ASA Sushi — Restaurant in Vancouver

Today, my family and I had the worst restaurant service ever at Asa Sushi in Vancouver. We arrived around 2 PM, just as lunchtime was ending, and the place wasn't even very crowded. The servers didn't seem welcoming at all; they just gruffly showed us to our table. However, even after we were seated, the server ignored us for over 15 minutes, and by the time I tried to place an order, it had already been over 20 minutes.

One of the things that made us uncomfortable was how the server treated a white couple at the next table. They were spoken to kindly, with the server smiling and engaging in what seemed like English practice, asking them how they liked their food in broken English. But when it came to us, it was like they were dealing with unwanted guests, taking our order with a cold, indifferent expression and barely saying a word afterward.

It was clear that the servers were trying to cater to the white customers, putting on forced smiles and attempting to satisfy them with awkward English. What's the problem with these people? I don't know if it's because we didn't order as much or because they heard my children speaking Korean to me and decided to ignore us as fellow Koreans, but I have no desire to dine at such a place again with my kids. I feel inclined to warn my friends that this restaurant is not suitable for dining with children and that they may also feel a sense of racial discrimination here.

When we finished our meal and tried to pay the bill, the servers poured water into my empty cup. Why did they suddenly pour water for me when throughout the meal they hadn't said a word or offered water? Are they expecting a tip for that gesture with the water glass? What's wrong with these people?

If you're craving sushi in Vancouver, I strongly advise avoiding...

Food is good here but their service is bad. We came here today and they told us they had no rice with their meal. Thats pretty odd considering they are a sushi restaurant, but I assumed they ran out of plain white rice. They did not offer any substitution despite sushi rice seemingly being available(we ordered sushi). Surely, they could have offered at least something to replace the plain white rice that they seemed to be lacking. At the very least a discount should have been offered, but they did not offer anything. This would have been fine, if all customers were treated the same. After we just finished our meal, we saw another table receive white rice with their food. We asked, and they said they just finished cooking it. Thats not a good look for the restaurant. I assumed they had no plain white rice at all. But actually, they were still cooking it. None of this was told to us, otherwise we could have waited. We complained to the staff, and they finally gave us the rice in a take out. Thanks, but this could have been solved at the start if a substitute or discount was given. Its awkward for both parties if another customer gets more despite paying the same price. A few recommendations for the restaurant. Offer substitutions or discounts if you dont have something that comes with a meal. Communicate with customers. Otherwise, if another customer receives something that was previously advised to be out, it gives a negative impression to the customer that they have been cheated when actually the restaurant was still in the process of making it....

I live in the area and have LOVED coming here for years!! Super good sushi, and staff... until a certain point. Pre-covid, I went in once with my family and surprisingly enough, I saw a mouse scurrying underneath a table near my own. But as restaurants go sometimes, that is just the way it is, and if I want good sushi in the area, there is nowhere else to go right? However, I was basically kicked out of the restaurant when I went a week ago ("get out and wait for a table") by a blonde haired worker, who could have spoken in a much nicer way to a customer... I was not in the way of anyone, in fact I was the only person waiting inside. While I was waiting patiently outside (for awhile) looking at the menu, a couple walk in and get seated right away... I went in and asked politely for a table again, and they (another lady) told me there's a list. I expressed my confusion as to why I wasn't told about it, and basically they "forgot" about me... even though I was standing in the doorway. They told me to wait again while they get a table ready... all the tables were empty and ready... usually, I am not the one to complain openly like this, in fact, I have never gone out of my way to say something bad against a business of any kind. In this case, I did honestly feel from they way they looked at me, talked to me, and acted, that I was not "forgotten" about. I'm not sure what I did wrong, but it is what it is I guess. I've been coming here for many many years, and this has never happened before. Let's just say I will be going to the other sushi place opening up...