Came back and revisited some old favorites and tried some new dishes! My favorite is so the blue cheese tuna! The creaminess of the cheese with the richness of the tuna works surprisingly well. My boyfriend really liked the clean flavors of the tuna handroll. I had okra but this okra tempura changed my mind! Not mushy at all and very yummy. We both loved the various cocktails. Prompt and friendly service. Dark and intimate atmosphere. read more

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The food here is amazing. Loved every bit of it. Great appetizer to start. It was light, it was flavourful, it got my appetite going. Also amazing 'hand roll' tacos! They're quite delicious and decently affordable per item. Had a blast trying a bunch of different ones. The hamachi chimichurri was also delicious. Thick cut hamachi that was tasted fresh. This place isn't the cheapest but there are affordable items on the menu. I really recommend trying a few small things here and there. Highly recommend making a reservation ahead of time. Also warning that it is a loud bar/restaurant. It has a cozy intimate setting but depending on the night, it can get quite loud. read more

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Great experience. Intimate and cozy atmosphere, friendly staff, fun menu and wonderfully fresh fish. Execution of all dishes were solid, flavour pairings were nothing short of tasty. Would not hesitate to return! read more

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Izakaya in Gastown, located at the end corner of a building. Has a old school bar feel in terms of the decor. The bar takes up much of the space, and tables of various sizes fill the rest. Not that much seating but the high ceilings help. Busy on a weekend, although sometimes bar seating will free up for the walk-ins. Washrooms are down the stairs from the entrance, while seating is up the stairs. Also has a patio area outside with additional seats. All the staff spoke Japanese. For the food menu, they are known for their temaki or hand rolls. The menu also has a page for sashimi, and then a 3 pages of small plates and shareables. Tried a bunch of the hand rolls and small plates. The hand rolls that are tried were pretty tasty. As for the small plates, their karaage is delicious. Nicely seasoned and very tender chicken on the inside. The guy in charge said it was Nagoya style. The fried okra very good. All the other food was pretty decent. The bill was $65 per person including tax and tips. Definitely not cheap, but not too bad. Would be more if we had gotten drinks or sashimi. read more

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I came here around 7pm on Wed at the recommendation of an acquaintance. I didn't make a reservation, but I was guided to the counter. The counter seat, where I sat with my back turned from the entrance, was uncomfortable and I felt it was not suitable for non-drinkers. So I decided to take out 3 temaki sushi ( Japanese Uni Ikura & Ooba, Scallion Albacore Tuna, and Soy Marinated Yellowfin Tuna Oba), also Tuna Tataki and Ikura Potato. Temaki sushi (Hand-rolled sushi) should not be taken out because dry seaweed became soft and ruined the ingredients. If I had noticed this, I wouldn't have ordered it. Tuna Tataki is good quality Tuna. Ikura potato was a little salty for me. I recommend you to make a reservation and eat in the store. read more

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Loved all of the dishes we got. My favourite was the yellowtail hamachi and the hand rolls. Everything was so flavourful and great portions. The creamy matcha cocktail was the star of the dinner. The place is small but homey, right in the heart of Gastown. Service is super friendly and accommodating. Would definitely come back! read more

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This place was soooo good! Came in on a Saturday with a reservation, and we were able to be seated 15 minutes early. Server was quick to take our order and bring out our food. We decided we wanted to order more after our sashimi and hand roll and got 4 nigiris, but unfortunately those took a little longer than expected, around 20 minutes? Quality of fish was delicious, my favorite was the sashimi platter as we got to experience all kinds of fish, and the price was pretty good for the amount you get. Ambience was nice, very lively and felt like a good place to enjoy company with your significant other or with some friends. I would definitely come back! Maybe next time to try their hot dishes. read more

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I wish I had more photos of the food! It's fresh and bright. A beautiful spot to enjoy for any occasion. It's the second year coming for my birthday. Will be back!! read more

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We came here for my sister's birthday two nights ago. My first impression was good because the restaurant looked nice and cozy. Let's start with the good aspect: the service. The servers were extremely friendly and efficient. They gave us a 5% discount and a complimentary ice cream once they learned it was my sister's birthday! Now, let's get to the real deal: their food. As usual, photos on IG and websites are usually deceiving. The only thing I enjoyed were their baby kale salad and the tofu salad. The rest were sub-par. The most disappointing items were the nigiri sushi and temaki sushi. First off, they were HUGE aka not appetizing! I didn't even think the fish tasted good either. Anyway, my top priority is good, quality food and unfortunately this place fell short. They are quite expensive too. Btw, I am very surprised with the positive reviews. Hmm... read more

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Top notch food in a cool spot. We got to share: - Ikura potato - deep fried taro balls - yellowtail hamachi with chimichurri - beef tartare - smoked black cod - red prawn temaki (and my friend got the ikura and uni temaki) - fried horse mackerel - yellowtail collar Every dish was excellent, and not one missed the mark. Favorites include the hamachi with chimichurri, beef tartare, and smoked black cod. The temaki were also really good. Drinks were also well balanced, tasty and interesting. Service was attentive, and the ambiance is intimate - you could dress up or down. Overall a fantastic spot for some good Japanese izakaya, and I am already looking forward to returning read more

THIS IS THE BEST PLACE EVER! Everything we had was spectacular, great service, and cozy intimate setting. When we visited Vancouver we went two nights in a row. The agedashi tofu is amazing and every drink I tried was spectacular. We tried all the flavors of the sours but liked yuzu the best. We liked the matcha martini, the mai tai, and especially the mocktail with alcohol added (that was our favorite, I think we ordered 6 of them). read more

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What a great dinner spot; the food is fantastic, and the servers are incredibly enthusiastic about the dishes. Their energy and enthusiasm made the dining experience even more wonderful. I cannot wait to go back! read more

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Service was good and plates were changed regularly. It can be a bit pricey depending on what you order and how much you order. We spent around $170 for 2 people with only 1 drink ordered. Food was delicious and the temaki were really fresh. Our favourites were the black cod and the salmon with ikura. The fish in the cold dishes were pretty thick cut and flavour had a nice spice. Flavour complemented very well and they were refreshing and light. The karage had a bitter note and were crunchy outside and soft inside. The yuzu pickled onion were sooooo good. The beef tongue was tender and surprisingly the teriyaki sauce was not as sweet as I expected which was delightful. Definitely a place I would return to but be aware of the dining time limit as this place is quite busy. read more

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I went to Oku izakaya in Gastown for the first time. Everything was just perfect! The ambient, the food, the service.... I couldn't ask for more. The food was so fresh and was quite unique from other izakaya in town. I would definitely go back again. read more

Oku Izakaya Bar - Temaki - Sushi Bars Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Great atmosphere. Feel very welcoming. The staff and chef greet you. The food is so fresh and flavorful. All the sashimi was well prepared with sauce on them . Highly recommend king salmon, hand rolls and the steak dish. All the a la cart sashimi are amazing. Will definitely be back next time around . Make sure to make reservation. read more

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Delish! We had a reservation late at night because we heard great things about this spot as we were planning our trip to VYR. The ambiance is very romantic, the lights are dim and felt very intimate. I will say seating is kinda cramped which was a bit hard when you wanted to get up at any point. We got a few items to try as we were full from another food spot but I wish I had room to try more because everything was delicious! We got 2 nigiri: Hokkaido Uni, and amaebi/sweet shrimp. The quality of the seafood here.. TOP NOTCH. The sweet shrimp was soooo sweet and bouncy.. the shells were fried to perfection! And the uni was MOUTH WATERING. I kid you not these two items- I felt satiated over how delicious everything was. Top quality uni! We also got the beef tartare. We were instructed to eat it similar to a hand roll and put a bit of the toppings individually for each bite. The seaweed was fried with some sesame oil- it was very fragrant! I loved it. I would highly recommend doing a wrap with a little bit of each topping, it was sooo good. The tartare still had a good texture bite and didn't feel like it was pulsed with a processor (you know what I mean). Still very creamy with some texture! I wish I got to eat more here, would love to stop by again when I'm in town. Highly recommend getting reservations prior to stopping by! read more

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we dropped in on a wednesday a little after 5:30 pm, without a reservation and was immediately greeted and welcomed by all the staff. the sushi bar was fully booked, but we were given a nice, cozy corner table, as we promised to be done by 7:30 pm. oku izakaya is located on 2 water street in gastown, where peckinpah bbq used to be. this quaint izakaya had its soft opening two months ago. with its dimly lit interior, exposed red brick walls, and a picturesque window overlooking the flow of traffic and pedestrians, plus the soft glow of patio lights and a lamplight, the ambiance set the stage for our dining experience. to kick things off, we started with a sapporo and wasabi caesar with vodka, clamato, shichimi, celery salt, shoyu, lemon, wasabi and ginger. we were disappointed to learn that their smoke black cod, "masa's smoke" special was not available. service was hospitable, they were apologetic when they brought out the horse mackerel that we did not order. the menu is limited. we had the following: tuna tataki with yuzu butter sauce, (our favourite dish), spiced chicken karaage, sockeye salmon sashimi, shrimp tempura with unagi temaki sushi, a cone shaped, individual serving sushi and albacore tuna sashimi. reservations are only accepted by phone and they are closed on mondays. read more

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Great spot we stumbled across as we made our way through Gas Town. Sat at the bar and met some great people! Service was top notch. We ordered a bottle (thought I got a small one) sake and shared with the bar area. The Nagoya Style Spiced Chicken Karaage was a great way to start the barrage of sushi/sashimi we had coming. All of the fish we had, Albacore and Yellowfin Tuna, Hamachi, Mackerel--were all delicious and fresh. Cannot wait to go back!! read more

Small and busy spot. We had to make a reservation for 2 and sat at the bar. Drinks are great. I got the creamy matcha; the gin paired well with the matcha and egg white foam. We ordered the horse mackere and tofu shreddedl salad, poached black cod, fried taro ball, and hand rolls. The poached black cod was satisfyingly fleshy with an acidic sesame sauce. The horse mackerel and tofu shredded salad was refreshing thanks to the ginger dressing and soft silken tofu. Would recommend! read more

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The service and hospitality were top notch. The food and drinks were extraordinary. I highly recommend this place. read more

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Amazing service and absolutely delicious food. Can't recommend this place enough and would definitely come back again and again.

A delightful authentic Japanese experience!! Vibe was great in there too! Really good food!!

Great food and service. But the restaurant has limited seating so definitely make reservations beforehand

This place is new and absolutely amazing! The portions seemed expensive for their size at first however the quality is unparalleled and completely worth it. I had the blue cheese tuna, some of the wraps and the chef gifted a plate of peppers that surprisingly weren't too spicy. Their service was also top notch, extremely friendly and respectful in true Japanese fashion. Their sake was delightful too. The chef said they change their menu throughout the seasons and will be looking forward to my next visit. read more

Oku Izakaya Bar - Sushi Bars Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Petite location yet delicious dishes. Attentive staff made me feel cared for every step of the way. Been there 3 times in the last month. Will keep going back. read more

Amazing and friendly service. The best sushi I've had in a long time. The salmon was wild BC salmon and tasted so smooth and delicious. Definitely get the karaage, best in town! Most of the menu is designed to be shared appies, so bring a friend! read more