Zakkushi Dining on Main

We came to enjoy some izakaya fare and drinks. The food was good and so were the drinks. The service was definitely not friendly or respectful though. We agreed when we visited we would be done by a certain time.

The waitress kept coming by our table and checking her watch impatiently. Clearly trying to make us uncomfortable or make us leave quicker. Never mind that we’re spending $200 in a meat stick restaurant and ordered quality sake. We had an agreed time to leave and were happy to be done by then but it was super rude yo.

Anyway, we closed on time like I knew we would. There was no reason to make the last half hour totally uncomfortable and to just drag the check out like that. If it was up to me they’d get no tip.

Terrible service! Do not recommend. I would not return.

Tight, cramp quarters with tasty skewers. Everything here reminds me of our last trip to Japan. Definitely not cheap but well worth it.

The Zakkushi set is great if you don't know what you want as you get a little bit of the most popular skewers (we got two of these). We also added the duck, chicken teriyaki meatballs, leeks, hamachi, mushrooms, quail eggs, and giant scallops skewers. They do have some non-skewers like the edamame, gyoza, and assorted oden. Really enjoyed the black sesame ice cream with raspberry.

The food was so damn good that I forgot to take any photos before eating! We ordered two rounds of skewers, sake and finished off with a dessert and left so full and satisfied. My husband went to the bathroom when he came back, said "there's Listerine in the bathroom for you guests to use! " which is incredible haha. Definitely coming back here again. Amazing Japanese vibe and super friendly staff.

This is a very authentic Japanese-style izakaya cuisine, with very delicate grilled dishes and tasty ramen. The cups are also very unique. However, if you want to eat until you are very full, each person is expected to spend over $25 or even $30, but the food will make you feel very worthwhile.

Very disappointed. I came here with my family for my birthday, and the service was absolutely terrible. As we were served our second batch of skewers, the waitor came and asked if we want desert. With food in my mouth because I literally just took a bite and he saw me took that bite, I said that we want to finished our food first, then we will order desert. In a pretty rude manner, the waitor said that was not possible and we had order right now or we wouldn't get desert. We were 47 minutes into the meal. So of course we order the desert. We didn't really mind it at first as we thought there might have been a time limit for dining in. Fast forward to desert, when our Macha ice cream was served, literally, as each of us took one bite (there was 3 of us) the same waitor came over and said he would give us the bill, so we can pay. We were 1 hour and 20 or 25 minutes into our meal. We were kind of shocked, but we paid anyway. After paying, we kindly asked the waitor if there was a time limit and if there was what was it. The time limit was 2 hours.

Besides, the terrible service the food was pretty average. Some skewers were really bland and under seasoned. I usually don't mind under seasoned food since I quite enjoy the original flavours of food, but I felt like I was chewing on smokey air with texture. The only thing I found that tasted really good was the daikon in the assorted Oden and anything with mochi, such as the pork wrapped mochi and the ice cream with mochi.

I also got pretty bad rashes on my face on my way home, and I was not happy as I did not order any shrimp. I am sometimes allergic to shrimp especially the unfresh ones, but I have not reacted this badly in a while. I literally had spot prawns a few weeks ago and I was fine.

In general, I had a pretty bad experience dining here for my birthday, and I don't think I would ever be coming back. I would not recommend this place either.

God I loved it
Coming from Miami, this is some crazy joint to enjoy authentic Japanese food
Loved everything about them, just go all in and worry about the check later.
9.5/10

Zakkushi is highly recommended by a local friend. We really likeliked the place and service is good. The food is really tasty. The skewer is a type of food/cooking that quite a few ethnic cuisine offers.when a restaurant or chief treat them with respect, you can tell. Zakkushi did a good job.

We came here long way from Squamish. We order beers but the service ask for 2 pieces of ID. One of my friend only brings one, and they don’t serve all the alcohol we have ordered. We all working at restaurant, we don’t understand why a restaurant need two pieces of ID, even liquor store only need one ID. We didn’t eat anything and left. That’s a sad dinning experience.

It’s hard to say the quality of the food here, some food is tasty and some food is horrible. The asparagus in the skewers are not fully cooked, they are hard to bite. For the wagyu, there is even no seasoning on it at all, no salt no pepper nothing on it. The food quality doesn’t match the price.

The staff are attentive and caring about the customers even though they're busy during my meal. Highly recommend their Zakkushi set for skewers!

Great yakitori! Really liked the cream udon as well with the egg, super delicious! Great staff as well, was really happy with the service:)

Great izakaya to enjoy a casual but nice meal. The Zakkushi skewer set is well rounded and a good item to start with. There's a good selection of sake here and the current sake tasting flight special is a nice way to get started for that too!

One of the few genuine Japanese izakaya in town. Their menu is simplified comparing to pre-covid.

Food and service are okay but definitely way overpriced. On top of that they put a time limit on your seating, and don't expect you can really get full here unless you're ready to spend like $80-$100 per person.

Great atmosphere, good, and amazing service.
My husband is vegetarian and tasted all the veggie options. They were all delicious, but we’d like to give extra credit to their Daikon oden, sticky rice oden, zucchini and tomato yakitori.
Shoutout to the waiter who saw me drop my mask and gave a new one without me asking.
Amazing experience!

I used to have a great time here, but not this time. I made 7 phone calls to book a table but never got a chance to speak with them. The phone was picked up and handed up after. Try to walk-in waiting, it would take an hour and a half which is fine. But the waitress was busy placing the order on the POS. In the end, decide to eat somewhere instead.

Service and food used to be very good but not anymore. The waiter is ignore you somehow. Sitting for 25 minutes and not being served of water.

The food is really good, it can be pricey but I would definitely recommend it for a fun night out. The atmosphere is great for hanging out with friends.

The food was great and they come quick after order is placed. Only down side of this place is you still need to wait a bit even with booking and limited parking.

Amazing quality food! Their lamb chops were so tender & and juicy + melts in your mouth! Best I've had. Gyoza was one of a kind. Deep fried + sizzling plate + sauce! You must to try. Zakusshi, arigato for the oishiness. Umamimazing

Best place to get yakitori that I've been to. So many selections, you have to sit at the bar and watch the grilling!

Good food, great environment. Highly recommend here. You could go here many times and get different food every time because of such a large menu.

Good price. Cozy and suitable for night out w friends. Recommend the house sake, good price for the quality. All tapas dishes are recommended. Like this branch better than the other one

Had a great bday dinner there, everyone had fun. The food was great, and pitchers were decently priced. Would recommend for group dinners.

Great food, amazing atmosphere and even the best staff!
As they are mainly serve skewers, you might assume izakaya style, but they are family-friendly and serve various selections of Japanese cuisine. We had little celebration when we visited, and we were served right
Definately became one of my favorite places.

Still my favorite Japanese Izakaya / Skewer spot in Vancouver! Their food seriously never disappoints.

The wagyu beef is a must get, it melts like butter the moment you eat it. But my favorite one here must be the bacon wrapped quail eggs. I can seriously have 20 of these skewers in one sitting. They're that good!

All the other beef dishes are good, I can't say one bad thing about their menu. We also tried their cheese bacon mochi today which is surprisingly addicting.

Food aside, ambience is great here, and service is always excellent.

Good hangout spot, will be back for more next time!

Fantastic good, great environment. Highly recommend for a nice dinner out. You could go here many times and get different food every time because of such a large menu.

Nice Izakaya joint. Love the chicken Don.

Worth recommending. There are only a few car park slots in front of the shop. Easy to get a slot if u arrive before six pm

Love this place for Japanese yakitori izakaya. I’ve only been to their Main St location (parking is quite difficult during peak hours - you have been warned! There’s a little parking lot that is shared with other restaurants in the small plaza, and most of the street side parking is permit only). Overall it is a bit pricy, but I do think it is worth it every once in a while because of the quality and top notch flavours/charcoal grill. It's difficult to get a full stomach purely off skewers, so I recommend it as a snack/late night sort of meal.

Zakkushi Set $15: My go-to starter if I’m bringing new people to try/sample their menu. Comes with 5 different skewers

Mentai Carbonara Udon $16+: Super creamy and flavourful. Has a leaky egg on top too.

Giant Scallops $8: Ginormous, juicy and buttery.

I also go the wagyu skewer (not pictured) that literally melted in my mouth. Roughly $12 for 1 skewer.

Sauce tsukune (chicken meatball), lamb (pictured) and mono (chicken thighs with sauce) are full of flavor and soft!

This used to be one of my favourite place. Not anymore after tonight.

Asking for ice water is harder than getting home safe from the recent flood. Literally followed up 4 times, twice from the same server. The server was rude and unapologetic. I could’ve gotten a full refill of rain water by walking outside with the cup, and filtering it with my own Brita.

Service is complete lacklustre. Orders were missing and the ribeye was heavily over-cooked.

When asking for a manager, they said there’s no manager here.

At least you all will have one less customer fighting for a table here. Enjoy the overpriced lacklustre atmosphere!

Came here a while ago with my boyfriend and really enjoyed the food and drinks! The portions are perfectly sized and there’s something for everyone, so this is a great place to bring friends.also, i reeaaally liked the sweet forest drink.it was super sweet and yummy!

I love zakkushi! One of the best spots in Vancouver for Japanese skewers and izakaya. The ingredients are extremely fresh and the service is quick. Definitely make a reservation and go with a few people to try everything!

The yakitori here is unreal. I love getting the premium set. Everything is seasoned well. It’s $35 for 5 premium skewers: Wagyu Short Ribs, Rib-Eye, Premium Beef Tongue, Duck Breast and Lamb Chop. I also love getting extra skewers - someone my favorites include the beef tongue, p-toro, quail eggs and chicken gizzard.

I love their hot tapas as well. The mochi is so good! The ebi mayo is also a classic. The oden is also very tasty - you can get an assortment of 5 (chefs choice) for $9.90.

Always room for dessert - the ice cream is always a hit!

Fast and friendly service! Food is good but a little overcooked - it may be our fault since we went towards the end of the night but will come by again!

Super tasty, and a great experience with friends.

It's pretty straightforward, you choose skewers of different meats and they grill them Japanese-style over a charcoal fire. Flavors are simple, subtle, and delicious and everything we had was grilled perfectly (Chicken was moist, beef was medium rare pink, etc)

It's a bit on the pricier side, especially with drinks, but well worth to check out if you're look for a fun group outing or double date.

Service was very good, staff very courteous and the food tasted great. Great place to have some food and drinks

Ditch all restaurants in vancouver and go to Zakkushi! The food here is TO DIE FOR! Period. I have no idea how they do it but the meat is super tender and delicious! The have cracked the code! Fantastic food!

Never disappoints. Make sure to make your reservation first or wait for 1 hour minimum. Service is great, food is amazing and vibe is cool too.

This is one of the best restaurants in Vancouver. The second we heard in returning dining was open again in BC, we made a same day reservation.

This place has always been a favorite of mine for Izakaya style dining. First thing you'll notice is great ambiance and decor. The staff are friendly and polite and very attentive. Menu is easy to comprehend and has pictures! I've probably tried everything here at least once and it's delicious. Definitely recommend.

I went for the first time in 6 years and was terribly disappointed. Everything was smaller while the price was not. I paid 80 dollars before tip for our foods + one beer. Food was pretty good but felt like they used cheaper parts for beef skewers. Won't go back.

Food is tasty. I've been here alot of times. Recently find out that towards the end of you meal. Waitress will come give you the bill and just force you to leave.

February 28th, 2021, the waiter kept kicking us out, we came at 6: 40, we finished eating at 7: 20, and from the time we finished eating, the waiter kept hinting that it was time to leave, but we only sat for 10 minutes, which was very uncomfortable.we wont come back again.

Been here many times and considered a GO TO spot for yakitori lovers. They use a special type of Japanese charcoal called Binchotan, which burns hotter and cleaner, enhancing the natural flavours of the meats. Drool inducing indeed

Only reason Poo is giving 4 stars here is the food came out just warm instead of right off the grill. Could’ve been busy but timing makes all the difference. Did a review at their Denman location too, but sharing these photos for those needing some inspiration

Its expensive. I can't give it 5 stars knowing how much you can get yakitori for in Japan. The skewers are really small too. But for a restaurant in Vancouver, it's tasty (if you know what to order). Service was really slow. And they forgot to give us our most expensive dish. At least they made my bf's bday special when they turned off the lights and played a decently nice birthday song.

This is one of the most consistent restaurants I’ve ever been to. I’ve gone there dozens of times and I don’t remember ever having a bad dish. Quality ingredients, perfectly prepared, fantastic service. What more could you want?

Salty, no charr, expensive. Not worth the price. The downtown location has better grilling technique.

I love the food here but not the sashimi, every-time we order the sockeye salmon they said sold out even at 6pm: - (.
Bbq is always good

The food always tastes excellent! My favourites are the duck breast and the pork intestine skewers. I also enjoy the lovely atmosphere in the restaurant. It can get pricey however as most of the menu is priced by the skewer so if you get carried away wanting to try everything because it's so good, it can definitely add up quickly.

Had a terrible day and then I came here. Everything was absolutely perfect. Great service, delicious food, and wonderful ambiance.

Tons of different delicious menu options that can be easily shared, all in a welcoming and cozy atmosphere with awesome staff! Loved my night here and will be returning again as soon as possible! (Also cheese on fried rice is damn good)

Food is great as always, the reason for a 4stars is due to so many things being sold out. They need to stock up better. Who sell out of the special beer that are promoting? Basically there were at least 10 item that were sold out for us. We arrive at the restaurant at 755 and we have a reservation at 8. We told 1 of the staff we arrived. While we saw a clean empty table but they just told us to wait. We waited 5min and the finally asked us to have a seat at the clean empty table that was always ready. Weird.

This is an authentic Yakitori experience. The service and ambiance is excellent. If they let themselves down, it is in slightly over salting their food and I hope they fix that. Warning - this is not a cheap meal. But overall recommended.

Good vibrant room, I arrived late so all the food was already ordered and I didn't get a chance to look at the menu. Since I'm not OCD, I was ok with that and I enjoyed a vast majority of the food pre ordered for me. Service was good and so was the Japanese beer we had, although I forgot the name but it wasn't the standard Asahi or Saporo

Was easy to make a reservation online from their website. Server was friendly and always checked up on us.

Everything we ordered was really good and we never had to wait long for items to arrive.

The place is nice, but all the time they are screaming some words, the food is sooo small, is expensive

I have come a here a few times now and I find the service, food, variety, and decor to be very consistent. The interior is rustic, clean, and homey vibe, much like a Izakaya you find in Japan. The staff is very friendly and greet you as you enter and leave the premise. They are helpful and address any needs you have with the menu and very easy to flag down; they always have a smile on their face and are not pushy.

Zakkushi is one of the few places in Vancouver where you can get yakitori. There is a ton of variety in the menu and a lot of different meat skewers to choose from (chicken, beef, pork) as well as different appetizers and sashimi. Great that they offer oden too! The skewers are nicely cooked with a nice charcoal flavor which I love. The sashimi is always fresh (but small portions). The fried calamari and ebi-mayo are fried to perfection.

The food here is very good but why does it lose a star? It is quite pricey and will add up quick. Definitely do not recommend coming here with an empty stomach. Now I don't mind paying top dollar for unique foods and the care put into the food, such as plating/presentation, however, the food here is simple (skewers) on a plate. Though, yes the quality of the meat from what I've had is high but $2 per skewer is expensive.

Overall, a nice place to come but be aware that the place is not the biggest and can get quite busy. Recommend making reservations ahead of time. Parking in the lot is sparse as there are many other establishments using the same lot. That being said, I will return.

My partner and I love this restaurant. We have our anniversary at Zakusshi every year. Great food, great experience and friendly staff. However, one thing I'd change would be their alcoholic beverage selection which is quite limited.

As close to authentic Japanese yakitori as you can get but a little pricey. Would definitely come again!

Been coming to zakkushi for many many years. It's a great place to drink, social and catch up with friends over beer.

I've been here a few times but I don't think I'd go back. The servers are Japanese and all very friendly. But service is hit or miss. Either you get really good service or none at all. When we ordered our second round of skewers, it took almost an hour. We had to go look for our server to get the bill because no servers came by our area after we got our food. The food was tasty and authentic Izakaya food but pricey. Have to spend a lot or leave still feeling hungry. Better to make reservations ahead of time or it can be a long wait.

Had too much to drink at the restaurant. Waiter willing to sell alcohol after hours but not willing to help me call a taxi home. I asked nicely please help me call a taxi because I can’t drive home. His reply is “I can’t do that for you. ” Then told me to leave. I think helping customer call a taxi and get home safe is a responsibility for the restaurant when they sell alcohol. Really disappointed.

Authentic, delicious and intimate Japanese charcoal grill place, a hidden gem in Vancouver!
Reservation is highly recommended during busy hours. Parking is limited in front of the restaurant and there are other paid parking nearby. Service is a bit slow but friendly.

My favorites are chicken liver skewers, monkfish liver (cold dish), quail eggs wrapped with bacon skewers and teriyaki squid.