Cute place for a cozy intimate atmosphere. There arent too many tables so we sat at the bar. Ordered the beef tataki, yaki udon, salmon yukke, and okonomiyaki. Everything was pretty good and i LOVE the service here. Everyone is so nice and considerate. This place is quite different from the waterfront location, price, and menu wise just in case anyone was wondering. read more

So good! The hostess was so kind and hospitable. Answer our questions, took time with us . My mother and Aunty ate all their food and mine! I could only eat half of mine. Was so glad to be able to get the lunch bento- options are the best! The Hazy Pale was also yummy grapefruit and citrus beer. Yass Please! read more

Ordered 6 dishes for 2 people. So delicious! So full! Pork cheek - tender and juicy inside, crispy on the outside. Fat but not greasy. 10/10 will definitely order again. Beef tongue - beefiest tongue I've had. It's slightly over cooked, but still a delight. Fried chicken - very very tender, as every other reviewer mentioned. It wasn't my favorite out of the 6 because the other 5 are much better. Assorted oden - tbh I don't even know what those are in the soup, but they taste darn food. Will definitely order again. Assorted Sashimi - surprisingly I like the scallops the best Squid legs - tenderest squid legs I've had around here. 10/10 will order again. Pro tip: it's loud. Don't plan on having a romantic date or an emotional conversation here (the couple sitting next to us apparently wanted to have a quiet conversation... that didn't work out). Just come here and enjoy the food! read more

Very authentic japanese food. I came here with my sister and a friend and we all enjoyed it. The quality of food reminds me of my time in japan. It's a small restaurant so if you're going here during weekends, you may have to wait for a while. The staff are quite friendly and I like them all. :) Please go come here and have a shot! Enjoy! read more

"Guu" is a word you say with your thumb up and possibly winking, a drunk Japanese man's slurring of "good." Or at least that's what I like to think. Matt B. and I stopped in for dinner on a Sunday and faced a substantial wait. We put our name down and sat outside until our name was called. I guess the place is popular, and with good reason. The space was small and absolutely packed, with a lively atmosphere and a healthy, manageable level of noise. It was fun, with plenty of good people-watching, especially if you like eavesdropping to see which Asian conversations you can understand (not that I do that since it's totally perverse). For an izakaya run entirely by Japanese people, the service was hasty and not too friendly, but I had a good time at Guu. First of all, if you have no need to be sober, Guu is a great place to get a drink. I had two Ramune cocktails while Matt polished off a tall bottle of Guuud! Ale. The cocktails were weak, but also very sweet and tasty. I had the Ume Cooler II and the Cherry Blossom, and both came with full bottles of Ramune. This was overkill, as I tried to tell our waitress, and I ended up with a whole bottle left over. The Guuud! Ale was indeed good, very refreshing with a little bit of bitterness. As for the food, the menu was huge, and everything was tasty and relatively cheap. My favorites were the kakuni and the maguro steak. The kakuni was a familiar dish done very well - stewed pork belly with daikon, poached egg, and a steamed bun. The pork belly was delicious, fatty but not just a jiggling chunk of fat, and the accompanying soft daikon and poached egg were comforting components that made for a rich stew. The maguro steak was a sashimi steak made with ahi tuna marinated in garlic, soy sauce, and sake, and served with a wedge of tomato and garlic chips. The fish was tender, moist, and very well-marinated. I also enjoyed an appetizer of salmon yukke, chopped salmon sashimi mixed with garlic teriyaki, green onion, and pine nuts with a quail egg on the side and puffy shrimp crackers for serving. The salmon was zesty and muscular, and the addition of the egg made it almost creamy. More familiar and very soothing was a bowl of assorted oden served with strong mustard and a warm clear broth. Of everything we ordered, there were only two misses, and even these were passable. The aigamo, or sauteed duck breast with sweet miso sauce, was just okay, served cold smothered in sauce with a topping of vegetables. It was, at least, both ducky and refreshing. The gyuukushi, skewers of grilled short rib, mushroom, and tomato served with grated daikon and ponzu, was also unexciting. The mushroom and tomato were actually good, but the meat was cooked dry. We got a lot of food for two people, but we barely skimmed the surface of Guu's menu. If I lived in the area, I'd be curious to go back for more. The value was great and the place was fun with sometimes delicious food. Matt and I had a lovely meal, so I lift my thumb, wink, and say, "Guu!" read more

This place is totally more than a restaurant - it is complete and utter organized chaos. I remember the servers constantly screaming across the room to the chefs. The menu is one of the longest I've seen, and of course tapas style, so you can try anything. The food was 4/5, the service 3/5, and experience was 5/5. read more

Round 2: Again. Salmon Tataki. Assorted sashimi platter-albacore, hotate, hamachi, amaebi Namagaki-local fresh oyster Kabocha korokke- Pumpkin & boiled egg croquette with original mayonnaise sauce (Tasted like thousand island dressing to me) Misomayo- Grilled black cod with miso & mayonnaise Yaki Udon-Pan fried udon with beef, mushroom, green onion, and soy sauce + butter. Best flavored yaki udon I ever had. Tontoro-Grilled pork cheek & green onion with ponzu. Pork from the heavens. Oiishi! Do I regret coming to the same restaurant twice on a short vacation? No, because every item that I ordered here was delicious and good. As for now, this concludes our trip to Guu. Everything was amazing and tasty. I am sad to part from this city because i'll be apart from Guu. Until next time... read more

See all

Out of the entire Guu chain, this is my least-preferred location, but it is the only one serving lunch to offer another alternative that is reasonably close to work. Their lunch menu is comprised of predominantly rice dishes with various styles of deep fried meat and veg toppings like katsu and kaarage -- although i remember seeing options like grilled saba. Just don't come during the day expecting to see the usual izakaya menu. Had their tonkatsu and curry katsu don - pretty lean pork chops which means decent meat quality. The food I had so far has been A-OK, except for the unmarinated meat, especialy when it comes to pork for me. Deep fried or not, seasoned meat makes a huge difference. Other than that, the overall taste is not bad: egg in the tonkatsu was moist and tender, however, it would have been better if the rice was not soaking in mirin on the bottom of the bowl. The curry katsu was rather standard fare; I have had much better. If you are a curry katsu fan, be sure to keep an eye out for an upcoming review on that. All-in-all, decent place for lunch but with so many choices in the area, this is not a joint I will be aching to return to. When it comes to dinner, my go-to Guu will always be Guu With Garlic on Robson. read more

Guu Original Thurlow - Curry katsu - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I feel like this Guu is definitely my favourite. The service and food is absolutely out of this world. If you're not a picky eater, I can say that anything you order off the menu will be delicious :)! And I would love to point out that if you ever sit at the bar or close by, the main chef with the "i love beer and golf" IS AWESOME. He's super funny and will step out of the kitchen to help you which sealed it for me. read more

Guu Original Thurlow - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Where do I start... I love Guu! The food was very authentic and delicious and I just loved it! I came here with a few other people and we split a bunch of items. We got the Tuna Tataki, Grilled Black Cod, Sashimi Salad, Yaki Udon, TakoYaki, and Albacore Tuna Sashimi. They all were delicious but my favorites and the ones I would recommend are the Yaki Udon and Tuna Tataki. The service was good. Our waitress was nice and told us about the menu. Also, the food came out very quickly. Guu Original Thurlow is a great little hole in the wall place for anyone who loves authentic and delicious Japanese. I would suggest you make a reservation because the lines are normally long. Overall, Guu is some of the best Japanese I've had in a while! read more

See all

This is my first time trying Japanese tapas. Great experience. We went in a group of 4 people so we ordered a lot. The waitress had to stop us bc there isn't enough room on the table for it. I love the atmosphere. Very authentic Japanese feel to it. We ordered tuna tataki, gingered tuna, octopus ball? Beef tongue, calamari, beef short ribs, eel and rice, deep fried chicken. Tuna tataki was really really good. Amazing flavors! Tuna was very fresh and lightly seared on the outside. Gingered tuna tasted like chicken. Kind of dry. Octopus ball is not great. Too potatoey. Very few octopus pieces. Kind of gummy. Beef tongue has very mild flavors and chewy thin slices. Nothing to ride home about. Calamari was fantastic. Slightly oily but awesome tasting. Lemon juice cut the greae very well. Beef short ribs is basically Korean BBQ. Great tasting. Eel and rice was great! Rice is slightly crispy and had the nigiri sauce on it. Deep fried chicken was awesome. Not greasy so the mayonnaise complements it nicely. The mayo is slightly tart so it great. Tender in the inside and dry fried skin on the outside. It was a fun experience. Would definitely come back to try more things. read more

See all

Not a place for a quiet date, this place bustles like crazy on a Friday night! We hit the door and were met with one of the loudest choruses of "Irasshaimase!" that I have ever heard. Ever. And the overall ethnicity of the dining patrons made me feel like I was in Japan! We found our friends huddled in the corner at a table with two small narrow benches. We took our seats, as they were and decided quickly they might be styled that way so you don't loiter after you eat. It's definitely not a place to relax. You eat, you drink, you revel and move on. There's a set menu that's divided into a grid: appetizers, salads, original Guu treats, carbo, oden, grilled items and lastly deep fried goodies. There is also a special menu that probably rotates depending on fresh items. We ordered from both menus liberally because we were hungry. For four people, we chose chicken karaage, fried brie, takoyaki, agedashi tofu, kimchi udon, butter hotate, gyu tataki, fried ika, pumpkin korokke and fried chicken skins. All the dishes were good but the standout dishes were the hotate, the takoyaki and the chicken skins, though I don't think my companions loved those as much as I did. My grandmother sometimes made them with plain rice and a side of vinegar for dipping. Mmm... totally healthful comfort food, of course. Be prepared. The service isn't the best. You'll have to wait for water refills or another shochu. Settle in and just be patient, also just wave down a server if you want something. They don't seem to stand on ceremony here. Drinks are tasty. They have their own ramune and a part of those sales benefits BC Children's Hospital. They also offer their own original beer, an extra pale ale produced by Russell Brewery. There's several of these in the city. I'd definitely check out their location in Gastown next and work my way through them. Excellent stuff and a lot of fun! read more

See all

finally made it to a "guu"! It was guuureat!! (haha) Highlights were the following: Karagee Scallop sashimi (hotate) Salmon sashimi with raw quail egg and shrimp chips Uni Sake The black cod looked delicious but I didn't get it this time...however it was described as super tender and one of the best read more

See all

Super friendly place. They shout all kinds of japanese words when you walk in. Some sort of welcome, I guess. Service is fast and attentive. We had the kim chee fried rice (yum), seared ahi and salmon sashimi, pork belly, and cow tongue. Food arrived fast and it absolutely delicious. My husband and I shared all these tapas and it was the right amount for two. Very reasonable cost for dinner. read more

This place is alive and its fantastic. If you look for a quiet dinner restaurant this is not your choice. Lots going on, super high energy and the food is to die for. Incredible food and the staff is really friendly and helpful. You will not regret coming here read more

Atmosphere: Lots of seating inside. Very modern inside and trendy with a low light interior. Price: Expensive Customer Service: Friendly, meals came out in a timely manner. Food: Just a warning that this is a somewhat expensive tapas bar and the tab does go up, therefore, get something to eat before hand and come here for a light bite and a few drinks with friends. I had an assortment that was passed around, all of which were good. read more

This place would not disappoint you if you are looking for some legit Japanese tapa dishes! This restaurant is a lot like Seattle's Maneki but with a fusion twist. My friends and I got here around 5:30 pm on a Friday night and it was already packed. We wait for about 45 mins (which is not bad because Guu is pretty small). The service was very good, my waitress took the time to explain all of our questions and made some recommendations. We ended up ordering 6 dishes... the grill tuna steak and sashimi sampler plate were our favorites! The sample plate offered the opportunity to try several sashimi that I haven't had before... (smoke black cod and yellow jack). I really enjoyed this place and would come back for sure! I believe this place take reservation so I would do that and avoid the wait next time. read more

See all

I ordered the kimchi fried rice for pick up. When I got home I discovered a bowl of sticky rice with no egg and no kimchi. How do you forget the kimchi and egg? I will say there was a good amount of bacon but that was it. Basically it was bacon sticky rice. For $13. Total fail. I won't be back. read more

Recently tried Guu with Garlic and was a huge fan. Was looking for a lunch spot near our hotel and saw that Guu was open for lunch...and served curry! Got there around 1pm and was seated immediately. The menu largely consisted of rice bowls and plates and bento boxes. We ordered the porkloin curry plate, pork tenderloin over rice, and they let us order a side of karaage. Though the wait was a bit long for the food and our server (there was only one person serving the entire restaurant) was mostly non-existent, the food was just what we were looking for and more. The pork tenderloin came in several huge fried medallions, just like how I've had it when I've visited Japan. In the Bay Area, I can't find any place that serves tonkatsu like this. Guu did it right! The curry was also very good, with bits of meat mixed into the curry sauce served over a huge piece of porkloin. The side of karaage was great especially for under $4. Like what the chopstick holders say...Guu is addicting. read more

My husband and I go to guu very often and love to have the kimchi udon. We asked the chef to give us more kimchi because our udon was just straight up udon, seaweed and green onions. There were literally 5 pieces of kimchi. We asked them to look at the same dish right next to us and compare them and theirs was bright red in color. The chef took a look and completely ignored our request and said that he used the same amount and would have to charge us if we wanted more. I could understand if it's not always the same amount but we were given a plate of plain udon. Our average spend is approximately $75 but for a little bit more kimchi that doesn't cost them anything, they've unfortunately lost some loyal customers. read more

Guu Original Thurlow - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I can't believe I'm doing this... giving Guu less than 4 stars... I'll give it 3.5... but I was shockingly surprised that it didnt wow me tonight. My friends were visitng from Toronto and I wanted to take them to Guu to give them the ultimate Japanese Tapas experience. We ordered the following dishes: Pumpkin Croquette Baked Duck Baked Shrimp Grilled Cod Japanese Noodles with Mushrooms and Green onions. Maybe I had other expectations?... but I thought the pumpkin croquette would be hotter in temperature.. otherwise, the pumpkin had a nice texture, along with a good sauce. The duck wasn't hot either (even though it was baked). It was probably my favourite of the night, and the spicy mustard wasabi was AWESOME HOT. The baked shrimp wasn't bad but nothing special. The grilled cod was soft and tender, but I thought a little bit salty. The noodles were tasty, but a bit watery. Still a good night, but I'll have to keep an open mind next time.. because I do believe in my heart that GUU is SOOO GUUD! read more

Guu Original Thurlow - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

See all

Love the Japanese tapas concept! And affordable too! Between 4 people, we ordered 8 dishes, 1 dessert, and two bottles of large Asahi (my favorite beer!) and the total came out to be $85. Not to mention, they also give you a free mini soba noodle soup as an ending dish (kind of strange, because we were expecting a cold/sweet dish, but it turned out to be hot/salty dish). Our favorite dishes were the chicken wings, cold tofu with salmon and tuna sashimi, yakisoba noodles, and fried octopus balls. All flavored well with ample portion size. The atmosphere is really friendly and loud with all the chefs and waitresses welcoming customers and yelling dish orders to each other. The restaurant itself feels very home-y, with wooden tables and pull out benches. A few coat racks would be nice - we had to pile all our coats, scarves, gloves, etc. at one end of a bench which made for more cramped seating space. read more

See all

A very busy restaurant, no reservations, so expect up to a 40 minute wait, shorter if you are ok sitting at the bar. But it's worth the wait. Prepare to be yelled at when you walk in, don't worry they are saying 'irasshai mase" - welcome :) Check out the weekly specials sheet for what's really good. read more

Guu Original Thurlow - The weekly specials sheet - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Guu is one of those places where you always know you're gonna get good food, service, and atmosphere. I love the laid back vibe and the cocktails here - try the Lychee Lychee (it tastes dangerously close to just juice)! I always order the takoyaki and/or ebi mayo dishes when I go, along with whatever daily specials catch my eye. I must've been back at least 5 times and am never disappointed. The best part is that they always have something new on the special s sheet to try! read more

This place was pretty good, we were very glad we got dessert, it ended up being our favorite part of the meal. The waiters were very friendly and the place feels pretty authentic. Of the main dishes we had, we enjoyed the beef tataki and the black cod neck the best. The beef tataki came with some very tasty fried garlic. The cod neck is very good for people who love seafood, but it is definitely meant to be shared because the fish oil from it is pretty strong. The kimchi nabe had a good kimchi taste, but was a bit salty. The mango cheesecake was amazing! The cheesecake was not too heavy and the mango flavor really came through. If you like mango or cheesecake, get this dessert! The green tea ice cream was also a very good dessert, it had that matcha taste without being too strong or powdery. read more

See all

This is my first and only experience with an Izakaya. I cannot tell if it's really authentic but this place rocks! I've been here three different times and always had a blast. It's packed with a long bar and a few tables. The waitress and chefs, who are cooking and yelling in Japanese, are extremely friendly and helpful. This is not your typical teppanyaki or sushi place. You'll find fish cheeks, marinated wood ear mushrooms, oysters and variety of Japanese bar food. I've always met someone interesting sitting next to me so it's a social experience as well as food haven. Guu makes their own beer so give that a try. Highly creative and changing menu and a high energy atmosphere. Be prepared to wait!!! read more

This is probably my favorite restaurant in Vancity. It's not a very big place but has alot of ambiance and character. It's quite loud when you come in and the chefs and servers greet you...and when you leave too.....(wish I could understand japanese :)). We usually sit at the bar and watch them prepare our food. We usually always order the kim chee fried rice, the tuna tataki, the chicken kaarage, sashimi salad and the tako wasabi but pretty much everything is awesome. The seafood is very high end and very fresh. Love this place....Guu is good! read more

See all

I love this place... my bf has been salivating this place everytime he goes to vancouver and i know why. They are soo affordable and their food is sooo authentic Japanese tapas style. If u are not afraid in exploring dishes, this is the place to go visit and eat their exotic servings of grilled pork belly, beef sashimi etc. pls. look at my photos. they will say a lot! Good prices for great food! Their sake is very cheap as well and very authentic as the food. 8-10 tapa dishes 3-4 bottles of med-large sake cost $100 for three people. read more

See all

My favorite restaurant in Vancouver so far! Informal, casual place to eat. They have harder-to-find comfort foods like Doria and cream croquette. When you enter and exit, the entire staff vigorously yells Japanese greetings at you, which is fun. I had the chicken Doria, the beef curry side, and the cream croquette. All were delicious! Note that beef curry on the side doesn't come with rice. One small complaint: the seats are quite uncomfortable. They're very narrow wooden benches. There are several Guu restaurants in the city, and they seem to have different menus. I specifically came here for the Doria and am so glad I did! Prices were also very affordable, especially with the magical American money exchange rate. read more

Great "tapas" style Japanese food. Most of the food on the menu are served as small plates. We ordered a bunch of items from the menu and EVERYTHING was delicious. The dishes are all very creative. No one left hungry! And to top it off, the entire meal was under $100 for 5 people! read more

See all

The food was quite delicious but the amount of space available was crazy. They placed a group of 6 in the corner with the same size table as the group of 2 that was next to us. It didn't make sense but the fast service and delicious meals brought this to an average 3 rating. read more

See all

This is one busy shop! I came here for lunch and purposely arrived early. The place was filled in the next ten minutes. Service was a bit lacking because it was so busy and it was waited on by Japanese ESL students. Food was ok and I had no complaints about it. Standard Japanese tapas. This was definitely a casual place because there were a ton of other ESL students eating there, along with the business lunch crowd. read more

Came here during my first night in Vancouver with my aunt and uncle's recommendation. This place is small and cozy, and boy did the food smell good once you walk through the doors. The service here is excellent and the staff are all polite! -seared tuna, raw beef, chilean sea bass, seafood mayo oysters, stir-fry udon, mayo crispy shrimp, jellyfish salad, kimchi soup were all excellent! Goshhh I wish they would open a Guu in Southern California! read more

Very busy place with friendly staff. Felt congested in this tiny establishment. Food was not bad but not great. Price is reasonable, but this place has gotten too much hype for what its actually worth. read more

Guu Original Thurlow - Eggplant w spicy garlic pepper sauce ($4.20) - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

My wife and I were in Vancouver on vacation and I had heard great things about Guu. They had a special of an eel bowl, not bad but it was kind of cold. They were almost ready to close and really ready to get us out of there during their lunch rush. The service was pretty cool, but again, they wanted us out of there. The rice was really sticky and it was cool to try eel, which was pretty sweet and chewy. The side salad was pretty good though, I think if I ever went back, I would try the menu offerings, because everyone seemed to love those. read more

Really good value and good food too. Best to go with a group so you can try a whole bunch of stuff--we only had two people in our party and there were several other dishes I would have like to try. Baby octopus was the highlight for me, as was the karaage. read more

See all

We had reservations on a busy Saturday night - I was surprised that there wasn't a larger crowd waiting outside for a table but it was still early 6 pm). The way the menu is organized is a bit confusing - one main menu with items divided by appetizers, fried, grilled...among other categories. But the confusing part is that there were fried items in appetizers so as we were looking for the menu item that corresponded with what other tables ordered, they could be tough to find. Additionally, there is a hand-printed menu and also a chalkboard. We ordered the kimchi fried rice, udon noodles, pumpkin croquette, BBQ eel, tuna tataki, grilled mackerel, mussels, picked cucumbers + cabbage and pork cheek. My favorite was the kimchi fried rice which was full of flavor and richness from the pork belly - I could have used a bit more spice/kick but the toned-down spice level made the dish more palatable to more people. Second favorite was the tuna tataki which had a great sear and the ponzu sauce brought out the fresh flavor of the tuna. We went with the waitress' recommendation to get the pickled cucumber and cabbage veggie dish which was almost inedibly salty. I was also disappointed with the toughness of the pork cheek - the texture was that of an overcooked pork chop but with more fat. The restaurant is pretty tiny and loud - so loud that our request for a fork ended with us receiving a Coke. It's a cute gimmick that the waitstaff yell out your order from your table, but I'd rather have a slightly quieter restaurant. Prices were very reasonable (plates were ~$8 each). read more

Lots of Japanese tapas dishes to choose from. Tried the White Rabbit beer, which was ok. To eat we shared: Yaki udon minus beef-pretty good, but only when it's hot, so eat it before it gets cold. Kabocha croquette-looked like a dessert, also good and savory. Gyu ro su-delicous Yellowtail sashimi, sockeye salmon sashimi, and scallop sashimi-very fresh Albacore tuna cerviche-fresh, but a little bland. This place reminds me of a Japan. It's tiny here, so make reservations ahead of time. Service is decent too. read more

Pork cutlet undercooked, chef San said it's okay apparently we don't want to risk. The burnt fish head was also so "appealing " especially when the waiter told Us that's because of the skin part was always like that read more

See all

This Guu is one of my top three favorite restaurants ever. It was a Monday night and we walked in around 9pm to grab a light dinner after our movie, and it was busy and lively! We almost had to wait for a table. (Much more lively than the Caliburger next door, which was completely empty. Yikes!) We got seated at the bar next to the cooks and a server came by and took our order: Salmon Sashimi, Takoyaki, Kimchi Udon, Beef Tataki The Salmon Sashimi came with a quail egg to mix in, and homemade shrimp crackers. This was soooo, sooo good! Creamy, rich, fresh salmon on top of a crisp, light cracker. I would definitely order this again. Takoyaki and Beef Tataki were pretty good as well. Not super innovative, but they were satisfying! The Kimchi Udon is one of my favorite dishes and this did not disappoint! Creamy with fish roe and perfectly cooked udon. I always order this! This service was lively and friendly. The cook chatted with us a bit during our meal. I love that it seems like the cooks are having fun! Overall, it was a fun environment for a Monday night, and I can't wait to go back! read more

Guu Original Thurlow - Salmon Sashimi with Quail Egg and Shrimp Crackers - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

See all