Afuri Vancouver — Restaurant in Vancouver

Update review: This is an update on below review: I have received a phone call (the date after my experience with Afuri) from the manager, acknowledging my negative order experience, and offered to provide a gift card for future purchase.

I would like to commend for this swift and positive response from Afuri management. As adverse situations do happen, it is the response and attitude from the staff that retain the clientele for long term.

My first time experience in Afuri Vancouver today, placed an online order to pick up from Afuri Vancouver website.

It is a surprisingly disappointing experience with my pick up order today.

After receiving text message & e-mail confirmation that my order is ready to pick up, I called Afuri to make sure while heading to the restaurant. Ricco the young polite hostess answered my phone call saying "I do not have your order." Apparently she couldn't find my order on her device for unknown reason.

I arrived in the restaurant, Ricco as polite as I can tell, still insist that she doesn't have my online order. Strange enough! I pulled up my order history page on cellphone to show her, but without proof on her end, she didn't seem to be able to do anything.

I asked to speak to her manager who might be able to help her, as I can tell her language barrier. I was told that the boss is not in today, not sure when to come in, can not be reached on the phone. I had to take down the boss's name and phone number to try to contact later, and ready to leave.

Ricco however made the order on the spot and decided to give to me. I confirmed to her that without my payment proof on her end, this wouldn't put her in trouble with the boss.

I walked away with Ricco's "gift' noodle to me, only found out no chopsticks included in the package, so that I couldn't really enjoy their famous ramen. On the way driving home, I received the phone call from Ricco to apologize that, she finally found my order, and it was due to some "technical issue" on her store device, as I understand.

No judgement, just relay my first time experience with Afuri Vancouver today on an online order.

I appreciate Ricco trying to help, however, at receiving end of this experience, I am Not satisfied or impressed at all.

Until a more effective response from this location, I remain hesitant to experience their...

I very rarely write bad reviews but felt compelled to write this one as my good deed for the week - as a public service announcement if you will.

PLEASE stay far from from this ramen joint. It’s honestly the worst experience I’ve ever had at any ramen spot in BC, let alone Canada. We waited 40 minutes for two tiny bowls of lukewarm and extremely bland, tasteless ramen. The kitchen staff looked like they had no clue what they were doing, my partner and I were seated at the bar right in front of the kitchen, and we heard the kitchen staff constantly ask each other what ingredients belonged in the appetizers and saw them checking a recipe book multiple times. The service was also atrocious - no one came to refill our waters, ask us if we wanted anything else, asked us how the food was, if we wanted the bill..anything at all!

To top everything off - they don’t serve ANYTHING that’s not frozen here. Zero fresh food on premises. I’m seriously concerned about food safety and hygiene in this restaurant. We saw a big batch of already fried chicken karage just sitting in the frying basket uncovered and exposed, and it was sitting in there for about the length of the time we were at the restaurant, so about 1.5 hours and just before leaving we saw the cook dunking the whole batch of chicken in oil as someone had ordered a plate. To have food - meat of all things - just sitting there for 1.5 hours without being refrigerated and then re-cooked (god knows how long the chicken was sitting there before we came in and how often they change the oil or keep refrying the same rotten and stale pieces of chicken).

While we were paying the bill - we also saw another cook breaking apart frozen pieces of Chasu pork. The pork was frozen white and she was separately them and reheating them on the fryer.

In this economy with sky rocketing inflation, why in gods name would I want to go to a restaurant to pay 100$+ for reheated bland frozen food, and worse, food that has serious food safety violations?!!!

Absolutely surreal experience. Please save your money, your healthy, your tastebuds and your time and go to ramen...

Left feeling disappointed about spending $60 here instead of going somewhere else. Won't be going back and neither will the friend I went with despite the food being good. The service was genuinely not good. Someone dropped water and menus off at our table when we first sat down and we were left sitting there for about 10 minutes before someone came over and said "what can I get you." Not even a hello or a smile... okay... my friend began ordering and the first thing she ordered was dumplings. Before she could even say the ramen she wanted the server asked "anything else?"... like she was in a rush and not paying attention to the fact my friend was clearly not just ordering dumplings.

The food was good. We had the garlic ginger sui gyoza. Came with 4 pieces and was delicious. I got the ninniku shoyu which was excellent. My friend got the yuzu ratan which I wouldn't recommend personally (not my thing - citrus flavored ramen!). I also ordered a genmaicha green tea which was $4.50 and it was just a tea bag in a cup of hot water.

The seating in the restaurant isn't comfy or cozy. There's about 4 tables for 2 and the tables are so long you're very far away from the person you're dining with, and I believe all the other seating is bar/window facing and a larger table for big groups (there was a big group sitting there when we came in)?

The total was a little over $50 and with a 15% tip it was just over $60. I usually shout out a thank you when I leave restaurants but they didn't even bat at eye at us as we left so I didn't bother.

Not sure if they were short staffed or what but the reaturant wasn't full or busy when we went. Kind of felt unappreciated as a paying customer and wished I had gone someone else. Anyway! That's my honest borderline...