Isami Japanese Restaurant is ending its 35 years of business on Apr 26, 2026. It's sad to see another authentic Japanese restaurant leaving the neighbourhood in Burnaby. My friend and I had the following: - Appetizers: Garlic butter scallops, Tuna gomae - Aburi combo - Rainbow roll (Special rolls) - Beef yakisoba - Chirashi (Donburi) (comes with miso soup) Every dish was delicious. Number 1 had to be the aburi combo! The freshness and the attention to details were undeniable. The flavours and the ingredients were impeccable. The only downfalls was the slowness of serving the dishes. My friend and I spent almost 3 hours for this dinner. However, we enjoyed it a lot as it allowed us to catch up and digest in the meantime! Every time the waitress would respond with a sweet smile and follow up for us. Reservation is highly recommended. They open for lunch (11:30am to 2pm) and dinner (5 to 11pm). Street parking or a covered parkade behind Kingsway is available. There are reasons for their nearly 4 decades of service. Try it before this gem goes away. read more

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Traditional sushi spot right across from Metro. They had meter parking on the side street and free gated parking lot at the back. Service was a little slow and the sushi quality was inconsistent. I got Jo's sushi combo and while most pieces tasted it fine, the snapper nigiri wasn't deboned or descaled properly. The salmon nigiri was chewy and didn't seem to be a good cut of sashimi. While the chef could use more attention to preparing the food, the price of their food was surprisingly reasonable. This restaurant can use some improvement but has potential. read more

Isami Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

The sushi is amazing here. The staff are friendly and they have amazing customer service. Definitely will be returning.

Came here for a quick solo dinner, post-workout. The place feels very family friendly and had chill vibes. I ordered dynamite roll, and salmon & tuna nigiri (it was a combo, but I can't remember the name of the combo now). I also got spider roll! The raw salmon and tuna were so fresh! I remember savouring the bites and I was tempted to order more sashimi just so I could have more! The dynamite roll was good, nothing special to note. The spider roll was nice and crispy, but lacking a little flavour for me. Maybe the batter needed a bit more salt? Service was fast, and my tea was always refilled! read more

Isami Sushi - dynamite roll, salmon & tuna nigiri - Japanese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

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We've been in this restaurant for a number of years and the only one in the Greater Vancouver area we enjoy their true Japanese cuisine. The owner is an authentic Japanese chef with fresh materials and skillful way to make sushi. We specifically appreciate their friendly manners and hospitality always with a soft and kind smile. Price is right!!! read more

For fresh sushi made by Japanese people come here. This is probably one of the most authentic Japanese places in South Burnaby and they have sake and beer specials. Best part is the owners are actually Japanese. Pricing is relatively decent. And Ambiance is very traditional. There is parking downstairs and on the street. Friendly warm service and very good sushi. read more

Isami Sushi - Mixed combo and Cali combo - Japanese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

Wanted to try it for a while and finally went on a Wednesday night around 6 30pm. Got two rolls and a small portion of the tempura. It's definitely more filling than it seems for one person! Price was reasonable for the ingredients they serve. Very satisfied with the three items I got, loved their fish roe sushi Looking forward to returning to try other special rolls! read more

Isami Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

This is my go to sushi place in the Metrotown area and easily the best one. It's an older restaurant with about 16 tables, booths and some sitting tables in the back. Been around for over 20 years now and the fact it's been successful and same owners all along tells you something. Authentic food prepared by Sam and team. Sam is first Gen Japanese and does it the proper way. Reading some negative reviews from people complaining about the smaller size of the pieces obviously are not sushi people. Sashimi and sushi are never supposed to be shaped like bricks lol. They do it that way down the street at Sushi Garden and I nearly choked on that low end stuff. Food is always good (4.5/5) - i like the fact Sam respects the seasonally of sushi and tries to order the freshest items. He also won't serve pieces he thinks are close to expiration. Good example of this is how I may ask him for Bluefin and he has some but refuses to serve it if it's been a few days since purchased... that takes integrity to forego sales for customer satisfaction. My personal favourites are all the sashimi dishes, scallop BBQ Robata and Hand rolls. The maki is pretty good when I've had it. Service is good (4/5) but yes they do get busy sometimes and it can lead to some delays I agree. However the servers are hustling all the time so it's not due to their lack of attention... it's a popular place so it happens sometimes. Atmosphere is basic - not a modern updated look or anything like that. Basic layout from about 20 years ago - (4/5) Overall (4.5/5) ... it's the only place I'd recommend in the Metrotown area. Reasonable prices for the authentic quality. You will pay a lot more downtown for sure. read more

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Homey restaurant. The was good as well! Service was on point. I would return again. I really like their special rolls

Ordered delivery, so maybe it's different when you eat in -- the sushi was fine. A little skimpy on the fish, and nothing special. The sashimi gave you six thin little slices for 19 dollars. The sauce that came with the agadeshi togu was bland. The smaller rolls were fine. The oyakodon was okay. Two of the expensive rolls I got were half the size at any other local sushi place. I regret ordering from them, and I don't think I'd do it again -- not when we have so many better sushi spots in the area. It's a shame, since I ordered from here due to good word of mouth, but it was mediocre. read more

Great mom and pop authentic Japanese sushi restaurant. Free parking in the adjacent parking structure (just remember your parking stall and give it along with your licence plate to the server) I always order the chirashi here and it never disappoints. The fish is so fresh. The place is very popular. On a Saturday night they open at 530 and by 6 pm all the tables are full. Service can be a bit slow at times but this is not your assembly line sushi restaurant. read more

Isami Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

Got here at 6:30 and the place was buzzing. Good thing we made a reservation for 6 people. With that number, we were able to order a nice variety. Sushi, tempura, chicken karaage, udon, BBQ black cod, pork cutlet, and more! All good! As was service. For a small place like that, they sure had a lot of waitresses on that dinner shift tonight. My favorite was probably the mango salmon roll. Both the fruit and the fish were quite nice to the bite. Tempura was also good and I think I want to try the veggie version next time. The batter was quite light yet tasty. I might even want to sit at the counter next time and do it the good old Japanese fashion - a little at a time, straight from the chef's hand to my plate. read more

Isami Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

Great sushi no doubt, I think this is the best sushi in the Metrotown area, only issue I found was the service, I won't go into details but if it's something that doesn't bother you then I recommend it but if so maybe go somewhere that serves faster read more

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Lovely food and great service. It has been a wonderful spot to enjoy the beginning of weekends for several months for me.

Although expensive, the food here is very fresh and definitely authentic. My family ordered a chicken katsu don, scallop roll, 2 aburi toro, 2 aburi salmon, 2 hamachi, scorpion roll, negitoro roll, mini chirashi don and boneless chicken kaarage. This food cost around 70$ which was a surprise but one taste of the fish and we agreed that quality was up there. The chirashi don was actually not too mini with plenty of rice and fresh slices of salmon, tai, tamago and tuna. Their sushi rice was flavoured perfectly as evidenced in each of their rolls and nigiri. The scorpion had crab meat topped with spicy tuna and was a family favourite. With just enough flavour but not overloaded with sauce, this special roll was light and delicious! The nigiri all had decent sizes of fish and the chicken katsu don had a HUGE bowl of rice. The most disappointing was the boneless chicken kaarage because the portion was very small for the price paid. It tasted good but we probably wouldn't spend that much for chicken kaarage again. Overall, kind service for take out and delicious Japanese food! read more

Their Yaki Udon is out of this world, the makis are also the perfect size. Highly recommend!

My experience tell me that very often if you go into a restaurant with high expectations, you will be disappointed. In Isami's case, it's the other way round.... I went with no expectations and it turned out fabulous! The moment I entered was greeted by a young pretty lady with cute Japanese accent, I know I can't be far off... Then I hear some customers speaking Japanese, it enhanced my dinning appetite here and when I looked at the chefs with such Japanese face. I feel good.... :) By the time I pay the bill, I am totally satisfy! Not only the food was good, it was beautiful to look at, service is accommodating and price is reasonable. The only comment I have if they will follow the eating order like soup came first, Apptizer, then sashimi, then hot food... It will be perfect! read more

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Food is good. Wait is soooooo long. My party of 6 placed our order at 7:12pm and received our last dish at 8:15pm. Over an hour wait. Anyway, the food is good. I especially liked the spicy salmon roll. it was like it melted in my mouth. the downside though is that the rolls come in 6s rather than 8s like other restaurants. And it's not like 6 big pieces vs 8 small pieces; it's 6 small pieces. I also got a tobiko roll and the combo cone which comes with california, negitoro, and chopped scallop. These were nice as well, but also a bit small. Overall, I would only come back during slow times like 2:30pm or something because the service is overwhelmingly slow. read more

Isami Sushi - Spicy salmon roll ($3.50) and tobiko roll ($3.00). These both came in 6s. I forgot to take pictures before I started eating. - Japanese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

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Isami Sushi is authentic Japanese resto near Metrotown and I was here yesterday for sushi with my sister for sushi craving. Service was prompt. Waitress gave us water and the food came out fast. She was friendly as well. We ordered Spicy Salmon Roll($3.50) and Caterpillar Roll($9.50) they were delicious. Portion is the usual Japanese size not too big, but good enough for one serving. Food was fresh and tasty. If you come with a friend or someone else I suggest ordering more food as the portion is small. read more

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Been here 7 years ago and decided to come back and see if the food quality and everything else was the same as 7 years ago. Everything seems to be the same. The restaurant decor is a bit run down. Other than that.. The sushi was delicious. I really like their sashimi. Yummy! Its sweet. Location is not bad after shopping at Metrotown. There are parking in behind in their parkade. Not sure if its free because my friend has a pass that allow her to park in parking lots for free. Only issue I have is that the waitress doesn't come often enough to fill your water glass or tea. I am definitely coming back. read more

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This has to be my favourite sushi place I've tried here! If I could recommend any item it would be the Aburi Toro (1 order - 2 pieces). Hands down the best Aburi Toro I've ever had. The service is quick and fish tastes really fresh. I've been here multiple times and the service here has always been good. The rolls can be a bit smaller and pricey but for the most part they taste good. The sushi is really well made and I really enjoy the mussels. The restaurant is a bit small so if you come in during busy times, there may be a wait. This place it worth it in my opinion! read more

Isami Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

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I've been looking forward to revisitng Isami Sushi after previously trying their sashimi and nigiri sushi in mid-2016. This time, however, I wanted to try some of their other dishes to see how they compare. Here we have the Appetizer Tempura with prawn, carrot and eggplant... pretty standard fare - can't really go wrong with tempura. The Agadashi Tofu turned out pretty good. Topped with bonito flakes and served with a light broth. I thought that the Nabeyaki Udon was quite good and was chock full of chicken, prawn tempura, and smooth udon noodles but not much else. The yolk from the egg, however, was nice though. A bit more seafood in this bowl would have made it better. I wanted to try one of their sushi rolls so decided on the Caterpillar Roll. It was very creamy from the avocado on top of the roll. Overall, I feel like their sushi and sashimi items are the best items to order here but the rest of their cooked food is not too shabby. read more

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My wife and I went here for the first time last night -- and LOVED it. The place was jam packed at 7:30 on a Saturday night but we only had to wait 5 minutes to get a table. While we were waiting we checked out the daily specials - salmon cheeks/collar, BBQ eggplant, uni to name a few. When we sat down and checked out the extensive menu it had tons of the little side dishes that a good Japanese izakaya does. We ordered a variety of small dishes - chawanmushi, kinpira gobo, spinach gomae, spinach ohitashi, grilled salmon collar/cheek, and two rolls - salmon & avocado, and unagi & egg. Everything we ate was spot on authentic, prepared with love, and DELICIOUS! The chawanmushi - and I've eaten a lot of chawanmushi - was the best I've ever had even without a signature ginkgo nut. Fantastic food - we will definitely be back. read more

Wow, what a great experience! All the 5 stars go to the super attentive and polite service staff! The food is very good too. I always order salmon rolls, the fish is smooth, fatty, fresh. The udon soup is very tasty too. read more

I recommended this place to my three friends. But my friends left half of the nigiri sushi because it smelled too fishy. I ordered Salmon Donburi, but I was surprised by the amount so small that it was clearly compared to other places at the same price. I regretted ordering it because the salmon was too thin. And I regretted recommending it to my friends. But what's amazing is that it's not the worst. The employee mistook my menu and made me pay 30 dollars more. I think anyone can make mistakes. So after 3 days, I went back there with the receipt. And I explained it. No one said sorry, and the owner criticized me. Even if it's not my fault. She brusquely told me to call first from next time. The staff made a mistake and I took the bus for 30 minutes and they never said sorry. Is there any reason to visit here if the sashimi is not fresh and the service is not good? read more

Great place! My son and I dropped in after the Abbotsford Air Show for dinner and some good beer! The Sushi was fantastic, and the service perfect! Could not believe only a handful of people were there on a Saturday night, but it was early. Can't wait to go back. read more

Isami Sushi is a small Japanese Sushi Restaurant located on Kingsway, Burnaby. The location is easy to find, but it's no parking beside. A few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I had a dinner at this place. We arrived at the Isami Sushi around 6 pm. It was super busy. We had to stand outside and waited for a while to get into the restaurant. Once we got into the restaurant, it has already passed 7 pm. We sat down at the Sushi Bar. The server noticed us that our food would take a little bit longer to come. We were fine with that. We have ordered Beef Tataki, Jo Sashimi, Una -Ju, and Eskimo Roll to share. Actually, it was faster than we thought to be. Jo Sashimi was a little bit pricey, which included 7 different kinds of Sashimi. They were all very fresh. Beef Tataki was different from other places. The beef slices were very small, but the taste was very delicious. I enjoyed the crispy fried onions on the top. My favorite dish is Una-Ju. It made by BBQ fresh water eel basted in demi-glaze sauce and served on rice. It was my first time having this food. The rice was soft, which was a great combination of BBQ water eel. The demi-glaze sauce was very well used on eels. I love it so much. It was very tasty. The last dish was Eskimo Roll. It was California roll, topped with BBQ salmon, green onion & special sauce. I like the BBQ Salmon and Green onion on top. The price of the food was a little bit expensive. The taste of the food was very authentic. It was owned by Japanese people and all the servers and chefs are all Japanese. It was a great place to eat Japanese food. read more

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Just recently got the chance to come here last week and I must say I believe their sushi is definitely one of the best I've had. I've been to about a dozen sushi/Japanese restaurants, and I have to say that they do serve some of the most freshest sushi I've had in BC. Their prices is kind of high up there but that's to be expected when you had their sushi. And if I remember correctly, some of the chefs are actually Japanese. Many of the Japanese restaurants around here in BC are commonly operated by the Chinese for some reason but this place actually does have Japanese chefs, which might possibly be one of the reasons why it tastes pretty decent. All and all, I would definitely recommend this place be one of the places you go visit when you are hungry for some sushi. :) read more

This small authentic Japanese restaurant is my go-to in the Metrotown area. Although a bit pricier, their fish is fresh and delicious. I normally order take out as I live close, so I can't comment on service, but they are polite on the phone and the order is usually ready within a reasonable amount of time. Highly recommended! read more

I had ordered from Isami a few times through Door Dash with no issue. However, the last order I got almost killed me. I have severe allergies, wrote down the instructions on the order (as I do every single time), and this time there was a spicy sauce in my Dynamite roll. I cannot understand how this happened, as it wasn't cross contamination (it was ROLLED INTO THE SUSHI). I required an ambulance, hospitalization and nearly lost my life because somebody didn't read my order correctly. If you have any sort of dietary restriction avoid this place at all cost - their negligence is extremely evident. read more

Location: On McKay and Kingsway across from the old Staple mall. It's easy to find if you are driving along McKay. Parking: Along the street. There are spots for restaurant parking at the back of the building but I am not sure if it's free or not. Service: Excellent service! They have enough servers to come and collect empty dishes and refill tea in a timing manner. Their servers are Japanese too. Food: Fresh and yummy food. Ordered the following: Assorted sushi - very presentable and the sushi are so good. Some of them have very strong wasabi inside though. Husky roll (thinly fried potatoes, fresh avocados, cucumbers, bbq salmon, wrapped in rice paper) - very creative dish (you don't usually find it on other place's menu) and it tastes good too Negitoro roll - strong negi flavour and good taste too Tempura with rice - it's ok .. nothing too special about tempura Teriyaki salmon with rice - salmon is tasty Spider roll - it's ok at this place. I have tried better spider rolls at other places. Price: you probably need to order a few dishes to be full. On average, you will need to spend $10-20/person for lunch. They also have a lunch box for $9 and that is filling enough for 1 person. Ambience: Ok-size restaurant. The seats are not super comfy but they are good for a Japanese restaurant. Overall comment/tips: Love this place. Would definitely come back again. Recommend for people. Food-wise, you need to know what to order as some of them are better than the others. Excellent service. Some people might think that their portion is a bit too small though, or you have to pay a lot to feel full. read more

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This place is pretty good, pretty standard food for a japanese joint! Definitely one of the better places to eat near Metrotown, but I'd rather take the trip to Oyama probably. Rice doesn't come with the teriyaki dishes, so you'll need to order that separately unlike most places where the teriyaki usually does come with rice. On that note though, the karaage here is pretty good and I would recommend it to anyone that comes here. Sushi here is pretty good too. read more

Isami Sushi - the karaage - Japanese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

[Homestyle Sushi] Isami is one of the few mom-and-pop sushi restaurants actually owned and operated by Japanese people. It really makes no difference to me as long as it's tasty but it mattered to some of my dining companions. We arrived with no reservation on a Friday evening and had no trouble getting a table for four. The restaurant has a very traditional homely feel with seating for 50 including a few shoe-free booths in the back. After perusing the menu, I went with a duet combo, avocado roll, and spicy tuna roll. The duet combo consisted of two spicy crab and two chopped scallop nigiris, and a california cone. The chopped scallop and spicy crab sushi was quite fresh andthe favorite on my plate. The avocado rolls were decent but I wasn't a fan of the spicy tuna. This particular spicy tuna sauce reminded me of Sriracha and mayonnaise mixture. Yum. Portion sizes were good so no pre-bedtime snacking was required. Service was average - servers were a little slow to refill tea and bring our food but politeness goes a long way. Value was pretty average as well given the multitude of similar options within walking distance. Isami is a solid option for those times you don't feel like a 60-minute wait at Sushi Garden. They've been around a long time (20+ years if memory serves) and rightly so. read more

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We were shopping in Metrotown and felt like eating Japanese food so we searched for the ones nearby and came across this place. The place was small and very traditional. We were greeted and got seated right away. They have a whole bunch on their menu and they all looked mouth watering! While waiting for our sushi to get served, we got the agedashi tofu, prawn tempura and grilled squid to start. They were all delicious except one tiny thing about the squid, it was a little chewy but tasted just fine. We ordered a whole bunch of sushi, I lost track of their names unfortunately but they were all fresh and good! My personal favourite though was the salmon aburi style and the deep fried one was very yummy too! It was a good dining experience altogether. Our server was very attentive and friendly. She kept coming back to refill our tea and service was fast too! Food 3.5 Service 4 read more

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Very good food! I ordered the Nama Charishi. The fish was very fresh. I really enjoyed the food. The service could of been better. But the food made up for it. I will be back to try the sushi and sashimi. I recommend this restaurant. Enjoy! read more

Isami Sushi - Nama Chirashi - Japanese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

I've been coming here for the last 20 years. Good price, family owned, great quality, and always reliable. Love this place and highly recommend it to anyone who wants excellent sushi. read more

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder - and this hidden beauty comes in the form of a mythical japanese water creature. As Metro Vancouver is the sushi capital of Canada, you are bound to get those hit or miss locations when typing in "sushi restaurant" in google maps. Walking in, I was ready to add another common sushi joint to my tasting list; coming in with the expectation to be full, not necessarily satisfied. When the Husky Roll came out, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality. Portions were smaller than I imagined, but the thought for flavour, texture, and ingredients made up for the size. Contentment set the tone for the rest of the dishes, including the salmon roll, and my go-to dynamite roll. Attentive service brought it all together, with refills of tea, extra napkins, and consistently clearing used dishes. Recommending Isami sushi to my Burnaby and Metro Mall friends. Let your fitbit count a few more steps away from Metropolis to find a short history about the Kappa creature, and enjoy enhanced quality sushi, without breaking the bank. read more

A bit surprised that Isami rated so high in a city full of sushi options. I thought the prices were excellent and food to be decent. Perhaps I was a bit thrown off by their lack of high chairs. Fortunately, they were able to seat us in one of the rooms in the back so we could use their booster seat on a bench. The service was good when we got there right at opening, but then it became packed and we couldn't get anyone's attention to pay. Probably just an outlier of an experience - maybe even a warning to those wanting to visit with a little one. read more

Excellent sushi place, fish was so fresh and delicious, keep the fish in the right temperature give you a unforgettable flavor. Staff very friendly. I am 100% that I will be back in my next visit here. read more

We got there early, so service was pretty quick. Fish was very fresh. Most of the pieces just melted in my mouth. The menu was a bit difficult to figure out. There were minimal descriptions, so it was hard to tell what you were getting unless you asked a lot of questions. But, it wouldn't be too much of a problem for seasoned sushi eaters. Overall, I'd definitely go back. read more