We visited Shizen Ya while staying at the Sutton Hotel. We made a reservation earlier in the day. At first, I was a bit skeptical with the whole organic, local sourcing, and brown rice. I couldn't have been more wrong..The place was awesome!! The ocean quartet salad was delicious, and the sashimi in the salad was very fresh. The tofu and quinoa dish was surprisingly my favourite. The sushi (not pictured) was made with brown rice, but the rice was cooked perfectly, not too mushy, and was very delicious with the sushi fillings. The place was very clean. The service was friendly. Couldnt ask for a better experience. Will definitely visit again in the future! read more

Shizen Ya - Ocean quartet salad, tofu and quinoa dish - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

We have been dying to come back here - since our last trip over a year ago! Aside from having great quality fish, Shizen ya boasts organically farmed, excellent sourced products. Many places claim good quality, but you really can taste it with their food! Their sashimi is amazing. They serve a delicious, palate cleansing hot green tea nonstop (in fact you only get water if you request it). Their wasabi is extremely fresh and you can tell it's naturally made and not from a paste. And their rolls are delectable! We were only in town a few days, but we can't wait to return to Vancouver to go back!! read more

Shizen Ya - How darling are their plates? We learned they just recently expanded and their new place is so modern and lovely! - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

This place is a good idea if you like sushi and also want to be healthy as they offer brown rice that actually tastes good. A lot of places also have brown rice on their menu but often it's dry. I'm a fan of their chicken curry too. The downtown location lost a point for me from my recent dinner experience. There was 3 of us, 4 empty 2 person tables in the restaurant and we were still told to wait for 15-20 minutes for one of the bigger tables to finish. I wasn't sure why our request to pull together 2 of the smaller tables was denied as it wouldn't have blocked any paths either. read more

We went there after reading all those good reviews and we gotta say that it is indeed the best japanese restaurant in the area if not in the city. The staff is very fiendly. We got 2 menus for dinner: meat and veggie for less than 17 and 15 dollars each. There was a lot of courses, each one of them were original and delicious with a lot of organic stuff. They cook brown rize and even use it to make rools that were AWESOME. Sashimis are the best one ever. We loved it so much that we went back a couple of days later :) And by chance if you're still a little angry at the end, try the green tea creme brulee: it is DELICIOUS. As a conclusion, we recommand that place HIGHLY. PS: it is quite crowded on saturday and friday so you'd better book if you want to have dinner there. Be carefull with the clothes you wear cause you'll smell food then. read more

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Food: 5/5 Quality and fresh ingredients that you can certainly taste in their food. Also, lots of options for vegan and vegetarian eaters. Cost: 4/5 the price for the food is fair. But serving size for some sushi rolls were small. Service: 5/5 excellent! Keep it up :) Parking: 2/5 I've been to their west boulevard and downtown branch and parking on both location is difficult as it is paid street parking. Overall: 4/5 This place has been my go to restaurant when craving for sushi. Worth it and would definitely recommend. read more

Solid 5/5 stars Small restaurant, but great service. If you're here during peak time, be ready to wait! If you're looking for a healthy, delicious meal, you won't be disappointed. I can't stand when sushi restaurants use imitation crab--you can definitely taste REAL crab meat here! Ordered: Sakura blossom: 4/5-YUM! So good Natural bomber: 5/5 This was my favorite dish of the night! Ocean Quartet sashimi salad: 4.5/5 delicious! read more

Really good. I dropped in around 8 PM on a weekday with no wait. I ordered the Chirashi Don and a 5 oz pour of sake. Everything tasted great, the staff members were all friendly, and I enjoyed things overall! read more

Shizen Ya - Chirashi Don - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Sushi is arguably the most virtuous meal you can go out for, healthwise. Fish, veggies, rice, soy sauce - nothing much bad for you there. Shizen Ya makes it practically saintly by emphasizing Ocean Wise seafood (like local wild sockeye and albacore tuna), organic veggies and greens, and brown rice. And though I've never been big on brown rice, it does add a sweet, nutty element of flavour to the sushi. Unlike a lot of the sushi shacks around Vancouver, Shizen Ya is Japanese run. Few countries take their seafood as seriously as Japan - just take a walk through Tsukiji Market if you're ever up really, really early in Tokyo - and quality is important when it comes to eating raw fish. We went for dinner one night and found that the atmosphere was very spare, yet cozy at the same time. There are a just a few tables in a very long, narrow room with high green walls. But there was a lot on the menu ... I wanted to try almost everything. We eventually settled on some gyozas, sockeye salmon sashimi, the Sakura Blossom roll, and an assortment of tempura. The sockeye salmon tempura was fabulous - I don't know why more places don't do this. I also really enjoyed the Sakura Blossom roll, a rich combo of (real) crab and tuna and avocado wrapped with a sliver of sockeye. Beautifully presented, and not too big or creamy. Unfortunately, the matcha creme brulee for dessert was sold out on the night we visited. But it sounds delicious, so I guess that means a return trip soon. read more

Shizen Ya - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

There is a sushi place right next door to here with larger portions and is slightly cheaper. Now I know that doesn't mean it's better quality, but I'm just letting you know :) This seems like the more health conscious of the 2. All brown rice, for starters. Just to let you know, I'm not the world's biggest brown rice fan (we had a falling out a few years ago!), but it tasted alright here... Very sticky though, is it meant to be? Problem is I'm a bit of a pig, and left here still hungry...never good after lunch, as it just means I raid the sweeties basket at work! Decor was nice, people serving were friendly....just prefer the shop next door ;) read more

Shizen Ya - Yam avocado rolls with brown rice, and sockeye salmon sashimi. - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Amazing, fresh AND affordable. If I lived in Vancouver, I would eat here all the time. We were on a quick two day trip and I bookmarked way too many places. When the cold forced us to look for something close to our hotel, I chose this restaurant based on the fact that my Yelp friends gave it great reviews. And they were right! We started off with the wild sockeye salmon and tuna belly sashimi. This was by far some of the freshest sashimi I've ever had. The only one that bested it was my sashimi in Japan. I could've eaten a whole BOAT of that salmon. We also had the spicy salmon, the Bomber roll with fresh crab and tiger prawns tempura, the veggie roll (they have an extensive list of veggie options) and braised lotus root. I wanted to order more and more, but we were only on stop #1 of 3 for dinner (heh.) And the kicker? It was cheaper than my fave sushi places down in LA. I hear people raving about the sushi n Vancouver and now I know why. What an awesome find. read more

Ridiculously good sushi! I'd come back frequently if I could. Only here a few days and certainly will return. Good vegan selection at lunch and dinner: sushi, bowls etc read more

Shizen Ya - Geisha Girl w soy paper - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Great selection for gluten free, vegans etc. Only issue I had was that we could get white rice in our sushi. Everything was made with brown rice. Not too bad for the price and service was very attentive. Will be back to try more soon. read more

I should have come to this place more often while in town. They have a great selection of sushi that's all made with brown rice. I've been told by some Japanese friends that using brown rice in sushi is considered borderline sacrilege, so maybe that scares some locals off (I will note that the nearby Sushi Maki is always packed with a long line, though this place while busy never had a wait). But the food is terrific, the service is great, and I enjoyed it. If you're not put off by brown rice sushi, and you're down with organic food, absolutely check this place out. read more

This is a little shop with a line up for dine-in due to the limited seating, but a lot of take out orders came through too. I really enjoyed the brown rice sushi. Usually you would have to pay a premium for brown rice (in Toronto at least). I felt healthier eating it; I think it's psychological. All the fish was amazing. TST was my fav, tuna, salmon, and toro sashimi. Mmmm... Great selection for vegetarians. read more

Excellent sushi I enjoyed having sushi that tasted very flavorful, yet seemed lighter in some ways. Their portion sizes are a nice value for the price and they have a very quick turnaround if you are in a hurry. We shared the spicy salmon roll and the Sakura Blossom Roll and hubby had some nigiri as well. Everything we had was very good and we wouldn't hesitate to stop in again. Hubby also tried the Scandal Organic Ale and thought it was good (I liked the bottle). read more

We took a little bit of a gamble here and we weren't sure about the brown rice sushi nor the limited sushi selection but there was something about this tiny little spot that pulled us in. Little that we knew it was the incredible udon soup and perhaps the best beef I've ever had that did it for us! Wow... I am still dreaming about it. And the sushi, well, nothing short of deliciousness. As simple as it is, the spicy tuna took the prize for me although the other, more creative rolls were also really good. I liked the vibrant ambiance and the staff that was super attentive and just really great! read more

I can't say enough good things about this Sushi place, the staff are always so sweet and the food is always fresh! I work a couple blocks away from them and find myself ordering out for lunch for myself and co-workers at least twice a week if not more. When ordering out there is usually a 15-20 minute wait so call before your lunch break to order don't just go in for lunch if you have a short break. I have also come here for date night around dinner time, I got the same great service as when I order take out. My favourite dish is the chicken teriyaki combo with a fresh California roll, If I'm not at work I will have some white wine or a Jamaican ginger ale. The food is a bit pricey but you are getting organic food and free range meat! Not to mention all the food is real; (no imitation crab here)... I have never gotten sick from any of the food at this place, honestly it's my favourite place for lunch when I'm in downtown wether I am at work or not! I do hope they get a bigger place soon as they have a very small space at the moment, it is a bit hard to eat in when there is always a line up out the door for this place! read more

Shizen Ya - Fresh California rolls for lunch today! These were freshly rolled right in front of me in minutes! - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

What a pleasant surprise.... Top grade fish, amazing prices and value, with a unique "health conscious" twist on sushi incorporating quinoa into hand rolls for a Paleo alternative without compromising taste! I'm impressed - only tiny issue I had was the miso soup was barely warm so next time I'll ask for it hot but nothing that would ding this spot short of 5 stars! In instant classic on my list of GO TO SPOTS! read more

This place felt healthy. The menu is all organinc and mostly vegan and the sushi rice is all brown. I was not impressed by my first experience with a chicken sushi roll, but I appreciate the originality of it and it did not lessen the goodness of the other 3 rolls we ordered. read more

All dishes were delicately seasoned and with organic ingredients. No MSG. Delicious and satisfying. The price was quite reasonable. My favorite dish was the quinoa and beans soup. There are only 7 tables in this little gem of a restaurant. We went there around 6pm on Wednesday. It was already busy and we waited 5 minutes to be seated. The service was fast and the staff very friendly. read more

Loved it! I wanted to try it while I worked downtown but always thought, "eh, a bit pricy for lunch." MY LOSS. I met a former coworker for dinner and Shizen Ya became a late night snack for us. I had an organic vegetable roll and a spicy tuna roll. Both came as brown rice. The vegetable roll was good, nothing against it and I'd order it again - but the spicy tuna roll was sooooo amazing. I wish I had ordered two and skipped the veggies! I really wish I had eaten here while working in the area, but I'm looking forward to visiting again just because I enjoyed it so much. I wonder if the. Broadway location has a similar standard..? read more

Shizen Ya - Organic vegetable roll and spicy tuna roll - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Wicked sushi - especially for the price! Wild salmon, organic avocados, brown rice whaaaat?! My only complaints are that the miso is a bit weak, and the brown rice doesn't hold together as well as white rice. Everything was awesome, staff was friendly and like I mentioned before, the price is awesome for the quality. I'll definitely be back (like a million times). read more

I came here for lunch one day with a friend and had the beef teriyaki combo: Sukiyaki beef with organic vegetable teriyaki sauce, brown rice, spinach gomaae, and organic salad. The dish was not salty which is great because I have had a lot of salty beef teriyakis at other Japanese restaurants. The brown rice was a nice addition and makes it feel you are eating something healthier. The salad was nothing too special in my opinion. My friend wanted to substitute her salad for something else but the restaurant could not allow that. I will try the sushi next time. read more

Excellent food. Yummy taste. No complaints! Went off other yelp reviews!!! Salmon & tuna is excellent. Server was friendly & helpful! Very busy place! read more

Shizen Ya - Sakura roll 13.95$ - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Picked up some sushi from here because it was super close to where I was staying. I've been on a bit of a health bender and this place was a perfect match. They only have brown rice in house! It was great, but as big sushi fan I just can't say I love it to the same degree with brown rice. Pick you battles though, win some, loose some. I also got the miso soup here and I can't say it was overly flavourful like I expect my miso soup to be. read more

Loved this place. Lot of options for Vegetarians. Geisha Girls Roll (10pc) and Yam Roll (6pc)...both were delicious. Gomaae - Boiled spinach with sauce..did not like this appetizer. Very chewy. Gobo Tea - nothing special. read more

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Cost: $10 pp for lunch combo (excl. Tip) Sort of hidden by a small door, but nice and comfy environment inside. Not big enough to accommodate all patrons, hence I had to wait until a table was cleared. Ordered a chicken udon lunch combo. Salad arrived earlier, then the chicken udon and finally the sushi. Salad was dressed with the typical Japanese dressing, tasty as always. Chicken udon contained lean chicken breast which wasn't fried or made fatty in any way. The broth was flavourful enough and contained Veggies and one whole shitake mushroom. The sushi was okay, I was impressed by their use of brown rice. *thumbs up* Definitely recommended for a try. read more

Shizen Ya - Lunch combo: Chicken breast udon, mini sushi platter and a salad. - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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We went to Shizen Ya for a casual early lunch on a slow day at work before the long weekend. We arrived slightly after 11:30, we were seated immediately and the server was super polite and took our order quickly. She was super attentive and gave us refills on our tea. Our food, 2 special rolls, prawn tempura and chicken gyozas, arrived promptly and it was all well presented. The food tasted great, fresh, and high quality ingredients. The whole wheat tempura batter is definitely different from regular tempura batter, but certainly not disappointing. Good experience, I would happily return. read more

Shizen Ya - Sakura Blossom Roll - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Came here on a Friday and was told the wait would be 45 minutes for dinner. So went elsewhere. This week tried again and lucked out. The restaurant is small, around twenty seats. Staff are attentive but very busy. The menu is nicely constructed with an emphasis on ocean wise fish and sushi made with brown rice. Typically this would not excite me but I wasn't disappointed. The negiri and rolls were tasty and contained very fresh ingredients including real crab. The quinoa wakame salad was nice but tiny! The chicken gyoza was soso, lacking depth and taste. Also tried the chicken and bean curry, the curry made completely from scratch. I will be back for that. Three and a half stars! read more

Shizen Ya - Quinoa wakame salad - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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SO DELICIOUS! So many vegetarian, vegan, and meat options, and this is the freshest sushi I have ever tasted. They were so helpful and accommodating, and tried their best to help us figure out what to get. It is a pretty small place, but it made it easy to get service if we needed it. The place was also kept warm when it was freezing outside! So cozy. We were visiting from the states and had this for dinner the first night. We never repeat places when we are traveling because we want to experience as much as we can, but we were so close to ignoring our rule and going anyways because it was so good! We will come back here as soon as we return! read more

Very fresh and loved the organic brown rice. It's a tiny place, so I did take-out. I had the Sakura Bloom Roll and I enjoyed every bite. I wish they had a similar sushi joint in Toronto. read more

Shizen Ya - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

This was my first time in Vancouver and I was super excited to try the sushi here. The staff was very pleasant and we were well taken care of. We made a reservation because there isn't much seating and were seated with no problem. Ok, now for the food. The sashimi, specifically the sockeye salmon was the best of the night. I wasn't super impressed with the special rolls (bomber, mango california), however, I was very impressed with the spicy tuna roll given how cheap it was. The brown rice was a nice change. All in all, I'd rate it 3.5 if I could, and would definitely go back for a healthy sushi option. read more

Shizen Ya - Sashimi combo. The sockeye salmon was the best. - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

First time trying brown rice sushi! It was good, the textured changed a bit going to brown rice. But it was still good. Definitely a good place for people with specific diets. Spicy salmon roll: 4 Tuna avocado roll: 3.5 Pan fried udon noodle chicken: 5 Pan fried udon noodle beef: 4 read more

Shizen Ya - Spicy salmon roll, avocado roll, pan fried udon noodles chicken & beef - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Biggest issue: Small and somewhat cramped sushi restaurant, not a lot of "privacy" because tables are really tight tbh. The waiters and waitresses don't seem to understand 'fast pace' English but it's not a big problem if they misunderstand. The portions are typical of a sushi restaurant and the wait for combos/rice bowls is not a very long wait. The restaurant could be decorated more as it feels like an empty room somewhat. Voice doesn't travel so that's good for privacy if you're concerned about it. read more

Shizen Ya - Triple Don - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

This place is fantastic. Delicious, friendly, and wholly unpretentious. The geisha girls roll is one of the most delectable things I've ever eaten. Just terrific. read more

I've been here twice, both times the service was vacant, difficult to track down and nearing what I would call avoidance service (don't make eye contact, the patrons might actually want something). It is a very busy place and I'm sure that's part of the problem, but I am also sure it shouldn't be my problem as a paying customer. The food was good, I did enjoy their willingness to emphasis fresh, crisp veggies. They no longer make green tea creme brûlée. The place is tiny, and gets extremely hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Be prepared to wait outside. With so many other excellent establishments in Vancouver, I won't waste my time, energy or money going here again. read more

I had my first Vancouver sushi meal here and I was sold. Shizen Ya is a charming little sushi spot near Robson Square that's reasonably priced and healthy. The staff was very accommodating and was able to reserve a party of 7 for dinner. The menu items are simple and their rolls are made with brown rice. This place has an organic concept with decent vegetarian selections. The fish was fresh and the portions were decent. They only have Wild Sockeye Salmon (no uni, yellowtail, mackerel, etc) as they focus on local fish. The salmon was less buttery for my taste, unlike their tuna. read more

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Shizen Ya is very conveniently located but very easy to miss! The storefront is very small when viewed from the street. We had the spicy tuna roll, spicy salmon roll, dynamite roll, and chicken curry. They were all fresh and delicious, and while the brown rice does not feel entirely like traditional white sushi rice, it holds together quite nicely and I enjoyed the unique texture. As I said, the restaurant is pretty small so you might face a wait, but their service is pretty good so you likely won't feel neglected even if it's crowded. read more

Came on the the reviews. It's a decent place, just not the 4.5 star that it's at. Ordered the carpaccio, which was the only thing that I found flavourful. The bean and chicken breast currry was okay. The beef teriyaki was also okay. Nothing special. I did find the brown rice was cooked well and Wasabi was good. read more

Three and a half years later and the food here is just as amazing as when I first tried it. I come here for take out every now and then when I'm craving some really fresh sushi. Their rolls are so reasonably priced I can't say no, and their wasabi is out of this world! I've never had a bad dish here, the service is consistently awesome, and the prices are perfect. If you're looking for a breather from the big rolls down on Davie Street, this is where you should wander to! read more