Kingyo Izakaya

21 Best Restaurants in Vancouver

"Entering through Kingyo’s door is like wandering into a great pub in the middle of Shinjuku. Loud and almost always packed, Kingyo is one of the most consistent, and one of the busiest, izakayas in Vancouver. Although you can get sushi, the cooked dishes are the real standouts. Classic izakaya items like ebi mayo (tempura battered shrimp with spicy mayo) and chicken karaage are executed brilliantly, but it's worth grazing further afield. The grilled sake-kasu black cod is incredible, as is the stone-grilled beef tongue, served piping hot on hunk of hot rock. To drink there's a good variety of sake and shochu, but take your cue from your fellow diners and order pitchers of Sapporo and Asahi Super Dry; the flavorful, slightly salty food goes beautifully with beer. Note that, though Kingyo is perfect for an early-evening or late-night nosh, but the limited amount of tables means groups larger than three should reserve in advance (only by phone)." - Guy Saddy, Nicole Schnitzler