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    Pepper Lunch

    4.1 (45 reviews)
    ModerateJapanese

    Pepper Lunch Photos

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    PEPPER LUNCH ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Trendy
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    spicy pork pepper rice and tonkatsu chicken rice
    Rosalyn L.

    We've visited this place a few times now and have never once been disappointed! You place your order first at the counter and they bring out your food on a sizzling hot plate. They do close quite late in comparison to their other locations, which is a plus for anyone wanting to enjoy dinner here. We had a couple orders of the spicy pork pepper rice and their tonkatsu chicken rice. The rice is buttery and flavourful and delightfully peppery, and goes well with the sauce from the spicy pork. They also provide a separate sauce at the table for their plainer meat options. The portion sizes are just right and you're guaranteed to leave happily full. It's definitely a people pleaser and will satisfy pickier eaters. Will definitely stop by again when craving a cheap, quick and casual dinner in Richmond.

    Mixed wagyu pepper rice
    K H.

    Pepper Lunch is a must go spot whenever I'm visiting Hong Kong. This location in Richmond doesn't have the same kind of beef as in HK but aside from that it tastes the same as overseas (in HK and JP). Every copycat recipe always calls for plain butter but it's definitely not just butter in the rice. Wish I knew what it contains!! Personally, I would opt for the regular beef pepper rice next time. Even if it is really Japanese beef, it wasn't impressive enough to get the wagyu again.

    Wagyu Beef with Pepper Rice
    Bonnie T.

    Heard so many good things about Pepper Lunch from a friend who consistently visits different locations every time she travels and sees one. Luckily for me, this one was in the shopping centre and no lines. Basically, you purchase at the counter prior to seating and the waiter will bring a table number to the seat you have chosen. It takes no more than 5 minutes to put together your food, which is a plus! I ordered one of their most basic dishes, beef pepper and rice with an egg and wagyu beef with rice. The waiter brought over 2 different sauces which one is super salty and the other one is more on the sweeter side. I don't think there's anything too special about the dishes except that it cooks at your table. Portions were small but it was worth a try!

    Double beef
    Judy C.

    Love the concept of how they serve up their food. You can cook it to your liking and adding as much or as little sauce as you like. Air ventilation is great so you don't come out of the place smelling like smoke. A great place to at least try once. We definitely will be back.

    Salmon
    Cherry W.

    I have been to pepper lunch a few times and I feel for the price, I don't think it is worth it. I want to give two stars but the food is okay. You don't get that much protein and there isn't any side dishes. On average it is about $15 and you can definitely get rice/protein with sides and soup for the same price at a Japanese Katsu place or Taiwanese restaurant. I don't think I would personally go there if it wasn't for friends. The service is quick, and it has always been consistent. If maybe they lower their prices I would give it more stores. I feel that there are way more options in Richmond to go to than going here.

    Esther H.

    A friend recommended Pepper Lunch during our visit in Richmond, BC Canada. You walk in and there is a desk with a menu behind the register. There are choices from seafood to Wagyu beef or Kobe beef on a sizzling hot platter that is about 10-11" in diameter. Pepper rice in the center with the meat around it. Prices are very reasonable. Anywhere from $7.50 to $15.95. $15.95 will get you Kobe beef, Angus beef, sizzling rice, miso soup, drink and a Mochi ice cream. This place is not in our state yet so it was a treat to try. We will be back for sure.

    Denise W.

    I love Pepper Lunch. Its one of those yummy but cool fast food places. Its in the hip. There are several locations. This location unlike other, it closes earlier. So how it works is that you walk up and order. Then they tell you a number table to sit at. The food is serve on a sizzling plate. I got the signature pepper lunch with extra beef for $2. Food is consistently yummy. You get to add the 2 flavored soy sauce to it making it extra tasty. Comparing the taste to the other locations, I like the Cambie location more.

    Salmon + rice
    Issabelle F.

    I've heard about Pepper Lunch for years because my brother and dad would talk about it all the time. Hot pot usually isn't my #1 go-to, but since I've never tried this spot before, I was willing to check them out! The restaurant is set up fast-food style - you order at a counter and the food gets brought out to your table. The menu is straightforward. There are a variety options to choose from: beef, chicken, salmon, veggie. I went for the salmon with rice. I've never had salmon hot-pot style before, so all of this was new to me. Your food is served in a cast iron hot pot skillet. When it gets to your table you have to mix it up with the rice and veggies to cook the protein. Careful not to touch the skillet though, because it's hot, hot, hot! I personally thought the portions were more than enough. I was so stuffed by the end of my meal! Quality wise, it was just mediocre. I wasn't blown away, but wasn't impressed either. You're coming here to pay for the fast food hot pot experience, if anything. I'm glad I was finally able to try this spot, but I don't think it's going to get added to my rotating lunch spot list.

    Beef curry rice
    Zi Y.

    I'm definitely a fan of this place! Passed by a few times when I was in the area and it looked really appetizing from the pictures outside. Its a great place to go to if you're looking for something delicious, fast, asian, and ok priced. I ordered a Curry Beef Rice (Regular size $10.95) and it was yummy!!! The food comes in a sizzling hot pan and its not really cooked so you'll have to stir the meat around for a bit before eating. It was my first time eating something like this, so I just kinda looked at it like "Is the meat suppose to be red? What do I do..?" Also, warning! Its super hot (temperature wise) so beware. Price for portion: 4/5 Food: 4/5 Service: 4/5 Staff was very attentive in explaining how to eat the food and the sauces. Would definitely come again!

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    Love this place! The food, ambiance and service. The ambiance is super fun with lots of anime…read morecharacters and a big screen playing anime. The staffs/owner were very friendly and made great recommendations. Had the hamachi carpaccio, so refreshing and appetizing. The homemade ponzu (lemony) sauce has a nice finish with thin sliced onions and veggies. The Engawa Arburi nigiri was recommended, and it was phenomenal. It is the 'fin edge' of flounder. Super delicate, with seared (arburi) flavor and melts in your mouth. Yum! The other highlight was the Wagyu beef cubes severed on stick. Two skewers 4 cubes each. The Wagyu was perfectly cooked. It melts in your mouth with every bite. We also enjoyed the 7 piece Omakase sushi set. The fish was very fresh and satiating. Love the lotus root chips garnishing. We loved everything we had but would likely skip the Omakase appetizer Platter. Perhaps we were spoiled by the hamachi carpaccio appetizer. We still enjoyed it but For the same price, we would prefer the sushi set. It had 9 small plates in a beautiful serving box including- tiny sashimi cube of salmon, tuna, tamago, and my fav is the komochi nishin (herring fillets ("Nishin") layered over a base of crunchy capelin roe), also included in the tiny plates of apps were, chicken karaage, baby taco, sliced taco, taco in red sauce, and seaweed salad. We look forward to be back!!!!!

    Parking is easy as it is in a small mall…read more The service was very good. Our tea was always topped up and the servers were cheerful and very helpful. We sat in a separate section of the restaurant with 3 tables at the front. We ordered chicken wings, assorted tempura, miso black cod and an order of beef teriyaki that was not on the menu. The servings are very small for the prices charged. We found that the chicken wings (only 4 small wings) $9.50 were a bit dry. The tempura batter was not as crisp or crunchy as we've had. The miso black cod was a very small portion - maybe 4 oz. for $18.00. We did not feel that there was value for the money. The food was average and the prices were too high for the quality and amount of food received. We did not enjoy the anime that was playing and we were glad that we were not sitting in the main dining room. Overall, we feel that there are better options for a Japanese meal.

    Photos
    One piece ‍
    One piece ‍
    Aburi sushi set, chicken skin yakitori, and mentaiko cheese yakitori
    Aburi sushi set, chicken skin yakitori, and mentaiko cheese yakitori
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    Saku

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    Great experience here while having family lunch. I had a toddler with me and they provided kids…read moredining set. The restaurant was well lit and clean. Server was friendly and attentive. When my daughter dropped utensils on the floor , she came by with clean ones. The food was all cooked to perfection. I really enjoyed the rosu nabe, although it was somewhat salty. The zenbu katsu i highly recommend. We've ordered this every time we went. It's a great way to sample everything they have.

    Up until recently, my favourite katsu place was Katsu-san because of their special apple based…read moresauce that I prefer over the typical tonkatsu sauce. However, Saku may have won me over with their sharable combo set. My friend and I came in for dinner last Wednesday. It was quite busy for a weekday and we waited around 30 minutes. I loved the interior of this place! It's clean, but warm toned, and stylish. We opted to share the Zenbu set (comes with variety of pork, chicken, cheese, seafood and veggie tempura) and realized we could get refillable rice, soup, and salad for both of us. This was awesome! I was pleasantly surprised by the chicken thigh. I normally always order pork katsu, but the chicken was tender and juicy. The scallop was huge and not rubbery at all! There was more than enough food for the both of us and we even both had leftovers for lunch the next day. We also ordered the lobster croquette, which was fun to try. Like any croquette, there was a lot of mixed ingredients apart from the lobster, but it was still tasty and fun. The staff were attentive at refilling items and were easy to flag down. This is definitely a place that I would return to again and again when I'm in the mood for Katsu.

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    Interior
    Interior
    Self-grind sesame
    Self-grind sesame
    Very refreshing

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    i love nobibi for their soft serve because it's not too sweet but a good way to end the night. they…read morealso make cotton candy in store and have a lot of drinks to chose from. the parking inside the plaza gets chaotic so i always park on the street.

    I've been to this place many times as I live in the area. This is a family run Japanese style meal…read morebox restaurant with a cozy and warm ambiance. The menu contains a variety of rice combo dishes that you can select (pork, chicken, beef, fois gras, curry) and a tempura noodle set as well. Occasionally, they also have specials as well. My boyfriend and I ordered the beef set and the tempura noodle set with pork. I love how there are a variety of side dishes that come with the set. This is great for those who like variety and want to have a complete meal with all the food groups. My favourite is definitely the pickled daikon/carrot and the cabbage salad! The food is not too salty and the broth was perfectly seasoned for my palate. My boyfriend also ordered an espresso romano which I had never tried before. The foam on top was surprisingly refreshing with a tart aftertaste of lime. The prices were also very fair with most sets averaging around $19-20 before tax. You order at the counter and pay after you're finished. This is a great place for a quick bite especially if you're in the Ironwood area of Richmond.

    Photos
    Interior/Hallway
    Interior/Hallway
    Featured dessert
    Featured dessert
    Chicken Karaage .. crispy & juicy

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    Chicken Karaage .. crispy & juicy
    Kyabia Japanese Restaurant

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    Tsujiri is one is my favorite places to grab a Matcha Yogurt Frap. The matcha and the sweetness…read morethey add is just the right combo for me. Recently I also came to try their high tea. It was fun to eat on the tatami mats in the back - we got the whole space to ourselves since we came on a weekday. Note that the sets come in 2 and whatever tea you choose is for both people. The set was unique and very filling - it came with a mini unagi rice bowl, matcha yogurt with berries, sweet corn custard, 2xnigiri, and hojicha cake, etc. Their menu changes every few months though so best to check their Instagram to see what's new. Warning: Parking on the lot is 1.5hrs only for the whole day and they are strict and will ticket you - this includes if you are running errands earlier in the day in the same lot and had left and returned. Safer to park in the farther lot for 3hrs of free parking.

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    Photos
    Private area for high tea
    Private area for high tea
    Matcha daifuku, cheesecake, Matcha and cream sandwich, cake and banana with strawberries.
    Matcha daifuku, cheesecake, Matcha and cream sandwich, cake and banana with strawberries.
    Salmon onigiri, unagi onigiri, salad, and mochi with kinako and sesame.

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    Salmon onigiri, unagi onigiri, salad, and mochi with kinako and sesame.

    Pepper Lunch - japanese - Updated June 2026

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