Many restaurants are located in famous Robson street and Guu with Garlic is one of them. We arrived around 7:00 and waited about 30 minutes to get our table. We ordered Deep fried chicken/Chicken tender tempura, Miso marinated grilled black code, Assorted oden, Beef tongue with garlic butter soy sauce, EBI mayo, Yaki-Udon plus Daikon oden. Comparing to Kingyo or Raisu, Guu with Garlic serves flavorless friend chicken and even Popeyes' fried chicken taste better. The texture of EBI mayo is moist and oily and all I taste is thin panko breadcrumbs. Miso marinated grilled black code is not that fresh and dull, and, yes, I had better black code at Kinka in Toronto. This is not a place for food but for hype. read more

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We arrived at 1p, restaurant emptied out at around 1:30, and we didn't start getting our food until 1:48 and my daughter didn't get her food until 1:53. Not sure what took so long but waiting an hour in an empty restaurant is a not something I want to experience ever again. Not commenting on food. read more

Don't let the long wait stop you from eating here! The smell coming from this place got us to come back around and check it out. And they told us that the wait would be 45mins. Which of course turned out to be longer. But I'm so glad we sucked it up and waited for our table. Ordered the Kimchee udon, Yaki-udon, Tontoro, Mochi and Shrimp Gratin, edamame, una-meshi, and the pork steak with garlic sweet sauce. EVERY SINGLE BITE WAS DELICIOUS. That's the only way i can describe the food here. It was savory, tasty, and just portioned right. It's all tapas and sharable which is great for group dinners. And for 3 people, who eats a lot and shared all the ordered food, we only paid $60 (not including tip). I mean, we were confused when we got the bill since we for sure thought it was going to be a lot more! We came out smelling like garlic (so don't wear your fancy clothes here or kiss someone after), but our tummies were happy and full of delicious food from this place! read more

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This is my least favorite Guu of the three that I've been to, and I think it was just an off night for Guu and for us. We were excited to try out Guu with Garlic after having the most delicious experience at Original Guu. The wait was a little bit longer, but that was okay. We finally got seated but inside the separate room, where you have to take off your shoes and sit on the floor. This was slightly disappointing cuz I would've rather been where all the action is and see the chefs in action and be where all the energy was. I wish we had just waited a little longer for a table in the main area, but it was raining outside... We ordered a bunch of dishes: the kabocha croquette (my favorite), the oden soup, the chicken karaage, the hotate butter (scallops cooked in butter and garlic), the scallop mayo pizza, and this raw fish + tofu dish that I think was on the specials menu. The croquette, which is available at Original Guu too, was delicious, as always. The oden soup was delicious - the broth is simple, and you can pick what you want inside. We picked the daikon, konyaku, sticky rice cake in a bag, and fish cake. I didn't care for the sticky rice cake in a bag, but the other fixings were good, especially the daikon and the konyaku, which is like this gelatinous yam cake (some people might not like the texture of this). The karaage was pretty good too. The rest of the dishes were just okay. The raw fish + tofu dish had this dark sauce on top and it was really really salty. The scallop pizza was ... an odd combination. And maybe because it was so busy, the service was just a tad slow. But our server was amazing - she was just so cheerful despite having to handle so many tables at once. And she also had to slip her shoes on and off each time she entered and left the room - just another thing she had to deal with. I think I'll just stick to Original Guu. Guu'd bye! read more

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You gotta Guu to this joint! Kakuni - stewed pork belly with daikon and egg $6.40 Kimchi Nabe - kimchi hotpot with oyster sauce, pork, mushroom, green onion and tofu $6.80 Tip off - there is no perfume or breathmint that will safeguard against the aromatic nin'niku, so first dates, be warned ;) read more

Guu with Garlic - Kakuni - stewed pork belly with daikon & egg #yumyumyum #eat2014 #VancouverBC - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Great food. Love Japanese small plates. Every thing we order was delicious. A bit on the expensive side but worth it.

Didn't have high expectations but this place was really good!! After eating an Americanized sushi restaurant the night before I was hoping this place would be better. The fried pork chop with the mayo sauce is delicious! Very soft and flavorful. Also ordered the sockeye salmon carpaccio, tasted fresh. Beef tongue was pretty good as well, but not a must try in my opinion. Love the guu sauce with garlic! read more

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Set lunch special. Miso marinated black cod. Great spot for lunch. Fish was perfectly prepared. Restaurant reminded us of Japan. All the food coming out of the small kitchen looked delicious, especially the pork cutlet. Hope to return next time in town. read more

Guu with Garlic - Miso marinated black cod lunch set. - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

We (4 in our party) had a lunch time reservation on a Wednesday. The ambience and decor was very conducive to catching with friends from Oz. The wooden tables and bench seats added a distinctive character. There was a semi-private area for a small group at one corner of restaurant. We had a good spread of appetizers and entrees. We started with tuna tataki and seaweed salad. Former was great, latter was a disappointment as the lettuce leaves overpowered the seaweed. Among 4 of us, we had vegetable udon, unagi rice bowl, pork loin rice bowl with sauteed egg, shashimi assortment. The udon was average, rest of us enjoyed our unagi, pork + egg (the sauteed egg over the pork loin was a great creative touch) and the shashimi. The shashimi portion size seemed under-sized. We ended with almond custard dessert, which was a nice ending to the meal. We chose this Guu outlet based on menu, note it doesn't have rolls or sushi, if that's what you are expecting. Service was very attentive, and we were allowed to spend considerable time at our table catching up among friends. read more

Guu with Garlic - Sushi bar. Small open private area on right of entrance door. 5 tables with bench seats in rest of restaurant. - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

The Yelpers came through on this place. Although "Guu" is apparently a small chain, we went to the Guu with Garlic on Robson. The food was quite tasty, we enjoyed the variety of flavors, we liked the casual low key atmosphere, and really I liked their house branded "Guuud! Ale" (a bold/hoppy brew). Lastly, we thought the prices were very reasonable and properly aligned with both the quality and quantitty of food. My favorite dish was the Yaki Udon. My wife's favorite dish was the Salmon Yukke. The ceviche was fine, but not typical of what one who lives on the border of Mexico would think of when they think of Ceviche. Our least favorite dish was the sashimi; of course this always seems to be the case when we leave California (we have been spoiled by the particularly good sashimi that we have found both in San Diego and San Francisco). read more

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Cheap good eats with a funky young crowd is basically what this place is. All that is missing is some J-pop, K-pop, Canto-pop, Mando-pop, etc...... you get the idea. Predominantly Asian crowd with the odd token Caucasian person with yellow fever. =P What I had: Karaage - needs no mention. Damned delish with the garlic mayo. http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/GmEeIcJ9vR04kxzYgPMEgg?select=Rzv7dDIccV-NXtNqpkVJHg#Rzv7dDIccV-NXtNqpkVJHg Okonomi yaki - Japanese style deep fried pancake. http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/GmEeIcJ9vR04kxzYgPMEgg?select=Rzv7dDIccV-NXtNqpkVJHg#TOohlKkeO4bj5roZN-96yg Panko battered pork tenderloin tempura - this one was a daily special and really filled me. It was thick as heck and a steal for $7.80 for 3 pieces. http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/GmEeIcJ9vR04kxzYgPMEgg?select=Rzv7dDIccV-NXtNqpkVJHg#ZaeI9hDn0kBzyxlEL33IEg Wings - sweet soy deep fried wings http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/GmEeIcJ9vR04kxzYgPMEgg?select=Rzv7dDIccV-NXtNqpkVJHg#8dNWyZWn-qbGRD-HPQ-tRQ Ton toro - grilled pork cheeks. http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/GmEeIcJ9vR04kxzYgPMEgg?select=Rzv7dDIccV-NXtNqpkVJHg#3w1kmtFlfSsuwgjPgHEXng All quite tasty. I like it. Two sections in the restaurant. One is a more traditional Japanese-take off-your-shoes-sit-on-the-floor area, and the other is the more standard western restaurant set up. What I did find a bit odd was the shouting to the kitchen of each item I ordered. It made the place a bit louder than needed. $40 tip in. I have no complaints. read more

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I used to come here often when working in downtown. It has a really cool nice and active or lively atmosphere. The place can be said to be quite loud. But again its a pretty cool hipster place to hang out with friends. I love coming here. Decor wise is kind of dark in the restaurant. Its tapas style and to me anything that you order off their menu is good. My favorite is the tartare. So any tartare dish are my fav. They do change their special menu once in awhile but not often. If you are coming here to dine, its best to get a group of friends. It is a hapa house. read more

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It was crowded that day so I got seated at the bar. The food was alright, nothing too special. The ebi mayo shrimp though was not bad! The wagu beef was a little bit too salty. Also tried their beef bowl but wasn't too impressed :-/ Overall an okay experience read more

Guu with Garlic - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Consistently good. Tapas-style Japanese food well prepared and yummy. I usually go there for dinner but I went for lunch and it was not as hard to get a table and that was good since I have a short lunch break read more

Extremely impressed by the service and the food. Service: We were SO late to our reservation as it was Canada's 150th anniversary weekend. Literally no parking allowed on the streets and we took a wrong turn leading us across Lions Gate Bridge. Impending doom of empty stomachs set in as we slowly crossed the bridge with a 30 min eta return in sight... EVENTUALLY we parked downtown under a mall and walked 1 mile to Guu. Somehow they accommodated us with a smile on their faces. Thank you Guu!! alright alright getting to the food, what you really care about: Miso-glazed black cod (5/5): Impossible to not love this dish, except for the steep price of $18. Small piece for what you pay for, but quality is top-notch. The fish falls apart in your mouth. Takoyaki (5/5): Texture was just right, none of that overly mushy stuff and and a good serving of octopus. Ika-Maru (5/5): Grilled squid with garlic mayo oooh this was one of my favorites. Way better than calamari as you can really taste the fresh squid and the garlic mayo was awesome. Beef Tongue (4/5): Though I don't enjoy beef tongue's chewy texture, I could tell that it was good quality beef tongue and cooked really well. My friends loved this dish. Kabocha Croquette (4/5): Hard boiled egg in the middle of fried squash, atop a twin-sized bed of lettuce. Pretty delicious but would have been better if the egg was soft-boiled. Tuna carpaccio (4/5): Seared tuna with garlic chips and green onion on top. The sauce was also very complimentary - not too sharp/ponzu-y for me (as some carpaccios sometimes are) Tontoro (3/5): Grilled pork cheek was too tough for my liking, I enjoy more tender meats. Flavoring was great though. SHOUT OUT TO MY FRIENDS FOR TREATING ME TO THIS AWESOME DINNER!! :) you da best read more

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This location was located on one of the corners of Vancouver. Came here with a large party where we needed to wait approximately 30 min-1 hr. After 10 min or so, the host contacted us and informed us a table was ready because the party did a no show! Yay! Restaurant was very small. There was a separate wall for itzakaya where customers dine on low tables or sit on mats. It's pretty nice because it gives the authentic Japanese feel. Sat at the bar and was instantly helped. Ordered their poke bowl which was really good! Had so much flavor with a mixture of salmon, pineapple, and other toppings. Tried several orders of the grilled salmon that was delish! Beef tataki was decent. Slices were too thin. Kabocha croquette was okay, wasn't impressive. I highly recommend the tuna tataki, salmon carpaccio, and Saba. Overall, 4 stars. read more

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LOVE THIS PLACE!! This restaurant was always on my "to try" list for Vancouver, but after eating at so many restaurants on Robson, my group and I wanted to give other restaurants/area a try. However, on our last night after visiting the Sea to Sky Gondola, we decided to go to Guu with Garlic because we didn't want to make the drive out to Richmond. We were initially told the wait would be about 1 hour (it was Saturday night at 7 pm so that was understandable). However, about 15 minutes in, they called us twice to let us know a table was ready. Not expecting the call, we missed both so they gave the table away. We ended up having to wait out the hour for the next table but it was definitely worth it!! We were on a double date in Vancouver so each couple ordered their own set of 5 dishes. The most memorable (and amazing) dishes of the night were: - kabocha croquette: a boiled egg inside a mashed pumpkin croquette...you wouldn't expect it to be as tasty and delicious as it is but boyyyy I wish I could be eating it again right now. - premium garlic beef tongue: I love beef tongue so this was a must for me. At the end of the dish, three of us said this was the best dish of our entire trip (which says a lot considering we went to numerous amazing restaurants during our four day trip)!! - sashimi: so fresh!!!! Each couple ordered the variety of 3 ($19 CAD) and my bf and I got the scallop, salmon and yellowtail. The scallop was my favorite! - one of the udon dishes on their "specials of the day": YUM!! I'm not exactly sure what was in this (because the other couple was the one who ordered it), but the noodles were cooked so perfectly that I had to order my own udon dish :D I wish there was a Guu with Garlic in my area now...but I guess I'll have to keep coming back to Vancouver to get my fix! read more

Guu with Garlic - the beef tongue is a MUST!!!!! - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Delicious little Japanese tapas style dishes, great for sharing! I came around 5:45pm on a Thursday and the place was still mostly empty, but by the time I left it was filling up fast. I wanted to order the marinated squid, but unfortunately I wasn't able to; they said it was still marinating and wouldn't be available till later (6:30 or 7). Considering they open for dinner at 5:30 and the squid was listed on the blackboard above the bar as a recommendation, this seems like particularly poor planning and is the reason this gets 4 stars rather than 5. Otherwise, everything was fine and delicious and I hope to have a chance to return and try some other things. Update: returned with a friend and managed to try the squid legs this time. They were actually disappointing; not particularly flavourful, burned to a crisp at the tentacle tips, and a very chewy texture. The winner this night turned out to be the beef tongue, which was tender and tasty. Also tried the garlic shrimp, which was good, and the potato croquettes stuffed with cheese which was ok but a bit bland. The deep fried Brussels sprouts were also just ok, they would be significantly better if they'd cut them in half before frying; cooking them whole resulted in a delicious crispy outside, but soggy interior which was less appealing. Overall the food was still very tasty though and it was definitely better to bring a friend and try more dishes. read more

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One of the best Japanese restaurants in Vancouver. Sat at the counter to see the action. Service was great. Every dish we tried was simply amazing! Would definitely come back whenever I get to visit Vancouver! read more

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There is a reason why Guu with Garlic is highly recognized. Their food is delicious, their service is charming, and their ambience is upbeat. When you enter restaurant, all the servers and chefs yell out greetings in Japanese, just like they do in Japan. We sat at the bar, which had very tight seating space, but we got the view of the chefs doing their thing! We ordered 5 items. Our favorite was the calamari and kale salad. The calamari was perfectly crunchy and succulent, hot and crispy. Squeeze a bit of lemon to give it an extra tangy taste! The kale salad was served cold and marinated in a special light sauce. It was delicious. Shout out to the kimchi Udon and takoyaki! These are definitely items we would reorder. The only item we would pass on is the potato mochi, which don't get me wrong, is still good... But it's just a deep fried potato ball filled with creamy melted fatty cheese... and for health reasons, it's probably not good for your heart to have this often. I loved this restaurant. Would highly recommend. read more

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This is my favorite restaurant in the entire world! It's better than the best 3-Michelin star place I've been to because: + They have unique spins on every izakaya dish imaginable + They are ALL consistently amazing (99th percentile of all dishes I've had) + SUPER cheap and good value + Extremely down-to-earth, unpretentious and just about great food and having a good time + The servers totally know their shit, have the best attitude, and are mad efficient I highly recommend the following dishes: + Scallop pizza - literally the best tasting dish ever + Ebi mayo - super crispy on the outside and incredibly tender and fresh shrimp on the inside + Udon noodles - they look normal but are AMAZING + Some sliced pork dish I would not recommend the dessert - it's nothing special. read more

Keywords: cocktails, casual It's bit loud and compacted just like any other Izakaya. However, their cocktails (Melon soda, snow white) are awesome. If you are a person who enjoys sweet and fruity taste drinks, you should try their cocktails. Additionally, tuna tataki and tako wasabi are great side menu when you are drinking sake. read more

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I went back ... and was disappointed. This place is still great atmosphere wise, however I have to say that in my opinion (and my bf's as well) food is much better at Kingyo. The tuna tataki for instance had barely any flavor and was really cold everytime I had it, while it's always really tender at the other place. Service also isn't amazing. It's actually barely existent. The only thing that I really liked last time was the grilled fish. That was amazing. But at $18, the size of the portion was beyond ridiculous: it was only 3 bites and seemed much smaller than all of the other grilled fish I had seen being prepared from being seated at the bar. Going back? It's hard to say. I had a great time there once, but it's maybe time to move on. read more

Guu has several locations in Vancouver but we selected Guu with Garlic on Robson for our foodie adventure. First of all, this place is noisy and could be very crowd. We weren't looking for a romantic place but rather a place for a few good tapas. The Deep Fried Calamari was our first dish. The tentacle was nicely fried to perfection which made the presentation appetizing. Not only did it looked good, it tasted good along with a wonderful crunch. It worked very well with their sauce. If you enjoy Fried Calamari, you must try this one. The Yellowtail Sashimi was fresh with good flavor. Equally important, I liked the fact they had 6 pieces as opposed to 5. It made it easier to share with your mate. The Beef-Tataki was presented well. The flavor and texture was again, perfect. The Sockeye Salmon Carpaccio was very good and tasty. Again, you can't miss with this selection. The Ebi Mayo is not quite your traditional tempura but it was fried perfectly. It wasn't over cooked. The Spicy Mayo was perfectly spiced with Mayo. If you like tempura, you'll like Ebi Mayo. Overall, I would order all of above again. read more

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Very fresh and the flavor preparations are beautiful. Highly recommend sitting at the bar to get full experience. The chefs are terrific and friendly. Great sake list and tapas dishes. Will definitely go back! read more

Guu with Garlic - Yummy Assorted Sashimi - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Although the prices are a bit higher, the quality of food is excellent. I had order just two mini appetizer size foods, the karaage and the tataki. The karaage has such moist and tender meat, with a unique semi sweet- semi salt batter and interesting aioli. The tataki was soaked in a sourish sauce. If you come with a large group, I'd advise to come early. It's quite a small restaurant and always busy! read more

Guu with Garlic - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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There was a 45m wait for Saku. Just down one block, this place is straight out of Japan, a authentic real deal izakaya! Enjoy the food service and vibe! Check it! read more

If you are going for a quick bite thats fine, if you are going with friends and want to have a good time chatting dont bother to go. A new trend with some japanese restaurants is TIME LIMIT, you get 90 minutes or 2 hours, and they start asking you to leave like 45 min before hand. Its extremely rude and unpleasant when you are ordering drinks non stop and having a good time. I think these restaurants are getting arrogant. read more

Most of their staff are extremely kind and all of them are very competent. The food is pretty solid for izakaya fare in Vancouver, and their rotating menu makes every visit fresh. read more

Food is good no doubt but the portions are very small and after $40+ my gf & I only managed to have 2 appetizers & 2 drinks. Even the dinner/appetizer specials on the menu aren't exactly a 'deal'; regular items on the menu are actually cheaper. Plus the menu itself consists of bold, handwritten Japanese characters with illegible English scribbles that's hard to visualize for the first timer. If you see the photos I posted, check the tiny bowl of fishcake sitting in 2 spoonfuls of soup... Yeah, that was around $8+. read more

Loved this spot. Friendly staff and stunning food. The Unagi Meshi with egg was the highlight of our day. Also loved the sashimi assortment. Next time I'm in Vancouver I'll be back! read more

Guu was good. Tasty Japanese fusion. Our favorite was the Fiddlehead with Prawns and Yakisoba Noodles - the dish was perfectly peppery and the Prawns and Fiddlehead ferns were well prepared. I also enjoyed the grilled Prawns- unadorned but grilled to perfection. We also had an excellent Udon Noodle dish. Service was fast and efficiently despite the seemingly chaotic look to the establishment. read more

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This place is so good and I'm happy everything I've came here. I really like the pancakes(forgot what they're called) and the kimchi noodles. Will be coming back soon! read more

Very cool how they have tables where you take off your shoes and sit in a traditional style. Loved their eel bowl, sushi combos, and especially their Yuzu mojitos. Definitely a place to try while visiting Vancouver! read more

Guu With Garlic?!?! YES PLEASEEEEEE!!! Our first night in Vancouver took us to this Japanese Tapas Restaurant. Sake bombs to start us off while we wait for the delicious variety of tapas we ordered! WE ORDERED: ------------------------- - Seared Albacore - Ahi-Tuna - Uni Rice Bowl - Garlic Beef Tongue - Potato Mochi - Grilled Pork Cheek - Smoked Monkfish Liver - Kabocha Croquette - - Calamari - Spicy Chicken Wings - Agedashi Tofu - Salmon Carpaccio I just loved the vibe here and of course the foods. My favorites were: Uni Rice, the croquettes, Garlicky beef tongue, salmon carpaccio, and seared albacore! It was definitely a great start of our food crawl around Vancouver! read more

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This turned out to be our favorite meal while visiting Vancouver. Amazing food, wonderful staff, and a super cool location. The drinks and food were top notch. read more

Guu with Garlic - Specials Menu - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I think their food and service has gone downhill over the past few years, it used to be a lot better. The dishes are small (as to be expected), but the consistency of quality and the execution is not great. The dishes seem to be plated in a rush and everything is just, sloppy. Also, the flavors are muddled in a lot of oil and mayo, which is not what makes good honest Japanese food in my opinion. Even their salad has tons of mayo in it... Drinks are delicious, lots of unique and refreshing drink options (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). I also enjoy their desserts from time to time, but they're not amazing. Would come here for drinks only if it wasn't so loud and crazy. This is a decent place for an experience, not a great place for a really good meal. This is definitely one of the LOUDEST restaurants you will ever step food into, it's pretty deafening to be honest. Makes it really hectic seeming, not a great place for a nice sit down meal - more of a pub-like and quick eats experience. The service could use a lot more work - some of the servers's English skills were lacking and it was hard to ask questions about the menu etc. Since it's always busy, it's also often hard to flag people down to ask for things. I'd recommend sitting outside where there are less people and service is better and it's... quieter. read more

I am a huggggee fan of this restaurant the service is so great everytime and the food is even better this place is a gem and well worth the price love to get seasonal items pff their printed me u read more

Great food, quick service, excellent value for lunch. Came here for a lunch on Canada Day. They were open until 3:30. Between the two of us we ordered the sashimi salad and tuna tataki for appetizers. Highly recommend the tuna it is marinated. Sashimi salad was ok the dressing seemed mayo based and a little heavy for me. We ordered the sliced pork and sashimi lunches. Pork had strong flavors, good with rice. Sashimi the tuna was excellent, salmon was a little tough. Overall great value we spent 40 CAD between us. read more

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Robson is home to a ton of amazing restaurants, but Guu is definitely my favourite! Authentic, home-style Japanese comfort food is always an A+ in my books. It's been pretty cold this year, so both times I came I tried their hot pots: the sukiyaki and the chanko. Both are super flavourful and nourishing. The sukiyaki has a sweet and savoury broth. I loved the potato noodles and the tender beef. The chanko had a more mild, classic savoury broth and felt like a comforting chicken soup like mom used to make. The chicken pieces were grilled first, which was really nice, and they even had homemade chicken meatballs! Moreover, the veggies complemented both hot pots well. The daily side dishes you get are simple, but always tasty! The interior of this place is so cute and makes you feel at home right away. Wood benches and tables and adorable decorations make this a place where you can really be relaxed and enjoy the food! The staff are attentive and friendly. Without a doubt, stop by Guu! It's on the corner so it's easy to miss this hole-in-the-wall, but make sure you keep your eyes peeled and come by for some of the best Japanese food in Vancouver. read more

Guu with Garlic - Daily side dishes - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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