Reviews of Hamaei Japanese Restaurant (Restaurant)

Lara Mercier-Jung

One of the most authentic Japanese restaurants in Vancouver. Good service, amazing sushi. The chirashi don is of the highest quality and features a great variety of fish and shellfish. Grilled black cod is to die for. Be sure to make a reservation.

Kenneth Lindemere

Not worth reviewing.

JI YONG HWANG (kallandas)

Nice authentic sushi place.

John K

If you want authentic Japanese food/experience, this is the place to go to. Food quality and staff service is great. Only downside would be pricing. Place feels like small local sushi place but the pricing is that of high rent downtown area. But then again, I guess the West Van/North Van residents can afford their pricing.

Alizha Gogush

Was pretty up set when I stood in line for 10 minutes get up to the area to order wait another 2/3 minutes. She asks me pick up I said no I like to order she asked me to wait so she could help the ppl behind me that are picking up... are you kidding me why not get my order started then help the others seeing I waited already for ever... not cool

Adam Dickinson

One of the better chirashi bowls I've had.

Howie Outerbridge

A very special sushi place, shhhhhhh.

Nithimas Kirativiboolwong

Very good food and quality but a bit expensive for quality

Jack Zhang

The best real Japanese sushi restaurant in my personal ratings!

Jason Choi

The freshest, most varieties, and generous of sushi. Great hot dishes as well, and items you don't normally fins.. E. G, red tuna collar. Sometimes slow because they're so busy.

Joern Dettmer

The best sushi... period.

Laura Frasca

Service was excellent, and the food was lovely.

Sasha M

Good sushi, but pretty expensive.

erika k

my family’s absolute favourite japanese restaurant! authentic, fresh japanese fare cooked by actual japanese chefs and served by actual japanese staff. this place is the real deal and we are proud regulars

michael chen

Love this restaurant. I go there whenever I got the chance.

Hyun Soo Kim

reasonable price and fresh sushi. YUM

Matteo Delbigio

If you go here you have to try the roll with quail eggs on top they're amazing

Stuart Shiell

Quality sushi, friendly staff, family run. Excellent!! Closest on the North Shore to a genuine Japanese restaurant.

Claudio Chalom

Best Japanese restaurant in North Vancouver. Very traditional, fish is always fresh and all the staff very friendly and always helpful, even if you are not familiar with Japanese food. The restaurant is usually full and its hard to have a table for more than 4 people.

Edward Desaulniers

The best sushi on the North Shore but a little expensive.

Jackson H

(Translated) ㅅ ㄱㅅㄹ (Original) ㅅㄱㅅㄹ

Avery Young

great Sushi starting with a hot towel !!

Fardad Moayeri

Amazing traditional sushi. Fabulous fresh fish. Super kind, polite people. Impressive for anywhere, can’t believe it’s in Westview!

Alistair Ogden

One of the best sushi restaurants in Vancouver. Consistently great food, friendly service, and high quality ingredients. They might be a couple dollars more than your local cheap sushi place, but they're absolutely worth every extra cent.

Tara BC

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Sandro Mariotti

Simply the best sushi in town. Been going here for at least 15 years! fresh, good quality sushi. we don't go anywhere else.

Nicholas Manara

Fresh, tasty sushi and great staff.

Jon Ryan

It's a shame this place does not have more reviews; it is the best sushi and authentic Japanese I've had in the Lower Mainland so far (Shyun in Poco is excellent as well). The only place in the same league is Toyoda in Seattle. I haven't had a single dining experience or meal from this place that is not beyond excellent. Even a simple California roll is exquisite. These people obviously pride themselves in not only provided the finest sushi they are capable of but also a diverse menu. The prices are incredibly reasonable.

sootchh 1

No acknowledgement of customers by any of the staff when we entered its door. It takes a bit of an effort to get their attention... The food was mostly OK, with the exception of the tempura that came with nabeyaki udon; they were all half-raw and too crunchy. My wife is Japanese so she knows exactly how tempura should taste like.

Fayaz Manji

The food was authentic and great tasting! Perhaps a little pricey.

Benny Yau

Great sushi. Really great selection. The service is excellent. Really like the choices from the specials of fish they have fresh as well.

J777 999

We were at the door and after five minutes waiting the host closed the door an let's us know they were close. There was some room at the bar but they don't want to accommodate us. VERY RUDE ..NOT INCLUSIVE..

Juwl JJ

Really good chopped scallop cones! Definitely comparable to Kaide sushi which is my favorite but it’s all the way in downtown.. I wish they had the same marinated spicy tuna sashimi and more special rolls! But overall very fresh and the service is great!

Tak Takeda

Pricier than you average Japanese "bento-box B" restaurant, but also higher quality and better selection. You get what you pay for.

Nigel B

Best in Vancouver

Nimrod Levy

Only second to Shiro in Vancouver. Awesome food!

Chris Chung

Probably the best sushi in North Vancouver. Kitchen items are very good but not outstanding. I always judge a sushi place by the variety and uniqueness of seafood they offer, how they cut and present the fish for sushi or sashimi and how well they make the sushi rice. Most legit sushi in North Vancouver. The place is small so plan accordingly by going early, making reservations or ordering takeout.

Edward Peters

Best Sashimi on the North Shore!

Creative Graphic Design

Great Sushi!

JIN J

One of my favorite casual sushi in town. Friendly and cozy atmosphere with authentic Japanese sushi style. Good quality of sushi rice and seaweed. Soup udon dish is highly authentic and very delicious because not many Japanese restaurant can make smoked vege flavored soup base. So their Udon and Salmon & Avocado roll are the things I always order. Try it :) it’s definately worth :)

Black Fox

Beautiful rice...warm and moist.

Khurshid Akbar

Very enjoyable meal of sushi, fish used was fresh

Spencer B

Authentic Japanese owned and operated restaurant and on the North Shore...

Markus Koitka

The best sushi in Vancouver!

Shogo Kobey

A bit pricey, but one of the best in Vancouver area. I am Japanese by the way.

Michelle C

Amazing little place. So authentic! Roll combo was amazing. I was very pleased to hear Japanese speaking customers conversing with the staff as well.

PATRICK STAR

very little shop, but served very good sushi ^^ thank you

Alphonse Quenneville

Tucked out of view, serves great sushi. Efficient service makes for a pleasant experience.

Defergy

High quality sushi with respectable prices, one of the only in town. The sushi here is definitely the highest quality around. May not be the cheapest, but you get high quality sushi.

Steve Morgan

This tiny little restaurant offers some top-quality Japanese food. The food is very good as is the service. The small space means that it is difficult to get a table without reservation during peak hours. Call ahead.

Anthony Cheong

One of the greatest traditional Japanese sushi restaurant in town. Must try the chef special fish sushi: freshness is key. Can also opt for Temaki instead of sushi if you have a large appetite. Cooked food also yummy with great fish head hotpot, tempura dishes, yakisoba, and must try zaru-soba. Children's favorites include many different kinds of rolls, tonkatsu, and udon. Family business, good atmosphere, friendly staff, and great value. Highly recommended.

Екатерина Созыкина

There was a chaos in this restaurant: service was very slow, also they forgot to take us a cups of water. Terrible place...

Batya Fellman

Amazing local sushi joint. Rolls are top tier. They use great quality fish and everything tastes great. They are a few dollars more expensive than some of the other places in the area but they more than make up for it in terms of quality. Definitely my go-to sushi restaurant on the North Shore.

Kyoung Choun

One best Japanese restaurant in Metro Vancouver. From the basic (miso, green tea, katsuo dashi, etc) to the top notch artisan sushi, every single experience was perfect.

Lisa L

After waiting for nearly an hour, we finally got our first dish. It's just me and my daughter right now. It was just before 5 p.m. A shop that makes us feel bad!!

Grace Hung

Too expensive for a lunch box, 29.99 + tax + tip

Pooya Sadinejad

Had 4 rolls here. It was just average

Alice Thegreek

It was busy tonight so I had to wait about 5 minutes but I didn't mind as I've heard good things about this place and it's only 5 mins away from home. Service was very kind and prompt. The miso soup was very flavourful with good portions of seaweed, tofu and green onions in it. The BC roll had a good portion of crispy and flavourful fillings with fresh tasting fish eggs. The spicy salmon sashimi I was just the right amount of spice with soft, plush peices of salmon topped with delicious fresh greens and lovely cucumber spears to offset the spice a bit. Definitely the most deliciously flavourful sushi I've had in a long time, with lovely staff and chefs in a cute venue. Domo arigatogozaimashite!

Ricardo Kawashita

Excellent

Chris Huggins

Really great sushi and japanese fare from this cozy little place in a strip mall. Very popular dinner spot in the neighbourhood so reservations are recommended.

Peter Lovegrove

The info shows its open on Mondays but in fact they're not. Great food!

Jenna Danae

What I believe to be one of the best Japanese restaurants in North Vancouver and Vancouver. Amazing quality, freshness of fish and variety of menu. The price is damn good for the food here. Make a reservation because it's going to be busy.

Hector G

Extremely fresh and tasty food.

Ed Blunderfield

Yes! So fresh and a wonderful ambiance.

Lindsay Blair

Always amazing sushi! Fresh ingredient, friendly staff. I love it here!!

Andy Liang

Good food, been ordering for a long time. Quality remains the same. Takeouts: have to wait for 10 mins at least. Once, had to wait for 25 mins

Nicole Kelly

Food was good, people were super nice and didn't take too long. The only unfortunate thing was the price for the unagidon. for 28$ I was expecting a lot more than meat on rice. Not even a vegetable. It was good, but you can get the same thing for half the price at other restaurants.

Tracy McEvoy

Wonderful authentic Japanese food, wonderful people and great service! We've been fans for over 10 years and highly recommend this little gem in North Vancouver. Make a reservation, particularly on a Friday as it is always packed!

M. v. Antal

Customer service seems to have taken a turn for the worse. I have been dining here for years. I won't be back.

유잰

(Translated) The sushi was delicious (Original) 스시 먹었는데 맛있었음

SMTP [SKI&MTB&THEMEPARK]

Service

Gerald Myrfield

Buy the boys behind the sushi bar a beer!

Rauza Zhenissova

A very authentic sushi place. Run by a family, it was very cozy and food was super fresh

Shanny Rann

Exquisite Japanese sushi

Mark Liu

Authentic Japanese Food. Try the sushi. Best place to eat after taking the capilano trail walking.

Ricky Kim

Authentic Japanese sushi restaurant. The Chirashi Don here is the best one I have had ever. After this one, you won't be able to order Chirashi Don from anywhere else as you will have high standards. The tea here is great and the staff here are very friendly also.

Alex Y

Take out

Amber Chen

Love what I ordered!!

Quinn Millir

Amazing food, superb staff, but it can be busy at times. The wait is worth it though!

Suzana Bacaleinick

Absolutely incredible! I’ve been going to Hamaei for two year and it has always been amazing. Delicious fish, friendly and kind staff that love what they do, and overall a fantastic experience.

Sura Alwarid

Wow! I wish I had found them before!!! Great fresh sashimi. To die for cod. Great service. Traditional Japanese, no sloppy saucy over filled rolls. Very clean. Love it & will be my new sushi place in the north shore. I only go to places if a friend recommends them - I regret not following the reviews - otherwise I’d have tried them earlier. It’s never too late, I left with a very happy tummy :D

Hala Barakat

Very disappointing place. I have been a Hamaei client for over 18 years, quality of fish has gone down hell while prices have gone up, smaller portions...sushi has little fish with tons of rice. Customer services very bad. only reason we continue go there because it close by and not that many Japanese owned sushi places in North Van. Tonight I went for an early dinner by myself to Hamaie, the place was full except of two tables and 3 spots by the sushi bar. The server (who knows me very well) told me to wait for 30 minutes as the 3 spots by the bar are reserved and didn't want to offer me the table. I said no problem I can wait. Two minutes later a couple come in and the server offered them to choose between the table or the sushi bar (they had no reservation as she asked them if they did). The couple choose the sushi bar taking the two spots leaving one spot unreserved. The server sat them down and didn't even offer me the one seat by the bar. when I pointed it out and asked if can take the one spot left by the bar, she pretender that didn't notice... told me to take a seat by the bar. I politely told her that this is not a good customer service specially for someone who is being coming there for that long and she personally served me and my family for many years. No apology nothing... I do not recommend this place on all levels bad. very disappointing.

IamTheRealDeliCinq

Most quality sushi on north shore, just wish dine in was still open as well as lunch hours.

Roman Kralovic

Meh. Food was pretty decent. Service was slow and staff we’re disorganized. Was also dirty.

柳隆二

(Translated) There are more ingredients than Japanese sushi restaurants and they are delicious! (Original) 日本の寿司屋より、素材の数が多いし、旨い！

Wayne Zhang

Good taste

Kyle W

Best owner and staff in whole city food is amazing as well 18 year customer

이주한

Fresh sashimi

Brandon Goh

amazing food and service

Elizabeth Prout

Authentic, delicious and offers generous portions -- Hamaei is quintessentially Japanese, and a lovely neighbourhood spot.

Mike Vancouver

It's the best real Japanese sushi restaurant. High quality, very clean, warm and super friendly atmosphere!!

Marcel J

Lived in Japan for 10+ years and this place nails it!

Cody Hodge

AMAZING! This is the best sushi I've had I would 100% recommend this restaurant

James Lawson

Best Japanese food on the North Shore. But don't tell anyone - it's already hard to get a table!

james sanders

Great sushi.

emerson thomas

hard to get a seat at peak times, but worth the wait. excellent food quality, and owned, operated by Japanese which is rare in Vancouver. worth the drive !

Matthew Knight

Great quality fish... I always judge sushi places by the freshness of the salmon and the hamachi... And theirs is delicious. I love the chopped scallop roll too. Super friendly staff. Only downside, it's a bit more expensive than other sushi places in the area, but then again, you get what you pay for.

Glenda Jinx

worst restaurant ever!!!! Owner is RUDE. Don't waste your money here!

MIKEL RUEGAMER

The food here used to be excellent, sushi, sashimi and cooked foods. But over the years it has been getting a little worse year by year. Cooked food is still highly recommended but the sushi... Last time the rice was warm, big no no. Tuna was very stringy, and had gristle, avocado was hard not soft California roll and BC roll was ok but the rice was simply too warm. My guess is the sushi chefs aren't as good as they were when we first started coming here over 10 years ago.

Farhad Adibi

One of the best japanese restaurants in town.

Ian Cruse

Really nice Sushi place.

Peyman Khademi

Good quality, average service you normally get in most sushi places. Price is not very cheap but somewhat reasonable.

Shoop Anon

Waited for 30 minutes at front desk for a RESPONSE of a wait time, didn't even make eye contact with me. Ive never been ignored in such a blunt way by so many staff for such long time. Didn't get a response at all. Very dissapointed and upset with their inability to be hospitable. As someone who works in the hospitality industry there is no excuse for such sub human treatment. Will not be back for a while, dissapointing given all the other times I've been here.

Jason Caldwell

We were so happy to have found Hamaei Sushi after moving to North Vancouver 5 years ago. It was the only place we found that consistently matched the quality standards we were used to in Japan. The food has always been worth paying a premium for. I had my first interaction with the new management last week and couldn’t believe I was in the same restaurant. We will be watching to see if the new owners keep the existing quality-conscious team in place.

Valentin Stan

The best sashimi i ever eat!

Alice Scott

It can get crowded - so sometimes I do find their service can be a bit slow but they really do try their best...and besides the food is worth waiting for. Consistently good. I have never had a bad meal.

Gordon Kwong

Always fresh and interesting daily specials. Well prepared, great service

red treeward

good sushi

Dylan Bennett

Best sushi in Vancouver. My family comes here often because it is so good. Today we got the chefs choice sashimi and sushi and it was unbelievable. If you go here try to get a reservation because it fills up fast

Kevin Bruce

Top notch Japanese fare a cut above your everyday sushi joint. Quality and freshness are noticeably better than others, and they have a wide selection of appetizers, sushi, bento boxes, and à la carte choices. Seasonal recipes and fresh seafood selection, as well as great specials and features. It has been around for a long time and it's no wonder why. Limited seating, and always quite busy. The one negative thing is that is hard to get take-out especially during lunch or dinner. They ask if you can wait until a certain time which is usually an hour or more away. I would eat here alot more if they could expedite their take-out process, which is my only complaint.

A H

Best Japanese restaurant I have been to outside of Japan.

Who Why

Fantastic sushi. We where lucky and they had lots of different toro cuts and they where all epic! Surf clam, Hamaji and Hirame where all excellent. Better than any sushi you can get in London or rest of Europe at any price and all this in a strip mall... Had completely rubbish experience at Miku for lunch, couldn’t eat the food.... Then this sublime experience for dinner what a contrast! Might not look like much but who cares with fish like this. Very good value for money also. Not cheap but toro never is. Thank you Hamaei

R M

Vegetarians rejoice! I’ve long loved Hamaei for their stellar chirashi bowls, but lately I’ve been trying to eat vegetarian, so I asked them if they could make me a veg version of the chirashi bowl. The chef very generously agreed to try. And what he made was delicious! It included egg, avocado, marinated mushrooms, cucumber, kampyo (pickled gourd—much yummier than it sounds!), pickled daikon, cooked spinach, ginger, and shiso. Ideally it would have included a bit of inari, and perhaps some cooked yam for color and texture. But other than that, it was an A+. Will definitely order again!

Gary Kry

Food is incredible.

Luca Riccio

One of the best!

Pual Fuerderer

little bit below than average...

Frank Yu

Delicious sushi and great service! Feels so authentic. They give you hot towels too like you're sitting in first class aircanada or something. Would eat here again weekly!

Daniel Nichol

This place is over priced and sub par. I dont know if its because its close to West Vancouver but the portions were tiny. This isnt fine dining, its sushi. I ordered tofu teriyaki and it was a peice of tofu that would cost me 2 dollars at any market, with no rice and a serving of steamed vegetables I wouldnt consider even half a portion. I wish I could give it zero stars. Usually if I spend over 20 dollars at a sushi place im pretty full. Not this time. Im starving still. Ive never felt so ripped off from a restaurant. Avoid at all cost.

Lisa

Best Japanese in North Van. The hot food is even better than the sushi. Gyoza is to die for, black cod and chicken Karaage are excellent too. Yes you will wait. They are very busy for a reason. Phone in your order like everyone else does.

SunStreaker PSN

Over the past year, the service has been getting worse and worse. 1) Phone pick ups are long. After getting through one time, the lady said it will take an hour for takeout. We said thats ok and then the lady put us on hold and forgot about us!! Horrible. Even after we called back, they didnt care. 2) Recently, we went in and no one greeted or attended to the front. We had to interrupt someone to get attention. It felt horrible. If you dont make a reservation, dont bother. Very sad as it was much better before.

Kenny Hui

Very authentic Japanese Restaurant. We ordered a bunch of nigiri sushi from their daily chef selection menu. They have large selection of fish/seafood and many that I've rarely seen in Vancouver such as blue fin tuna. Their sashimis were amazingly fresh and the uni was creamy and sweet. Their price is very good value base at their quality. This is probably the best Japanese restaurants in North Shore.

Distant Ship G

Best Japanese restaurant on the North Shore, no contest. The restaurant is in high demand, so it's good to make reservations rather than showing up. I've been to Japan multiple times and can attest that the food in Hamaei is authentic as server in Japan. My favorite food is sushi and Nabeyaki Udon.

Maya S

If you're looking for outrageous rolls smothered in sauce and a smattering of toppings, this place is not for you. Authentic flavours, traditional, seasonal dishes, and always a great selection of fresh fish. And has anyone noticed the beautiful floral arrangements at the bar? Hamaei has been our family's go to place for many years and will continue to be for many more to come!

Dr johan Atomic

Yes I'm a sushi hound. This is my go to place for sushi. There is nothing on the menu I would not eat. Super place. Only downside, parking sucks.

Matt Z

Great food Slow service

Adam Ashurst

Fantastic sushi, and some great dishes for the more adventurous that you don’t usually find. Something for all different palates.

Hank Williams

Ill be back was great

Corrie Diligenti

Always busy, not great parking. Great fresh food.

陈丽颖

really fresh and special

Will RL

This is a real Japanese sushi place where is not common in Vancouver. They do have fresh ingredients from Japan. the food quality is high and the price is absolutely reasonable. Everything is perfect except the limitation of the Space in the restaurant.

Omid Memarzadeh

Very nice and respectful owners.

Arshroup Thind

One of the most authentic sushi restaurants in Vancouver. Nigiri is phenomenal. Great variety of very fresh, high quality fish. They dont have a lot of the typical specialty rolls with cream cheese or other western toppings you'll find at most sushi places in Vancouver. That's part of the attraction though. Really good quality simple sushi.

David MCADAM

Great food at a reasonable price.

Arshia Cell

I was there with my daughters at 1130am. Not that busy. We sat there for 10 min. No one even bothered to take our orders. A simple acknowledgment or eye contact to ask for more time would have been great. But we got none so we left.

Robert Buchanan

I LOVE this place. The fish is incredibly fresh. The staff are very friendly and attentive. The owner is always there making sure everything is right. just great;)

Kevin Bao

One of the best and authentic sushi restaurants you can go to in the lower mainland! This is our go to place.

Fernanda Lara Peralta

My favourite sushi restaurant in Vancouver!

dr scott

Spicy salmon sashimi is awesome