The wait time was around an 1hr. Will recommend getting into the waitlist earlier through this app. However, the food was extremely good! I loved the unlimited refill for the miso soup, cabbage and rice! The cabbage salad was especially good. If you're a cheesy lover, definitely go for the cheese katsu! Is filled with mozarella. The ambiance was quite nice too, the staff was attentive despite it being very busy. read more

Saku - Cheese katsu - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Delicious Japanese curry. Definitely a new addition to my food tour in Vancouver. Would recommend.

The best food I've ever had in my life. Cooked so well and the service was fantastic. Really clean and minimalist. Will be going back it was amazing!! read more

Saku - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

We stumbled across this place walking back to our hotel And they did not disappoint! Food is soooo good and so fresh! We also loved the ambiance in the restaurant! 10/10 would definitely recommend read more

Saku - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Came to the brand new Saku location that's conviently located on Cambie and Broadway. There was a bit of a wait time given that it just open recently and it's the BC long weekend. Arrived at 1:40pm but did not get seated in till 2:25pm. Ordered 4 items from their menu: Cheese Katsu, Rosu Katsu, croquette and a side of Japanese currey. Overall the flavours were quite good. I personally enjoyed the Rosu Katsu, good pork flavour and it was cooked well. The Japanese curry complimented the Katsu very well. Loved the sesame dressing with the finely chopped cabbage. Only complaint I have about our dinner was the miso soup being a bit too salty. read more

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This restaurant can get quite busy, prepare for the wait times up to an hour. We ordered the Zenbu Katsu to share and there was plenty to go around for 2 people. It's nice how there is unlimited rice and cabbage salad which is always a plus! The cheese katsu was wonderful and soft. My favourite was the scallop, oh my gosh.. best part of the whole thing. The only thing I did not like was the ebi, there was way too much batter on it. One of the pork katsu's was more dry than the other. Other than that, everything else was great. The servers were friendly and helpful. Recommend to all katsu lovers, worth a try! read more

Saku - Zenbu Katsu - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

By the referral from a friend, I ended up eating at this place for lunch and they definitely had very well made chicken katsu. It was perfectly fried and the chicken breast inside was juicy and tender, not overcooked. Their batter is special and not the typical kind you see at teriyaki joints. The waitress was super attentive and as I finished my salad and "miso soup", she was quick to ask if I wanted a refill (you get unlimited rice, salad, and tonjiro soup. For the salad, they have an awesome sesame dressing you can self-serve. I also ordered a side of the cheese katsu. It was about what you'd expect - deep fried cheese in katsu batter. Overall, I liked the food, but not something to rave about. The little dishes and the wooden tray the food was served in was a nice touch. It's kind of bento-like. read more

Fantastic food and excellent service. Not "inexpensive", but absolutely fair for what you're getting. Best Katsu I've had outside of Japan and whatever they put into their salad dressing is addictive as hell. A salad consisting of nothing but shaved cabbage should be boring, but with that house-made dressing it's insanely delicious! read more

Best katsu taste and experience you can find in Vancouver. I liked their tonjiru so much that I learned to make it myself.

Nice set menu with a big variety of choices The quality of cooking was never disappointing read more

So hard to reserve a seat in the restaurant. Really wish it's easier because they don't do reservations

The curry was mild but genuine Japanese type Waited for almost 20 minute after I placed the order Everything was decent and authentic but not as good as you would experience in Japan or Hong Kong One big problem I hope the shop owner will seriously look into The ventilations there was real terrible After that total of 35 minutes of meal time, my whole body was full of oily deep fried odor This is unacceptable read more

Saku - Curry Pork Loin Katsu $16 with a pawn $4.5 hidden behind the big plate - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

We went here for dinner with friends. The place is minimalist and nice. We sat by the bar and was greeted by our friendly waitress. I ordered the Hire katsu plus a jumbo ebi. I love the presentation! Pork was crunchy and juicy. Bonus: Rice and salad is "refillable". read more

Saku - Hire katsu with jumbo ebi - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Best tonkatsu in town! I had the cheese stuffed katsu and it was super filling. The salad, rice, and miso soup are all refillable so you definitely won't leave feeling full. The service is great and usually this place has a line out the door but it's worth it! read more

Saku - Cheese katsu - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Staff is attentive and will offer refills of rice, miso soup and cabbage when we are low. The food is always so delicious and well made, comes with pickled side dishes and katsu dipping sauce. They give you a bit of salt and mustard for a bit of a kick. The cabbage sauce is absolutely flavourful and we wish we could buy it! read more

Saku - Chicken Katsu with Ebi add on - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Went Thursday at noon and there was a 20 minute wait even with the Yelp wait list. Staff were very attentive, taking our order while our table was being prepared, and checked on us frequently to see if we needed refills of soup, salad, or rice (free refills). Their menu is small and they do it well. I'd want more veggie options but I enjoyed my dish enough to want to try it again if I was back in Vancouver. I had the tofu and veggie katsu ($16) and upgraded the miso soup for the hot kake noodles (+$4) which were quite good and filling. I didn't need any refills. My friends had the curry katsu ($18.50) and hire katsu ($19) and they've had it before and said it was good. They got salad refills but were otherwise full. read more

At this Japanese restaurant, the chicken dish is simply amazing! The pieces are just the right size, not too small or large, and they're crispy and hot, making them absolutely delicious. I'd definitely give them an extra star just for the chicken alone! However, when it comes to the spaghetti, it has a slightly sweet and smoky taste, which is enjoyable. However, I must mention that the smell of the dish can be a bit off-putting. I decided to skip having it with the wieners. Overall, while the chicken is superb, the spaghetti might need a bit of improvement.Server was also very nice and timely read more

Here for all the greens, miso soups and rice. It's unlimited refill and they are pretty damn good. However, it doesn't beat the pork as it is executed perfectly every time. The restaurant itself looks very nice and modern. Waitress there are very nice and provide good customer service. On top of that is great food and I will always come back to try all the other dishes. It's average around $17 a dish which can be expensive for some people, but I find it to be fine due to the unlimited refills other than your pork. Would highly recommend this place if you are craving for some good Japanese katsu in Vancouver. read more

Saku - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Delicious food. Service is acceptable. Would come back again. For take-out, I recommended the chicken katsu as it's still soft when it gets cold. read more

Would be back. This was delicious. Also can get refill of rice, salad and soup. Very generous portions. Very clean and hygienic also. There is always a line. read more

Saku - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Ok I've been on a tonkatsu run as of late. Tried a number of places that specialize in Katsu style and they're all offering something a bit different. The Korean style places offering cheese and lots of heavy ingredients while another in Richmond offering Wagyu options. Saku is Japanese run and the service exemplifies this to perfection and the quality of the food is very good too. Although I do have some criticisms. Having been here a few times already I did notice the difference in the oils. The first visit had a fresher oil which resulted in a lighter colour of the deep fried pork Katsu while the second visit resulted in a much darker colour. Having fresh oil means there is less of a greasy taste and the oil can cook the meats more efficiently without burning as bad. If they have used older oil or it was towards the end of the oils cycle then it takes longer to cook and the temperature isn't as high. So the meats tend to be more cooked and the panko crust gets too crispy and hard. We all found the texture of the Panko to be quite katai aka hard in the second time around. So for that I'm giving three stars. The pork Katsu was nice and thick and juicy but again, greasier and darker than our previous visit. The other aspect of my rating is also the acoustics of the restaurant and for that alone I found it quite loud and echoey. With all the hard surfaces for the sound to bounce off it made for a loud environment. This is something most designers forget about. The sound dynamics and how it affects the staff and the customers dining experience. I'm going to be talking more about this with future reviews as it's becoming important now as part of the overall ambiance. So I think on a good day where the oil is fresh. I'd give them a 5 stars!!! read more

Saku - Waiting list but wait outside - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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I have had dinner at Saku three consecutive weeks because that is how obsessed I am with their food. Saku stands apart from other katsu specialty restaurants in Vancouver. The presentation is unique, the space is clean, portions are generous and the service is top-notch. All of these factors contribute to Saku being a phenomenal restaurant to me. My favourite parts - unlimited rice, miso soup and cabbage salad - the cabbage is fresh and the house made sesame dressing is amazing. Best I've had this far - small menu specializing in katsu so the food is always fresh and not just sitting around I have had better curry at other restaurants but all the other amazing aspects of Saku make me overlook the curry. Hope they will put some carrots and potatoes in the curry in the future. Love saku and definitely see myself returning very soon read more

The service was poor, the waitress seemed annoyed and condescending; when clearing the table, they're lazy and did not bother to clear the plates that are further to reach. We signed up for waitlist on yelp and they called as time approached telling us that we need to show up in 16-20min. We did as told, only to be told that they needed another 5-10min, which turned out to be another 25min. Also, we were asked to wait outside when it's raining and cold. The food was mid, did not match the hype and the price. Their pricing is in the range of 20-30 which is quite different from the menu that are posted by others less than 6 months ago; pretty much a increase of 5+ dollars per dish. Forced 18% tip cause we had 7 ppl, but the service was still poor. read more

There's quite some buzz for this place so I had to check it out. Came here on a weekday 15 minutes before opening and there was already a small line. Was seated in the first batch of people going in at opening and it was already maxed out within minutes with lines out the door. I got the regular pork katsu with gravy and my gf got the cheese pork katsu. I can tell you that the cheese tonkatsu was wayyyyy better. It had good proportions with the cheese, pork and batter. The regular tonkatsu and gravy, was just too regular... It can be found elsewhere for a fraction of the cost in the united states. Overall, get the cheese tonkatsu, otherwise it just might be an one time visit! read more

Saku Chicken Thigh Curry 8/10 ~$17 worth it for lunch but not for dinner because same food but lunch is 1-2 dollars cheaper compared to dinner Can only get zenbu at dinner though Personally I'm not the biggest fan of tonkatsu and I felt like it was definitely on the pricerside. I would go if I'm really hungry and willing to wait at least 10-15 minutes during regular peak meal hours. You get free unlimited cabbage salad, miso soup, and rice. Cabbage salad, it's literally just shredded cabbage but the sesame dressing is what makes it delicious. I would recommend grinding the sesame seeds with it too! It's deliciously tangy and creamy. The miso soup is delicious as it comes with pieces of meat and some veggies. It's super soothing on a cold day. The rice seems like a deceivingly small portion but it's quite a lot. The curry is an extra 50 cents and personally it wasn't anything special. It was rich but had a mild kick. It's definitely Japanese style curry with the spice level. It was supposed to complement the tonkatsu. I wouldn't get it again because I felt like the tonkatsu sauce was good enough. The tonkatsu sauce is strong flavourful with the perfect amount of tangyness. The meat was definitely tender and delicious. I would definitely get it again. I tried the pork but I still like chicken more as a meat. read more

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Saku specializes in Tonkatsu which is panko coated fried pork. Worry not about the dishes being too heavy as they are light and delicious. They also feature other items on the menu for the non pork eaters. The Downtown Robson location has quickly become one of my favourite restaurants in all of Vancouver. As a result I was beyond excited when a location opened only a few blocks from my house. The main menu items are essentially identical between both locations with a few specials. The Broadway location is a bit larger with more space. They also feature bar seating which is convenient for solo diners. The food is still fantastic however I feel like the Robson location is slightly better. Interestingly enough the sauces they have available on the side are slightly different. The Robson location has two different types of salad dressing while the Broadway location only has the lemon ponzo available on request. I highly recommend mixing the sesame and lemon ponzu sauces together for the best dressing ever. Must check this place out but if it's your first time I would recommend going to the Robson location. read more

Came here Friday November 29, 2019 at 1330 and waited only for 15 minutes. This place honestly wouldn't be good for a big group more than 6, but better for an intimate setting for 2 people. Things to know when you come: put you're name on the their waitlist on the front of the door (if it's not there they are going in/out with it to seat their customers), there's also a menu on the podium (best to look and decide while outside because sometimes they will take your order before entering). Was really impressed with the Menu, high quality napkins, set up, and service. This place has real Japanese people running the Japanese restaurant so it's for sure 100% legit. My party ordered the Ebi-Hotate Katsu set with an extra Tonkatsu & Hire Katsu Curry set. (What's included in the set: Japanese pickles, soup, cabbage, rice and the main dish.) I would have to say this was probably the best Tonkatsu I've had ever, really enjoyed the Shrimp and the Scallops. If you haven't been there before: Free extra rice, soup and cabbage salad. They have legit sesame dressing as an option to eat with your salad. The Tonkatsu sauce taste really good with their sesame. Disappointment: Wish I could have gotten the Zenbu Katsu which is served only for dinner (Get it if you go around that time!). read more

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Great Katsu!!!! Nice staff. Lots of Katsu variations to chose from. Make sure to put your name on the list instead of just showing up. read more

Delicious food. Flavourful curry with crispy chicken katsu was excellent. My son had udon noodles in curry with pork, which he enjoyed.

I am a massive fan of decent katsu. I mean how could anyone not love tasty meats covered in fluffy panko then deep fried to perfection? I am veeeery happy that Vancouver now has a dedicated katsu-land. Anyway, Saku did make me really happy. I tried the tofu katsu. They were moist, hot and perfectly crunchy. We also shared some cheese menchi balls, because they sounded tasty too. My husband went for the chicken katsu curry. What I like about it - I LOVE the sesame dressing that you pour over the cabbage salad. It is just like Japan and super tasty. - I liked the curry (although next time I will probably just get katsu) - It's pretty speedy What I am less keen on: - The line can be loooong. I'll like this place more when that queue calms down. read more

Oink oink... that's what you will get when you visit Saku. Famous for their fried foods bentos, it is a guaranteed quality of flavours! With a selection of pork, seafood, and chicken there will definitely be something for your liking. We ordered their Rosu Katsu (pork loin) set and shrimp Katsu set. To make things even more wonderful, the cabbage salad and miso is refillable unlimited! As a soup person, I have found my happy place. The fried pieces are so perfectly battered and fried that when you dip into their special sauce the pieces are still crispy, juicy and tender. Great thing about the place is that the food is served fresh upon cooking, but you have got to be ready to wait - lineups build up fast and there are no reservations! If you have yet to try, don't miss out on this gem in Vancouver! read more

Saku - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Atmosphere: my girlfriend and i came here cause of a failed attempt going to another eatery and this was in the area. actually i didn't notice this before hand and we walked by it. the outside is simple and unassuming so it can be easily passed. inside is medium in size and neat with some bright colors. customer service: very friendly price: market value. food: i ordered the Miso katsu on recommendation from the table next to me and it did not disappoint. read more

Been trying to go to Saku on Robson for the longest time but the wait is insane. I'm so glad they opened up a location on Broadway AND it's super close to the skytrain station. I came in around 5:30ish and there was no wait. Service is pretty quick here and we got out in about an hour and the line wasn't too bad. Just two parties standing outside. I tried their Miso Tonkatsu (3.5/5) and it comes with shredded cabbage, rice and miso soup. The sides are unlimited so go wild! The breaded pork cutlet used is the fattier one as per the server but I didn't think it was fatty at all. It was nice thick cut. I actually prefer more fat so that it's not so dense. There's some miso paste spreaded on top. Each table comes with some lemon salt, sesame dressing and soy (?), sorry I forgot lol. I didn't use any of the sauces since mine came with the miso and I thought it was enough. I did try the lemon salt which added an interesting dimension to the dish. The sesame dressing is for your salad and it's sooooo good. Their miso soup is different as it has some pork and carrots in them. Cheese Katsu (3.5/5); this particular katsu reminds me of cordon bleu or maybe that's what it is... haha. I enjoyed this one a bit more because the cheese gave it some moisture. The thick cut of the above katsu made it a bit dry. But you gotta eat this quick if you want melty stringy cheese. I like the interior of this location more than the robson location. It's very clean, spacious and modern. read more

Another expensive Japanese restaurant. Food quality is so so. Service is also a bit sucks. It's just another outfit that wants you to eat and get lost. read more

I have checked this restaurant several times and it is always busy and a long lineup. Luckily, I was able to get in on Friday at noon and it is pretty empty. I ordered the special one, i.e. the 1st one on the menu that comes with black miso sauce. It took a very long time to get it. I tried to ask the waiter/waitress but for some reason, they tried to avoid having eye contact with me. Anyway, at least I got it in the end. Just like what you saw in the picture, it looks very fancy and high-class! Feels like it is worth the waiting, right? Not really, the pork cutlet is probably deep-fried only for a short period of time. The meat is somewhat raw...not commended :( read more

Saku - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Highly recommend Saku if you are looking for authentic Japanese katsu! I always go for the cheese katsu! It's always nice too that they give free refill on the salad, rice and miso soup! read more

Very busy place. We were there for early dinner (before 6pm) and they already have a huge line up. They are very organized though. They take your order before you have your table. The food is awesome. The cheese katsu is amazing! Staff is very friendly. Will definitely come back. read more

I love Japanese Tonkatsu and I've been dying for a good place in Vancouver. I've been going to Saku for a while and never was a disappointed. Food 10/10 Service 10/10 Ambiance 10/10/. read more

I didn't think it was possible to have good katsu outside of japan but this place proves my assumption wrong. The katsu was super tender and juicy. The salad it came with was paired with a sesame dressing, and it is super addicting. This is a must do for me while in Vancouver! I ordered the assorted variety set and every piece was delicious. My favorite one was definitely the cheese katsu. I wouldn't suggest ordering a whole cheese katsu since it's very heavy, but it was delicious in moderation. read more

Saku - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

This review is based on my experiences over five visits. Small warning: rain or shine, regardless of time of day, there will be at the minimum a wait or at least 15-20 minutes for a table. The waiters that handle the line might not always be smiling, but they're knowledgeable when approached with questions and generally happy to help. Food is delicious and consistently has a good cook on it. Only complaint would be that the scallop servings are INCREDIBLY INCONSISTENT: one day you might get juicy scallops the size of large limes, the next you get juicy scallops the size of little quail eggs - the quantity difference is very noticeable since the number of pieces doesn't change, only the size of produce used, you get charged the same. It would be a better experience if they had better quality control here and determined servings of things like scallops by weight. Service is good, not consistently great - they're generally attentive but on occasion missed things like actually topping up glasses of water that they came by to ask about. A far better experience here than at the pokey Robson street branch - food is better, service is miles better. read more