, Mackenzie Room). Once you enter off the streets however, you enter a brightly lit and spacious room greeted warmly by staff. I was surprised to read some of the previous reviews regarding the service as ours was very good and gracious. Between my partner and I we ordered the zangi (crispy chicken appetizer), the pork belly tonakatsu (140g potion), curry rice and the matcha mille Crepe cake. The zangi was delicious! I thought it would need sauce but none was required as the seasoning was perfect. It was also piping hot when it landed before us! As for the tonkatsu, we were warned the pork belly was not for the feign of heart. But my partner and I love pork belly and went for it. The dish comes with a side of rice, light salad and finely sliced red cabbage, a bit of Japanese mayo and tonkatsu sauce. Overall the dish was tasty though I have two remarks. The portion of tonkatsu sauce was skimpy and although the pork belly was tasty, I don't think that the cook was consistent through the piece of meat (strange considering that I thought I heard it is cooked with a sous vide). For example, there would be some nice leaner pieces of pork in one bite, nicely melted fat in another and some bites were just solid fat which was not too appetizing. It seemed that it could've done with further rendering before being given the tonkatsu breading and fry. The curry rice was very tasty. It was served in a stone bowl (yay for crispy rice!). It reminded us of a lasagna but with rice. The only thing I would change is just a bit more curry ratio to the rice. Last but not least the Mille crepe cake. I've never had this before but have heard friends go on about this dessert. I'm not a huge dessert person but I did enjoy the chewy texture of the crepes; the matcha was also not too over powering. The nectarines on the side were a nice touch and very sweet. Both my partner and I had a glass of Pinot noir with dinner. There is a small wine list though I think considering the fare is comfort and home style, the wine list should also reflect this. However I didn't get this sense and a small glass of any varietal was at least $12 and many of the wines were unfamiliar. read more

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Wow! The WORST welcome we have ever had in our restaurant dining out history in the world! NO greetings of welcome! And we were sent home! We took buses from our neighbourhood and looked forward to try this new restaurant. We arrived around 7:30pm, and their front manager told us that they were all booked for the night. "Sorry" was the only word we got. I had to ask what about their bars as the bars were totally empty. She once said that we could sit, but she said the food would take long time to be served. They open till 11pm!! So, she literally kicked us out before welcoming us. No further explanations in why we couldn't eat in. Never go back this worst in customer service restaurant! A great restaurant would have offered anyone for a free appetizer coupon or something to keep us coming back to their restaurant. Irene H. was totally right. The service is beyond the worst you can imagine. What kind of restaurants kick their first week customers out!? read more

Dosanko - Dosanko The Poor Customer Service - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I LOVE authentic Japanese food and was really excited to try this place. The inside is so cute I absolutely love the decor. However I was a little disappointed with the food. I tried the oni cheese only cherry which was really tasty but I found that it was overall quite heavy and probably wouldn't not order it again. I had the lingcod Katsu which was very tasty but nothing special. My favourite was the pasta! I think next time I'll just come and try the drinks! read more

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Gorgeous space and great Japanese food! Tucked away but worth the trip. Big menu with lots to choose from, and they have coffee and good craft beer -- which is rare for Japanese restaurants in Vancouver. Also lots of traditional Japanese options like amazake (a popular warm Japanese rice drink). They found a nice balance between representing both Vancouver and traditional Japanese food. Staff is also super friendly. Overall I'm super glad I found a place like this close to my home. read more

Dosanko - Decoration - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Dosanko is doing something very unique for vancouver and absolutely deserves better than 3-stars. It's great home style Japanese food in a slightly upscale setting. I think the price point is higher than people expect but if you look at what you're getting (quality, house made goods) it's actually more affordable and definitely better quality than a suika or zakkushi (of which I both enjoy) I had a house made lemonade and a duck broth udon that was full of duck ingredients and house made udon. All of that in itself is praiseworthy. The duck udon broth was dense rich and complex. The udon was a bit dense and not as springy as expected. I liked it but didn't love. But must appreciate the art. Tons of duck. Don't care for their o-Nigiris but nothing wrong with them. read more

Dosanko - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Went here for dinner with a friend. We made a reservation but there seemed to be plenty of tables at 6:00pm on a Friday. Although for a person of Japanese descent, it was basically simple home cooked meals at a premium, I would still recommend it as it was worth the try and atmosphere there is great! We tried the zangi for appetizer - basically a tender, home style chicken karaage. Less batter than your typical fusion restaurant, so it may feel less crispy to those who are used to the former. For our entrée, we got the omurice - an omelet over fried rice with homemade ketchup - and tonkatsu (pork cutlet). Both were good, and reminiscent of homemade meals. We were hoping for the droopy egg when cutting the omelet open, but it was a bit too cooked for that presentation. The tonkatsu came with sesame, sauce, and mayo. It took up a lot of table space, but we enjoyed the variety of flavors. Note: area is downtown eastside, so there were a few shelters and tents nearby. If you are not comfortable in this area, I would recommend driving/taking a cab there at night. read more

Dosanko - Zangi - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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I was craving for tonkatsu so came in here just before their lunch ended. The restaurant is closed for a few hrs between lunch and dinner services. I ordered the tonkatsu with their homemade tonkatsu sauce and an iced milk tea. First the tonkatsu - served sliced up on a bed of rice and the sauces were on top. I generally prefer the tonkatsu sauce on the side but I ate fast enough so it didn't get too soggy. I didn't know there would be mayo so next time I would ask them to hold it. Not a fan of mayo, that's all. I've asked if the milk tea can come in a hot version and they said they would look into it. It's a very light milk tea, if you've ever tried royal mill tea from Japan, it's similar tasting. Overall, I had a good service since it was towards the end of the lunch service. I enjoyed the atmosphere - lots of different wood used in their decor, feels very warm. read more

Dosanko - iced milk tea and tonkatsu don - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I really liked this place but not the sketchy area it was located in. The interior was beautiful and lots of families were around. The onigiri was delicious, aside from the deep fried cheese filled one. Also got a milk tea to wash it all down. I would definitely come back as there were lots of little japanese dishes and the price was great too! read more

Dosanko - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Great food authentic Japanese cuisine and the cook is doing things right yummy stuff here check them out a must try in Vancouver......Freshest ingredients and meat cooked to perfection.....,,What more can u ask for no long wait time usually which is surprising these days but somehow they make it all work..... read more

The food was good but the service was so slow. It took us forever to get some of the food and it took forever to get the bills as well, even though the restaurant was not busy anymore. The waitress did not know which bill goes to who, so that added to my frustration. At the end when paying, no one told us that there was an automatic 18% gratuity fee (because of our group size I suppose). We ended up paying the 18% gratuity and a full tip on top of the whole amount, despite my dissatisfaction with their service. If I had reviewed the whole bill more closely rather than just double checking that they got our items right before paying, I would have caught it, so that's on me. I'm also willing to give them the benefit of the doubt that maybe they told our friend who booked the reservation about the gratuity, but a heads up would still be nice, since not everyone has that information. Also, we were charged $2 or $4 per person for bringing our own cake there. It was called "cake fee". No one cut the cake for us. It's just for allowing us to eat it there and use their plates and utensils I guess. Beware of this if you are thinking about doing a bday party there. read more

Ikura Onigiri - total of 5 eggs inside. Main dishes had raw potatoes that was crunchy. Chefs really need to taste the sauce before serving, does not taste pleasant at all. Any other decent restaurant will have better quality to value ratio. Please avoid this restaurant and head to any nearby Japanese restaurant. read more

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Good vibes! Both the beef belly sandwich and fried onigiri were really good! Would definitely come again to explore their menu!

We were looking forward to visiting, especially after all the great reviews we have been reading. We were here for lunch and my husband found the cod sandwich "okay", but my hayashi-rice plate with beef (which was one of their touted dishes) was sadly disappointing. The flavour was great, but there were only a few slivers of beef! Not worth the trip and definitely not something to anticipate. But they had great chopsticks. read more

Good food. A bit on the pricier side. One onigiri is about $4-$5. Omurice was good. The rice was buttery read more

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This hidden gem is a must visit if you like good quality Japanese comfort food. Their sake and Japanese whiskey selection is on point so definitely excellent pairing options. The menu is simple, perhaps inspired by a Japanese coffee shop? To get an idea watch samurai gourmet on Netflix. We was croquettes, Saba, pickles, and the blueberry cheesecake parfait. read more

Had the tonkatsu lunch. The curry was more of a non spicy American chili(mince meat and sauce). It was tasty I've nothing wrong with it but man was it salty. Perhaps the pickled vegetables caused it? My friends concurred that theirs were salty too. Big hearty portion. I wish portions were better controlled so price can be reduced for a shady part of town. Water cups were the cleanest, polished Ive seen ever. read more

As we entered the restaurant, the ambiance was warm and cozy. We were greeted and seated quickly on a Thursday night. We ordered two uni udon and my friend requested to remove the ikura and replace it with an egg. The staff told us a spoonful of ikura is $1, and replacing it with an egg would be $2. Thus, the dish would be $20+$1. The waitress said the egg is worth $2 because the kitchen has to cook the egg. I asked if there were other replacements available. She said, scallions. At this point, I'm really not sure what to say other than if you want to be a thriving restaurant, isn't it weird to mention this to a customer? I was really excited and came here to have a peaceful dinner, not to barter over a dollar. After taking a long time to clarify the situation, the chef agreed to adding an egg free of charge. Thank you. Now to wait and see! Update: uni udon was delicious. I liked the sauce and the cooked uni is an interesting texture. read more

This spot is a hidden gem. The ambiance is very sweet and appealing. The lady is very sweet and the food was amazing!! The beef Katsu sandwich is to die for and the omu rice was lovely. The egg melts in your mouth! read more

Dosanko - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Love the great service there! Cocktails are yummy Ingredients for dinner menu are mostly sourced locally. Delicious and beautifully displayed. You should try all the desserts! Very well done! read more

Place is beautiful, all wood, cozy and classy. Food is very interesting, Japanese comfort food. Had a great curry rice with cheese and egg. Very solid. read more

I've been meaning to try this place out since it first opened but it's not in the best area, that's necessarily the most convenient to travel to either. I went on a Tuesday night and there were only two other tables seated. I was surprised by the high ceilings and how spacious it was! It had a very warm and welcoming feeling-mostly because of the lighting but also because of how friendly the servers were. Their menu isn't super extensive, which is great, because it means they're able to focus on the few dishes they're good at making. They had a seperate menu for daily specials as well. My friend and I opted for the Omu-Rice $18, Beef Belly Katsu Sandwich $18 & Tonkatsu $21. The prices were a little on the pricer side compared to other Japanese restaurants but the dishes offered do require more work than most others. I appreciated the novelty items they had here and like how they attempted the omu rice, however, the skin of the omelette was fairly thick. That being said, the fried rice underneath was done really well, and the sandwhich was also very good! If you're looking for tonkatsu, I would suggest Saku instead. Overall though, I had a pleasant experience and would come back again to try other menu items! read more

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What a hidden gem! If it was downtown you'd be lining up down the street to get in. The restaurant has a cool warehouse feel and the food, wow simply irresistible!! Can't wait to return! read more

Dosanko, when you first enter you know there is going to be something different. The food was tasty, the service was good. I liked the fact that they're trying to present a different region of Japanese food. We were excited to try out some items on the menu and decided to pick items that we thought were popular. Here is my take on what we had there. The Okara Burger was a mix of pork and beef and Okara, The presentation was nice and simple with a side bowl of rice but the first thing that came out of my mouth was "where's the beef?" in relation to the Wendy's restaurant commercials from the 80's. The hamburger patty was tiny! And I couldn't taste any of the Okara. The demi glace sauce was very good but it wasn't a good make up for the lack of a presentable burger portion. Especially not when comparing it to other Yoshokuya places or even Korean places. I know this dish is supposed to be special but for Canada, the portions didn't quite meet the price. The onions in the sauce were sauteed but there was alot of onion peel in it. You know that tough papery chewy sharp skin? I rated it 5 on flavour but 3 overall because of portion and onion skins were not edible. Zangi appetizer was the first dish we got. Being familiar with this dish, not quite Karaage was still very good. However, portion again was small. 4 out of 5 due to portion size vs price but this was still ok. Curry? It was good, small but very tasty. I'd give this a solid 4. Again portion was small VS cost. I would order this again. Now if this was all organic, non GMO, then I'd understand. but WAIT!!! They do try to use as much organic food as possible! Ohhhhhh,,,, so then this does qualify for their higher prices and smaller portions. Now this changes everything! Sorry Dosanko. Yet, still, I would like a bigger portion. Best item of the meal was the dessert. Their Mille crepe was to die for. 5 stars! Whoopie Goldberg is in the house singing Halleluyah! Now my overall impression was 3 stars A-OK because I know they can do better. With all their background in restaurants and food service and their love for this traditional style of Japanese type Yoshokuya. I was hoping there would be something a bit more offered in this competitive landscape of Vancouver's restaurant scene. I would come here more for the drinking than the eating. Come down with friends, chat and drink a few bottles of something and have food as the side instead of the actual meal and treat it more like an izakaya than a yoshokuya. Typo's written free of charge with this review. Below are some notes I was taking Notes Hokkaido style Yoshokuya No hooks for hanging bags Nice staff - speak Japanese and English. Younger bar staff Simple home made style Food on menu 56 seat capacity? (actually it's 45) Zangi appetizer marinated chicken hint of soya marinade very very subtle ginger bite sized deep fried like karaage - small but good Okara burger $16 demi glace nice but very small. Lots of onion peels that are thin and tough. Curry - $17 pork with cheese good Still hungry Mille fuille crepe - best so far in town. Something in there that makes it that much better. I do wish them luck, they have a great recipe for success and it just takes some tweaking on some of the items that we tasted. As a meal, it's not enough, but as a snack to share, it's perfect. It depends on what you come down here for. Asians will likely find the portions sufficient, but big American's might find it too small. Gambatte o kudasaii read more

My husband was craving Japanese, so we thought we would try this new place he had read about. The neighborhood is definitely different than my memories of Japantown. We started with the goma-ae, which was served as beans instead of the usual spinach. This was a nice change and quite tasty. I have no issues about the quality of the food, but the service needs to get in stride. It was almost impossible to get anyone's attention. Time and experience should iron that out. read more

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Seriously? A small veggie tempura was a rip-off, $8. Also, my friend ordered pork loin Tonkatsu that came with ton of fat. I wont be thinking about eating here. Never. read more

Finally visited. It lives up to its reputation. I think some of the angst about this place is related to its location. Quite a seedy neighbourhood. The food was amazing. Even hours later as I was eating the leftover omurice, my God, what texture in that egg. The special Aiki salad was great, super creative, lovely flavors and textures. The lingcod katsu was basically one of the best fish and chips I've had in Vancouver. There really aren't that many yoshoku style restaurants in Vancouver. This one manages to bring a unique west coast perspective to yoshoku cuisine. read more

A wonderful neighbourly home style Japanese restaurant. You can taste the care, love and detail in their dishes! Aki's salad is one of the best salads I've had with perfectly ripe tomatoes, crispy goodness (I think rice crisps?), and an onion-y whipped dressing. I was pleasantly surprised when we returned today that their lunch menu is much more extensive then their opening week. We also indulged in the delicious Mille feuille matcha cake - the matcha flavour was amazing! I sure hope this neighbourly addition sticks around for a long time. read more

Dosanko - Aki's salad - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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I always wanted to try this place and I managed to a couple days ago. It's unfortunate the location is not in the most ideal place. I arrived here around 7:30pm and there were 3 other tables. We were quickly greeted and seated by the two waitresses/hostess. We ordered a gomae appetizer, omu rice with beef sauce, and curry rice with pork cutler. The meal was very good in my opinion. The omu rice was cooked on the outside and when it opened, it was runny and light. The sauce was an excellent pairing. The curry rice bursted with flavors and the pork cutlet was think and perfectly fried. They said the pork is free range and local, so it's cooked medium. I don't think it matters and they should've cooked it all the way - I had to go to the washroom a couple times that night. Service was a bit lackluster considering there's the few tables that was there. Otherwise the food was tasty and worth it. read more

Loved this place! It's in a dodgy area of Vancouver but I went during the day and didn't feel particularly unsafe. The food is delicious, beautiful ambience with great lighting. Servers were friendly and knew their menu. Recommend: the Japanese curry with tonkatsu (your choice of three diff cuts of pork) +baked cheese. read more

Dosanko - Curry rice w/cheese and tonkatsu pork - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Incredible food. They are experts in deep frying things and making it delicious. Have been here for lunch and dinner and have enjoyed both. Highly recommend! read more

Decent pork katsu, cozy atmosphere. Mom and pop vibe. Food had great presentation, different than your typical Japanese fare which I like. Sad to read all these harsh reviews because I enjoyed their friendly service. I really find Yelp can be quite damaging to start up businesses due to a select few reviewers. I don't understand this world of entitlement. read more

This place deserve so much more than the previous harsh reviews. As someone who've recently came back from japan and tasted what "authentic/good" Japanese home-style cuisine is supposed to taste like, Dosanko does a really good job replicating those dishes with an original touch. We came at a Monday night and the service was attentive, space was well-lit and not crowded, and all 3 dishes were delicious! We had curry rice with tonkatsu (shoulder), the hambagu and omurice. All three were hefty portions, had perfect amount of umami and lots of flavor! Some might say they're overpriced compared to prices elsewhere but the prices are honestly comparable to local rent/pricing. Dosanko adds a new insight into the Japanese cuisine in Vancouver by offering varieties other than sushi and teriyaki, I can see this place grow :) read more

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- Not in the most appealing neighborhood - Free 2 hour parking across the street - Understaffed lunch, only 1 server was on the floor and food came very slowly - Lunch set miso saba was in a thick unagi sauce, not miso (Not sure if this is the norm or not) read more

Great little gem of a place in a bit of a sketchy neighbourhood. My wife ordered the onigiri combo, I ordered the Japanese curry with katsu. Onigiri's were not memorable. The Japanese curry though....oh baby. So moreish...curry sauce, over rice w grilled cheese on top. Got katsu with it, loved how you could choose between loin, shoulder and belly. I got the belly...great katsu. Crispy...perfectly cooked. Full of flavour. The only note...curry flavour could've been more prominent. I'd come back for sure. Looking forward to eating other items such as the omurice. read more

This is a family-run restaurant and I've met the chef and his wife. Their values are reflected in their food, providing quality dishes using local, seasonal, and unique ingredients wherever they can source it out. I feel nothing but love and commitment to quality in their food and my friends and partner love it so far! Their tonkatsu don, salads, and tempura have been a nothing short of wonderful in taste, leaving me satisfied, but not uncomfortable after a meal. read more

Dropped by for lunch the first day they opened.. seems like they haven't put too much thought into how well lunch could do because as mentioned, there's very few choices for lunch. I had a pork katsu sandwich, which was not bad but just presentation itself was very mediocre for an $11 sandwich. It was served on white bread, the size of a normal sandwich bread slice and just contained the pork cutlet and a little bit of a coleslaw of some sort, cut in half. Nothing else was on the plate and it just seemed super lacking. The cutlet itself was deep fried well, super crispy but the weird thing was it was completely cold on the inside... so i couldn't figure out if it had been freshly deep fried or what...? My coworkers had the katsu don which seemed a decent size but they did note it was possibly a lot of rice? The don was a bit pricier, around $13. read more

The food was good decent Japanese food, I would consider the food more on the comfort food category as there are a lot donburis. Drinks were good and creative. Ambience has a modern rustic feel to it. Service is nice and friendly. A solid 3.5/4 rating. read more

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Stopped here while walking around town and was delighted at the atmosphere, service and quality of the food. Had a light snack of rice balls and Onigiri combo with amazake (traditional brown rice tea). Everything was amazing. Definitely coming back next time I'm in VanTown. read more

Dosanko - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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I've done delivery from Dosanko a few times now and been blown away every time. The curry with tonkatsu is so rich+indulgent, and the cold ramen is super refreshing+zesty. It's so nice to see more non-sushi Japanese restaurants in town. read more