Japanese restaurants in North America
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Eatery
Wooden booths, lava lamps and a neon ‘miso horny’ sign are all part of the ambience at this pop-culture reinvention of the traditional sushi joint. Bring your manga comic and dip into the giant, well-priced menu of soba bowls, curry-rice and several sushi combos, all washed down with a good selection of Japanese and Canadian bottled beers. There are plenty of vegetarian options, including some shareable platters for all those veggies who travel in packs.
reviewed
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Imanas Tei
At this top-rated izakaya (a Japanese pub serving food), enjoy world-class sake while grazing on delectable sushi and crowd-pleasing nabemono (do-it-yourself meat and vegetable soups).
reviewed
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Sushi Hatsu
A Korean-Japanese place that serves excellent kimchee and sushi, and gets several thumbs-up.
reviewed
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Sushi Taro
The argument over best sushi in town comes down to this place and Makoto. In some ways, the issue boils down to aesthetics and service – both kitchens seem to (rightly) obsess over serving the finest, freshest fish possible arranged with beautiful sides and garnishes, presented with that attention to detail where the Japanese exist in a league of their own. A quivering bit of fatty tuna comes with a side of wasabi freshly grated from one long stem of Japanese horseradish into slivers of nose-tingling happiness. The tastes have almost mathematical layers of complexity, yet this intricacy is arrived at from the seemingly simple combination of a few fresh ingredients. The lo…
reviewed
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Makoto
When we want sushi in the city we often opt for Makoto, simply by dint of it being so classically… Japanese. We probably need to clarify that comment. See, we don’t just mean the staff are Japanese or there’s flute and funny-one-string-guitar music playing in the back (although they are, and there is). It’s that special Japanese attention to detail. The napkins look like origami. The wasabi is fresh grated. You leave your shoes at the door. The geisha – ok, waitresses, but they’re so attentive you’d be forgiven for mixing up the terms – might as well wipe your mouth and hold your hand in the toilet. And the food, needless to say, is excellent. There’s no mucking a…
reviewed
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Posh Charcoal Collaboration Dining
This loungey little Japanese hot-pot spot in an unassuming strip-mall location is possibly the most fun you can have with a meal. Each table has a camping-style stove topped with a pan of soup broth: you order plates of delicate tofu, crisp veggies and thin-cut beef and cook it all yourself in the broth. The affordable all-you-can-eat sukiyaki approach invites experimentation, and you’ll find yourself sampling lotus root and the oddly textured konjac tofu. Wash it all down with some smashing Pearl Sake and you’ll soon be considering a job as a chef. Popular with younger Asian diners, you’ll find lots of 20-somethings here on most nights.
reviewed
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Guu With Garlic
One of the many excellent Asian bistros, sushi spots and noodle joints at Robson St’s West End tip, you’ll be chilling with the visiting ESL students at this highly authentic and ever-welcoming izakaya. Heaping hotpots and steaming noodle bowls are on offer but it’s best to experiment with a few Japanese-bar tapas plates, such as black cod with miso mayo, deep-fried egg pumpkin balls or a finger-lickin’ basket of tori-karaage fried chicken that will make you turn your back on KFC forever. Garlic is liberally used in most dishes, and it’s best to arrive at the 5:30pm opening time to be sure of a seat.
reviewed
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Megu
A shrine to both style and substance, this is the place to have all your senses wowed. The space itself is wondrous – various levels of high ceilings, low lighting, Japanese art installations and sleek banquettes – and the food is equally exciting. Lobster salad with yuzu and passion fruit sauce, elegant edamame soup, slippery-fresh sushi and Kobe beef (grilled, carpaccio and tartare ) are stunners. Or go for the gusto with a drawn-out tasting menu, starting with a spoonful of raw ‘egg’: pineapple juice, coconut milk and a yolk-ish filling.
reviewed
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Asahi-Ya
You’ll be rubbing shoulders with chatty Asian language students at this friendly and decidedly unpretentious Japanese diner – don’t push too hard on the table dividers or they might tumble onto your neighbor’s head. Good-value sushi and sashimi classics are fresh and well-presented, but it’s the hearty cooked combo meals – especially the sizzling chicken teriyaki – that will bring you back for more. If it’s crowded, there are several other good-value Japanese and Korean eateries dotted nearby.
reviewed
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Tojo’s
Hidekazu Tojo’s legendary skill with the sushi knife has created Vancouver’s most revered Japanese restaurant, in a city that’s probably the best in the world for this particular culinary art form outside Tokyo. Among his exquisite dishes are favorites such as lightly steamed monkfish, sautéed halibut cheeks and fried red tuna wrapped with seaweed and served with plum sauce. It’s a sleek and sophisticated room and seats at both the sake bar and omakaze sushi bar can be hard to come by on weekend nights: book ahead by phone.
reviewed
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Fujimamas
Fujimamas blends hip, eclectic ambience - something Kailua's restaurant scene sorely lacks - with chic presentation, making it a very exciting new addition. The heavily Japanese-influenced menu includes sushi, wok dishes and 'things that make you go ummm'. The handmade Chinese noodles with mushrooms and truffle oil get wide acclaim, as does the grilled pork chop on tempura sweet potato bread with apple chutney and miso sesame sauce.
Oh, and leave room for the insane desserts, such as banana tempura on tropical French toast.
reviewed
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Matsuri
Note the customers: Matsuri, tucked into a nondescript shopping center, is consistently packed with Japanese people. They don’t want scene; they want a taste of home – although many are South American Japanese who order unagi (eels) in Spanish, which is a cool dining sight in and of itself. Spicy toro (fatty tuna) and scallions, grilled mackerel with natural salt, and an ocean of raw fish are all oishi (delicious). The $8 bento lunch makes the rest of the day disappointing compared to your midday meal.
reviewed
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Enzo Sushi
One of Québec City’s best (and priciest) sushi restaurants, Enzo receives rave reviews for its mouthwateringly fresh sushi and sashimi. In addition to the classics, house specialties feature inventive sushi combinations like homard grillé (grilled lobster with fish roe, cucumber, lettuce and spicy mayonnaise). There are a few tempura and teriyaki dishes for nonsushi lovers. Start the meal off with a sake martini or a soho martini (vodka and lychee juice) or head straight for the wine list.
reviewed
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Sushi Aoki
It’s hard to believe that such a tiny restaurant would have the kind of extensive menu usually found in places 10 times bigger, but Sushi Aoki is a fancy-free yet recommended nook that knows exactly how to do the business. Using only the freshest fish (it flies in what it can’t source locally), the chefs artfully craft rolls such as the signature shrimp with mayonnaise and apricot sauce and the fab rainbow roll of salmon, clam, tuna and sea bass. Ask for menu recommendations from the friendly owners.
reviewed
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Hapa Izakaya
If you think Japanese restaurants are all about sushi, drop by this popular reinvention of a Tokyo tapas bar. Within its cocoon-like windowless interior and black-on-black color scheme, you’ll discover comfort-food treats such as steaming hot pots and beef skewers marinated in miso – all best washed down with an ice-cold Sapporo beer. You’ll completely forget you’re in Vancouver when you stumble out onto the street several hours later looking for the nearest karaoke bar.
reviewed
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Kaze Sushi
The most refined option on the Roscoe St strip, Kaze’s Tuesday night tasting menu features their signature specialties: inventive sushi and Japanese dishes with a French inflection. The seasonal menu has much to offer in the way of large plates, though sushi aficionados will delight in the creative rolls – like the Blue Fin tuna dressed with pickled onions, burdock root, chives and truffle oil – and simple nigiri cuts, ideal to accent with the house-made soy sauce.
reviewed
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Miya’s Sushi
Superlative sushi – probably the best in the state – is prepared in this low-key spot by chef Bun Lai, two-time winner of the Taste of the Nation Award. Sushi appetizers sport alluring names like the Concubine’s Delight (smoked salmon and goats cheese wrapped in tempura eggplant), but the true star is the kaiseki ($30), a truly exceptional prix-fixe meal highlighted by several inventive sashimi arrangements, which must be ordered in advance.
reviewed
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Tsuki
This large urbane sushi destination is beloved for its fresh sashimi and playful approach to traditional rolls. Top picks include the smoked duck nigiri (served on top of the rice instead of rolled like maki) and the intriguing pistachio-salmon teriyaki. Soba and udon noodles and tempura round out the menu, which also includes some vegetarian selections. Most items on the simplified lounge menu are $5 or less, making them some of the best nighttime eats around.
reviewed
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Motomachi Shokudo
One of Vancouver’s very best ramen houses, this evocative but incredibly tiny spot – there are fewer than 20 seats – combines lightning fast service with perfect comfort dishes. First-timers should try the New Generation Miso Ramen, brimming with bean sprouts, sweet corn, shredded cabbage and barbecued pork. An added plus is that most ingredients are organic. If the line-up’s long, try its older sister noodlery a few doors south. Cash or debit cards only.
reviewed
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Benkyodo
Everything you really need in life is within reach of your stool at Benkyodo. The perfect retro lunch counter cheerfully serves an old-school egg-salad sandwich or pastrami for $3.50. Across the aisle are glass cases featuring teriyaki-flavored pretzels and $1 mochi made in-house daily – come early for popular green tea and chocolate-filled strawberry varieties, but don’t be deterred by the savory, nutty lima bean paste.
reviewed
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Mirai Sushi
This high-energy restaurant has an even higher-energy lounge upstairs; both are packed with happy, shiny Wicker Park residents enjoying some of the freshest sushi in the area. From the trance-hop electronic music to the young, black-clad staff, Mirai is where true connoisseurs of sashimi and maki (rolled sushi) gather to throw back a few cocktails between savory morsels of yellowtail and shiitake tempura lightly fried to perfection.
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Koo
Sushi traditionalists flirt with this fusion Japanese joint, with sidelong glances at the scrumptious cream and dark wood interior with mid-century lamps. Surely this place must be getting by on looks alone? But Koo has smarts too: tuna with wild mushrooms and raspberry reduction, mint-miso spare ribs with potato noodles. Then there's the Spoonful of Happiness: uni and quail egg with truffle oil… uh-oh, this could be serious.
reviewed
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Kyoto
Sporting a blonde-wood interior, friendly hipster staff and, most importantly, chefs who truly care about doing some fine raw fish, Kyoto is our favorite sushi bet in the city. The menu offers all the tuna/eel/yellowtail favorites plus some local specialties such as crawfish rolls. It’s popular with students, young families and the smattering of Japanese expats we spoke with in the city, which may be the highest praise of all.
reviewed
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SushiSamba
With the flouncy colors of Rio and martial-arts flicks digitally projected onto the walls, SushiSamba presents a chic, sleek integration of Peruvian, Brazilian and Japanese cuisine, such as flawlessly grilled robata and churrasco meats, marinated sashimi seviche spiked with citrus and chilies, or delicately done tempura boxes with dipping sauces. And whoa, the sake list is encyclopedic. Reservations strongly recommended.
reviewed
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Sushi Mart
You’ll be rubbing shoulders with chatty young Asians at the large communal dining table here, one of the best spots in town for a sushi feast in a casual setting. Check the fresh-sheet blackboard showing what’s available and then tuck into expertly prepared and well-priced shareable platters of all your fave nigiri, maki and sashimi treats. Wash it all down with a large bottle of Sapporo or a hot sake or two.
reviewed
