Guu Original Thurlow — Restaurant in Vancouver

It was around 9pm on Thursday night after we finished our massage appointment in downtown, we thought it wouldn't be so packed because it closes at 10pm. But, all tables were still unexpectedly taken and we needed to wait for 5 minutes, so I guess the dinner menu should be more attractive than lunch menu since we usually went there for lunch before.

We were quite hungry so it didn't take too long for us to decide what to eat. We ordered diced hanger beef steak, steamed mussels and BBQ eel on rice. We initially wanted to order black cod and okonomiyaki yakisoba but they were already sold out, probably because it was late already.. lol

The first dish came to us was the hanger beef steak, the steak was so tender but we both thought the seasoning was too strong for us. If the seasoning was a bit less and not so marinated, I think it would be better. It was a busy night so it took another 10-15 minutes for other 2 dishes to arrive.

The BBQ eel rice surprisingly tasted quite good, it came with scrambled egg underneath the diced eel. When I mixed all together, the scrambled egg and moist eel made the whole texture balanced and I couldn't stop refill in my bowl! I definitely pick this from the menu next time again if I don't see any other choices.

The steamed mussels were not bad, but I guess the mussels were frozen type because we couldn't taste much flavor, which was what we expected. The broth was even better than the mussels itself. The mussel tasted better when we put the mussel in a spoon of the broth.

Overall, all the dishes we ordered were quite good, but I guess it would be better if the diced hanger beef steak came to the last since the other dishes tended to be less seasoning and less flavor. If the first dish tasted too strong, it would cover the taste from the other.

Not to mention how fair the prices are, and how nice the service is, I highly recommend everyone to visit this restaurant, no matter for...

Bad dining experience with inexperienced and careless staff.

Staff have bad situational awareness, time management, and prioritization. It was very difficult getting a server as they spend all their time with their head down folding napkins or responding to new guests coming in, kudos to the chef who keeps his eyes up enough to prompt the servers when guests are being ignored. The servers are trained like Pavlov's's dogs to respond to the door chime but ignore everything else happening in the restaurant. Staff highly prioritize take-out orders and new guests leading to a very poor dining experience lesser than that of McDonalds or any other fast food chain.

Being seated in the middle of the restaurant means somehow you get ignored. Waited over 50 minutes for our food to arrive after having to prompt staff twice while receiving no tea or update regarding our orders. After prompting once, the server said she would check our orders but walked away and never came back. Unfortunately, I had to prompt a second server to find my food. Evidently, our food was left unattended waiting for the severs as when it was no longer hot when it arrived and all dishes were instantly available after prompting the second server.

Food was mediocre partially due to its temperature but simply there was nothing exemplary in its quality. The salad had way too much vinaigrette and the croquette was nothing more than a ball of cream, no potato flavor to be found as it was easily overwhelmed. Frying quality was decent. The chicken karaage, however, was good. It was tender, juicy, and generous in size. The curry doria didn't have chicken as advertised but rather little bits of beef or pork, too small to be distinguished. Luckily, I was starving at this time so couldn't complain but it was otherwise a plate of curry sauce with cheese on rice.

Prices are reasonable all around considering the area but is reflected in the quality of customer...

Fav Japanese pub-style restaurant in Vancouver! A MUST try.

My Partner and I were just out for a walk a few weeks ago and accidentally stumbled upon this place. I am so happy we did because they are amazing, all around. I've been three times since!

Atmosphere 5/5 Food Quality 5/5 Food Quantity 3/5

Atmosphere is so friendly and up beat. I wasn't expecting to feel so welcomed, but as soon as you walk in the whole staff greets you! They also say goodbye when you leave. - I thought that was the sweetest thing. The staff in overall is super nice. Everyone here was laughing and having a great time (socially distanced of course.) Not too loud too, I can still have a conversation at my table and not feel like I'm yelling. That is SO important to me.

Food quality is amazing. I've been to some great restaurants before and I have to say, not that I love paying lots of money for food, but Guu could charge 2x as much as they do for some of the items on their menu. AMAZING dishes. GREAT for sharing. The chefs here know what they are doing.

I would recommend off the dinner menu: Sashimi Salad Salmon Yukke Negitoro Tuna & Salmon Tataki (fav on the menu) Beef Tataki Kimchi Fried Rice (my partners fav on the menu)

Food quantity is not as much for some items, like the Tataki and the Yukke. You are paying for the quality, so don't expect a feast! Some other items though, like the Kimichi fried rice, is almost TOO much food. I always go home with left overs!

**Overall I'm so happy I stumbled into this place because it's a great time! Never should you be opposed to going off the main street (like Robson) to find a hidden gem restaurant. Guu is my...