Hokkaido Sushi Bar — Restaurant in Vancouver

Fifty years ago, in a small yet traditional ryokan nestled in the mist-shrouded mountains of Japan, I discovered sushi. My sainted father whispered that as soon as the server left the room, we could throw it off the balcony, where graceful rocks floated tranquilly about, and neighborhood cats sat, waiting for fish that foreigners reliably offered as sacrifices to the feline gods.

But the server never left. After prevaricating for a bit, we took our first tentative, alien bites. It was an epiphany and the beginning of a love for Japan that eventually brought me back to live in Kobe for six years.

When people asked why I had gone, I told them it was because the police were chasing me. The reality, however, was that I was a little lost and thought I could find myself there. Although ridiculous, this turned out to have at least a bit of truth to it.

That, and the food. I loved Japanese cuisine, from the greasy little okonomiyaki places to establishments where sushi plates stacked high like crazy tilting towers. Those places, whether in the Japanese Alps or tucked under the rumble of railroad tracks, were the center of our revolving world.

Now, let me say something about the Hokkaido Sushi Bar: it was honestly some of the best, biggest, freshest sushi I’ve had outside Japan, and in fact, better than many of the places I found there.

It’s not cheap, particularly if your nostalgia and eyes are bigger than your stomach. But it’s value for money. The items are large, and you probably don’t have to order as much as you think. Every bite whispers in your ear, "Damn! I’m worth it!"

I love conveyor belts, I love cheap sushi that is almost a numerical challenge, and those places have their role, both here and in Japan where you run elbows with the workers and the drunk businessmen.

But if you want something truly special that can whisk you away to mysterious lands, then Hokkaido Sushi should certainly be...

Was extremely surprised at how good the sushi was here, given the location and look/feel. Someone there is obviously a stickler for quality - the fish was fresh and tasty. Even the octopus and squid were tender and fresh, and the knife work was better than I've seen at some 'high end' places (I'm looking at you, Shinsen!).

Thanks to food intolerances the only thing I can eat pretty much is salad and sashimi, so the fish is super important for me. We've been three times now on different days and times and the quality has been consistently good; the fish is definitely where this place stands above the rest. The menu is otherwise decent but not amazing. The squid salad stood out for us in the appetizers as being super tasty.

The service is not going to be what most expect as the place seems to be run by an immigrant family and have limited to little English skills and service experience. That being said, the two servers we've had were all helpful and accommodating (they corrected a mistake on my first order immediately and with care) and were very friendly after recognizing us on our second and third visits.

The atmosphere is Japanese minimalist, which I quite like and I am certain is by accident and not by intent LOL. The place is very sparsely furnished and decorated, but it comes together and gives it a great unique vibe. I am VERY happy not be sitting waaaay to close to every other table or at the same bench as others as is common these days... I want to go out on date night with my husband, not with some bunch of randos screaming into their phones thank you very much.

Would definitely recommend for the sushi, sashimi and rolls. Probably the best Japanese we've had in Vancouver so far (still looking at...

First thing that I noticed while approaching from the parking lot was that their windows were really dirty. That should have been my first clue but as I had driven quite some distance in the rain to get there, I decided to go on in. The next clue was when I ordered the chicken Karaage. The waiter seemed quite confused and he kept asking me to repeat what I was ordering. After a couple of times, he finally said "can you show me where it is on the menu"? I pointed it out an he still seemed to be a bit befuddled. I also ordered the baked mussels as well. I got neither: I was told they were not yet set up to serve those two items??? Seriously? That's like a burger joint say they can't make fries. We ended up ordering the chicken Katsu which had a nice light panko crust but the the chicken inside was sliced really thin to the point it was quite dry and tasteless. For the main course, we ordered both Maki and nigiri sushi. The rolls were quite tasty but the nigiri was not up to par. While the Hamachi was okay, the octopus was hard and extra chewy. The spicy scallop didn't taste too fresh either and failed to impress. Overall, I'm giving this place 3 stars and I am being generous. At the very least, the filthy windows were such a sign of disrespect to the approaching customers I should have turned and left while...