Eatery

It sounds disgusting and you’re going to love it. For the first time in history mango, mayonaise and peanut butter (or something equally unlikely) meet in a sushi roll for a party in your mouth. 

An absolute favourite with UBC students and neighbourhood cool kids, Eatery culture embraces A.D.D. and cheeky puns. It’s sort of like eating inside a cartoon. Enjoy the restaurant’s collage of B to D-list celebrities who have dined within (find out exactly what happened to Jonathan Taylor Thomas) and check out their kitschy merch.

Authentic Japanese this is not, but you’ll be having too much fun to care.

Sushi here isn't the dirt-cheap standard stuff that seems to be available on every street corner around Vancouver, but this favourite student hangout offers a staggering variety of off-the-wall maki rolls, and other fare, at great value.  No need to be a raw fish fan with options like the Philadelphia Roll (tempura yam, avocado, red pepper, asparagus and cream cheese - $5.50) or the Japanese Cowboy (teriyaki beef and asparagus - $5.25).  The Tex-Mex is scrumptious (California roll with a sauce of tomatoes, avocado, roe and salmon -$7.50).  More traditional maki varieties are also available for the less adventurous.

The focus is on inventive Japanese food (not just sushi), but the restaurant also serves up a smaller selection of curries ($11.95 - $14.50, which I have never tried because I can't resist the sushi!).  The drink list is extensive, with well-priced beer, wine, sake and cocktails, including martinis, "saketinis" and Red Bull concoctions.

Inside, the walls are lined with booths where diners nosh beneath the technicolour gaze of Warhol-esque paintings and anime cartoons.  In the summer there's a small patio on 4th Avenue.  Daily specials on mains, appies, sushi and drinks sweeten the deal.  Reservations available.  Open Mon-Fri for dinner, weekends for lunch (starting at 12:30 and dinner).

The place to be seen in the trendy, white collar yoga mom and university students living on loans area of Kitsilano. Inventive sushi named after Captain Crunch and Andy Warhol fills your tummy. Seems like the sushi has everything in it but the kitchen sink - from peanut butter to bacon. Not a sushi fan? Don't worry - they have other Japanse staples such as gyoza (dumplings), udon bowls and yakisoba - minus the peanut butter and fun names. Sit back and soak up the loud, bustling atmosphere. The darkly lit joint is busy with photos of smiling patrons with overflowing busoms, Hello Kitty devil dolls and a gigantic paper mache Astro Boy flying through the ceiling. Save room for the deep fried Mars bar dessert or traditional Japanese root beer float.