Guu Original Thurlow
Guu Original Thurlow things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
Plan your stay
Posts
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 lunch or dinner!
Kristen ChiuKristen Chiu
20
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 fav! MUST have.
Sierra SSierra S
00
Probably the only place in van where you can get Izakaya food outside of japan. That's coming from someone who's gone to Japan. Foods a bit westernized but aside from that it's delicious. Ex. The unagi is cut up into bite size pieces to mix with rice rather than an entire slice We had takoyaki, okoyonomiyaki, negitoro, pork belly, fried rice, and unagi. Takoyaki: 10/10 perfection. Gooey inside, solid outside, and at the perfect temperature to put in your mouth and eat without scalding the mouth but still being incredibly hot. Flavorful and delicious with a good amount of katsuobushi and sauce. Okonomiyaki: 10/10 crispy saucy doughy goodness Negitoro: 7/10. It's solid but I'd rather have nigiri/sashimi. Their wasabi is pre good. Nothing as good as freshly grated real wasabi but it was solid. Better than usual. Pork belly 6.5/10: it needed some salt lmao. Decent but could've been better Fried Rice 10/10: It's fried rice. You can't fuck up fried rice. It was yummy. Unagi 10/10: it was chopped into pieces but other than that it was delicious. Unagi isn't an easy thing to find in van and this place is accessible and delicious Alcohol: I had a shot of every whiskey. It's pretty good but I don't remember too much of it Someone on another table ordered karage and it looked scrumdillyumptious.
ShinimanShiniman
00
Wow, just wow. This place looks just like any other regular izakaya but don't let that fool you. Food here is top notch, and so are the staff. I'd say that everyone was very friendly, energetic and inviting. We ordered from the regular menu and the daily special menu. From the special menu we got the aburi salmon on rice and the BBQ eel rice. The rest of the dishes were from the regular menu. These include: smoked monkfish liver, Takowasabi, karaage, takoyaki, and ikamaru (grilled squid). For dessert we ordered the mochi ice cream. The aburi salmon was fantastic. It was plated beautifully. The salmon looked overdone but in fact, it was lightly torched. This in combination with the vinegary sushi rice was delicious. You have to drizzle some of the soy based sauce that they provide. It was an umami rich experience. The BBQ eel rice was hands down the best I had ever eaten. They serve it on a bed of rice along with some fluffy scrambled eggs. This dish is super rich. I'm glad they added the pickled ginger to garnish. You will savor every bite with how buttery the eel and egg are.
Rose NguyenRose Nguyen
00
I don't drink alcohol, so I don't have many opportunities to go to Izakaya. But tonight is the first Japanese izakaya in Vancouver. I went around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, so I could sit right away. It seems like the weekend will be crowded. My server lady was very nice and has good service. The menu was nice in both Japanese and English. It was full of seasonal dishes, and I ordered steamed clams w/ garlic soy butter-sake broth, Simmered enoki mushroom on tofu, cucumber & seaweed w sour plum sauce, and Oden(tamago, daikon itokon. The steamed clams had a strong taste with plenty of chopped garlic. I think I should have had udon added. Both tofu dishes and cucumber seasoned with plum helped me relieve my fatigue. The soup of oden was white, but it was well flavored. Above all, it reminds me of Japanese home cooking. There are many friends and couples in the store, but it's comfortable to be alone like me. If you drink alcohol, the food here will suit your taste. I might have needed rice instead of alcohol. I want to come here again and enjoy a meal.
Nami NNami N
00
I enjoyed this restaurant. It was the first place we visited when we arrived in Vancouver. It was my families first trip to Vancouver. My wife is Japanese, so she wanted to eat some Japanese food because we live in Ohio. Ohio "Japanese" food is horrible. Anyway, everything that we ate was really good. I really enjoyed the Karaage, shishinto peppers, and weiners. I also had the flavored sake, which was very tasty but very sweet, of course. Diabetics need not apply, lol. The fries that my son had was tasty as well but a bit salty. The Miso was ok, not bad, but I've had much better. I overall enjoyed the food and the ambiance. The music was loud Japanese hip hop, which I am a fan of, but if you're not, it'll probably be annoying and a bit distracting. To be fair, we live in a place with horrible le Japanese food, so maybe I'm overhyping the food, but I really loved it. I would definitely go back next time I'm in the area. Maybe make a reservation before you go to make sure you have a spot.
Duane NDuane N
00
Nearby Attractions Of Guu Original Thurlow
CF Pacific Centre
Vancouver Art Gallery
Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre
Harbour Centre
Pan Pacific Vancouver
Orpheum
The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver
Hyatt Regency Vancouver
Vancouver Convention Centre
Commodore Ballroom

CF Pacific Centre
4.3
(5K)Click for details

Vancouver Art Gallery
4.3
(3.5K)Click for details

Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre
4.4
(2.5K)Click for details

Harbour Centre
4.4
(2.5K)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Guu Original Thurlow
Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House
Miku Vancouver
JOEY Burrard
Glowbal Restaurant
Black+Blue
Cardero's Restaurant
Dae Bak Bon Ga
Ramen Danbo Robson
Cafe Medina
JINYA Ramen Bar - Vancouver Downtown

Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House
4.5
(3.3K)$$$
Click for details

Miku Vancouver
4.6
(3.2K)$$$
Click for details

JOEY Burrard
4.6
(3.1K)$$
Click for details

Glowbal Restaurant
4.5
(3K)$$$
Click for details
Basic Info
Address
838 Thurlow St, Vancouver, BC V6E 1W2, Canada
Map
Phone
+1 604-685-8817
Call
Website
guu-izakaya.com
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.5
(1.1K reviews)$$
Ratings & Description
Description
Bustling izakaya offering inventive Japanese small plates to go with sake, beer & unique cocktails.
attractions: CF Pacific Centre, Vancouver Art Gallery, Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre, Harbour Centre, Pan Pacific Vancouver, Orpheum, The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver, Hyatt Regency Vancouver, Vancouver Convention Centre, Commodore Ballroom, restaurants: Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House, Miku Vancouver, JOEY Burrard, Glowbal Restaurant, Black+Blue, Cardero's Restaurant, Dae Bak Bon Ga, Ramen Danbo Robson, Cafe Medina, JINYA Ramen Bar - Vancouver Downtown

- Please manually select your location for better experience