I came by for a quick lunch for the weekend with a friend. This joint reminds me of the other Korean-owned sushi places like Gami, Sushi Garden, Sushi Mura etc. My usual order consists of salmon avocado and futomaki. I like that there isn't too much rice and I can taste all the ingredients fully. In the past, I've also tried some of their hot food (udon I think) and found it standard. Service is quick and food arrives promptly. They were great with refilling tea. This place is good if you're in the area and need to stop by for a bite! read more

Otaru Japanese Kitchen - Sushi Bars Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

Went here for lunch a couple of times. Another one of those Korean owned but Japanese restaurants in Richmond (think: Gami, Sushi Mura, etc.) and food quality is similar to those as well. A good spot for a quick bite in the No. 2/Blundell area (which I don't visit often), and it's actually busier than I expected! They do a lot of take-out orders it seems, so it gets pretty busy in that way. However, service was still quite fast for us, who were dining in. There aren't too many tables so it could fill up quite fast during lunch/dinner times. It wasn't too loud in there and they played the standard K-pop music. I ordered my usual -- miso soup, salmon avocado roll, negitoro roll, and 1 pc tai nigiri. Their rice is actually quite dense for the nigiri and a larger quantity than I was expecting. I do prefer my rice to be softer but nothing too out of the ordinary. Ingredients were as expected. One thing that I was disappointed with was that my miso soup was actually cold when it came to my table which is kind of unexpected since it's usually just in a large bucket. Either way, not my top choice for sushi restaurant, but a decent choice if you're in the area. read more

Otaru Japanese Kitchen - Salmon avocado roll, negitoro roll, tai nigiri, and veggie combo in the back - Sushi Bars Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

The sushi menu has a lot of choices and the side, starters and main choice have some good options. The staff very polite and helpful. The ambiance of the restaurant is almost traditional Japanese with soft background music. read more

Friendly greeting as soon as we walked in. Warm dim lighting and decor. Fabulous restaurant with great variety of food artfully displayed. We recommend all sushi lovers to not pass by without trying it. read more

Otaru Japanese Kitchen - Otaru special roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

See all

I ordered Skip from Otaru and before my order arrived I got a phone call from them stating that a small portion of my order had been missed. The employee came out and delivered the leftover food and more. The food was very tasty and the service was excellent....even for a Skip order! Thank you Otaru! read more

Korean owned Japanese restaurant - it was just the flavours I was craving for. It popped up on Google maps when I searched sushi restaurants in Richmond. Cute little hole in the wall. We ordered mostly cooked rolls this time, mostly cause I was craving California rolls and those saucy special rolls. They used take away menus at all the tables and water was self served. read more

Otaru Japanese Kitchen - Sushi Bars Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

See all

Really good Japanese food. Fresh ingredients and tastes delicious! Definitely recommend.

Surprise surprise ! They serve the best bibimbap in Richmond ! ! Yes this is a Japanese resto but it's also a well known fact they're a Korean operation . We ordered some rolls and they were just ok , but when we tried their bibimbap we're instantly blown away ! With its sizzling sounds and golden beef to veggie ratio it's definitely the highlight of the meal ! ! Honorable mention : spicy tuna sashimi by Koreans in general is almost always good and here's no exception . There's something about their sauce that's just so irresistible . . . read more

See all

We come here semi-frequently and it's either pretty good or pretty mid. Last night was a good night though :) We arrived an hour before closing and there were a couple of tables left. The Rock'n'roll was good and the awesome roll was good. They are essentially glorified california and dynamite rolls but the toppings are worth. The karaage was a good appetizer...we got more than I expected. I wish it came with a lemon like most restaurants do. Ours came with a slice of lime...for what reason, I do not know. I usually love gyoza. This gyoza was mid. Skip it. Service last night was good. Servers were friendly and attentive and not annoyingly chatty...therefore, a great ambiance for introverts who just want to eat. :) Oh, and their tea is reaaaallly good. And it stays hot :) read more

See all

Very good sushi place with rolls that give a lot of filling with a thin layer of rice, don't overdo it on the sauce and that also gave us 10% discount for take out definitely earns a 5 star in my books! After returning home from a trip down to bellingham, my family grabbed some sushi to go from Otaru including 6 different rolls, a salmon sashimi and chicken karage. Salmon sashimi was fresh and chicken kaarage was a bit different as the pieces were a bit larger than usual but it was alright. My favourite rolls were their red roll which had fresh scallops and their coco mango roll where the sweetness of tamago and mango worked well in the rolls. In addition we got their house roll which I really liked because of how much filling was in it (i am a california roll-filling lover and am not afraid to admit it). Also, their volcano roll which was a deep fried california roll with spicy salmon sashimi also came with a side salad making the roll essentially a meal because they don't skimp on the sashimi either! The fantastic roll with crab meat and shrimp tempura was not bad because the dollop spicy tuna on top gave it a nice oomph. The least favourite roll was their tuna tempura roll. We took a gamble with this one and well..we wouldn't order it again. Overall, good sushi for a reasonable price. Its hard to find special rolls under $10 now a days but this place had quite a few choices! A little farther in Richmond but I wouldn't hesitate to come back! read more

First time since they changed owners, tried several items jus to see how things are in general, I ordered : 2 cones : Spicy Tuna & Spicy Chopped Scallops, the cones were wrapped perfectly and the filling very tasty and fresh! With just the right amount of spice for each cone! Good job! each cone: $4.50 Assorted Sushi : very good selection for $10.25! See photo for details, I have to say for a small eatery the quality is pretty good and the sushi rice is comparable to many well established sushi house! Chicken Karaage : I have to say when it came out I was a bit disappointed, but after the first two bites I changed my mind and quite enjoyed it! First impression is that it looks more like the Taiwanese Style Salted Chicken Pieces but it doesn't have the same spice, this one is very juicy and tender, dipped into the mayonnaise and it's a perfect match! $6.50 per order. Shio Ramen : Tasty Soup base, ramen itself is a tad soft, can be a bit more el dente, for a non ramen specialty restaurant, I would say they did a pretty good job! $10.50 per bowl. Overall, this is a nice replacement of the original restaurant that was here before and I am sure it will do well in this busy mall! read more

See all

One of the best sushi restaurants in Richmond. Their tuna tataki is amazing. The staff is friendly.

Used to eat here at least once a week as it had decent quality food at a reasonable prices. We continued to order takeout during Covid and the quality of the food remained good. However in the past few months there must have been a staff change or something that has caused the numerous errors in orders. Virtually every takeout order was wrong. It seemed to be the fault of the person taking the orders on the phone. Items not ordered were charged and included, items charged were missing or missing sauces etc. We would call and they would credit the next order etc but that's not the point. I want to receive the good I ordered! And if I order tempura I expect to get the dipping sauce! Very irritating. After 7-8 times of this we quit ordering from there. Sad because I quite like the place. read more

This is a Korean run Japanese restaurant serving up cheap, but delicious sushi. Portion is a little small, but they are a variety of normal rolls, special rolls, udon, and noodles. I've been here twice in the last 1.5 weeks and really enjoy it! read more

Otaru Japanese Kitchen - Sushi Bars Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

I really wanted to like this place as I get excited everytime I hear of a new sushi place in Richmond. My excitement started to decline as I tasted the ramen and sushi roll. Ramen is not their specialty. It tasted slightly less than ordinary ramen. The noodles aren't real ramen noodles, and their egg is just boiled. My mom was disappointed with her dining experience here tonight. I tried the Hawaiian sushi. It's not bad, although the taste could be improved as the taste in other sushi joints are more powerful. I really like that they have vegetarian options, though. Service was okay. read more

See all

Came here for lunch last week. Food was great and tasted fresh. The salmon cheeks were great. Noodle was OK, had better before. Service was also good. I would recommend this place if your in the area. read more

See all

Wouldn't recommend this joint after my latest takeout order. While the sushi here usually isn't phenomenal, it's usually been reliable and served in decent portions. In recent visits I noticed they've become increasingly stingy with the fish, as well as serving less-than-fresh rice. My last order, however, had some really awfully unfresh chopped scallop in the chopped scallop roll, and rock hard rice to boot. It's worth the drive down into Steveston for better sushi, or head to Seto. read more

Otaru was ok no big deal average at best the spicy tuna was not spicey at all and a bit pricey I must say

They take 10% off if you order take out. Decent prices with great service, the special rolls were good, regular rolls were average. My aburi toro nigiri was meh. Would I go back? Probably not read more

I was in Richmond last Saturday and I wanted to have sushi lunch. My friend suggested we do take out from here. Upon calling, this girl picked up and it went downhill from here. When I was placing my order, she interrupted me and started yelling. I assume someone came into the restaurant or she was talking to a coworker, but regardless it was rude. She then asked me what I said and again, she interrupted me. So finally when I got to the end of my order, I wanted to repeat everything I ordered, but she cut me off again speaking very fast on what I ordered. Mind you, she had a slight accent so she wasn't very clear. For one of the items she repeated, she said chop scallop roll. I've repeated 3x red scallop roll and she had the audacity to say I didn't say that. I HATE it when people have the nerve to say such a thing when they were the one who wasn't paying attention. I would definently give this place a 0 or a 1 just based solely on my first experience over the phone. However, the food was ok and I would give this place 3-4 stars. But people like her is what drives a small business down. I ordered, an avacado roll, tofu teriyaki, red scallop roll, dynamite roll, futomaki and chicken karage. Upon pickup, I finally met the girl who took my order. Something about her that is not meant for customer service. She was probably in her 20's. I rather have the guy who was helping others help me as his service and mannerism was 100% better. If he served me, I'd definitely give this place a 3-4.5 Everything tasted good, not exceptional, not bad, but good. Still really turned off by my first experience over the phone and I hope the owner of this place reads this and have a talk with staff about professionalism and mannerism. Overall, food was ok, but I rather pay more for better service, what a shame. read more

My favourite new sushi joint! So nice inside! Nicely decorated, great vibe. They play such bumping music for a small sushi place. The quality of the food was great, and fair prices. Lots of variety, so much to choose from! I always enjoy sushi places that have lots of options to cater everyone! Staff were friendly. Tip to you - get the deep fried California roll. read more

See all

Small place with decent food. Not expensive but good quality. Kids friendly too! They always provide kids cup and plate for my kiddo. Although portion is small, the food is tasty and good enough selection for a family. They have a few interesting fusion items, like kitchen container which has more western item than Japanese good. Also some Korean food options like bibimbab. They do A LOT of take out orders, which gives you 10% off! Pretty good deal there. Recommend! read more

See all

I'm going to preface this review by saying that I've only been here once... and, unfortunately, I probably will not come back here for a few reasons which I will explain below. Let me also acknowledge my biases here - I've travelled to Japan, worked in the kitchen of a fairly reputable Japanese restaurant, and have been eating Japanese cuisine for as long as I can remember. I'm an average dude, not an expert, with a palette tuned to quality Japanese food and so that's where I'm coming from and that's how I compare my experiences with Japanese food anywhere. It's not that this restaurant isn't bad per se - it's actually pretty okay overall - but it just doesn't have very much that makes it stand out from the (literally) dozens of other Japanese restaurants in Richmond in terms of food. Otaru is a nicely lit, well-decorated, and cozy contemporary atmosphere serving mostly casual and westernized Japanese cuisine with a few Korean options strewn about the menu. The service was extremely fast and welcoming for my brother and I who ordered a variety of items from the two-sided menu. The shoyu ramen had lots of noodles and was fairly decent. This isn't a shop that particularly specializes in ramen so I wasn't expecting too much in that department anyway. The ramen came out of the kitchen very quickly to our table. In terms of sushi, I ordered one piece of ikura nigiri which, for about $2.00/piece (compared to higher end places that would charge upwards of $4.50/piece), surprised me in a pleasant way. This was probably my favorite part of the meal. It wasn't too salty and was served at the correct temperature! The rolls I had were the red roll, the tuna roll, the spicy salmon roll, and the chopped scallop roll, all of which were, unfortunately, pretty average. The salmon oshi was easily the most disappointing part of the meal - not enough salmon per piece and not enough flavour. You could easily order this from another sushi restaurant for $4.00 more and get much more value. Presentation was fine for all the rolls, but portion size was definitely on the small side for the red roll. Overall, I'd say that if you're heavily craving sushi and Otaru just happens to be the place that's the most convenient for you in your situation, it's not a bad choice. read more

This is one of my go-to take out sushi places in Richmond! Food (3/5): Everything tastes fresh but lacks a bit in quality. Besides the typical sushi and rolls, they also serve some special rolls and bibimbab (Korean stone bowl rice) Price (4/5): Decent for what it is. Price reflects quality. TIP: If you order over $20 take-out, you get 10% off! Service (4/5): Take-out order is always ready at the given expected time. When dining in, waitress is attentive to each table (never had to ask to refill my water) Environment (4/5): Fairly clean. Family friendly but it's not ideal for large group party. read more

This is a small restaurant around Blundell Square. A little tiny resto but the food was definitely good. I must say the ramen is really great, as well as their Sushi sashimi and salmon bbq they also have oshi sushi snd special rolls. The servers were really great as well as the chef. They make sure you are having a great meal and a great service from them. This is a combination of Japanese Fusion restaurant read more

See all

One of my favourite sushi spots. They are fast and friendly. Food is always good and good prices!!

Yummy! We go for the chicken Katsura and beef yakisoba. Great prices on the lunch specials. Update: now that I'm no longer pregnant I have tried the sushi and I LOVE LOVE LOVE their salmon don. Either plain or spicy it's delicious. Highly recommended read more

For our covid takeout experience we decided we had to try out Otaru. It's been awhile since we've been here and we wanted some Japanese food. Having been tired of our own Japanese home cooking we figured we needed a break and try this Korean Japanese style food. I decided to go for a bento box. See how it would turn out and I was quite surprised. Yes in a good way yes. As usual I order my sushi go to item of tobiko sushi. The rich red coloured fish eggs with a slightly salty crunchy texture is always welcoming to my taste buds . Sushi was nice and small which is how it should be. Maybe for a westerner it might seem small but for this Japanese gigi ( old lady) it was just the right size . I do wonder how they make their sushi as I could taste the board it was made on. So points went down for that. I'm very particular to how fish tastes these days. It's become a rather finicky tongue. Funny how all the girls in our family doesn't eat raw fish and I'm leaning towards that myself as well as I get older. Especial funny since we come from a Japanese fishing family. Still the bento was decent and nicely prepared. Tim his place was well equipped for doing take out. Solid three stars . read more

See all

Excellent food the atmosphere is super casual with great service. Being away from the coast you miss sushi scratch that you miss fresh fish and so super fresh sushi. I'd definately come back again. read more

I ordered a medium party tray when I first tried this place. All the sushi and special rolls were great with fresh ingredients and good flavours! Also tried their hot stone bibimbap. Very delicious with their specialty sauce and it's not too oily. The environment is very friendly with lovely decorations and nice staff. Will definitely come back. read more

I ordered a deluxe donburi and unagi oshi. The Donburi was tasty, fresh, and large in portion. The unagi oshi on the other hand was terrible, it barely had any unagi on it. If I were to re-name the oshi dish, I would call it "Unagi sauce on pressed rice". I'm not sure if I was given the bad pieces but definitely not worth the price I had paid. read more

See all

Atmosphere: Large and modern with some wood interior. Price: A little higher than other places but it is what they consider upscale but not. Customer service: Neutral. Food: Had the avocado roll and veggie roll which came out in a timely manner, rolled tight and was decent. read more

Service is terrible. The waitress tries to do too many things at once hence not being attentive at all. Nevertheless, we have put up with her lack of service and kept coming for take-out as their food is decent and they are close to home. That is, until we made a reservation for a family birthday dinner. I brought a cake and asked if they can put it in the fridge for us. The waitress without hesitation said they don't have any space. Not even a 6" cake? She said, no space for customer use. How can a restaurant not be able to accommodate a birthday cake in the fridge? Needless to say we walked out and haven't been back since.. read more

Dont bother to make reservation. They dont hold take for it. Called to make reservation for 6 in the afternoon, the women answer, asked for number of people and time and name. Confirmed and ok. Arrived on time not 1 minute late. and was told they filled all tables with other customers. Asked if these customers just sit down or about to leave. Told they just sat down. The waitress just say sorry and couldnt do anything about it. It will be ok if they dont take reservation. Totally waste everyones time to take reservation and not honor it. read more

If I could give zero, I would. We waited outside for twenty minutes for a table, which they gave away to another group who mysteriously managed a "reservation" for the table we were waiting for, a reservation that didn't exist when we put our names down for the table. Truly crappy service. Anyone who treats their customers this way is not a good restaurant, no matter the other ratings. read more

I ordered from here as a surprise for my parents. I live in Calgary, they live in Richmond. They appreciated the gesture but they said the food was awful. They threw most of it away. And they LOVE Japanese food. There was a waste of $68.69. And my surprise failed. I ordered it for Mother's Day, and it wasn't until recent when I went to visit them that they admitted how horrible it was. read more

This is the worse sushi experience I have in Richmond/Vancouver. I ordered a take out of Sushi/Sashimi Bento and some rolls and they gave me something else. When I went home and found out and called them up, they just said they didn't have the Bento and gave me a Combo instead. The chef is definitely not a professional. Whether its the sushi or sashimi or rolls, they were poorly sliced, formed. and arranged. The sizes were small too. A $20 order will not fill you. I was just thinking of trying a new place but a great disappointment. Go to Richmond Sushi, Banzai, and a lot other selections in Richmond, but will never go to Otaru again. read more

The sushi is pretty good but the bibimbap is meh. We ordered pick-up and they messed up our order. On two different occasions. They missed the bibimbap sauce, and gave us two completely different rolls even after they repeated the order back to us. read more

Awesome food, good portions, great taste. Came quicker than estimated, very happy with it

I would give a zero if I could. I had a reservation and was on time. They forgot to hold the table for us and sat someone down 5 min prior to my arrival. As a result, they turned me away even though I was the one with reservation and those people just walked in! Unbelievable! The tables are crowded and the place is under-staffed. Waste of my time and gas going there. read more