Reviews of Zen Japanese Restaurant (Restaurant)

Corry Spitters

We enjoyed our dinner everything was very well prepared, and presented. Dinner for 3 we got out just over $200.

Christopher Brandt

Excellent & delicious.

Nas Ham

Food was great. Service was attentive and a rather large menu. I plan on going back and see if I can give them the 5th star!

Mick Luk

(Translated) Everything is delicious! Enjoy the taste of a Japanese izakaya while in Vancouver! I want to go again and again! ???? (Original) 全部美味しい！ バンクーバーにいながら日本居酒屋の味を楽しめます！何度でも行きたい！????

Derrick MacPherson

Pretty nice spot.

Z K.

Delicious! a little spendy but well worth it, best salmon I've ever had.

Power Movers

Excellent food and service

Ricky Tong

Best Japanese restaurant in West Vancouver. Must try !

Justin Ming

Absolutely delicious! A little pricy, but so totally worth it.

Tony Kirby

Best Japanese on North Shore and possibly Vancouver. Our favourite and kids love it!

chris chan

Incredible sushi. Very high quality. You can get some very creative and yummy rolls (jalapeno one is a stand out). Or if you're into traditional sushi and sashimi, that's also excellent. I would come back again.

Hans Wolfgang Schulze

good

Francesco Spina

Top quality sushi!

cindy mccain

Fantastic Japanese. Try the crispy beef rolls!

Moe Moghaddasian

(Translated) Tempura ok sashimi nono (Original) 덴뿌라 오케이 사시미 노노노

Pam B

My sister went to Zen at 5:30pm with her bf and were refused a table and told to sit at the bar or sushi counter when the restaurant was almost entirely empty. Not sure why, maybe the way they were dressed, dark jeans and sneakers or the Indo Canadian and Caucasian lady doesn't like mixed couples?

Marc Leblanc

Cozy outdoor sitting. Very good food. Recommended! A bit pricey (for a professor salary), but we will be back :-)

Edward Desaulniers

Meal type

Fardad Moayeri

Great dinner as always. Excellent service by Keira The best sushi on the North Shore!

Mark Rocchio

Very good high end Sushi. Out door PatiHighly Reccommend

Michael “The Building Manager” Thompson

a bit over price

Jesse Olivier

The best! I'm always impressed and delighted. Every time I eat here I order a different couple of dishes from their traditional Japanese cuisine list, although their rolls are extremely impressive, too. Can't wait for my next visit! Great staff! And very pleasant and friendly chefs!

K A

nice service good atmosphere

Kam Tafreshi

Great Food and Service . One of the best Japanese in Vancouver

Andy Lee

Outstanding sushi with a flare!

Matt and Andrea Towstyka and Brown

The food is steeped in many local elements.it is not an authentic Japanese restaurant but overall the dishes are well prepared with fresh ingredients

Kelly R.

Nice decor, good service, interesting food. Prices are on the high side.

Bella Blanchard

Christine is the absolute BEST. I highly recommend. Great personality and amazing food!

Kent Aldous

Really really good Japanese food. I would definitely go again.

Anda Bosnea

Truly awful. And very expensive. Friday night is sushi night for our family. To be fair, we tried Zen Restaurant twice (the first time was disappointing too). We were dismayed both times. My son likes the basics - prawn tempura ($20) and Cali Rolls ($11) - and we tried various dishes unique to this restaurant. Honestly, EVERYTHING except the seaweed salad was awful. Vancouver is a great city for sushi and you can easily find good sushi for the family in the $20-$35 range. This meal from Zen was $76 plus tip - and it was inedible. We all took a few bites and called it quits.

crystall hayashi

One of the best Japanese restaurants in Vancouver without question. Always top quality food and fantastic service.

Marcus Ho

nothing special, but overpriced .

Jack Davison

Zen is a Japanese sushi landmark in West Vancouver. Prepared with pride by Japanese chefs and owner. Oishi!!

David Guimbellot

It’s a “premium” Japanese restaurant with partial ocean view, the food might come from premium materials but the taste is just underwhelming. In this price range, there are many better options in Vancouver but I guess we are paying the West Vancouver price premium.

Patti Beale

You don't go to this place for cheap sushi you go here for the very best

Mitchell Mackay

I wanted to go to Zen for a very long time after being recommended by the japanese newspaper. After doing a browse of their website, I was expecting a very traditional fare with japanese chefs and a japanese atmosphere. Instead what I recieved was a pretentious take on japanese fare, only 1 chef that was and spoke japanese, and a ton of caucasian waitresses. While the food was fresh and delicious, I would recommend other places if you want an authentic traditional japanese experience. Food great, atmosphere disappointing.

PATRICK STAR

Exceptional Japanese fine dining backed by good service. Well worth the trip to North Van.

zor borgor

The best sushi!! My husband and I went here a couple years ago for Valentine’s Day and it was wonderful, sadly hadn’t made it out here again until the other day but it was just as good as we remembered! Lovely staff as well.

Shirley Clarke

Oh em gee.... Absolutely the best sushi I've ever had in my life, and I've ate over 500+ restaurants. Please if you like sushi or seafood I honestly recommend this place! My tastebuds have never been this good. Pricy but definitely worth it!!!!

Steve Morgan

The Korean pork Don is really good, yet, you probably need more rice for this because the sauce was too much. However, not preferred the chicken karage don because my friend said the sauce is to strong for this dish.

Alex Stockwell

This place was pretty darn good. The food was excellent. It was full of flavour and wasn't your generic Japanese food. The portion sizes were smaller than expected for the price, but I was still quite satisfied with it overall. The venue is very nice, especially out on the patio. The service was fantastic too. Our server was very friendly and also super funny. He honestly added so much quality to our experience there. I would definitely recommend this place.

Sean Mooney

Yum :) lovely location in Ambleside. place was packed so they gave me seats at bar.. perfect. lovely atmosphere , bar none food

Matt Gul

The food was great

Francis Lang

My favourite restaurant!

Melilove MM

Great food, courteous, friendly and knowledgeable server!

jay Red

My sister and I visited Vancouver for the first time and dined at Zen on our way to Capilano Park. We had an amazing experience, from being welcomed by the great staff and getting recommendations from the chef himself, to thoroughly enjoying everything we tried! We ordered rolls, a sushi plate, seaweed bites, dumplings, baos, and velvet tuna sashimi, to name a few. The sushi was fresh, delicious, and beautifully created - we really enjoyed the presentation. I can't stop telling my friends about it - we made the trip from South Vancouver to West Vancouver to dine here, and could not have been happier! Thank you to the chefs and staff at Zen for a great meal!

Maria Chaplick

Top quality sushi. Many dishes unique to their munu.

David

Terrible Fake Japanese food, never had fishier sashimi, there were more damn sphagetti and sand than anything else in the motoyaki, sushi rice was hard and cold. Extremely oversauced rolls, just a garbage place in general. If i could I would give negative stars.

Donny Centanni

Always fresh, top notch quality. Probably the best sushi in the entire lower mainland. Expensive but you get what you pay for.

Juan Jiménez

????????

Michael Sheppard

The ???? are very creative and taste ????????????95% but the ???? block the view

Jennifer Park

can’t comment on the food, but service is great! ordered takeout from a restaurant down the street to eat at a park and they didn’t have a disposable spoon and wouldn’t let me buy or borrow a piece of cutlery. no hesitation from Zen giving me a spoon for the odd request, thanks!

Michael H

Annual ritual to visit on the way to Whistler. Very fresh seafood which is obvious from the location. If you are a local you might not appreciate it like I do. I am visiting from Florida. We have totally different sea life.

Alex Wang

Great place. 100% recommend the wild sockeye salmon!

Kevin Shen

Absolutely loved visiting this place! We couldn't stop talking about how great the service was! Phenomenal place! The miso soup wasn't as good as what I've had in previous restaurants, but the sushi rolls that we purchased were delish. Try the spider roll. It's huge. Also, the B.C roll was quite tasty!

Lyndell Skews

Great food and service. Fabulous desserts specially made for Zens

Mark Roberts

Service and food quality is always top notch!

Dan Godlewski

Definitely a place for a splurge, but wonderful staff and deeeelicious Japanese fare.

Michael Sinitsa

We go every Friday and have the best service from Lauren— she also makes the delicious homemade desserts. The food is exceptional quality and the restaurant is immaculate with a great patio!!

Moses Kim

We ordered the food for take-out. Small portions and very expensive. Spent almost $130 , and can’t make 2 adults feel full. Won’t come back again.

paul joyce

Amazing food!! Super friendly service! Lovely views!

keefsilano

Food is under expectation, price is higher than others.

Henry

Dine in

カイテン

Delicious, quality Japanese food.

Jayson V

Food ok but value not great. Premium Oceanwise sushi had a piece of egg as on if the five pieces. First time I have heard of egg from the ocean

Holly Eunsook Moon

Absolutely fabulous, can not wait for my next visit!

Alex Evseev

Expensive but Not tasty;;

Jason Crabb

Good service and great food we will be coming back

Susan Heimsoth

An inobtrusive server and excellent cuisine. None better anywhere in BC.

Nicole Whiten

Worth the price. Best sushi in vancouver hands down.

Mat Traveltheworld

Great sushi, awesome service and love the atmosphere!

Gee

Rice portions are too big. There is too much rice in the sushi. When I asked the server if I can have smaller portion of rice, they told me that sushi is like that and we shouldn't be wasting any food. I work in the food industry and if customers asked for something simple like smaller portion of rice, that you should just listen to them. Service is not even great. No one greets you in the entrance. I wouldn't recommend the sushi, cones, and the maki rolls. Cause like I said earlier, too much rice. Lots of missed orders. Do not come here for sushi. Fish is poor quality. All you can eat but not worth it. Ok anyways. My suggestion for this restaurant is smaller rice portions

noob rainbow

Had the omakase for lunch. First, it's great that they offer omakase for lunch. This doesn't seem to be common. The starter was amazing. Two rounds of crispy fish, dumpling, oyster, ... all incredible little morsels. Then there was their take on a fish taco made with rice paper and some weird salsa -- it was pretty terrible. Then the sushi main (you have the choice of nigiri, sashimi, or grilled fish) which was okay. I think most sushi I've had elsewhere was better, but my wife thought it was particularly fresh. The sashimi main was the first time in ages I've had octopus and it was quite nice (not too chewy), but I still don't like octopus. Same for the squid. I don't get sashimi much so maybe it was a mistake to order it (a sashimi lover may have loved the shrimp head presentation and tentacles but I just wanted simple fish). Overall, I think the sushi was a disappointingly weak part of the meal considering it was a sushi place, but wow those appetisers were great. They're running a promotion GlancePay to give you $10 off if you sign up to pay from your phone. (Nov 2016) I heard about this place from the BC Living's "Where Vancouver Chefs Go for Sushi," which I think set me up for lofty expectations that weren't met.

satori clarke

Dinner

Lizanne Mailhot

Bad service. Ordered a chirashi don, there was a hair of one sashimi piece. Told the server and she took it away. Another server came later and said they would make another one , but never offered any apology. Terrible service

Axel Marini

Zen and Miku are definitely the top sushi spots in Vancouver. So since I was in the area. Definitely had to hit up Zen! Top notch food and top notch service!

Reg Natarajan

A comfortable place to be with good tasting food and friendly staff.

Valentina K

Best bc sea urchin I've ever had, fresh and mind blowing. Octopus was incredible and tender. U get what u pay for. If you are on a budget, stay far away

Serge Desgagné

As always good

Amber Chen

Dinner

Kay Jessel

Not bad service

Peter Taylor

Good, very expensive

Peter H

Exceptional quality. Quaint spot. Yes, you pay more than other places but it's worth it. They even have a kids menu!

Rupert A.

The food was a hit and miss. The 7 black tiger prawns tempura were very good. This restaurant makes GREAT tempura dishes. The seafood buckwheat soba dish was disappointing. A bit too spicy to enjoy any flavor other then the heat. As well, the fish items were not flaky as if they were overcooked ahead of time They were too dry and hard. The spicy tuna roll was just OK.

Honest Vancouver

Staff were nice. Food was excellent, tasty and different. On expensive side but higher end sushi cost more, so..

FANG NI

High quality but unimaginative sushi.

이주한

(Translated) Really the best sushi restaurant, nice atmosphere and good service! (Original) Vraiment le meilleur restaurant sushi, belle ambiance et bon service!

Jay V

We tried dine out today, and my husband and I were shocked at the poor quality of food. Our server didn't even ask why we had so much leftovers. For main I ordered Chef selection 9 sashimi, and it was the worst sashimi I've had in my life.. All sashimi were mixed with sauce, some were too bland and others were just not good... Staff didn't even care to say thank you or goodbye as we left.... Never recommend to anyone.. 벤쿠버에 20년 살면서 최악의 스시네요. ㅠㅠ

あきこ

Unbelievable

Nafnlaus Einstaklingur

Beautiful presentation...Overall decent food. But...the rancid citrus yoghurt that came with my otherwise lovely roll? Gross. In spite of the fact that not just I, but my 2 dining mates (who had also tasted it), pointed out to the server that it was off, he assured us that someone, somewhere, at some point, had tasted it and it was fine. So, avoided that part of my meal. Between the arrogant and, frankly, lazy service, and the price point, I'll head to Bene Sushi in future.

Ken Wong

Great food. Thinking about re-morgaging my house so I can eat at this establishment more often !

Hyung Kim

(Translated) The server is ... uh. Delicious rolls. The price is a bit ... expensive (Original) 서버는 음... 그닥. 롤이 맛있는집. 가격은 좀...비싸요

Suzanne Konlup

Excellent sushi.

Mariusz Drazkowiak

(Translated) Delicious, small expensive (Original) 好吃，小贵

chiwei ma

Excellent sushi

Linda Poole

Amazing service, polite, fast and goes above and beyond. The menu is extravagant and the food it to die for. You must try the Toro (tuna belly) it will melt in your mouth. The effort, skill and ingredients that go into every dish are fantastic and worth every penny. The desserts out shone any other sushi restaurant I had ever been to and were also delicious. For a restaurant that has everything else down to a T and charges so much they should really would on their decor and comfortable seating. This would really make them stand out and be one of the best restaurants on the north shore.

Super Squid

Excellent Japanese food. Staff are great. Balcony is beautiful in the summer, watching the sunset as you eat dinner.

Jason Armstrong

Not worth the price, crap service and overrated.

Andrew Lee

Service

Robert Fawcett

I don’t like writing bad reviews but from my experience here this past Saturday evening, I can not recommend Zen Sushi. My table ordered five dishes and all were disappointing in flavor and texture; one was truly inedible. The staff was pleasant and the patio was lovely. But based on my experience with the food I can not recommend, nor will I return.

Erib Cross

Fresh and delicious

FA

Worlds cleanest washrooms ????

Eric Westra

Great sushi, highly recommended

L C.

The food was marvelous! Kurt and Laura pampered us to the extreme! I won't forget the presentation of all the dishes we ordered either! Overall great experience, I would recommend it to anybody. If you ever find yourself in West Vancouver, don't miss out!

Jay

Good food prompt and attentive service

Helen Kaiser

Very expensive for below average quality. This is vancouver and the bar is set high. The staff are nice.

FJ Fraser

delicious food, great service, but food is expensive, overall pretty good experience

Jordan V

Excellent service and great food in a very comfortable setting.

Frank Smith

The best of the west! Wow!

Yang Tom

(Translated) Best tasting sushi in Vancouver (Original) 밴쿠버에서 먹은 스시 중 제일 맛없음

MrMarcus

Fantastic food always, so fresh, beautiful creations, great service and comfortable room.

Colin Morrison

Top quality sushi.

Jesse

While the host who greeted our family at the entrance was very warm, inviting, and sweet, I felt that our server considered our family with two young children more of a hassle and inconvenience. The service once we were seated felt slow, sporadic, and that we were not really welcome. We were, strange considering that this is a Japanese style cuisine, the only non-Caucasian customer we saw around us, and even wondered if that had something to do with the poor inattentive and passive-aggressive feeling we experienced. We certainly do not want to haphazardly make any serious accusations, but felt open comment would be helpful to bring awareness. Didn't enjoy the way we were treated at all, but the host seemed like she genuinely wanted to provide good service for us so I will not leave a 1-star rating.

Carol Digby

This is an interesting restaurant, as it's in a somewhat remote, weirdly wealthy part of town… but it's got something for almost everyone! It's not cheap by any means, but if you're looking to not spend too much, there're pretty basic sushi and appetisers here, as well as inexpensive sake and beer; if you want to spend more for higher quality, they've got a lot of specialty rolls, and lots of… ~~elevated~~ izakaya sorts of food, too. A tiny bit pretentious, but not to an uncomfortable degree. If you want a ~nice~ dinner, check it out!

J S

Came here for dine out, very average quality. Over priced, premium sushi or sashimi isn't as premium as the price they ask. Do not recommend..

Jordan Banner

A bit on expensive side, but good.

S M

Meal type

Nora Wang

Sushi was ok, highlight was definetly the staff. Despite it being Friday and it was busy and Covid I knew it was going to be awhile but didnt expect staff to be this bad. I arrive to pick up an order and the staff was not very friendly at all. They greeted me by telling me to wait, which i did. They never said Hi or asked why or what I might be there for. Another couple walks in and the waitress welcomed with a complete different tone. Not to impressed with the service

Scott Tomkulak

Zen is a neighborhood favourite. Great atmosphere, friendly service and incredible sushi. Try the classics or the Zen specials. Great private room for larger parties too! The desserts are freshly made daily and super fab!

Livi Awde

Good sushi recommended.

Diane Laporte

Excellent sushi that stands out in terms of quality - worth the price - excellent service.

Samantha Lowe

This lovely restaurant was recommended by a friend and it was such a great experience! We had a variety of amazing dishes including the seaweed bites, velvet tuna (so velvety!), and pressed sushi. The service was terrific, and everything was so fresh and delicious! Great place for lunch or dinner. We'll definitely be back and will be recommending this gem to our friends!!

Ben Chesshire

best sushi place in the north shore

Junhee Park

(Translated) Good place, quiet environment. It is common for people who live near the restaurant to be the ones who go the most. Very good and traditional sushi. Fresh food. Parking is on the street. (Original) Buen lugar, ambiente tranquilo. Es común que la gente que vive cercana al restaurante sean los q mas vayan. Sushi muy bueno y tradicional. Alimentos frescos. El estacionamiento es sobre la calle.

Tony e

Coming back in September to see Christine again!!!!!

Alexandra D

This is the first time I've eaten restaurant food since COVID and chose Zen Japanese Restaurant as they have supported the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Sakura Night fundraiser every year. I have never enjoyed a meal more, especially their Halibut Popcorn and both desserts! Treat yourself and order to pick-up at Zen for an exceptional COVID dining experience.

Jared

I ordered Tamago nigiri for my little one. It was burned. These are $3 each. Totally dissappointed. Never go!

Will RL

I used to come here years ago, I sure do miss it. The food is amazing, service is great as well. Love the Japanese fusion food.

Robert Chattell

Great, amazing service and yummy food!

D

Especially, the food was very delicious and fresh. I will recommend the Stir-fried Seafood Udon, and I think this store is most great store in whole Metro Vancouver. However, the price was expensive.

Andy Su

The spider roll looked amazing, service was good, my coconut curry udon noodle dish tasted like greasy salt. Teriyaki meals looked small for the price. Did not include miso soup (an extra $2.50 If you wanted it) or rice.

Teo O.H.

Lovely setting, quality staff and amazing sushi and Japanese delights make for a sure win!

Zara

Favourite sushi place in van the quality of product is always amazing...yes its a bit pricy but food speaks for itself and the tuna gomae is to die for i have been coming back for that single dish for 10 years+

Alex Morales

Food was not bad, annoying server made the experience not very enjoyable. Had no idea of the food or menu. Should have worked at Denny's

Greg P.

This is the best Japanese food I have eaten in Vancouver, and I've eaten a lot.