Review Black Rice Izakaya - Vancouver

Overall ambiance was pretty decent, got the beef sukiyaki with poached egg and rice, the soup tasted good, but beef tasted pretty unseasoned. Overall the dish was decent, not amazing but would be interested in perhaps coming back and trying something else.

A really fun vibrant vibe, small place with that classic Izakaya variety. The sashimi was fresh, flavourful and delicate. I love squid, octopus and cuttlefish and I have it often - so the butter based Ikayaki was a treat. Opulently rich and creamy, it was memorable. Service was very friendly and I appreciated the insight shared about the food. Not a cheap place but won’t break the bank if you’re looking for a nice meal.

Hands down one the best sushi places in Vancouver. Friendly staff, nice vibes and quality food. Prices are a little more expensive compared to other sushi places but keep in mind this is Izakaya, and the food has high quality. I always brings my friends who are visiting from out of town, and they are all impressed.

Just stopped here for lunch. The best way to explain it is "underwhelming". Nothing tasted bad, everything tasted good. Just not special. Also found it strange that they pre portion the amount of soy sauce you can have... Was disappointed in their sushi selection. Maybe 5 classic rolls? So personally, unless you're strapped for time and working out of CBC Studios, I would definitely skip it.

Where to start. First time here. Love the vibe.. such friendly and attentive servers. Everything we ordered ranged from pretty damn good to complete and utter deliciousness. Soy sauce is world class. The sushi rice is perfection. And can we talk about the music? There was chair dancing.. keep doing how you do. Will definitely recommend and be back !

Service and quality of food is excellent. However, all the dishes were very sweet and excessive sugar was used. I’m not sure if they had an off night but I’ve never had Japanese dishes sweet like this. Had to drink lots of water and tea.

Good quality sushi, everything very fresh, nice sauces. Service was friendly and accommodating. Will return!

We wanted to order Gyu Katsu. It was sold out😭 My favorite was Sukiyaki! I wish i had it in Winter. It was already good enough. But Imagine eating the soup when it's cold! Would be amazing! Highy recommend Sukiyaki!! Cream Udon was a bit bland for me.

I've eaten at a lot of Japanese restaurants, I do not hesitate in saying this is my favorite. I went in a group of 6. We started sashimi, it was so fresh and beautifu, looks like a work of art. What looks good, tastes good. The sukiyaki, I momentarily under the illusion that I was in Japan. The rolls were delicious as well...we especially enjoyed mackerel roll, we had never tried before. Tender and melt in your mouth kind. I think they have a knack for making Japanese food. Also their simple dessert surprised us a lot. It was a specific idea. Great atmosphere , excellent service, amazing food , only place to go in Vancouver downtown

Just ok. I didn’t find the tuna tataki or black cod *that* fresh. Service was very quick although not too accommodating when I made a request to cancel one of the dishes because the portions were bigger than expected.

This was a terrific place to eat. Service was quick and the food was so good. Highly recommend it!

Awesome service, great staff and a wonderful meal. Highly recommend to friends who love good food.

Amazing food and awesome people, definitely recommend this place! Thank you for taking care of us :)

The lunch sets are super worth the money. Immaculately put together. I love how many different things are included in the sets and it's all delicious! The dinner menu is also great, maybe even better than lunch time. I save up to go for the dinner whenever I can!

Awesome food and great atmosphere. I highly recommend this restaurant

So the waitress gave my meal to the wrong person, then handed it to me with food missing. Enough said.

Food quality was outstanding as was the service. Recommended!

My favourite restaurant. Period. And I live across the continent... it doesn't have a crazy izakaya ambience but the food is just perfect.

Excelente, muy buen lugar para comer sushi. Y otras cosas. Hay un platillo que te dan 7 tipos de nigiris muy bueno :)

Best food and service I've had in a VERY long time! Thank you for the special time for our family,

Best nigiri I have ever had. Other food is good but nigiri is top notch!

Excellent presentation and wait staff. Food was just as awesome as the presentation. Would definitely visit again when in Vancouver.

This restaurant is a little on the reserved side compared to some we have visited but we were made to feel welcome and seated right away. We started with Tebasaki (house sauce glazed chicken wings). They arrived so hot that it took some self-control not to burn our fingers as we wanted to tear right in. The house sauce was on the sweet side, not too startling but very good while the chicken was tender and moist. We shared the Mentaiko Cream Udon which we always enjoy and this was no exception. Marinated pollock roe is the main flavour but with a cream sauce, bacon and onion. Loved it. The Spicy Shrimp and Bacon Ishiyaki arrived next. I startled our server as she wanted to mix the bowl for us but of course, I wanted to photograph it first. Taking pictures of all our food is one great annoyance of the modern first world for which we can thank social media. Oh well, I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it and didn't crave the 'likes'. Ishiyaki is evidently the hot stone and an ancient tradition. Of course, we loved the crusty rice at the bottom and the shrimp were a little spicy but not overly so. The bacon just added what bacon always adds. A nicely conceived dish! They offer a variety of Kush -Yaki (single skewers ). We found both the Galbi and Tsukune (ground chicken) to be amazing but at $4 for each, things could get expensive quickly. As mentioned earlier, ordering additional items could be a good idea and so we decided to try their nigiri aburi in the form of Albacore Tuna. They were generous pieces and had a slight torching. At this point, I am still not convinced by the point of this technique. I have not tried aburi often but so far, I am just as content to have my nigiri un torched. BTW, the albacore was great! I would call Black Rice chic and comfortable although some tables are a bit squeezed together. There is an open kitchen which is always cool. Service was very good and multiple people checked on us to make sure everything was fine. It's a little on the expensive side perhaps.

The combo boxes are a great deal for lunch. The aburi isn't as "melt-in-your-mouth" as Miku/Minami but it still satisfies any cravings for aburi. The seared beef nigiri is yummy and comes with a nice gimmick of them searing it in front of you.

Service was not bad. Highly recommend the black rice role (can’t really recall its name) is topped with mentaiko sauce. Miso black cod was not the best, but is above average. Overall, food and service was amazing. With huge selections of sake.

Food is great . I loved their black angus nigiri. It’s a must when I go there. Their price is fair but it seems like they need to hire more staffs. Servers were running their feet off. Took them at least 20mins to bring the soft drinks and some of the staffs are running out of their patients. Some of the staffs rolled their eyes at their customers

Wanted some good Izakaya in this neighborhood and this place popped up in our search. Considering the reviews and price we expected to be blown away , but the food was fairly average. We got Tebasaki - Glazed Chicken Wing, which was good, Miso Zuke Black Cod Steak - Grilled Miso Marinated Black Cod, had a nice texture, perfectly cooked. The cheese stuffed scallops were just meh. The Shishamo - Crispy Smelt fish was fairly good. So, moral of the story - most things were good, but for the price that we paid, it didn't seem worth it. For about 60% of the same price, we have been wow'ed by other Izakaya places in the same neighborhood :)May be we'll try Sushi next time, if we go there again.

came here for quick dinner, ordered a few things, and well most of it are decent to say the least, the presentation of the food is definitely good. taste wise i think it's okay, but nothing impressive or different that will really be memorable. price wise i think it's on the pricier side but the ambiance and location does say that as well. as i'm more a quantity type of person i would try some other restaurants instead of coming back here again if i'm in the area.

This is my first ever negative review on Zomato. I went there for lunch, and the server forgot one of the order, I said we still need it, she refused to make " the kitchen is closed.". <br/><br/>We end up leaving with hungry feeling, had to go somewhere to ate the second lunch meal.<br/><br/>I sent them an email and tried to address the issue, no one replied.<br/><br/>I guess they just don't care about the service. (Kind of regard we did the tipping :( )<br/><br/>Disappointed.

○Decent service / some are kind of snobby<br/>○Decent food / nothing memorable<br/>○A tad overpriced<br/>○If i had to choose 1 dish: mussels<br/>○Would I go back ? No

Back in December, Black Rice Izakaya launched some new items on their winter menu and we were invited for a tasting. The interior is full of wooden details giving it a warm izakaya feel. Gin No Kurenai “Pink Lady”. We started off with some sake called Pink Lady which has a rose colour and is light, sweet and fruity. My frist time trying sake with a rose colour and it didn’t disappoint!

We had the most amazing nigiri meal here, so good we went back the next night. Service was attentive and atmosphere was really nice. Strongly advise asking chefs to plate their own favourite pieces for you, it's a really positive experience.

Food is very well presented but it is missing something. I think they need abit more flavour in the foods and something to give it that upperclass Japanese kick. It wasn't bad at all but not something that you bring to your wildest dreams. It's abit to pricy for me to return to. I think lowering prices will get this place booming. Up to you if you want to get in there and stuff your face

I find their food has decent quality here but is slightly on the pricey side. The sushi and tapas dishes could use a bit more refinement. Their massive menu and the prices on the more creative dishes might be holding them back from being standing out. Although the eatery is not too far from Gastown, Robson and Yaletown, it is not exactly in the centre of any of those busy areas. They should really think about the regulars rather than the visitors. I think some true izakaya charms with small exquisite dishes might keep the customers coming back, much better than expecting people to blow a fortune and never return... There are a lot of great Japanese restaurants in downtown after all.

Today I was invited to a media event at “Black Rice” Izakaya, hosted by “Pork Ninjas”. For me this would be my first time dining here, but for many of the other food bloggers and social media influencers, this would be a repeat visit. They were unveiling a new menu with us, which included them now offering a weekend lunch from 11-3pm . (By the time I post this review, both should be in full effect.) The head chef/owner admitted to not making any changes to their offerings since their inception 2.5 years ago, so now was the time. He explained how the menu was previously more innovative, but that they have stepped away from that. They have been long doing what others wanted from them, offering what everyone else did. But now they are stepping away from stepped up food and moving towards comfort eating with comfortable prices. Though their sushi rolls and bowls will be staying the same and they will keep their lunch sets, as both are fairly popular.

First time here. Nice ambience. Service was okay, found them a bit slow on everything. Food were pretty good but pretty pricey. Ending up paying $60 person.

Having been the choice for birthday parties among friends, I have tried it once a long time ago. It looks like from my most recent visit that they definitely stepped up the sushi game here. . Korean owned serving up japanese izakaya style eats that accompany drinks – namely sake (have you seen their wall of sake offerings)?

I haven’t seen B in a long time, and we finally were able to find time in both of our schedules to meet up for lunch on a weekday. What we ate: Teishoku A, Aburi Spicy Salmon hako, Chef’s selection of Aburi Sushi and sashimi with Guacamole Side of Beef karaage, agedashi tofu, oshinko, green salad and miso soup ($15.95)

The teishoku lunch specials are definitely worth it. They come with multiple small dishes, which gives it a good variety. I think teishoku A is great because of all the aburi sushi that goes with it. The second time I came here, I tried the teishoku B which came with the black Angus sushi. It comes with the raw beef and the chef comes with a blowtorch to sear it to however you'd like. It was really good. The item I liked most was the negitoro hako. One of the reasons I actually came back for a second time. However, they didn't have any negitoro, so we tried the unagi hako. It was OK, but just wasn't as satisfying as the negitoro. Also was a little disappointing because not all the pieces had unagi on it.<br/><br/>This place can get quite busy during the lunch hours and it isn't that big of a restaurant, so making reservations would be a good idea unless you show up close to when they open. Service is good and I'd definitely come back.

I really enjoyed this place. My favorite part of the menu is the combo menu. The way they serve the combos is really adorable, and each portion on the tray is small and perfect; it gives you a taste of everything without filling you up too soon.

We came to Black Rice after a White Caps game, and we were very hungry. We ordered the plain udon, chicken karaage donburi, the black angus nigiri, and the spicy salmon aburi hako. The black angus nigiri as well as the aburi were good but nothing amazing. As for the chicken karaage donburi, let's just say it was a struggle to finish.<br/><br/>Overall, we would say the food is alright, the service is decent but the prices are a little high for what you get.

We have hit to so many izakaya places already so we wanted to look for a new place to try on Saturday night.  We found Black Rice on Zomato and we hesitated a while since there were both good and bad reviews at it.  Black Rice is a Japanese Izakaya restaurant located in Yaletown area.  I was a lil disappointed at the food menu as I expected more izakaya dishes and Black Rice is not a traditional Izakaya.  I think it is operated by Korean, not Japanese.  I like the sake menu, they have a good selection of sake.  Food quality was so so, nothing is impressive.  Price range is on the high side especially the nigiri sushi.  In this price range, I definitely can have some real good authentic sushi at other Japanese restaurants.  The place is great, nice environment and relaxing atmosphere which unlike the typical izakayas.

Not bad, I really enjoyed the atmosphere. Unfortunately I didn't want to spend that much money that day so I only tried the Aburi spicy salmon roll. I heard that the negitoro aburi was really good, but I did not have the chance to try it out. I may when they come back for their lunch combo because I heard that was a good deal.

We were told that this is a relatively new place worth checking out, as a group of 6 people for lunch. We picked from the first page. The tea looks like plain water, but tastes like tea. The dishes were well presented. I had the black Cod, and it was pretty good.

Black Rice had good selection of food and sake. Sushi was great but really small. Tasty and unique. This place is quite expensive so be prepared. For 7 people, we paid 500 dollars for food and sake.

The Volcano Dynamite Roll consisted of crab meat, prawn tempura, cucumber, avocado, spicy tuna, and brown rice. I enjoyed the savoury prawn tempura and could feel the snap of the juicy prawn. The crab meat inside was soft and mildly creamy, while the avocado added some sweetness to the roll. The spicy tuna wasn't very spicy, but it had a nice zing, and the sprinkles on top contributed some crunch to the roll.

This place is amazing! Amazing service, super authentic Japanese cuisine, delicious and nice decor. Also, I'm still in shock how affordable their sushi is.

The vibe of the restaurant is loungey and good for date night or girl's night out. Service was very average but I really enjoyed the food. I had the tuna tataki salad and the sockeye salmon carpaccio. The tuna tataki was perfectly seared and dressed with a tobiko and yuzu vinaigrette. It was accompanied by sizeable pieces of avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, and garnished with taro chips - delicious. The sockeye salmon carpaccio was sliced thickly and topped with guacamole and micro-greens. The portions were larger than I had anticipated, which was a plus. My dining companions had the Black Rice Sukiyaki which, unfortunately, left much to be desired. It was just a pot of ingredients simmering in a sweet sauce that lacked dimension. However, aside from that, I was impressed with the food and will certainly return to try their aburi.

Came here with a larger group on a Monday night and it wasn't super busy despite being located next to BC place while a Canucks game was taking place. The chefs were relatively younger and service was lacking. We had a large group but we'd continuously have to wait for water, and then wait again to get our orders in, and wait when we need something (like water refill, tea refill, etc) and to even get the bill. The wait times were way too long. There wasn't a way we could've tipped them 18%, not with the lack of service they were providing. <br/>The food was average, nothing too spectacular but it was rather oily for a lot of the dishes. Quite different to see a lot of black rice dishes and it's a healthier take on some dishes. <br/>Not particularly a fan of this spot overall.

I had dinner here at 6pm. The restaurant was not too busy but it was busy after an hour. The service was average. The chefs in the kitchen were quite young. <br/><br/>This Japanese restaurant is located in Yaletown, so the pricing is a little bit more expensive. I would expect the quality would be excellent because this restaurant or by looking at the name seems to be high class. <br/><br/>My dinner was a rainbow roll, black rice sukiyaki and spicy salmon aburi hako. The food was average. Not bad. But I did not have a "wow" impression. <br/><br/>If you are around the neighbourhood, you may want to try their lunch or bento box. My friend said the lunch was better. I might not want to go back to this restaurant as there are many choices in Yaletown and downtown Vancouver.

This is a new izakaya restaurant located on Cambie and Robson. I ordered Chef's Sashimi Moriawase, Spicy Salmon Aburi Hako, Amaebi, Unagi and Angus Beef Nigiri and some Kushu-Yaki. The ambiance is good, especially with a group of drinking buddies. Overall the food is not bad. I love their Angus beef, Amaebi and Hamachi. However, the sushi rice needs an improvement, it is not firm enough and a little bit too sweet. Also the service is bit slow, probably they are short of labor.

Interesting place, we were skeptical at first as its settings are not your typical Japanese restaurant. the food came and I was blown away. I would definitely go back

Food was pretty good but couldn't help compare to the Guu restaurants. I don't like salty dishes but I don't like bland either and they were a tad. Nice atmosphere and decor though. Tuna aburi was the only dish that stood out really in the 15 dishes we ordered 😯

The most elegant and affordable Japanese food in my books. Good to look at, and so much better than the average sushi place. Beef and my shroom rice bowl is good. Aburi sushi nigiri is also yummy. Lunch box C offers gindara which is now t available at night.

Every Friday, my friends and I love to spend time eating and drinking at Japanese Izakayas to unwind after a week of work. Since we’ve managed to hit most Izakayas in Downtown, I had to do some reasearch to see if any new ones have popped up. Black Rice Izakaya opened a few months ago near BC Place and I had to take my friends here. I made reservations ahead of time since we had a large group. As a designer, I had to giggle a little that they were using papyrus font for their logo.

I found this place on Yelp when I was looking for Izakaya restaurants, and it had great reviews.<br/><br/>The reviews are definitely warranted. The food was really good. Some of the things we ordered include the shrimp croquettes, beef nigiri, tuna tataki salad, pressed salmon aburi sushi, uni, and various skewers. <br/><br/>Irene was our waitress, and she was really nice and attentive.<br/><br/>Would return.

Located near Cambie and Robson, Black Rice features a modern and roomy ambiance. A lot of Japanese restaurants in town tend to be super cramped and hectic so I really appreciated the open and relaxing atmosphere. Black Rice Izakaya The current menu, soon to be updated to include even more tapas, features a full range of tapas and rolls. For lunch, there is a selection of Izakaya Teishoku meal sets, which are a great way to sample various items on the menu. I went with Teishoku option C, which features the Misozuke Patagonian Toothfish, a type of cod fish. Teishoku Option C Perfectly cooked to a tender and soft texture, the fish comes with a side of salad and it barely had any bones, great for lazy people like me. The lotus root chips tossed on top were quite unique and delicious as well. Additionally, I love how beautifully plated the dish was. The fish even came on a tiny wooden platform! My only critique was that the fish was kind of cold. Misozuke Patagonian Toothfish Miso Soup The Teishoku comes with a small bowl of Miso Soup and a piece of Agedashi Tofu , which was slightly crispy on the outside and milky smooth on the inside. My only critique again was that it was quite cold by the time it got to the table. It would have tasted even better if it was still hot. Agedashi Tofu Beef Karage In addition to the tofu and the miso, the set came with a few Beef Karaage , a selection of Vegetable Tempura , and some nicely seasoned rice . I didn't really like the beef karaage as they were also kind of cold and had sort of an overly meaty

CC found this newly opened Izakaya on Cambie and we decided to give a try! Black Rice Izakaya is a Korean owned Japanese restaurant opened about a month ago. When we entered the restaurant, there was no other customers but than us. As for their ambiance, it had a very nice modern vibe to it. The waitress seated us to a seat  and explained few of their featured menu for us. We started off ordering few things off their menu. The very unique things about this restaurant is that they make their own special soy sauce and it tasted really good!

Hey guys! A new izakaya on the edge of Yaletown has just opened. Black Rice Izakaya , specializing in “teishoku” lunch sets and tapas is hoping to bring a high-class taste to the mid-price range. Do the aburi sear perfectly or do you just end up with cooked fish? Read on to find out.  Food: Teishoku C Team Tastic came here for lunch and we ordered the following: Teishoku A (Aburi Spicy Salmon hako, Sockeye, Atlantic, and Ebi Sushi and sashimi with guacamole, Beef Karaage, Agedashi Tofu, Oshinko, Green Salad, and Miso Soup  Teishoku C (Miso Zuke Patagonia Toothfish with Assorted Tempura, Agedashi Tofu, Oshinko, Green Salad, Rice, and Miso Soup Saba Nigiri Black Angus Nigiri Teishoku A If you’ve never had teishoku before it is essentially a higher form of Japanese bento and includes a variety of dishes for lunch. The aburi and hako that come in Teishoku A are real good; lightly seared on top and tender inside and out is the key and it’s delivered here. The toothfish included in Teishoku C is also a winner. It’s a species of cod but the one here is extremely soft and feels very buttery and as if it’s melting in your mouth. The agedashi tofu is real firm on the outside with a big contrast between the exterior and interior which isn’t something you see all the time. The avocado roll here in particular was also very soft and melty in the mouth, very similar to Oishi Sushi. All in all, I thought these were well-sized boxes full of goodies. The rice options are good for those who want to be fuller. Black Angus Beef Nigiri The nigiri here are a good way to taste the fish and I believe the quality is on point. Reminding me of Miku (minus the great view), these nigiri taste really fresh and are not crusted hard on top  like from being stored in a plastic bag. The Black Angus Nigiri was seared before our eyes as seen here:

... ingredients OK, but a bit too much rice in ratio to everything else...

A new izakaya place named Black Rice opened... They offer aburi and other pan seared items for a reasonable price. We were very impressed by the quality of the food delivered and speed of service. Josh and I packed our lunches all week so we were super excited for this. This is one of their lunch plates above. It comes with Salmon aburi sushi and aburi sashimi. Their tofu was like a little donut. Their meat balls were hearty. Everything on this plate was wonderful.

Overpriced food and drinks. And not an authentic Izakaya. So many better options in Downtown.

Agedashi Tofu. Lightly fried, crispy on the outside; creamy on the inside, served with a light rich sauce. Perfect.

My New Favourite Izakya. This place is truly in a league of it's own. Sure it's serving dishes that you can get at numerous other places jumping on the Izakaya Bandwagon, what you can't get elsewhere is the nuance and attention to detail that is evident in every menu choice here. Even the side dish pickles have been made with extra effort and it shows.<br/><br/>A note on value... the food here is EXTREMELY affordable given the quaility. Not that I want them to, but they could easily charge much more and justify it with the quaility. it really is that good.<br/><br/>I predict that this place will take off and we will all be soon lining up for a seat. I'm truly glad to have gotten in at the beginning.

Delish. Food is some of the best I've had. <br/>Lunch combo is supper yummy and tasty. <br/>Best terriaki sauce is awesome. And the terriaki chicken is the best I've had and I've eaten at a lot of high end sushi restaurants around. There very good at making a tasty meal