Raisu — Restaurant in Vancouver

We were hoping for a fun night out with friends, and after seeing all the reviews and gimmicks floating around online, we decided to give this restaurant a try. Big mistake.

There are a few basic things a restaurant needs to get right to be worth anyone’s time: service, atmosphere, food quality, portion size, or at the very least, value for money. Unfortunately, the owner(s) here seem far more interested in chasing quick cash than building a decent dining experience.

Let’s start with service and atmosphere. Despite having a reservation, we were lazily pointed toward our table instead of being properly welcomed and seated. This wasn’t during a rush — servers had more than enough time to engage in five-minute chit-chats but not enough to simply walk us over. Throughout the night, staff were unresponsive, distracted, and virtually unreachable. Maybe yelling across an open field might have gotten their attention — that is, if we could be heard over the music, which was honestly louder than The Weeknd concert earlier this week. Just getting a bowl required talking to two different servers. Ironically, they had no problem forming a full chorus to sing “Happy Birthday” at another table. At this point, maybe performing arts is more their calling than restaurant service.

Now, on to the food — because with a 4.5-star rating on Google, you’d think they could deliver something decent. Well, they did deliver something: utter embarrassment. The Wagyu beef was cooked so poorly it could’ve come out of a microwave after a two-minute reheat. The “lobster” broth base in the udon? Tasted cheaper than canned lobster bisque from a discount aisle. And the portion sizes? Let’s just say they’d suit a hamster more than a human.

Honestly, with this level of quality, I wouldn’t trust the kitchen crew to run a food truck, let alone a full restaurant.

This place doesn’t meet even the bare minimum standards across the board. Maybe the owners should consider opening a go-kart track instead — the management here is as lost as Scuderia Ferrari’s F1 strategy team. Actually, they’d make a great partnership, considering neither seem to know how to do their jobs right.

If anyone ever asks me to come here again, I’d rather eat $40 worth of dog food, naked, on Kitsilano Beach. At least that would be less humiliating than stepping foot in this...

Review update: 2023.9.15 Restaurant visit on: 2022.8.12

Review: ★★★★★ This restaurant transports me straight to Japan with its authentic atmosphere and cuisine. While the price per person falls in the range of $25 to $35, which may seem a bit high, it's entirely justified by the creativity and sheer deliciousness of the dishes. The food quality here is exceptional, and dining feels like a visit to a traditional Japanese restaurant.

Ambiance: ★★★ The restaurant succeeds in recreating the ambiance of Japan, with its authentic decor and Japanese-style music. The music choices are relevant and contribute to a relaxing dining experience. However, one area that could use improvement is the cleanliness of the restaurant. During our visit, we couldn't help but notice sticky stains under our shoes, which detracted from an otherwise pleasant atmosphere. This aspect definitely needs some attention and improvement.

Service: ★★★★★ Service at this establishment is commendable overall. The servers have a good sense of timing, approaching diners when needed and addressing customer queries efficiently. Their attentive service adds to the overall positive dining experience.

Price: ★★★★ While the cost per person here may appear on the higher side, it's entirely reasonable given the creative and delectable offerings on the menu. The outstanding quality of the food justifies the price point, and it truly feels like you're dining at a traditional Japanese eatery.

Reservations Recommended: It's worth noting that this restaurant isn't particularly large in size, and it tends to be consistently packed with guests. Therefore, I highly recommend making a reservation in advance to secure your spot and avoid any disappointments.

In summary, this restaurant provides a genuine taste of Japan, with outstanding food and a welcoming ambiance, accompanied by attentive service. While the cleanliness could use some improvement, the overall dining experience is memorable and well worth the slightly higher price range. Just remember to book ahead to ensure you don't miss out on this delightful Japanese...

Raisu has definitely gone downhill since my last visit to Vancouver a few years ago so wouldn’t be fooled by the overall rating of this restaurant and recommend Oku Izakaya in Gastown if you can get a reso there instead or try Ocean Goose just down the road (way more bang for your buck for decent sushi).

We arrived for our 5:15pm reso and was excited to order their ‘Ocean Offerings’ set which is offered in limited quantities. Mind you, this set is only available AFTER 5pm but they had already SOLD OUT of it within 15 MINUTES which was disappointing/frustrating (why even have it on the main menu if people barely get a chance to order it?). I get the restaurant’s strategy behind creating demand but it actually just made it inaccessible/left a sour taste in our mouths.

We settled for getting a few other sushi “sets” though for almost the same price, you’re only getting one variety of fish and half the number of pieces so it was overpriced for what it was. Would recommend the restaurant add another set option that has a variety of fish but I get that the way they’re currently doing it forces larger bills. We also ordered off the featured menu—a crab clay pot rice that was extremely underwhelming. It was 95% rice (no crunchy pieces either) with two scrawny crab legs and some seaweed and crab meat pieces sprinkled on top. Our cocktails were the only things that were decent.

While the staff/servers were nice and vibe was still lively, our service was REALLY fast. As in, after we ordered, we got our food really quickly which told me they pre-made a bunch of stuff and are really just looking to turnover your table as fast as possible, which made it feel pretty rushed. For a meal between 2 people costing $150+, you’d want to take it a bit slower to enjoy your dining experience. Otherwise, we would have just ordered take out at that point.

Anyway, we likely won’t be visiting Raisu again in the future just given how many amazing Jap restaurants there are...