Great happy hour specials, lots of interesting rolls and tapas. Great service and a nice patio too!
My favorite spot in yaletown.... i only eat sushi made by us japanese! Excellent fish selection... smoked sashmi is amazing. I wish it was open on sunday!
Service is good and the food is wonderful. Will definitely come back next time.
I tell everyone I know its the best sushi in Vancouver. Fresh ingredients, chefs own customized and completely unique creations, paring of flavours. Its like heaven on a plate!
Reasonable price. Fresh ingredients. Beautiful display of food. Delicious dishes. Love it.
I have lost track of the number of great meals I have had here. Tonight, nine of us had a great meal and attentive yet unobtrusive service. Guests from Australia and Toronto, and seasoned Vancouver diners, were all impressed. I ordered the food, which made me look good as each dish was so well delivered. As usual, the quality of fish and seafood, and the clean flavours with interesting combinations was fantastic. I get to Vancouver 8-10 times a year, and I always try to eat at Bistro Sakana.
My boyfriend and I their omakase, which was $100 per person the night we went (price differs depending on each day and what will be served). In total there were 9 courses with our favourite being the live sweet prawn + deep fried after. Other highlights included a deep-fried mini crab, sesame tofu and seaweed sunomono with gold flakes, and wagyu on a little rock we cooked ourselves.
Our meal took almost 3 hours but it was a fun dining experience. Call ahead to book if you are going to try the omakase - they can tell you the menu and change it to include specific things you want to eat if you give them heads up.
Busy little restaurant but great food and presentation.
Full review with photos on my blog.
Another year, another year wiser. For my birthday this year, I wanted some delicious, high quality Japanese food and found Bistro Sakana!. Bistro Sakana is located in Yaletown, right across from Minami. Blue fin combo: Oh. my. GOD. This was both of our favourite that evening ā assorted blue fin nigiri.
Aburi sushi is one of my favourite things to eat in the whole world. If I had to choose one thing to eat for the rest of my lifeā¦ aburi sushi would be it. When M suggested this Yaletown establishment for our dinner, I was more than down to check it out. We sat outside on the patio (because natural light), but I would probably not recommend doing that unless itās summer because the heat lamps arenāt evenly spaced so it was pretty chilly. Blankets are provided, but I have a personal thing against public use blankets and pillowsā¦
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We decided to sit at the bar to watch the sushi chef's at work right in front of us. It added to our overall dining experience - I highly recommend it. We ordered the Beef Sukiyaki ($16), which is tender sliced beef and veggies cooked at your table in a slightly sweet soya sauce broth, and Sockeye Jalapeno Aburi ($14 for 7 pieces) to share. I personally got albacore tuna sashimi ($7.50 for 5 pieces) and 1 hamachi nigiri ($3.75), while my friend also got herself 1 baby hamachi nigiri ($4.00) and a negitoro nigiri ($3.50).
I would pass on the Beef Sukiyaki because it was a little too sweet for my taste buds and barely had any beef. The sashimi was incredibly soft - just as you'd expect it to be. However, the pieces were small for the price.
My favorite part of the meal was the Sockeye Jalapeno Nigiri. Instead of the need to dip into soy sauce, they froze the soy sauce in jello-like cube shapes and rested them on top of each piece of nigiri. Gastronomy! I had never seen this done before and loved the tiny explosion of soy sauce in my mouth as I chewed. For the cool experience, amazing flavour, and price, I recommend trying the aburi!
I would recommend trying menu items that you haven't seen before at other Japanese restaurants. Although the portions may be small in general, I think getting to experience unique dishes is worth a visit to Bistro Sakana!
For an extended review, please visit my blog at dinevancouverbc.wordpress.com or Instagram @dinevancouver :)
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I got to try this restaurant during dine out. Their menu was $40 and came with 4 courses. Also they had a sake pairing for $22, which I think was a really good deal. Because this was during dine out though, their usual service may have not been reflected during our dinner. The service was slow and it was hard to flag down someone. But the servers still remained super friendly!
The atmosphere of the restaurant feels cozy, but I wish the lighting was better. It was really dark and I couldn't take good photos. We were seated out on the patio, so that didn't really help either. The patio is heated and they have blankets in case you get cold.
The first course were three mini appetizers. All three were delicious. I liked the tofu tamago custard because it was so smooth in texture. The next course was various kinds of sushi and seafood. They all tasted fresh and were plated very nicely. The next course was grilled ribeye and foie gras. It was cooked just right and had good flavour. It felt weird though to have this at this restaurant because I wasn't expecting it. But I enjoyed it. The dessert wasn't anything too special. I found it a bit hard to break through the crust. Overall, presentation was beautiful for all courses, food was yummy, but service could have been better. I'm unsure about whether I'd go back. But I'm glad I tried it.
I can't believe I just found this place! As a aburi sushi lover, this place far exceeded my expectations! I've been to probably every restaurant in the lower mainland that serves seared sushi and this was by far my favorite - the flavors they put into their sushi and the care really shows. Really liked their plating and their menu options. Service was very friendly and it was a great experience.
Phenomenal. Atmosphere was great, they even had a muted black and white Japanese film projected on the wall. The vegetarian rolls were excellent as were all of our other unique rolls. Aji from tsukiji, Japan was a stand out for sure. They even deep fried the bones afterwards to enjoy as "chips". A truly unique experience.
After the success of my last āDine Outā adventure. I decided to give the $40 menu at āSakana Bistroā a try. They specialize in Japanese fusion on small plates. It has all been $30 menus up to now. The thinking is, I am paying more for better ingredients, so it should be a better meal, right? I at least hope it tasted as such. When reviewing their menu online I noted there was not much choice, but that their set entree sampled a few of their signature dishes and they sounded appealing. I had hoped this would give me a true taste of what a regular meal with them is like.
After my ultimate foodie trip to New York and Chicago, here I am back on native soil in Vancouver. I am hoping to find something in Vancouver that would remotely match the creativity, diversity, and quality of what I had. Bistro Sakana proved to be a good place to start. My first thought of this place was āoh no, not another dumb down izakaya franchise like Guu or Hapaā. But it wasnāt, despite it being located in the middle of hipster-filled Yaletown.
Food - I went there to try out those Aburi sushi on their menu. The food were plated so pretty that you didn't really want to touch them. They were seared perfectly on the top. They just melt in your mouth... (My mouth is getting watery just by thinking about it again.)
Deco - Modern Japanese cuisine. Kind loud inside. Hard to have a communication with frds while eating.
Service - The owner is very friendly!
Price - $$$
Will definitely go back again
Raymond's Sushi Adventures
+4
I have been wanting to try Bistro Sakana ever since I discovered their menu in late January, which featured Aburi (seared) sushi. With good ratings and a focus on modern Japanese cuisine, the prospects of a delicious Aburi sushi dish seemed good. I also discovered that Bistro Sakana is consistently featured in both Dine Out Vancouver and Taste of Yaletown, so not wanting to spend
Nice decor and cute, friends couple that owns the joint. The wife is an authentic Japanese chef (only female chef in Vancouver) and the husband I think is the manager. He is very vocal and will share the best dishes with you. Came here to try the aburi dishes but I have ti admit miku and Minami still takes the cake for this. Their gyoza are all made by the wife, worth a try!
Great atmosphere, open kitchen setting with sushi made right in front of you - entertainment ensured. Signature boxy-scortched sushi (shiro miso toro aburi) is a must try. Very comfortable and chic atmosphere with friendly staff. Looks like it's run by Japanese people.
went for dine out yale town in bistro sakana I'll say the food is great, but not definitely not as great as miku, but it does hold on it's own though.
the starter was cawan mushi, and it was definitelly good, but not until wow type.
the the entree is combination of 4 items, one of my favorite the shrimp/ebi is wrapped with shredeed daikon if i'm not mistaken and they deepfried it. very delicious indeed. then there was also the aburi, which was okay, maybe the one in minami/miku is just too godly. and can't exactaly remember the other two items but it was okay.. definitely and above average taste of restaurant. one thing that i find out is that beer glass all smells fishy for some reason. even after bringing the second glass. I'm not a fusy eater/drinker, but on that particular night it seems like all the glasses smelled fishy. :( other than that it's all great :)
would recommend the place, the place is great, food is definitely slightly above average and environment is okay.
Some Twists, but generally good!. Went to Sakana based on advice from a friend, and was happy with the results, 2 concerns, the servers seemed to like to whisper to you only, which made hearing what they were saying hard to do, however all the fish was amazing and I would very much encourage others to try this place, with 1 caveat
The Beef Tataki is... strange, I enjoy the apple slices but they add parmesan cheese to the dish, which I found distracted greatly from a dish that is a mix of fatty/rich beef with the bright citris/ponzu notes, I would not order that again, but otherwise it was a good night out
Great sashimi and sushi- on the higher end of what is available in Vancouver. The atmosphere at Sakana is great, the food was delicious and carefully prepared. A great variety of sashimi with raw scallops and raw shrimps, various kinds of tunas that most of the cheaper restaurant would not serve. The price was also higher than most sushi bars but it was reflected in higher quality, and then again the bistro is not as pricey as Miku in Canada Place. The soup and desert were also very good.
Fantastic meal and decent service
Came here with a couple girls and we sat on patio. The service is ok but the food is beyond amazing. The rolls were so good I have never tried any sushi like this in the world! The yam tempura fries are set up in a teepee and the r perfectly coated in tempura and super yummy! The rolls we got were the sockeye jalapeƱo aburi (14), the crispy Dungeness crab roll (15), and the caprese roll (14) which was scallops n basil and tomatoes and bocconcini with balsamic vintages and oil on side that u dip into! I regally enjoyed this place and I will be back because the rolls r beyond amazing and no where else has rolls like this in Vancouver! Great job Sakana!
Delicious. Absolutely exceptional.... an honest 10/10!
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Aburi Style. I love it when I go to a restaurant and it gets me this inspired and excited. THIS is why I moved off the Island. To enjoy evenings like this.
With so many sushi restaurants in Vancouver how do you decide? Well, I would recommend this restaurant first. The restaurant is fairly small, but they do have a covered heated patio and blankets if you are a bit too chilly! When half our party did not arrive my companion and I chose to go inside and sit at the bar where we spent the evening watching their two sushi chefs (one male and one female) prepare endless amounts of sushi. They do "Aburi" style sushi and this was my first time not just having it but also watching it be prepared. It was an amazing night. With delicious food that was beautifully presented in a relaxing atmosphere. Their was plenty of staff and the owners were so warm and welcoming. Taking the time to come say hello and share with us some of the reasons why they are unique and how they strive to bring you the most authentic flavours possible. We decided to have the Taste of Yaletown (TOY) menu and it did not let us down! I ended up favouring one sushi over the others, it was the Wild Sockeye Jalapeno Aburi "Hackozushi". (sockeye salmon layered with rice, box pressed, flame torched, and topped with jalapeƱo slices)
To create this incredible sushi she would take the prepared rice and salmon blocks out of the fridge, a light layer of sauce is put on top and then the torch and charcoal comes out. She fires it up and the top of the fish is lightly seared. Then garnish is applied.I watched the chefeach time open the container of chills, unwrap the paper, delicately place a thinly sliced piece of chilli on each piece of sushi, then rewrap it in the container and place on the lid. Over and over again, preserving the colour, the flavour, the freshness of the ingredient. It was mesmerizing.For anyone who says "I don't eat raw fish" then Aburi style is for them. If you are lucky enough to have the chef hand you the plate then the sushi is still warm! When we were done I placed another order of the Wild Sockeye Jalapeno Aburi "Hackozushi"and seven more pieces came.
When it was time for dessert we enjoyed the Oka San's Rich Chocolate Brownies from the TOY menu, but then decided to also go with the Chestnut Panacotta. Again, delicious. So on a variety of levels this place rocks!! The music was pleasing, there was black and white Japanese movie playing on the wall and I was able to shoot some not so bad smartphone footage of it as well and if I can get it up on YouTube I will post the link.
http://youtu.be/3oAtYaxFXmg
If it wasn't for TOY I never would have stumbled on this place.Thank you to the chefs, our servers and the owners Peter and Etsuko for such a lovely evening. I will surely return and bring my friends with me!
Great food. I've dined here 3 times now and each time was excellent. Even though the restaurant is small, I don't care cause the food is outstanding. I will disagree with anyone who says otherwise. Their speciality sushi, I believe one is miso marinated tuna with lime, I can't explain how much I love this. It's beautiful. Everyone in the restaurant is Japanese and know what's going on and can explain any dish any menu item and what's in what. They are very knowledgeable about their food. I'll continue to come here.
Had lunch here, loved the food and the setting. Plenty of good lunch options at $10 so definitely good value for us.
Loved it but $$$$. Just ate at Bistro Sakana for the first time last night. And I was pleasantly surprised with my selections. But not the prices. I was dating an Asian girl and she appreciated the effort and her food I had picked (Asian)
We shared an appetizer of a dip with mushrooms and goat cheese. (Sorry, the name of the dish escapes me.) But it was really good. Even after we ran out of mushrooms, we were still scraping the dish with our forks to get all the dip.
As an entrƩe, I had the deep fried Calamari dish. Very nice. The dressing was light and tasty. I thought the calamari might be too greasy, but it wasn't.
Our server, gorgeous blonde, was courteous and attentive, without being obvious. (God, I hate waitresses who are chubsters) this girl was cheery and pretty.
I would definitely go back and I hope this place gets me a second date!
Cosy / Reasonable Price. The venue is best for dates and get togethers. Very friendly atmosphere, not too loud, easy to talk to friends.
I think its awesome. Worth it!
Great food and a nice vibe. This is my favourite place to eat in Yaletown. I go there for the "healthy lunch" at lunchtime (a good deal at $9.50), and when I can, I treat myself to dinner there. I recently tried the Toro Aburi - pressed sushi with tuna - and it was delicious. My other fav is the duck breast in miso sauce. The service has always been friendly, but it used to be a bit slow on weekends--that's improved a lot recently. Unlike most Japanese places, they have a good selection of drinks--everything from rare sushi and sipping whiskey to Okanogan wines. Something else that's unique: the head sushi chef is a woman! You go, girl!
Best sashimi I've tried. Be ready to spend though.
Fun, exciting, and delicious! Went to Bistro Sakana on a Friday night, and the place was hopping. The food was amazing - not your typical sushi fare, but some flavourful original dishes with a global fusion flare. The yam fries were amazing, I could eat them all night. The Tepan roll with the basalmic reduction was excellent as well. All topped off with a specialty cocktail ( I had a salty samari, my guest had a giesha girl) both were very good. The restaurant is not large, but that helps add to the cosy party atmosphere. If you want a solatary quiet evening, you'll need to sit on the enclosed patio, because the restaurant is vibrant like a bar at happy hour. Wholly recommend this place - I will be back!
Good food - a bit on the pricy side. I can see in the previous reviews that other circumstances influence their experience (weather, parking, ...) but the food and service was very good in this restaurant.
It is a bit on the pricy side and once it is getting full the waitresses lose oversight, but overall our experience was good. You may get cheaper food in the Yamato Sushi but here you can relax in a decent environment.
This is hands down my favorite place!!!
Fun date night sushi. All of the rolls, especially the spicy dynamite were fresh and delish. They were a bit chincy on the sashimi given the price but the tuna was great and I'm glad we ordered it. The tempura left something to be desired - both in quantity and quality. This seems like a place to go and get rolls and enjoy the fun upbeat atmosphere.
Not bad at all. If you are into imported stuff this is the place to go. Fresh seafood and sashimi and sake flown in often from Japan. The only comment I have is their specials never change, it's always the same things.
Great food, great service. Peter and his wife are fantastic hosts along with the rest of their team. The sushi is creative and fantastic. They have a great selection of high end sakes. If you like Tojo's you'll love Sakana since you'll have the same quality of sushi and pay 30% less.
Dishy raw fishy. This is a good -- but not exceptional -- place in all categories: food, service, ambiance (w/ a good patio). Excellent lunch time value and a decent quality-price rapport. A good neighbourhood eatery, but perhaps not worth a detour from afar, Bistro Sakana punches well above its weight. Crowded and very busy at lunch time, but they really bust themselves to ensure timely service.
Seriously it does not get any better than this. Oh but wait it does. One last dish that is a special treat from Executive Chef and Bistro Sakana owner Etsuku Needham. I actually donāt even know what it is called except to say it is as beautiful as it tastes. I do know there are black sesame seeds and Tuna, the rest is a delicious mystery to me.
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Situated in the trendy part of Yaletown, Bistro Sakana is a up-scale Japanese restaurant. It has a very nice calming atmosphere with candles on each table. The music was playing a bit too loud which Iām always annoyed with. I hate raising my voice and trying hard to hear what the other person is saying. I had seen the Aburi Hako Zushi (torched box sushi) and knew that I would order that for sure. I got the Sockeye Jalapeno Aburi $14 which had wild sockeye salmon layered with sushi rice and flame seared with their spicy mayo sauce and jalapeno peppers on top. I am a huge fan of Mikuās salmon aburi, but this was a good competition. I really liked it ā lots. The Pork Gyoza $7.50 was satisfactory, but WAY OVERPRICED. Totally not worth $8. Though I guess the price comes with dining at a higher-end restaurant. Sockeye Jalepeno Aburi $14 Sheepie ordered the Mango Roll $7.00 (left) which was quite sad. It was really small and falling apart. It wasnāt flavourful at all. Another overpriced item. The Salmon Roll $3.75, Tuna Nigiri $2.00 and Salmon Nigiri $2.25 seemed well prepared. I had the Salmon Nigiri, and it was really good. The tables against the walls were a bit tight and would have liked a little more room between the tables. There was one time when the server picked up Sheepieās tea cup to fill up and she almost elbowed the other customer at the next table. She didnāt even notice though. But other than that, the service was great. It was a nice restaurant, but some dishes way overpriced for quantity and quality. I would definitely like to come back for more Aburi, but will have to explore other dishes on the side next time. Ā T
If you went to the Taste of Yaletown, last year, more than half the Signature Sample Platter will be familiar (how many signature dishes can a restaurant have, after all). The ones that stood the test of time are clearly among their tastiest offerings, and still consistently delicious when prepared by the chefs. Moreover, the samples on the Dine Out Vancouver menu continue their tradition of a wide variety of tastes and textures, making Bistro Sakana still one of the best choices for sheer food experience.
This brilliiant trio was a decadent way to end the meal. It was the first time Iāve seen such an amazing trio (black sesame!!) and this was a dessert I simply had to order! Itās hard to pick my favourite because they were all very good! Hojicha is a roasted matcha with a more earthy and potent flavour. This is an also āmust tryā on my list. Truly recommend this dish! If I had to pick one as my fave, the macha one was the best, followed closely by the black sesame flavour! 5/5
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With a goal of not only satisfy but inspire diners, Bistro Sakanaās Dine Out menu for 2014 does just that. @jminter and @billyforce Ā recommended we try out Bistro Sakana for dinner. Jay had been there before for lunch and had nothing but good things to say about the food. Bistro Sakana has a reputation for freshness and innovation ā I couldnāt wait to try out what they had to offer. The dine out menu goes for $38 and consists of three courses. All the menu items can be found on their regular menu, which I liked. We started with the Wild Sockeye Salmon Miso Chowder This was a very hearty miso broth filled with big chunks of wild sockeye salmon. The broth had a nice creamy texture and it complemented the flavour of the salmon beautifully. Iād go back just for the chowder. It was that good. Our entree came plated on one dish. The presentation was beautiful. Truly prepared to engage the senses. Our food was so pretty, it was almost a shame to eat it. The entree is a sample platter of some
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One of my top three favourite places to go for sushi at the moment is definitely Bistro Sakana , in Yaletown (the others are Juno and Octopus Garden ). I've been having a craving it a lot lately since it's been awhile, so I met up with a girlfriend yester
Another year, another birthday! :) This year, I went for dinner with Samantha, Lucy, and Jenkins. I really wasn't sure where to go for dinner but then I remembered it had been a while since I was last at Bistro Sakana. I'm not sure why there was such a la
When my friend first mentioned that Bistro Sakana had a Healthy Sushi lunch special, my first thoughts were that I was in some serious trouble, because here I've been going happily along thinking that sushi was healthy and now I was about to be proven wro
Amazing š£ and extremely tasty!
I came for first time for my birthday dinner a while ago and everything was just amazing. The interior was beautiful and modern, I didn't get chance to take more photos of it tho, but the atmosphere was also equally as well. āļø
The dishes my boyfriend and I ordered were are just amazing and there were so much taste and flavour in just one bite! They also have daily specials and server was very kind to answer my questions. I really enjoyed and definately will come back again!
Minami lived up to the hype. We ordered the 5-course tasting menu and every course was delicious and very well presented. Our server was great and was attentive throughout service, providing explanations when asked. The sake tasting is high recommended if you havenāt had much sake before. The sashimi quality was excellent as well.
Excellent service, clean atmosphere, food was phenomenal. Thank you so much to the staff including BOH who made our wedding anniversary so special. The bartender came over to pour our water, which is probably normal, but a nice touch considering he's leaving his station. Our server was so polite and friendly. She talked to us for a decent amount of time about life and the food.
Would highly recommend.
Amazing! Had an anniversary here and they truly made the experience worth it. Make sure to book a reservation. The sushi was phenomenal and the waiter ( Aiden) was very friendly, thoughtful, and knowledgeable about the menu. Every single item we ordered was scrumptious and unique!
Great spot for tasty sushi. Not traditional type of sushi but still very flavorful. I got the lunch premium zen and it was a ton of food with soup, salad, 3 seasonal dishes, assorted sushi, and dessert. Fish was fresh and rice made correctly. The service was friendly and attentive. I recommend coming for your contemporary style sushi.
A favourite staple here in Vancouver. We often go here since one of our friends is celiac and they're great with being gluten free.
Everything is delicious as usual and drinks are so good.
The customer service was amazing. However personally the food was a little lacking in flavor( especially for the price) and just overall lacking in portion size. I purchased the 5 course meal, and still left the restaurant a bit hungry. I would recommend sticking to the rolls for overall value and taste economy.
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