Hello Nori - Brentwood — Restaurant in Burnaby

I am so happy that this Brentwood location is finally open! This is my absolute favourite place and going forward, only place in Burnaby where I will be going for sushi. I love everything about Hello Nori - from the warm, friendly and fantastic staff to the food/drink options and finally the interior/atmosphere.

The interior is very clean, organized and modern. I really enjoy the bar seating and the warm towel to clean your hands before you order. I like that everything is freshly prepared right in front of you (each hand roll is only prepared after you have finished with the previous so the seaweed stays nice and crispy). In my opinion, the quality is far above any other place.

My usual order includes: miso soup and yellowtail, either bluefin tuna or spicy bluefin tuna, snow crab and truffle lobster for the hand rolls along with an Asahi. However, last Friday, I took my dad out for a little birthday lunch - a little late in the day …almost more dinner time. It happened to be happy hour for the drinks, but even had it not been, the drinks still would have been worth it at the regular price.

We tried their Yuzu Shiso margaritas. The margaritas were so good that we ordered multiple. We also tried the salmon oshi, the yellowtail, the truffle lobster (multiple), the spicy bluefin tuna and the seabream hand rolls. For dessert we ordered a mochi trio. They offer 5 flavours - we went with matcha, mango and strawberry at the recommendation of Sam. My dad and I both agree with Sam, that Matcha is the best flavour. Additionally, it was very thoughtful that they cut the mochi in half (without us even requesting this) so that both my dad and I could try each flavour.

It’s really hard to decide what the best thing on the menu is as each roll is so delicious. Although, pretty much all the staff at both the Brentwood and the Robson location seem to agree that it’s the Hokkaido scallop hand roll. I was always hesitant to try as I had a bad experience with a scallop roll over 5 years ago (at a different sushi restaurant of course). However, Sam really wanted us to give the Hokkaido scallop hand roll a try …so much so that he gave it to us on the house. Honestly, it was everything that they said it would be! I am glad that Sam gave me a little push to try it and now will be adding it to my permanent orders.

Overall, we had the best time and enjoyed absolutely everything that we ordered. The staff was terrific, especially Sam. We had a lovely conversation!

In the end, we left without our shopping bag. Luckily, one of the staff noticed and ran after us in the mall to give it back to us. We would like to say thank you to the entire team at Hello Nori Brentwood for making a regular Friday afternoon outing such a great experience! Thank you for being so fantastic! We can’t...

Finally got a chance to visit Hello Nori in Brentwood. A bit torn in this review because I kinda liked the place but also not.

First off, the place was dead. I mean, that's not really a bad thing for me since I dislike lineups and crowds. But for a Sunday at noon, I was really surprised. Then again, it's not like this place appears to be designed for lounging around. The counter seating is arranged so you can see them making your handrolls but isn't super comfortable. It gives off a vibe of sit, eat, then leave.

The handrolls here are cylindrically rolled (resembling open-ended burritos). I kinda miss cone-shaped rolls but I get that this shape is easier and ensures the filling is spread out throughout.

The menu is fairly limited. While they do have limited sashimi available at market price (feel like they should at least tell you what the MP is for the day), it's mostly just handrolls and some oshi pressed sushi.

I ordered the Salmon Oshi ($8) which has become synonymous with trendy sushi in Vancouver over the years. This was an ok version but not as creamy and succulent as other places in town.

Although they have some combo handrolls that are cheaper than buying a la carte, I decided to pick 3 types where the fish spoke to my tastes more... Yellowtail ($7.5), King Salmon ($7.5), and Bluefin Tuna ($8). I guess I kinda expected to be able to taste the differences in the fish more (similar to sashimi). However, as they mince up the fish, the differences in the types of fish are not as discernable in the handrolls. In actually, they seem to focus more on the nori. That's evident in the fact that they don't give you all your rolls at once since they want you to experience the crispness of the nori instead of letting it wait and get soggy. I almost feel like it doesn't matter what fish you get as they all taste similar here. That bring said, they do a pretty good job of making the handrolls and there isn't too much rice and the filling is spread throughout. The handrolls aren't huge and it's easy to toss back a few and still leave a bit hungry.

The tea ($5) went well with the handrolls but I'm old so paying $5 for tea is difficult to swallow sometimes.

As I mentioned, the interior has a very minimalistic design aesthetic... I feel like there was deliberate thought put into who this restaurant was crafted for (which really isn't me). Service was just as minamalistic. Despite being there being only one other couple seated, the wait staff were standoffish (it was quite easy to overhear their conversation that they were having with each other at the...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 13/10 Stars —

Ask for Maheen — she made our first Hello Nori Brentwood experience unforgettable!! 🍣💛

Our first date, Pauline and I dressed up as sushi at a Japanese festival 🍣 and we we just met! So when she told me about hello nori we had to try it out!

We always passed by but never went in, and been wanting to try it out. Our very first visit to Hello Nori – Brentwood felt like walking into a beautiful surprise — and her name was Maheen.

We had never tried Japanese hand rolls before…. and as we walked into our curiosity, Maheen greeted us like family. We instantly trusted her with the entire experience — and thank God we did!

Every recommendation she made was pure bliss 😌✨ Warm rice. Crispy nori. Fresh everything. Made right in front of us. Served with joy. And a smile 😃

And when we didn’t order one of her favorites — the Aburi Salmon Oishi — because we thought we were full… She surprised us with a little sample…. Let me tell you,

It wasn’t just tasty. It melted into our souls 🥹🔥 Like a sushi dream come true!

We talked. We laughed. We shared our wedding prep and marriage classes. She encouraged us like a friend who’s cheering for our future. We left not just full… but seen, celebrated, and blessed.

Maheen is not just someone who takes your order — she upgrades your entire evening to first class, She cares with intention. She serves like it’s art always checking on us, her canvas She loves people through food.

Because of her, we are now planning a special private Hello Nori dining experience for one of our upcoming celebrations — and I can already imagine what it would be like, Eudora has been incredible in helping us dream it into reality. 🙌✨

Maheen… we are proud to call you our hello nori family,

Happy Birthday 🎉 Thank you for making our first hand-roll experience something we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.

13/10 stars ⭐️ We thank God for you everyday we think of hand rolls and We can’t wait to come back and sit at your section again God bless your...