BanZai Sushi House Ltd — Restaurant in Richmond

BanZai Sushi is a little gem hidden within Richmond, BC. Visited here with a friend back in July. Ordered the 72 mixed combo (B) with the dynamite roll. Large protion sizes, low prices compared to other competitors. Very affordable. Fresh food. Great place to go if you want sushi in bulk for good pricing.

I was fine with the amount of rice used for each piece of salmon, ebi and tuna. Some people might not like that because BanZai does use quite a bit of white rice per piece. It's all in personal preference. May not be the best place for gluten-free sushi options. However, you can take out the fried shrimp tempura pieces like I did (though some people may be more sensitive to cross-contamination than I am), or ask them while you're ordering if they can not put those fried tempura pieces in your sushi rolls. I'm not sure how their cross-contamination policies are for their kitchen prep area, as I didn't ask. As always with gluten intolerance, it's up to your descretion if you want to go through with eating here. There are other sushi places that are more safer in the Vancouver area for people with gluten intolerance that you can find in my Google Reviews. All in all, regardless of dietary restrictions, this place makes quality sushi. You won't be let down!

They only accept cash. They were nice enough to accept American cash and have it converted properly based on the conversion rates at the time. Shows that they truly care about all of their customers (even with the language barrier), they want everyone to have a good experience regardless of nationality, and can be trusted. Many restaurants in Canada will try to short-change Americans if American money is used. BanZai didn't. Appreciate it. :)

The atmosphere was cozy. Tables were nice, seats were okay. The decor on the walls gave it a contempary Japanese feel. The restaurant was clean. Customer service was friendly and accomodating.

This place can get very busy so be prepared to wait in line during most of their...

HOT DAMN!! The biggest Nigiri sushi I have ever eaten. Not just the meat is bigger but also the rice. Each is about 50% bigger than its competitors or each is between 3.2 to 3.5 inches long. It's amazing!!

Those who don't like wasabi in their nigiri will love it here. They don't put wasabi in between the meat and the rice.

The prices are also cheaper than most too. To take its big size into consideration, that makes BanZai's nigiri the cheapest, no doubt.

I didn't have the chance to try their sashimi this time, but seeing my neighbor's orders, each piece is big and at least half an inch thick too. And each plate has 6 or 7 pieces. My wife said it reminded her of a sushi restaurant in Wan Chai, Hong Kong called "元神" where their sashimi was 3/4 to 1 inch thick and people were willing to wait 2 hours in line to dine there. We were one of those people, several times 😅

My wife ordered the $12.50 "Beef Teriyaki Donburi." She liked it, but she said it reminded her of the "Golden Island Pork Jerky" you find at Costco, as they both have the same taste. The bowl of donburi was too big for her to finish, so she had to doggy bag it.

Looks like BanZai will be our go-to sushi restaurant from now on, even if we have to Uber there. 👍👍👍

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[Update: March 25th, 2024]

Finally tried their Toro sashimi. $19.75 for 9 pieces. That works out to just $2.19 per piece. That's quite a bargain considering Toro nigiri costs $2.75 each. Not only that, Toro sashimi pieces are thicker than Toro nigiri pieces. In the future, I will order Toro sashimi over Toro nigiri for sure.

The only complaint I have is their "Cash Only" policy. Having to calculate tips in my head, I almost always over tip them, much more than the 15% any establishment deserves. Annoys...

I had been a loyal patron of Banzai Sushi for the past 15 years. Their quality and portion sizes were unbeatable, making them my go-to sushi spot. Even though their sushi rolls were not the best, they were budget-friendly and satisfying. Unfortunately, my recent experience has drastically changed my opinion.

Last week, I ordered sashimi from Banzai Sushi, and it caused two of my family members to become seriously ill. One suffered from severe vomiting, and the other experienced three days of debilitating diarrhea. This incident raised serious concerns about the freshness and safety of their food, which used to be one of their strong points.

Over the past year, I have noticed a gradual decline in the quality of their offerings. The sashimi that once tasted fresh and delightful now seems questionable and subpar. Even their sushi rolls, which used to be decent for the price, have become less appealing and less consistent in quality.

Adding to the disappointment, my last take-out order was missing an item. I ordered two rolls, but only one was included in the box. This kind of oversight, combined with the decline in food quality, has been frustrating. It feels as though Banzai Sushi is cutting corners to keep costs low, but this is coming at the expense of their loyal customers' satisfaction and health.

In light of these experiences, I can only give Banzai Sushi 2 stars: one for the many years of great service and food they provided in the past, and the other for their effort to maintain budget-friendly prices. I sincerely hope they address these issues and work on improving their quality and service. It would be wonderful to see Banzai Sushi return to the high standards they...