3.5 stars. I put Tetsu in the same category as other small japanese owned sushi restaurants that serves higher quality sushi/sashimi. So this rating is not comparing with big piece sushi joints. The price is naturally more expensive than sushi joints as the quality of fish is higher. What you can expect here is a higher quality fish. The rice is done properly with a good consistency. I had the chirashi don set for lunch. The udon was good like most upper scale places that can do it well. I thought it was a nice touch to serve the tenaksu (tempura flakes) on the side instead of soaking it in. What I found off about this place was the cut of the fish. It didn't enhance it to make me feel the sweet flavours like other places I've tried. It's missing the umami. Overall it was good. However, as it's downtown and rent is expensive it is a little more expensive then other restaurants in the same scale. Adding to how hard it is to get to and it's super small, I probably won't be initiating to go back. read more

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I wanted to check out after seeing glowing reviews. It is very small restaurant with few seating availability; reservation recommended. Being party of two, we ordered 7 piece premium omakase and 5 piece premium omakase. We finished large sake while waiting for our food, meaning service was slow. The restaurant could hold maximum ~13 customers; with 2 sushi men and kitchen staff in the back, I expect faster service. The course starts with 3 appetizers that was ok, nothing special. Portions are one bite. At this stage, I dropped my expectations as I knew I was going to be disappointed. After awhile, the premium sushi plates came out. Server went through the fish lists. They were out of Japanese uni so they added extra pieces. Dish was beautifully plated. Looked great and fresh, but taste was just little above average. For their high price point, I expected much better taste and freshness. Then it went downhill from here. Udon was tasteless. Ice cream was just something you can buy from T&T. The washroom is in the back and you can see part of the kitchen and their dish washing station. There was a large fish stuck in dirty bucket that I should not have seen. Bill came out to be ~$170 for two. We were still hungry. Had to go to another restaurant for 2nd dinner. For the price, I expected better food, faster service (The term between each "course"). They need much improvement with authenticity and cleanliness, especially the back area which customer can see while walking to the washroom. To me, it almost seemed like tourist trap... read more

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Really fresh and authentic sushi for a decent price. I ordered the Chirashi don lunch set that included the 1/2 udon. They even set the tempura flakes on the side so that they wouldn't become soggy, which I found to be a nice, thoughtful touch. The service was pretty good, especially considering there was only one person staffing. The restaurant itself is small and has a cozy atmosphere. Overall, really enjoyable and authentic sushi experience. read more

Small (15 seats) non-descript location. Friendly greeting. Don't come early unless you don't mind waiting outside as this restaurant is small. Premier omakase was well timed and beautifully presented. Most of the sushi was delicious. Very much enjoyed the uni and blue fin, of course. I don't eat mochi and appreciated the alternate coffee custard. Different options for omakase to suit your budget. Main server was excellent. But unsure if the second server was a trainee but I could not understand her explanations and her knowledge was limited - super polite and friendly though. Upon being greeted, I had to repeat what I said before she "got it". Would I return? Maybe. I would come in to eat solo at the small 3 seat bar. But prefer the quality, service and interior of Sushi Jin. read more

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Informative and knowledgeable staff always explain the head Cher's hard work well! We love all the sushi they recommended. Must try if you want to be surprised by diffeeent variety of seafood. read more

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Got an omikase here when I was celebrating my friend's birthday. Everything was great until I tried the uni. It was rotten and I found it was unacceptable when I was paying the $100 price range. Other than that, nothing stood out for me. I guess other people had better luck on their sushi. read more

After reading all the great reviews here, we decided to give tetsu sushi a try to splurge on some good sushi. Seeing the one star of my review, you can probably tell I'm disappointed. In fact greatly disappointed, and here's why: 1. Going there we know it's a small shop, which is fine. A small shop can be cozy and charming. It's a shop of about a few tables and 3 seats at the counter. I hate to say, it's the most uncomfortable seating I have had in a restaurant, its cramp and dark. The decor is old, if they want to keep it simple, at least freshen up with new paint. The chairs are so uncomfortable. The atmosphere and environment are just less than desirable. 2. We didn't order from the omakase menu, we ordered from their white board menu as well as the physical menu. At that time all of the other customers were ordering the omakase menu, which there were altogether including us 9 customers. Funny enough, all other customers got their food way ahead of us even for those who ordered after us. Probably 20 mins into ordering, we got our 7 pieces sashimi. Then at about 1 hour into ordering, who got the items we ordered. During the time of waiting, all the omakase customers got all of their food. Even a telephone order take out which was placed during our wait was ready. I sort of got the feeling that they got all omakase items ready before the a la carte order. In all honesty, the wait was excessive and unnecessary. 3. Food was good but not exceptional. We were ready to splurge on the meal, and in return expect really good food like those mentioned on Yelp. Nothing spectacular, and they are very stinky on the portion. I'm not comparing them to sushi garden, having frequent Japan often, the portion of fish to rice at this place got to be the smallest I have ever had. The 2 of us spent $200, and left needing to get a bowl of ramen after. 4. Service was okay. The servers were friendly, and tried to converse with the customers from time to time. But the slow service really made the meal quite frustrating. We really wanted the experience to be great but unfortunately it was a disappointing one. I have no plan to return, and itll be hard for me to bring any guests there to a restaurant with such ambience and slow service. read more

Consistently good, value-priced omakaze. Since it opened, the sushi has been swimmingly fresh, and the staff so friendly and welcoming. My favourite is ordering the Umaki unagi tamago hot appetiser, fresh uni and toros, and ending it off with the cold soba with onions, radish and yummy soup. read more

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If it's new and sushi, Im there ;) Very fresh toro sashimi and unique, incredible tamago with cooked unagu inside, like a roll. Chirashi also very fresh, a small bowl of udon to boot. Not as pricey since that's what I expect for this quality.. Where the Thai restaurant used to be. read more

Tetsu Sushi Bar - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

We've been good all week! Working hard, paying our bills, being courteous to fellow drivers in traffic, saying lots of Please and Thank You... so we decided to treat ourselves on a Sunday night. We went for an omakase at one of our favourite downtown restaurants: Tetsu Sushi Bar! We've been here a few times and we will always go omakase... there's just too many fresh fish options out there and I'm not educated enough to know what's good and what's not... I'll trust the chef to feed me with his good stuff! Hahaha... The first tray we were treated to was the 4 appies tray! Super delish.... Let me see, there's octopus, king salmon, tamago, and a corn based pudding... I know I thought it was a bit weird too... but all the dishes were really good! Next came the sushi platter... Our waitress was super sweet and soft spoken so I could not hear and understand her well. I can't for the life of me tell you all the different fishes I consumed. All I can say is the sushi is all hand made... with craftsmen like care and attention to detail... They are almost pieces of art rather than delish treats! Next we had a beautiful udon dish... the noodles are not like the udon noodles you boil up from Safeway. The noodles are much more delicate and smooth. The broth is rich but not obscene. It's a very tasty dish. For desert they gave us a choice of a strawberry mochi, mango sorbet, or black sesame ice cream... I choose the ice cream! Yummy! Dinner is always good here! The restaurant is tiny. It only has a seating capacity of 15 people. It's intimate! Nice to know that this type of restaurant does not appeal to the loud American farm belt tourist! If you're looking for something special give Tetsu Sushi Bar a try. You won't be disappointed! read more

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Had an amazing experience at this authentic sushi place. Closest thing I've tried to sushi in Japan and very fresh ingredients. Service was excellent and sake selection very good. read more

It's a small and cozy shop, can hold about 12 - 15 people. We made reservations for omakase for their last seating at 9:30pm so it was pretty quiet, just us and another table. Service was great, I reminded them about dietary restrictions and the hostess confirmed with the chef immediately. Presentation of the food is nice and each piece of nigiri is seasoned nicely. Good amount of food with the appetizers and 14 pieces of nigiri, I left feeling full and happy. read more

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Good sushi by Japanese staff. Obviously not cheap. Obviously superior. Obviously all our Chinese friends come here to satisfy their love for everything Japanese. I have had the chef's sushi several times and it is always perfect. The rice, the fish and the presentation is top notch. What I also like is how they try to bring in new, different and surprise items to keep things fresh, but never compromise on quality. Don't come here expecting Spicy Tuna Stanley Park Roll or some similar crap. Their premises are small and the place is a little run-down, but given how expensive it already is then I prefer this to a newer place or a renovation that makes the sushi become even more expensive. The owner knows his art and it is always a pleasure dining there. He is a classy guy and I wish his team and he well. read more

The hole in the wall, friendly, clean, sushi restaurant you've always dreamed of having at the end of your block. Attention to detail in the food and service is exceptional- and done with casual authenticity (no snooty stuffiness here folks). I had the omakase, which I'd recommend, to get a better idea of the entire menu and to showcase what the talented chefs are capable of. I intended to return frequently, and will explore the rest of the daily changing , fresh, a la carte menu of seafood in the various roles and nigiri. Yum yum. read more

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One of the best authentic Omakase in Vancouver and it's decently priced. $70 gets you the premium Omakase set and you will feel full after. The fish are fresh and they always have blue fin tuna and Uni. You have to make reservations in advance and they do book up quick. Service is attentive and good. read more

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Food: 4/5 Quality: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Had dinner here yesterday and ordered the premium omakase at $50 it included: 3 appetizers, 5 nigiri pcs, plain udon, and ice cream For the price I feel like it was reasonable and the quality of their sushi is so good. The only thing is that I wish the nigiri were slightly bigger but still, the fish tasted fresh and sweet. Appetizers were really good, i loved the tamago and was probably my favourite of the omakase items. Since the omakase course was so small we ordered extra. Foie gras sushi: amazing Toro special roll: meh Salmon kazusake: goood Hokkaido uni sushi: good read more

Tetsu Sushi Bar - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Small cozy restaurant in a relaxed atmosphere. Came here for the first time last weekend. I would highly recommend calling to make reservations due to the limited seating. My wife ordered the omakase which she enjoyed thoroughly. The sushi pieces looked fresh and yummy!! She also ordered a piece of nodoguro which was delicate and delicious at the same time. I ordered the king salmon roll and blue fin negitoro roll. I loved the king salmon roll and can't wait to go back for another round! Our server Hijiri was awesome and attentive throughout our meal and offered sake recommendations which I really enjoyed. Will definitely be back. Price is slightly more expensive but it's worth it for the quality. read more

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Very down to earth, simple but rich in quality. They really directed their focus on quality and customer service, and trimmed out all the unnecessary, sometimes unwanted, bourgeoisie-ness that alot of other omakase comes with. Price is lower than what I expected considering the ingridients and freshness. read more

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I rarely use the five star for a restaurant, but this place truly deserves it! The fish is very very fresh and the service is excellent. We ordered aburi sushi fois gras and uni from Japan. They were melt in your mouth good! Kani salad was small but fresh with crab meat. Overall the prices are not cheap if you order special items, as we did, but well worth it! read more

We had a birthday celebration at Tetsu recently, and we wanted so much to love this restaurant, but alas, it was just OK. First, Tetsu is a very small restaurant, so reservation is a must, and even with reservation, you will likely have to wait for the table to clear, which is understandable. The biggest issue we had was price. All four of us ordered the premium omakase which came with 4 small appetizers, one plate (9 pieces) of sushi, a very plain bowl of udon and finally a small dessert. With some beers and one small bottle of average sake, the bill came to $525. The appetizers were ok, but uninspiring. The sushi was about the same, so why such high price?! With so much good Japanese food in Vancouver, why pay such high price for less than inspiring dishes? We will not be back. read more

Tasted good but a bit too expensive and store itself is also quite crowded (small space). Atmosphere and store front is quite authentic and waiters were nice but would imagine there are less costly and equally tasty alternatives read more

Tetsu Sushi Bar - Sushi Roll - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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I visited here with my boyfriend to try premium omakase. I want to thank all the staff in the restaurant for awesome food and great service. This restaurant is my must go place now when I visit Vancouver. read more

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Pro : not sure. Con: expensive for what you get, very limited seating 3 of us were really hungry, and ordered some rolls, udons, and cold soba. Both quality and quantity of the noodles were very unsatisfying while the bill came out way higher than usual good vancouver sushi joints. Not recommended. read more

I've been looking for a really good sushi bar in Vancouver since Tama closed many years ago. Tojo's is nice and all, especially if someone else is paying, but I think I liked him better when he had the little counter at the back of the Soft Rock Cafe. Tetsu is my new go-to for REAL sushi. Impeccable rice. Perfect rice-to-fish ratio. And the quality of the fish! The chef brings in top quality stuff from the Tsukiji Market in Tokyo every week, and if you've ever been there, you know that all the best quality stuff that swims, crawls, or attaches itself to a rock comes from there. This exotic selection is interspersed with brilliant seasonal local ingredients as well. There is a very high degree of artistry in the presentation. Although I've tried the omakase meal, which was good, I could give a crap about green tea ice cream. My preference is for the a la carte bits. ... The otoro is incredible. The sweetest Hokkaido scallop. The mackerel box sushi was amazing. The seared prawn sushi was a revelation. It is indeed a little pricier than your average sushi bar to be sure, but this is not your average sushi bar! Those who know the difference between really good sushi and the generic dreck doled out in most other places are willing to pay a little more for quality. If you're a fan of "Spicy Tuna Rolls", stay away, because you just won't get it. Service was friendly and enthusiastic. My only real bitch is that they could have made their own pickled ginger... read more

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One of the better ones in Vancouver. They have Jikon sake (one of my favourite) on the drink list. Omakase is great except for anago which is too soggy, but chef prefers it this way. I have nothing to say. read more

The sushi is very fresh and delicious! The service is quite good too. I had the crab roll with real crab, the blue fin Toro, and ikura. Sooooo good!! The restaurant is tiny. It is pricey, but I think once in a while you have to treat yourself. read more

Even though Tetsu Sushi Bar is new on Denman but Chef Santosi prepared fresh ingredients with japanese culinary passion ! Great interactive service with custom and clear daily fishes info on board! Second visit for Bluefin Tuna kama Otoro which is most succulent part of fish sashimi! You definitely will find one for delicious gourmet no matter in "omakase " or " a la carte" ! read more

Tetsu Sushi Bar - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Very good place for sushi, arguably one of the best in Vancouver. Product is fresh and good quality. Chef is young but knowledgable, and made good recommendation. Server is friendly and make you feel welcome. Blue Fin O'toro is the MUST order. read more

Tetsu Sushi Bar - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

The best sushi on Bc. Period! great service as well as the quality of food. Can only sit up to 9-10 people so for sure you will need to make reservations. read more

This restaurant is a hidden gem. Must book in advance as they are a small restaurant with limited seating but must try for a more authentic Japanese taste. read more

Heaven for sushi. Truly, a hidden gem. A very knowledgeable server at Miku recommended I visit and I was blown away. The lunch menu has great value, there's no doubt about that, but moving beyond the lunch menu, the a la carte menu is excellent and there's great variety and selection to choose from in terms of quality as well (multiple types of uni for example). The space is small, so make a reservation. The prices are just right in terms of quality. The service is relaxed and casual. So hang up your coat, don't expect top notch service, and enjoy being served excellent food. Is this a place to celebrate or a special occasion place? Not in my opinion - this is simply just a place to eat very well and have a happy belly. read more

Probably one of the best premium casual Japanese restaurant in the city. Would highly recommend dropping by to visit Satoshi and his gang prepare each dish to order. Depending on the day, the daily fish board rotated depending on the availability of the day's fish. Lunch menu slightly different than dinner menu. Both are worth trying for sure. read more

Tetsu Sushi Bar - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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This place is amazing. As authentic as it gets, even the plates are from Japan and add a really nice touch to the whole experience. The food tastes great and fresh. It is original and sophisticated without being complicated. All of that in a cozy atmosphere and at reasonable prices. My only concern is that there will soon be a long line of clients waiting for a table :) read more

We came here for my mom's birthday and customer service was beyond excellent! Food was delicious and super fresh -- loved the omakase, fresh fish and uncomplicated menu. The staff there even got everyone in the restaurant to sing happy birthday for my mom! A pleasant surprise :) read more

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Very friendly staff. Great quality. Glad I stopped by instead of my usual sushi bar when visiting Vancouver. read more

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Eleven years in Vancouver has taught me a fair bit about sushi and sashimi. In my opinion this is the best sushi in town. The size of the bar belies the quality of the rice and fish. Owner and chef Satoshi has fish flown in from the Tokyo fish market daily and it's obvious from the taste that this is premium. My recommendation is for the Omakase, chef knows best. They even accommodated me for a late request for my birthday setting up a special Omakase for me. Superb food and great people. read more

We dined here on Saturday Aug 18. This was one of the best sushi we have eaten in our lives. The restaurant is a bit cramped and very casual, but don't let that fool you. The fish is imported from Japan every week, and you can taste the difference. The omakase with chef's choice is more than enough for one person. We also had some Bonito which was a killer. Finally, try the lightly flamed salmon which will open up your taste buds. read more

High-end traditional Japanese food sushi bar located in a tiny tiny place. Our experience was out-of-this-world in the 3h spent here. Our server Nicholas recommended us traditional, simple choices that perfectly matched our taste. The appetizers were delicious and the sashimi was only the best seasonal fish. Everything was fully flavoured when it arrived on the table, thanks to the amazing chef. It will be hard to find another restaurant as good! read more

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I was in town visiting and decided to come here for dinner one night. Make sure to make reservations in advance, especially for the sushi bar since the place is super tiny. We were able to get seats at the bar. All the servers here and the sushi chef were super duper nice! We did the omakase as well as some of the special items on the board. I won't go into detail with the specific pieces we ate, but I felt the quality of the fish was great for the price. Sure, I've had better sushi elsewhere, but for this price and the service, you can't go wrong. I like how it's small and unassuming. More like a word of mouth place. Definitely give it a try if you are looking for some won't break the bank sushi. Also pay attention to the specials and don't just order the omakase. I recommend getting 1 omakase to share and getting a la carte. read more

We went here for a very special occasion. I got a reservation after reading reviews here at Yelp. First, they served me an appetizer I already canceled. Afterwards, it took them more than 40 minutes to prepare one roll and their premium sashimi (only 7 pieces!). We wanted to leave as our night was ruined. They apologized and gave us free desert to rectify the wait but at that point, it was already too late. We were already frustrated when they served the food so honestly we did not even feel the taste as our experience was already bad. We took quick bites, paid and left. We would probably not go back. I normally do not give out extremely low reviews and I am very patient if there was a silver-lining, but it was the worst dining experience I had in Canada so far. read more