Awful food and service. Super overpriced, should be $15 per entree max. Ingredients not fresh. Tomatoes so moldy made us feel sick to our stomachs... read more

Atmosphere: medium with enough seating. it was busy when we went but we were seated in a reasonable timely manner. there is a relaxed feeling inside which is great for dates. there is some elegance which again makes for great date night. i actually came here on a bumble date for a second date hence the choice in location but the ambiance was ruined by someone's mis behaved child. this is not a family marketed place so please leave the kids at home or go to Denny's thanks. staff were friendly about it but stuff like this is a buzz kill for patrons who see this as a date place. reservations are highly recommended and thankfully my date took care of that. customer service: friendly price: market value. food: my date and i had a variety of shared dishes all well prepared. read more

Well, there was just the opportunity for a post-concert cocktail. It was a nice mix of mezcal & chartreuse, a combo I would not have considered had it not been offered. However, I look forward to returning for the meal options. The decor is a treat - modern, Asian & 1960ish. ...so I returned with a friend for dinner & it was fabulous. The service was great. The server was very attentive & knowledgeable. We also had a few other staff bringing us our dishes & drinks. The starters were not my favorite. The octopus salad had great flavors & delicacy with the radishes & sauce, but the octopus was a bit on the heavier side (would've been good on the side with beer). The octopus would have been better raw or cut in smaller pieces. Our favorites were the pasta special (with fennel & ricotta) and the wavy beef. The pasta was super fresh, melt in your mouth, and the beef was very tender after being slow-cooked. Next time, I'm returning just for the main plates & the superb cocktails. read more

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I heard the food here is delectable from various sources, Yelp and friends included. And I would have absolutely liked to try this place out for myself to form an opinion. But that didn't happen and here's why this restaurant is banned into my never-ever land of places to visit. We made a reservation for Monday 12/24 well in advance of our trip to Vancouver. Knowing holiday season is in full swing, we called the night prior to ensure the reservation was still intact. No one answered, that's fine. Then we discovered the restaurant is actually closed on Mondays which left us perplexed as to how or why they accepted our reservation in the first place. We called again Monday morning and again in the afternoon. And again no answer, which was not surprising since restaurant hours stated they are closed Mondays. Okay, no problem, we assume the original host whom took our RSVP made an error and seeing as we had a party of 6, we quickly pivoted and went to Anh and Chi for dinner. After our dinner wrapped up, we get a call from Kissa Tanto, informing us our table is ready. We explained the issue to them, detailing how we rang several times to no avail. Turns out, they were in fact open specifically on that Monday for Christmas and had a special menu prepped for patrons. The original host had not informed us, and taking a quick look at their site, there was no mention or edit to holiday hours indicating they would be open with a special menu. Here's the kicker. Since we failed to give them adequate notice of cancellation, we would be charged for cancelling the reservation. I thought they were kidding. And that my friends, is how you end up on the never-ever list. As a matter of fact, I never write on Google Reviews because Yelp was enough of an outlet but for this special occasion, I will spread the news far and wide. To Kissa Tanto owners and operators, please train your staff properly in responding to cases such as the above. A simple gesture in acknowledging miscommunication would have spared you a 1 star review. P.S. Did I mention I told all my friends and my mom? Twice. Good riddance. read more

After trying for a couple of years we finally got reservations for this sought after restaurant. The favorable reviews were right on the mark. This unique fusion gives us the best of both worlds. The restaurant is cozy and unique, with decor and music taking you back to the 60s. The food was delicious and we all enjoyed it. There are far too many combinations to mention. For apps we had half dozen oysters, followed by my favorite of the night, octopus salad with crispy smoked octopus. We also had Carne Cruda with is a tartare of wagyu, pear scallions, Parmesan and gnocco fritto, simply delicious. We shared main dishes of Charcoal Mafaldine consisting of white ragu of lamb, guanciale, chanterelles and toasted nori. This was followed by organic chicken with ship mojo dipping sauce. The final dish was a large fried perch with daikon soy dipping sauce. This is a unique gem restaurant and worth trying due to its unique disjoin and flare. read more

Kissa Tanto - Entrance - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I don't usually leave reviews, but this one requires it. I recently visited Kissa Tanto with 5 friends for dinner. As you may know, the restaurant likes to keep groups small and so all their tables are 2-4 seaters. They do, however, have one big round table, which they say is meant for 6 people. This is not true. They do have one round table, but it does not fit 6. It's maybe a 5 seater, but for a restaurant at this price point, it should really be a 4 top. The 6 of us got to the table and instantly realised that this table was way too small and so requested the manager to add an extra chair for which there was plenty of space. This was strike 2 as it was a flat-out no. Not something you expect at a high-end establishment. A defining factor of a good fine dining experience is that customer requests are catered to, especially when your guests are visibly uncomfortable and unhappy about something. Not at Kissa Tanto. Not to say the staff was out right rude, but a good front-of-house team makes you feel welcome and important. This just wasn't the case. You could tell that the entire serving team at Kissa Tanto had a certain sense of arrogance. A good server understands the food and their guests. Servers at Kissa Tanto have just learned a script of ingredients for each menu item without understanding what any of it means. The next time you're there, ask your server anything about the food that they haven't already told you, like where it's sourced from or how it's made, and they will know nothing. The restaurant offers a chef's menu, which our server highly recommended we try. This menu is meant to be served family style similar to most of the dishes on the menu. However, this food is not family style friendly because of the way it is plated. Now there's nothing wrong with that and frankly the food was the one thing that was on point, but if intricately plated dishes are meant to be shared by the table, the restaurant should really have trained servers deconstructing the dish and plating it for each guest. Needless to say, this does not happen at Kissa Tanto. Coming to the food though, my regards to the chef. Not a single bad item on the menu, and every dish in the chef's tasting menu was better than the one before. Some very good food by Vancouver standards and Chef Watanabe's skill and finesse speaks through the food. The team in the kitchen knows what they're doing, and it shows. If it wasn't for the amazing food, this meal would probably have gone down as one of the more unpleasant dining experiences I've had in Vancouver. A dining experience is defined not just by the food but by everything you experience from the moment you walk in to the moment you walk out. And it's disappointing that a restaurant serving a caliber of food set by Chef Watanabe has been paired with a front of house team that does not understand the assignment and if frankly just not up to the task of serving guests at a Michelin Star restaurant. With its new Michelin Star status, a thorough review of the front of house team is in order, and rigorous training is definitely required for the team. Hope they're able to elevate the serving staff to the level of the food soon, but it is safe to say that we will not be going back for another meal any time soon. read more

Food was good but very expensive. Very expensive compared to all the restaurants and eateries around it. Service was a little slow too.

This place was #1 on my Vancouver list, and it certainly didn't disappoint. I've tried a few Japanese/Italian places before, but none of them as memorable as this. The restaurant had a really cool/hip vibe, host and servers really nice and knowledgeable. But let's talk about the food: Daily Fish Crudo - You can't really mess up a crudo, but adding Tokyo leeks with capers was something new to me. Must try! Croquette - Small, simple, crispy, and the curry sauce was damn good. Half Dozen Oysters - We ordered this 4 times because we couldn't get enough. Maybe because I haven't had oysters in a while, but it was super fresh and with great side sauces. Lasagna - If I had an Italian grandma, I would imagine her lasagna being this damn good.Perfect size so you won't get too full, and the right amount of sauce to cheese. The texture/lasagna noodles is what I really liked, wasn't messy at all. Tajarian -BEST DISH OF THE NIGHT!!! Probably the second best pasta I ever had. So good I had to place a to go order so I could eat it again before I left. The butter mixed with the mushrooms and miso sauce was amazing. The noodles were super fresh and easy to eat, I can't believe I never had anything like this before. read more

I can't say much other than this is THE best restaurant in Vancouver. !! Be prepared for amazing food, delectable cocktails and a huge bill. But it's worth it, I bring everyone here when they visit ! read more

Food is outstanding but pricey for the tiny portions! Come for the taste and experience, not to fill your belly - unless money is no object. We were a table of 4 guys and food and drinks came up to $343 before tip. We enjoyed ourselves but ended up ordering more food at a second destination. They have several beers & sake on tap. We had rounds of $6 Asahi as well as the delicious, smooth, rich, melon & pear YK3 "Yu" sake from Richmond BC! For appetizers the $21 Albacore Cruda is a 4.5, the Beef Carne Crudo is a strong 5 & the $7 croquette is also a 5! I didn't get to try the $14 Frittelle di Melanzane (garlic eggplant fritter), but I heard it was phenomenal. For pastas the Sedanini Rigati (sausage ragu, rapini, sesame) is a 4.5 while the Tajarin (Asian noodle with butter, mixed roasted mushrooms & miso cured yolk) is a solid 5! The delicious but also tiny $25 Half Chicken with shio koji dipping sauce & herbed oil is also a 5! This def goes on my fav list of high-end gourmet portion restaurants along with Le Crocodile and Hawksworth. The service from our German/English waiter was excellent! read more

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So let me start out by saying that I was glad that this restaurant lived up to it's reputation. My waitress was amazing! She was lovely, wonderful and knowledgeable! Overall, the customer service was amazing. As soon as we walked in we were greeted and our coats were checked. There was no waiting, our table was ready. It is quite dark in here, so there is a need for strategic photos, using the light at the table. Please don't use flash and ruin the ambiance. It's dim, relaxing and has mystique. We started with a few appis: House bread, Carne Cruda, Squash Salad and the Menchi Katsu. All phenomenal! It was so hard to choose what to eat. Speaking of, we decided on the Pizzoccheri and Half Chicken for our mains and Tiramisu for dessert. The chicken was so tender and came with a rich sauce. The Pizzoccheri was delicious as well, and I loved the dark colour. All unique, all incredible. I can't think of a restaurant in the city that has food like this. We tried a few cocktails but My Private Tokyo, was by far the best one! I don't think you can go wrong with any of the cocktails here. We left completely full, but every taste was an adventure in flavour, texture and richness. i can't wait to come back! Bellisimo!!! read more

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Did a walk in at 6pm and we got seated at around 7pm. It was well worth the wait but next time I'll be sure to make a reservation. The servers were so attentive and so nice. They didn't hover or be seen anywhere around the table but they were always around when we needed anything. The food was Great too! My fav was the Octopus! :) read more

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After three months of booking in advance, my weekend reservation date finally arrived! I visited Kissa Tanto on Saturday at 7:45pm. The place was packed with people sitting on benches waiting to get in. The atmosphere was very unique but romantic as we sat next to the window. We started off with some nigori sake ($18/glass) but it was well worth it! We then ordered the Carne Cruda, Octopus Salad and the Tajarin. The Carne Cruda was my favorite dish of the night with plenty of flavour from the wagyu beef, herbs, Parmesan, sauce and chips. The second best dish of the night was the Octopus Salad which the octopus was very tender, and the greens and radishes were very light yet tasty. Unfortunately the Tajarin did disappoint. It felt like there was too much butter and cheese, but I'm glad they added mushrooms to give it some flavour. read more

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I have been here many times and i have never had a bad meal. The care and attention that goes into each dish is evidence by how empty the dishes going back to he kitchen are. I recommend everything. The flash fried fish is so unctuous, you need to eat even the bones. And the bread. You could make a meal of the bread alone. It's the best bread I've ever had. Anywhere. Ever. read more

Kissa Tanto - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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I am so surprised how long it took me to try this place and when I finally did I left feeling ripped off. Be prepared that this place is extremely expensive- if you want to take clients there and are using a business credit card or something go for it it's a neat place that's hidden upstairs with fantastic service and unique dishes. I made one mistake and that was not using yelp to see the photos of the dishes which I have been getting better at doing in restaurants with word menus I don't recognize. Our waitress was so enchanting and worked so hard to explain five minutes worth of drinks, appies & mains that I couldn't spend much time checking out the menu myself. When I did it was quite unfamiliar (to me) and I could only notice the prices! The carne crudo ($19) was very tasty especially for a raw beef dish. I would not recommend the fried fish it cost $45 and I felt like I'd just eaten KFC. Sadly the one other dish we had was delicious but tasted AND looked like kraft dinner... except it cost $27 Some drinks like old fashioned cost $24 so we got what was on Tuesday special, the negronis, for $14. Three of those added $42 to our bill. In the end after 15% tip (because the service is so awesome) we spent $176 -- everything tasted nice except WAY TOO EXPENSIVE... buyer beware. read more

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Every dish was excellent except the pickled vegetable didn't do anything for us. Wagyu hanger steak - must order with mushrooms. The steak literally melts in your mouth and tastes like butter! Lasagna - excellent, super light and you definitely do not feel guilty at all! All their pasta dishes were simple and light - cant go wrong with any of them Side bread - the spread that came with it - must try! Apparently its butter - we thought it was cheese. None the less - excellent! Crudo - order the size bread to dip in the olive oil after. Highly recommended - the fish was excellent. Deep fried olives - had a bacon taste to it - a very nice surprise Overall - highly recommend you give this place a try! read more

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Looking for fusion food but don't know where to start? Try looking into Kissa Tanto! It's a delightful crossover of Japanese and Italian that's sure to surprise your taste buds. Located in the Chinatown district, this second floor restaurant is full of sixties retro vibes and you will be immersed in its quaint decor. Not just that, service was on point and food was good. For the night we ordered their Carne Cruda, Tajarin and Paccheri. All were well balanced but lacked enough flavour to make an impact. However, the tiramisu was the highlight. Like a good old Italian restaurant, this tiramisu is true to the heart. Ladyfingers well drenched in liquor but not overpowering, and the creme is made just right! read more

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I've only been here once a few months ago and didn't try as much as I wanted to since it was nearing closing time. I definitely have to come back for a second opinion but here's my first impressions. The restaurant itself is located in Chinatown which is now a pretty grimes and dirty area but the restaurant itself is nice, clean, and chic. Upon entering it was very dimly lit and had a very modern vibe. The food is some sort of Japanese fusion type and my first thought was that it was okay. Nothing spectacular. I ordered the wagyu with chips which I thought was not that great. The dish was quite oily and the supplementary chips you eat it with did not match the flavour. The albacore tuna carpaccio however was delicious as something I would definitely order again. The tajarin pasta dish (cant remember if it had meat or not) I found was a bit oily as well and salty but not bad. I don't normally like pork but decided to try the fennel pork sausages and was pleasantly surprised. It was decently tasty! Lastly for dessert, I got the yuzu cream which was amazing the first few bites but quickly became overwhelming. All in all, not a great first impression but not bad either. There were much more on the menu I did not get to try so I definitely need to come back again. read more

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Visiting Vancouver for a long weekend from LA, Kissa Tanto repeatedly came up in the BEST OF list, and I'm glad I made the trek to Chinatown to try it out. Overall, food is 5 stars. Get the Japanese Eggplant and this is from someone that does not particularly enjoy eggplant. Service was top-notch! Only complaint is the noise-level. Granted, it was a Saturday night but when I can't hear my dining-companion, there is much to be desire on the acoustic level. read more

Beautiful decor, chill ambiance, prompt and perfect service but best of all, delicious food and drinks! read more

Kissa Tanto - Fish of the day (black stripe bass I believe) with yuzu dipping sauce, Japanese eggplant and swiss chard - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Love this place. Tried a few dishes but my favorite of the night was the fried olives. I can have a huge bowl of these tiny morsels of heaven. The pastas sounded better than they tasted. But I will definitely return again. read more

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Seated very quickly with a reservation made 3 months prior with a wait out the door for those trying to squeeze in. My date and I sat at a cute table beside the window with the glowing KT sign and flowers. Very cozy. Food was amazing. The tajarin was the best pasta of my life. I should have ordered 2 plates because we both did not want to share. Chicken, both light and dark, was so tender you could cut it easily with the side of your fork. Server was attentive and informative. A must try for visiting the area. read more

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Finally a place that's not over-hyped and actually delivers. They ARE the real deal. Everything from the retro-loungey interior and the ambiance to the actual dishes and service are as impressive and memorable as one can reasonably expect from an eatery like this. Personally I think the share plates and desserts are superior to their heavier offerings like the pasta, lasagna, beef and chicken entrees. The yuzu cream is remarkably intense in flavour yet light in texture. Just unbelievable, really. But despite our excellent experience, I'd have to say this is the best if not THE best example of gentrification in Chinatown since they're definitely not targeting locals in the 'hood, not with their current pricing anyway. read more

Kissa Tanto - A dozen people outside before 5:30 on a freezing weeknight. - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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I had dinner here with my family with 2 kids. It's more of a date place and less for families but the food was excellent. We had the fried fish and bread and pasta and octopus salad. All of these were recommended by our waiter who is from Germany. I forget his name but was a pleasant guy with good recs. We were very happy we came here. I will be back. This place is cheap compared to the quality and attentiveness they show their patrons. I don't know how people think this place is over priced. The next day I paid 20% cheaper to eat at a sub par Korean restaurant. I would gladly pay more to eat here again. read more

A great dining experience! Tasty cocktails to whet your appetite! The fish crudo was so fresh and with bright tasting veggies. The Tajarin pasta was cooked to perfection and had an intense 'meaty' flavour from the mushrooms and decadently creamy sauce made from cured egg yolk. This is perfect for a date night food adventure. The restaurant is romantically lit and the dishes are great for sharing. read more

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In real! Try the fried fish, truffle pasta, steak tartare! Great staff! Go at 5:30 if you don't have a reservation. A line starts at the door before opening! read more

I heard a lot about this restaurant in China town but I'm glad I finally went. It's like Japanese and Italian food which has great dishes for sharing. My favorite dishes was the Octopus salad, half chicken, Duck Agnolotti, and egg plant. I recommend checking it out. read more

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Food was cooked well and sauces were on point. The complaint I have is that one appetizer came with a hair in it. We discovered this about 75% through. They brought us out another one which was nice but we weren't really looking for another full dish of what we just had. But it was a nice gesture and to be expected. When the bill came I expected the tainted dish to be removed as it usual is in these situations. This what not the case. We enjoyed the food nonetheless but they had an opportunity to bring the experience to the next level but instead chose to charge us. Seems like it would've been an easy trade off for a restaurant that charges those kind of prices. I would recommend the food to others but it comes with this disclaimer. read more

This is the best date spot in Vancouver -- if you have taste. The food is brilliant, vibe is super fun, drinks--great. I just moved here from NYC and have been eating my way through Vancouver. Dinner here was one of our best so far. Be cool. Try Kissa Tanto. read more

Incredible food, excellent service. The wagyu beef was so good. All the dishes were an interesting balancing act, with contrasting themes and flavours that seemed to just work. We had a pasta that was good enough for a second order. I wasn't the biggest fan of the cocktails overall- had one good one with plum flavours, one so-so one with tequila. But I'll give them credit for pushing the limits and trying something interesting, and it didn't detract from the rest of the meal. Our servers were notably attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable, despite how busy it was. We let them pick our order based on what they recommended, and they didn't disappoint. The restaurant was absolutely packed, and we waited an hour for a table of four which seemed reasonable considering how busy it was (Line up went down the stairs). The venue was neat, old fashioned, but clean. read more

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Kissa Tanto was an incredible dining experience. You definitely need to plan ahead and make reservations for this place because they book up well in advance. We were a little early for our reservation but were able to get a couple of seats at the bar for pre-dinner drinks. The cocktail menu is a must try! It's interesting, well mixed, and delicious. Our server was extremely informative and was able to describe every element of each dish in a way that we could accurately assess the flavours and if it was something we wanted to order. The restaurant seating is a little tight so we often found ourselves in conversation with our neighbours which wasn't actually a bad thing...just depends on your individual preference. All the food was served as soon as it was made so everything we ate was in perfect timing. This was definitely noted as it elevated the overall experience of the food and taste. For our appetizers, we ordered the gnocco fritto, the menchi katsu, and the octopus salad. The gnocco fritto was different than what we expected...almost like two individual light crispy chips topped with some greens and cheese. It was a pleasant surprise and I could have eaten five more. The menchi katsu (pork coquette) was probably my least favourite of the appetizers. It was still good, but not the best of what we ordered. The octopus salad may have been the highlight of the entire dining experience! The octopus remained hot and well seasoned while the salad remained cold and crunchy, and the vinaigrette in the middle added the perfect acidic balance. For our mains, we ordered the tajarin, the paccheri, & the Arctic char. The tajarine was probably the favourite of all the main dishes we had. Thin long noodles with a butter sauce, mushrooms, cheese and shaved cured yolk. It is served topped with cheese already and the cheese topping is perfectly generous. The paccheri pasta was good - a pork ragu with mushrooms and miso butter sauce...I preferred the tajarine, but it was still good. Finally was the fish dish...it's not something I would typically order, but the fish skin was nice and crispy (almost like a chip), and the side vegetables and purée were really tasty. I personally wouldn't order that particular fish dish again, but it was really well cooked and presented. Finally, for dessert, we had the lemon yuzu cream with blueberry and olive cake crumble - it was incredible and highly recommend if you like lemon. It is a pricier menu, but it really was an excellent experience. I recommend 100% and encourage you to indulge in this menu fully! It's definitely a great date night spot or a special celebratory dinner for two type place. They do have tables for bigger groups but I think I probably would return more for special date nights. read more

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This is my favorite restaurant in China town. Great Japanese and Italian fusion. Their tajarin pasta has somewhat changed from its original one but is still very good. The Japanese eggplant is awesome. Also they use to have a side of mushrooms on the menu which was also delicious, and may have been taken of the menu. My wife really enjoyed the organic chicken and whole fried fish. The atmosphere and interior design of the restaurant are wonderful and they have a great drink menu. I must have been here 8 times so far and I have always left happy. Great service, great food, great vibes ! Always know I'll be back :) Here is a pic of the original tajarin with a side of mushrooms ! read more

Kissa Tanto - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Finally after a long anticipation we had dinner here! It was four of us and we ordered a lot of food. Let's start with appetizers, highly recommend the bread, the crane crudo, and the salad. I don't recommend the smoked octopus, it had a strong fishy smell and the croquettes were average. All of the pastas were great, freshly made and exquisitely dressed! We had flash fried whole fish, perfectly cooked, crunchy and tasty. The chicken, tender and expertly prepared. We also ordered mushrooms and eggplant for sides. The side dishes paled in comparison to main courses! Our server was attentive and pleasant! For desert, I recommend the Yusu cream, as tiramisu was not very successful! We are planning to come back again! read more

Kissa Tanto - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia