Arigato Sushi Valleyview — Restaurant in Kamloops

Best sushi in the city – no contest... and I have eaten a lot of sushi all over North America. Based on the existing ratings and reviews I am not alone in my assessment.

I generally judge sushi by the sashimi - if a restaurant doesn't have enough pride to serve fresh product why would you ever return? There is a lot more to my assessment than just sashimi but fresh fish is my sniff test.

There are two Arigato locations in Kamloops – both excellent and with the exact same menu. I don't know if it is the same ownership but here are the reasons I prefer Valleyview over Hillside:

The servers at Valleyview are generally friendlier. Not that the hillside location is unfriendly, but the servers there have a sharper edge with more tension.

The manger/owner is at this location is amazing. If you pay attention, you'll see that he attends to things with earnest and urgency. He sincerely cares and that attitude permeates the restaurant. No small feat in the food service business.

The seating at this location is more comfortable. The booths seem bigger, the backs of the seating are not so straight up and down. The hillside location feels like less thought goes into it. That said, neither location has ultra comfortable seating. A professional upgrade would go a long way for both locations.

Visiting Arigato in Kamloops will be a positive...

There is a fair amount of free parking outside. The floor was slippery when I walked in, and I almost fell twice, otherwise the restaurant looked inviting and clean. Everything was packaged nicely for take-out and presentation was very nice. The staff was quick to help me at the till and were very friendly.

I ordered the bacon sushi wrap—it was okay, but a bit lacking in flavor, though it was very filling. The sauce on the chicken karaage was good, and the chicken itself was well-cooked—juicy and tender. It also reheats well in the oven. The teriyaki bowl was pretty basic—not the best I’ve had, but still decent. The miso soup, however, was a bit of a letdown. It had a nice color but very light flavor, with less then a teaspoon of tofu, seaweed, and green onions. It was basically just a lightly flavored broth. Overall, it was ok but it's not screaming for a...

Wouldn’t recommend unless you’re a regular. We came in for the first time and immediately noticed a difference in how regulars were treated. Staff were setting tables nicely, chatting warmly, and being super attentive — but none of that extended to us. I politely asked a senior lady who was serving for a small bowl so we could share some soup with our kid. She looked annoyed and handed it over without a word. I said thank you twice — still nothing. A minute later, she was all smiles and over-the-top friendly with another guest who had just walked in, saying things like “Oh my gosh, you’ve lost so much weight I didn’t recognize you!”Honestly, it was kind of awkward. If you’re not one of the familiar faces, don’t expect much. Not sure that kind of attitude belongs in hospitality. Maybe save the dramatics for the stage — not the...