Kaori Izakaya (Sushi & Grill) — Restaurant in Vancouver

Just got home from a not so great experience. I rarely ever write reviews but this one deserved one for the attitude we received. Shouldve known to leave right away as we were greeted by who we think might be the manager or owner. The first thing we noticed was that he wreaked of booze and was all over his breath. We ordered 8 dishes and sake for the 3 of us to share, and one of the dishes in particular was the salmon belly. The manager came to take our order and after every dish I had said, he would acknowledge it and write it down. As our dishes started to come out, we couldnt help but notice the ladies in the booth next to us, and guess who was drinking with them? THE MANAGER. We couldnt help but watch him the entire time we were there as he was walking around the restaurant tipsy, drinking and serving customers. One of the nice servers placed a salmon don bowl on our table, we politely let them know that we didnt order this. She took it back to the kitchen and all of a sudden the manager comes up to us and says "salmon don" so I looked at him and said politely "salmon belly.. we ordered the salmon belly" and he interrupted both my friend and I raising his voice.... and I quote "WE DONT HAVE SALMON BELLY. IF YOU ORDERED SALMON BELLY THEN I WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU WE DONT HAVE IT. WE DONT HAVE SALMON BELLY." He starts to walk away and he mumbles to the employee to "forget about it". Not sure if that meant, forget about it as in take it off the bill?? He comes back 2 seconds later "do you need anything else?". Absolutely not!! We were not going to spend another dime at this place especially being treated that way. Because we knew he was incoherent, we let it go but still really angry about it. He completely ruined our experience there. Had he just said sorry, it was his mistake then there would have been no problem! But instead he got defensive and raised his voice. He even brought his pad of paper that he wrote it on to try and show us that we told him salmon don. We definitely did not. I only gave the service two stars because the servers were sweet and doing their best, and even though the kitchen messed up on a roll.. one of the chefs came out and apologized and gave us the correct roll and let us keep the incorrect roll at no charge. When we received the bill, guess what was on it? The salmon don that we didnt order. We kindly mentioned to the waitress that we didnt order that dish and she took it off the bill for us. Would not go again based off of this experience. Listen, if you want to drink as the owner or manager.. thats cool, you do you. But dont serve customers. You have employees who are...

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📍 Kaori Izakaya (Sushi & Grill) – A Perfect Late-Night Sushi Spot!

Last night around 11 PM, we were seriously craving sushi — and as you might guess, not many places are open that late. Luckily, Kaori Izakaya was open, and honestly, it turned out to be such a great choice!

🔸 The ambiance is cozy and beautifully designed with a warm Japanese vibe — perfect for a relaxed late-night meal. 🔸 The menu is impressive and full of tempting options. We tried a few different rolls, and each one was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. 🔸 The service was truly lovely! Our server Ryoko was kind, polite, and welcoming — her warm energy made our visit even more enjoyable. 🔸 And a small but important detail: the washroom was spotless! Clean facilities always show how much care a place puts into every aspect of their business. 🔸 And the sweetest touch? They surprised us with complimentary ice cream at the end of our meal! Such a kind and thoughtful gesture that made the experience even more memorable.

Overall, I highly recommend Kaori Izakaya if you’re looking for a late-night Japanese food spot with high-quality sushi, great service, and a calm atmosphere. Whether you’re a sushi lover or just looking for somewhere relaxing and delicious at night, this place is definitely worth...

I honestly debated between a 4 and a 5 star here but ultimately settled on 5 because of the level of service. I wavered on 4 due to some of the pricing but after some careful thought I came to the conclusion that the quality of the items were most definitely worth their price tag.

Unfortunately we ate the sushi faster than I could think of taking a picture of it, but it truly tasted amazing. We ordered the Crazy Salmon and it was so rich and creamy with a melt in your mouth feeling. We also ordered the Torched Salmon with a Jalapeño topping and the quality was just as good.

The establishment itself has table separated by dividers and overall felt clean and well maintained. Our server was patient and very friendly. We often would ask what the chef was making because it smelled so good or looked amazing and our server would find out for us. The server also gave us more time to figure out what we wanted since it was our first time there.

The images attached were Takoyaki, Okonomiyaki Pancake and the Wasabi Tacos. The Okonomiyaki and Takoyaki were sooooo good! Melt in your mouth and full of flavor.

Definitely recommend this spot! A bit on the pricey side but the quality of the food, the service and the establishment itself...