Octopus' Garden Restaurant

Best Japanese food in Town! If you can't go to Japan, just visit octopus garden. Chef Sada is the best chef I've ever met. We were lucky enough to sit by the bar so we can see chef working on our food. It was a nice experience. The server is really friendly and very sweet. See you again soon!

I've passed by this place every day for years on my way to work, I'm moving out of town soon and wanted to finally try their omakase before leaving. So glad I found the time for it, had a fantastic and enormous variety of dishes in a cozy and highly social environment. I tend to be rather introverted but Sada-san is a wonderfully enthusiastic conversationalist and really tied the whole experience together. Would definately return if I'm back in Vancouver and have already recommended it to others.

Great experience! Fish was so fresh and such good quality. Reservations should be made in advance. Celebrated my birthday and they sand happy birthday to me which was so nice. Also received complimentary dessert which was a bonus 😊😊

Oh my gosh, the most incredible dining experience. The staff are so kind, and the food was just amazing. Truly made with such attention to detail, and such high quality. We’ll be back!

Not worth to have a dinner. A little above average taste of Japanese restaurant , but the price is way higher, too expensive. The dishes are not tasty at all. Not recommended as well.

Octopus Garden offers the best quality Japanese food that one can ask for, and I have eaten Japanese food around the world, including in Japan. Each of every dish was an absolute delight! 💯 recommended if you are looking for an authentic Japanese dining experience here in Vancouver!

Back again for another annual experience and was not disappointed. Everything is still great! I won't lie, I ditched the kids to eat here and it was amazing (the food is amazing). Highly recommend coming here if you can splurge! The sashimi is so fresh and sweet, definitely one of the best in Vancouver if not the best. The quality of all the food here are top notch and the taste is impeccable.

Staff members were really friendly and welcoming! Definitely a restaurant that gives off Japanese culture vibes with the decorations, and the heated toilet seats. I would say the food is on the pricier side but still worth a try. The art sashimi was cool because u could choose the amount that u wanted to spend and the chef would create the sashimi based on ur spending preference. I did $80 per person which was the average spending.

Uni shooters Foi gras nigiri Baked oyster Sashmi Japanese seafood lovers dream meal is at Octopus Garden when in Vancouver.

If you're craving uni, this place is your go to. Super cute place with lots of detailed touches. The service was great and menu filled with lots of options! You can choose between a la carte and chefs course. We did the regular menu since there were specific items we wanted to try but the chefs menu would work out to be a better price for what you get. The service was excellent, very attentive and our server explained everything really well and went over the daily menu. For drinks we tried a sweet brown sugar sake which was delicious. I didn't realize this place is known for uni and I'm not a big fan of uni so I just tried their Japanese uni shooter and local uni don. The local uni don was too flavourful for me but the shooter was nice. I tried shirako for the first time. I found it creamy and tasty, I liked it. It's a very small portion so if you've never tried it give it a shot. For nigiris the foie gras nigiri was delicious but the other 2 I got, engawa and gintoro were nothing special. Maybe because I had strong tastes of uni by this time! I saved the untouchable for last since I was most excited to try this and it didn't disappoint. It's a lot in one piece, full of flavour. Their desserts are limited and I would pass on dessert if I were to go back as they are very light in flavour and I was looking for something more flavourful after a flavourful meal. I tried the strawberry mochi and cheesecake. Presentation was adorable.

Had a great dinner here! The food was delicious and had a couple items that were more unique to this place: foie gras nigiri, aji: sashimi, nigiri, fried. Both of these would get again! We got the 10 piece premium nigiri set for dinner each. All very good as well. Even the strawberry mochi dessert was so good. The drawbacks are the prices are pretty high here. There were many other items on the menu that gave me even bigger sticker shock, but I'm sure it's also very good. For 2, with tax and tip, dinner was about $400 CAD. Call in for reservations. Parking is a bit difficult, so allocate enough time.

Legit sushi joint. Super sweet service, great fish, perfectly seasoned rice, and delicious sake. Inly thing to complain about is not cheap, but you are getting what you pay for here. Beautiful ambiance as well. Worth the trip for sure.

I tried my luck for a table for an early meal without a reservation and was lucky to grab one! It was the perfect oppor-tuna-ty !! The room was very small, it was located in the room outside of the main dining area but the decor inside was cozy and welcoming, it even had an octopus shaped mirror The menu was so extensive and there were many pictures of the dishes they offer like beef wagyu, uni, and lobster I was set on the chawanmushi with foie gras $35 and Bluefin tuna tasting If you love Bluefin tuna like I do then I absolutely recommend the bluefin here. It was very fresh. The tasting includes maki roll, bluefin nigiri of toro, chutoro and otoro. They even served 1 pc aburi style and that was one of my favs The chawanmushi was also very smooth and steamed perfected, topped with a generous portion of foie gras I wish I had room for dessert !! I would definitely be back and for sure make a reservation beforehand

Good choice of foods and very good service. Had aftertaste of preservatives likely from the fish dishes. The reason I gave it low rating is that you may be cheated on you food bill or robbed as they may double charge you food items, specially on the higher price ones. I suggest CRA should audit their books, if they cheat customers, they may also cheat on taxes they paid. There were other customers had the same experiences from another foodies discussion group.

We ordered a takeout for a COVID-19 Date Night at home. Holy cow, Chef Sada went ALL OUT and even threw in some VERY generous freebies that we didn't even realize until we got home!! And yes, it was expensive, but we figure you get what you pay for, and we are worried that if this COVID situation goes on, it might be a while before we will taste stuff like this again - so we figure we should support the restaurants while we can. We had chirashi sushi (he gave us an extra one!!!) with the special toro and chutoro added, the nigiri platter with the otoro & chutoro added (again, there were a bunch of freebies added), and of course, his infamous uni shooters (jumbo size). All the fish was really fresh and amazing. He also gave us two of his strawberry daifuku which were delicious. I am beyond stuffed. Thank you Chef Sada & Octopus Garden team! We thoroughly enjoyed our over the top decadent dinner! We hope your business is able to survive these trying times, and everyone stays safe & healthy!

I called a week in advance to make reso, but it was all booked! But we got super lucky that there was a last min cancellation during one of the days we were in Vancouver. Note: they will charge you $100 for not showing up for your reservation. The art sashimi is amazing!! My fav was the sweet shrimp, uni, and the toro. But king crab, salmon, and the scallops were a hit for our table, But don't order it if you are on a budget because the price is apparently different every time and it's like a surprise! We also ordered 4x 10 premium Nigiri for 4 ppl, and it was wayyyy too much food. But I highly recommend it! Next time, I'd just order the 10 premium nigiri and couple sashimi will do. I had a little bite of my husbands foie gras, it was amazing, but too rich for my liking, and very filling. If you like cooked fish, you must order the black cod! It was the best one I've had, it was super tender and sweet! Was amazing!

I have heard plenty of great things of Octopus Garden and they have been around for ages but I'm surprised I haven't made a visit here till now! Their sashimi here is A++ with plenty of variety and they are REAAAALLLY good! But it definitely comes with a price higher tag that is higher than our usual go to sushi restaurants. We ordered Uni Caviar and Truffle Chawanmushi + Art Sashimi & Aji Sashimi/Fried + Blue Fin Tuna Tasting + Premium Nigiri Sushi Platter. The Chawanmushi was extremely rich with flavour with all the extra premium ingredients but I would say the highlight in this restaurant is all about the sashimi. The blue fin tuna tasting was something that stood out to me the most with the variety of cuts and each piece just melts in your mouth! You can literally see each micro pocket of oily cell in the otoro that gives that buttery burst in your mouth! Highly recommend checking this place out for some quality sashimi but remember to book early! The rarely take walk ins and even had a line starting as soon as they opened with customers who made reso!

Very disappointing experience. most of sushi were good but salmon egg was very fishy. geoduck shellfish was also fishy. Service were good but they brought out picture menu on a chalkboard that is not on the main menu which had misleading price. They recommended uni maki roll that's on sale for five dollars less. I thought it was $20 price but when I got the bill it was actually $40 each roll. Seriously maki roll for $40? All the other high-end sushi restaurant charges $15 for maki roll because it is simple to make. The owner is trying to rip off tourist. I expected $220 bill for 2 but when I saw $300 bill, I was very disappointed. Plus finding parking is almost impossible. They are located near residential area so all street parking require residential permit. The main road street parking is almost nonexistent.

Everything is fresh. We had uni done, lobster sashimi, premium sashimi, fois gras, and wagyu udon. Everything tasted good. The lobster sashimi was my favorite.

As much as I love foie gras, I was disappointed in their preparation. Each piece was very sizeable, but not seared enough to get that caramelization. Perhaps it was too big, wasn't scored enough (didn't even notice that it was). The foie gras w wagyu was decent but the foie gras w caviar and truffle looked and tasted too oily. The Dungeness crab sunomono was tasty as was the king crab chawanmushi (steamed egg). The sushi looked good but didn't think it worth the price. I've had the good fortune of awesome omakase back in the States. Service while friendly didn't wow us. They brought food out for the party of four who came in after us. I think they may have tried to makeup for it by adding uni to our amaebi special. Overall I can understand the great reviews. But for us it was not a home run. p.s. most of the parking in the area was by permit only. The host didn't offer options but commented it's rare they ticket. So good luck future patrons.

Hubby surprised me with reservations to Octopus Garden for date night. Its a small, cozy restaurant in Kits that I hadn't noticed before. They've got some rules like having to make reservations (I saw them turn away walk-ins) and if you want to do their omakase, let them know when making reservations. We didn't do omakase but ordered a la carte. Like most Japanese establishments, they have daily specials of fresh items; however theirs is on a chalkboard not visible to all tables. Our server asked for our phone so he could take a picture of the board for us. So guess this is a known problem that they should find a way to resolve rather than asking customers for their phones... As for the food, there were some highlights but some surprising disappointments on some basic dishes for a place that is $$$$: - What we learnt was probably not get cooked foods here. Our chicken karrage was OK but tasted pretty average - the truffle mayo that was extra $ tasted just like regular mayo. The vegetable tempura that came with our udon was super soggy and fell apart quickly. - The individual pieces of nigiri we ordered though fresh, did not wow us as many restaurants are able to get the same now (we are spoiled in Vancouver!). There was also some inconsistencies since the Uni Nigiri that we did like, when we ordered a 2nd order of it, it came as a maki (seaweed wrapped around sushi rice) instead of nigiri and the uni tasted different and not as good. - The highlights to the meal were the dishes they created that other places normally don't have: the fois gras nigiri ($12/each) was a fatty and delicious spoonful, the wagyu taster ($45) came prepared 3 ways and was nicely seasoned, and the daifuku ($12/each) were sweet and lovely end to our meal.

Octopus garden is one of the best sushi experiences in town. Staff and Sada is great. Don't go here with expectations of being basic. Go here for great seasonal ingredients and quality imports of great fish.

I'm half Japanese and my wife is born in Tokyo, we know our sushi Octopus by far best sushi in town for quality and value combined! Blue fin tuna sashimi special is amazing, and premium Nigri set always have fresh and quality mix Need to do their in dining omakase soon, will update

Second time coming. The food was significantly Better. Must ask for the omakase and ask for the BEST fish possible. Now i see why people enjoy it so much

As you can probably tell from my reviews, I tend to give shout outs to a lot of Japanese restaurants. Why? Because I want to.. and because there are so many good ones in my backyard! Came here recently for my birthday and I have no idea why I haven't come before as it's be here for over 25 years. Small little place run by Mr. Sada-san in Kitsilano who is very friendly and welcoming. I recommend ordering his specialties which are blue fin toro otoro, sada's own uni shooters and his original foie gras nigiri. If I had to spend the money on wagyu beef again, I would probably wait and do it again back in Kobe, Japan. WARNING - If you come with an empty stomach, you might leave with an empty wallet. It is a higher end authentic Japanese restaurant but it's worth the spend. Book in advance as this is a great place to take a significant other!

The current pandemic has forced restaurants to close. It has been great to see restaurants like Octopus Garden get creative and offer take out. It's is not an easy endeavour to take on. Thank you for the easy ordering process through Instagram DM or phone. Pick up times allowed for social distancing and easy parking. Amazingly friendly service upon pick up with an escort to my car to drop off the food. It was great to see employees working and measures being taken to provide a clean, safe environment. Brilliant food. Perfectly presented. Flavourful. Fresh. Bravo!

TLDR - Service was ok, fish fresh, some misses. Recommend eating a la carte since the best items in omakase were in the a la carte menu. My boyfriend brought me here for my birthday. He made reservations in advance for the omakase, which was difficult because it was hard to reach them. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were asked to wait in the tiny room next to the restaurant because the party before wasn't ready to leave. 20 min later, we finally got seated. We were given a tiny platter of grapes each as a thank you for waiting... We ordered some beers and added a foie gras nigiri for $10 each (a "special" for omakase diners, $2 less than menu prices). Our omakase: Uni shooters - I really enjoyed this, would definitely have again. Unique flavours and uni was very fresh. Appetizer platter which included a raw oyster, deep fried shrimp in panko crumbs, raw baby octopus with miso paste, and a smoked salmon cracker - this was underwhelming, everything tasted bland and just ok. Salad greens - when this was served, my boyfriend tried very hard not to rolls his eyes. Let's just assume it was supposed to be a palate cleanser. Foie gras nigiri addition - This was pretty good, fatty and flavourful, albeit too oily (served in a spoon and there was a bunch of oil pooling at the bottom). Clear mushroom broth with shiitake and enoki served in a teacup - deep umami flavour, which my boyfriend and I both loved. I can drink this as water on a daily basis. Nigiri platter, 6 pieces each of tai, geoduck, tuna, butterfish, salmon (from New Zealand) and bluefin tuna toro - the fish was very fresh. It was interesting to try the New Zealand salmon, which is a lot softer and milder than BC sockeye. The geoduck was super sweet and fresh, and the toro melted in our mouths. Wish we had more selection than 6 though, would've traded the appetizer platter for that in a heartbeat. Sashimi platter with ebi, hamachi, uni, otoro and fish-I-forgot - again, fresh fish, with the uni being the most amazing. Cooked bluefin tuna with shio and lemon - this was a huge block of fish, juicy on the inside. I understand that it should be enjoyed for what it is, but it was quite bland. Could've used something to boost the flavour. It felt like the protein dish that was meant to fill us up. Dessert, which was strawberry wrapped in strawberry mochi and azuki bean paste, served with fresh cream on the side - very good, loved it. Just a bit annoyed because everyone else gets theirs served with a rambutan and/ or macaron and we had no sides with it.. Service was ok. Friendly, but not very attentive and I didn't completely understand what I was eating as the explanations were a bit rushed and unclear. In conclusion, it's ok that we went, but for $120 a head we will not be returning.

Very expensive but worth the price. I enjoyed their wagu a lot! The rest were very delicious

Octopus Garden is my favourite Japanese restaurant for omakase in Vancouver. There used to be several price points for omakase, but now they only offer omakase at $120 per person. My fiancé and I have been here several times, but last week we tried the $120 omakase for the first time. I'm happy to report that despite the hefty price tag, we were not disappointed. We started off with a uni shooter, which made me so happy because their uni shooter is definitely on my top 10 list of the best foods I've ever tasted. The sweetness of the uni goes so well with the creaminess of the quail egg. The mountain yam and rice adds a nice texture to the shooter, and the kelp gives it a nice umami "sea" flavour. So so good. Following the uni shooter, we had bluefin otoro 3 ways: nigiri, aburi (seared), and negitoro. All three were fresh and delicious, but our favourite was aburi - we loved the smokey flavour. Next was the appetizer sampler, which included a cold white asparagus dish, a whitefish ceviche with grapefruit, tomato and shrimp tempura, and a torched scallop "motoyaki" with a uni cream sauce on top. I loved the different ingredients and flavours, but being the uni fanatic that I am, the scallop motoyaki with uni cream sauce was the standout for me. The next course was a salad with herring roe. Tasty, but it's a salad... so nothing to phone home about. After the salad, the chef Sada-san handed us a stunning sashimi plate with isaki, butterfish, botan ebi, and kanpachi. We told him it was our anniversary earlier, so he presented the isaki on the body of the fish (on a super long plate). He wanted the "long" presentation of the sashimi to represent his wishes for a long lasting relationship for us - how sweet! I was blown away by how thoughtful Sada-san was and how he customized the presentation based on each customer. Next dish was a lobster miso soup. There was a good amount of lobster meat and the soup was very rich... though a little salty for my taste. I'll admit I was getting quite full at this point (and I didn't know how many dishes there were left), so I didn't finish my soup. For our last course (before dessert), we had a braised snapper head. My fiancé and I thought this was a little random and didn't really go with the rest of the meal - we could've done without this dish. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, just not as fantastic as I would've expected from the final savoury dish. After the braised snapper head, Sada-san checked in with us to make sure we were full. I believe they offer udon if you're not full yet, but we were already stuffed, so they brought us some dessert. Dessert for the night was a homemade matcha and hojicha gelato with whipped cream, red beans, sliced strawberries, and chocolate sauce. A tasty end to our meal. I had a wonderful dinner at Octopus Garden (as usual), but I really appreciate that every omakase experience we've had has been very different food-wise. Very clever on their part because it keeps things interesting and entices us to come back over and over again! TLDR; Best omakase in Vancouver at $120/person. You get a good variety of nigiri, sashimi, cooked foods, and Chef Sada-san's original creations.

My boyfriend took me here for my birthday and it was yummy but $$$$. Since it was our first time, the menu was overwhelming (they had daily special menu(s) and a regular menu). The wagyu beef foie gras was delicious but also a bit heavy. Our favorite items were the otoro nigiri and akami nigiri and the strawberry mochi.

It's a little pricey, but I liked the restaurant ambiance and food. Extremely fresh sashimi and oysters. In terms of raw oysters, I especially liked the kusshi and Shigoku. Their Uni shooters were delicious. And I especially liked their Chutoro. The sushi chefs and wait staff were all extremely friendly and well dressed. Make sure you make a reservation though...it's quite packed at night.

OMG! Where do I even begin? Service is great, atmosphere is awesome, and food is amazing. I would call this a casual take on a fancy dinner, and I absolutely love it! It might take a while for the entire dinner, but it was designed so you could really enjoy each dish for what it is without getting overwhelmed with different flavours. We walked in a few minutes early for our reservation, so the hostess brought us to thdinner "waiting room" with the menu to view while we wait. A few minutes later we were brought to the sushi bar (where our reservation was made for). We were asked immediately if we wanted any drinks, and they were brought over very quickly. Sitting at the sushi bar was an amazing experience as we got to see Sada prepare sashimi and other sushi. We ordered 5 piece omakaze sashimi, Uni Shooters, Wagyu Beef Nigiri, Tiger Sada Roll, and King Crab Chawanmushi. Halfway through our meal, the chef brought out a grilled fish head the size of my head. Sada asked if we would like some and gave us a dish. The sashimi was so fresh there was no fishy taste and it was so easy to chew. We got Uni, Marugai, Blue Fin Tuna, Botanebi, and Hamachi. It was so delicious and the presentation was just amazing. When we were done, the shirtless heads were deep fried and we got a grilled fish head. Supurb. The Wagyu Beef nigiri was just amazing. The beef melts in your mouth, and it was a decent sized piece. The Tiger Sada Roll was also great, but I wouldn't say it is anything special. This was probably the most disappointing item, but I wasn't disappointed at all. Finally, if you are a fan of Uni, you MUST order the Uni shooter. It is just amazing, and you're missing out if you don't try it. It's my favourite shooter of all time. Uni is fresh, and everything is paired perfectly. The spontaneous grilled fish head was also the most delicious grilled fish head I've ever had. The meat was so soft and juicy. They gave us ponzu sauce, but we didn't even need it. If you are lucky enough to be presented with it, I would definitely recommend trying this.

This is by far THE best Japanese restaurant we've tried so far! We are visiting in Vancouver and decided to try this place based on the recommendation of two local friends. We were fortunate enough to get a reservation on short notice on a weekday night. Uni shooter: the most creative and delicious dish ever! I was a little skeptical at first given gooey appearance. But the ingredients came together so well yet the distinct taste of each were sufficiently intact that they brought out and highlight each other. We had to order a larger second round for everyone. Foie gra sushi: another favorite for our entire party. The sweet mango and slightly sour sushi rice perfectly balanced out the rich and slightly gamey foie gra. We also ordered a second round of this for everyone. Takowasa: pretty good but I like all takowasa. Chawanmushi with Hokkaido uni: not bad but nothing special. I was hoping for something that would surprise my tastebuds but this was a little bland for me. Wagyu grilled on the hotplate with shitake fried rice: this one was delicious and didn't fall short of our expectations. The beef literally melted in your mouth. The fried rice had the rich flavor of the wagyu oil, shiitake and garlic. Omakase sashimi: I can't really recall all the different fish other than the spot shrimp, giant clam and blue fin tuna. Again, it's just...sashimi. For desert, we had the hojicha tiramisu and vanilla ice cream. They were ok. Overall, we really appreciate the level of detail and the creatively they put into both the food and the service. We have been to some famous Japanese restaurants including Morimoto, Nobu and some other places in Tokyo and Kyoto and truly feel this place exceeds all the others. Unlike the established restaurants which to some extent takes the patron for granted, you can feel this place truly cares about your experience the minute you arrive and the owner/chef continuously and tirelessly strives for better. We definitely recommend this place to we everyone! We will definitely be back every time we visit! Kudos to Chef Sada!

Food: The uni tastes stale; the uni from PriceSmart Foods tastes better and it's more affordable. The geoduck tastes frozen. The rice in the hamachi sushi is mashed instead of having the proper shape. The rice of the sushi from supermarket is better. Instead of putting the wasabi on the side of the plate; they put a dot of the wasabi with green onion on top of each piece of the hamachi which looks cute but it really isn't necessary. Their menu isn't clear about the pricing. For example, they just write "Hotate $10" without indicating it is sashimi or sushi and without the number of pieces. We find out that it's actually $10 for a piece for the frozen-taste regular-size hotate. They sliced the hotate by halves and put cavier on top of each piece. There is genuinely no need to slice the hotate and put cavier with it because it's not thick, and if the hotate is fresh, then it's already good by itself. They want to make it look fancy so they can charge it with a higher price. Service: The waitress poured tea for me but she didn't pour beer for my sister. The manager took away my sister's spoon but he didn't take away mine when we were both finished with them. Also, he pushed the side plate towards me instead of picking it up when I was finished eating. Moreover, he didn't apologize when he hit my shoulder which he could have avoided from where he was standing. His service was worse than a bus boy's. The manager donned a red bow tie and treated the clients discriminately based on appearance. This was distinctively felt. They try to make the restaurant appear high-class, but a real high-class restaurant would not have a cooking stench. Their food and service are absolutely unacceptable for their price. You can definitely get higher quality of the same food with better service and a reasonable price elsewhere in Vancouver.

We had the Omasake set for two. The Chef was extremely talented and kind to accommodate with our special request for more sea urchins. We were delighted to see it being incorporated into various dishes. The sashimi platter was amazing that the salmon and blue fin tuna just melted in our mouths. For the desert plate, we had the lovely cream brûlée with red bean paste and matcha tiramisu. An awesome place to visit if you're craving for fresh sashimi and want to experience sophisticated high end Japanese cuisine.

Authentic Japanese food. It's expensive but worth every penny you spent because you get the quality and experience you don't get in other Japanese restaurants in Vancouver.

This is a good place for a curious foodie to check out once, but it's not worth it, in my (working) opinion. Definitely try the Uni shooters--they're a unique and tasty combo of uni, raw quail egg and rice in a shot glass. The nigiri platter was good, but not more amazing than any other great Japanese restaurant in Vancouver, but you can be sure you'll be paying more. We ordered a roll--I forget the name--but it had prawn tempura in it and is wrapped in avocado. It was tasty, but once again, not exceptionally so. We weren't in the mood for Wagyu beef, but they have a few items with such on their menu. A Wagyu sampler (3pcs) would be ~$40.

This place has very good quality sushi and with premium price. They have excellent sashimi quality and the foie gras was top notch ! All in all this place even with the high price tag would have got a full 5 stars if I did not have to point out that I had been overcharged by about $12 on a different sake than what I had ordered which was the recommendation of the host. So I would recommend looking over the bill before you pay. Also the host said the wait would take 15 minutes and it took over half hour so at least double the estimate time which should not be too hard to estimate if your a regular host because it is a tiny place. The waitress that where's the traditional Kimono is super nice and friendly ! I will definately be back !

The decor is so cute and it's a small space that fills up quick so you definitely need to make a reservation. The service is really great too, all the servers wear kimonos. I tried the sashimi platter, nigiri platter, uni shooters and got two bottles of sake. The seafood is so fresh and they fried the fish heads afterwards. The uni shooter was super delicious but not what I expected. It is overall a bit pricey but I would still go back for the good experience and food!

Very disappointing dinner at Octopus Garden. We got 2 of the $100 omakaze set menu. The entire dinner took more than 2 hours. For most of the time we were just waiting food. Menu includes: Uni shooter Tri appy- deep fried brie, deep fried fish roe+shrimp, seaweed 3pc blue fin tuna sushi Sashimi 1pc of each - wild salmon, herring fish, blue fin tuna, hamachi, tako, 1 fish that taste like tai (entire with bones) Baked fish fillet (taste super fishy and its nothing compare to black cod) Hatsutake soup (mushroom soup, super salty) Fish bone soup (yes, soup again? Super fishy) Salad with a piece of deep fried fish+ avocado At the end with a piece of foie gras+tiny piece of mango.. Then, that was it. A "sesame" creme brulee was served. It tasted disgusting... This was the second time I eat at Octopus Garden but their quality of food have dramatically dropped. I will not return again. I would rather go elsewhere like Raisu or Maumi Sushi if I planned to spend some money.

Ordered: Whole uni local $40 - YUMmmmm Geoduck nigri sushi x2 $6 ea = 12 Bluefin ChuToro nigri sushi x2 $10 ea = 20 Chopped scallop nigri x2 $ 6 ea = 12 All the above nigri would've been superb, if they knew how to perfect the base aka rice because they were hard; extremely disappointing!

Definitely get the Uni shooter and the Ebi shooter! So good and unique with a quail egg. We also ordered the sample of 6 different types of fish. Each one was very delicious. Also ordered another order of the lovely sockeye salmon and a spicy chop chop!

I have bookmarked Octopus Garden for a long time, I finally visited it! It's located on Cornwall Ave and is small cozy Japanese restaurant. I liked the décor and staffs were so friendly. They charged for tea but it served with nice tea set. We were so hungry and ordered quite a lot of foods! Agedashi tofu in spicy mushroom sauce - Tofu wasn't smooth and mushroom sauce wasn't favorable. Assorted sashimi - Hamachi, Sockeye salmon, Ika, Tako, Waru, Nishin (Herring) and Mekjiki Toro (swordfish) All the sashimi were delightful and fresh! Especially Nishin and mekjiki toro so delicious! Nigiri - Hamachi Toro, Ika, Tuna O-Toro, it's not too fatty but mouthful. Wagyu beef roll - high quality grade of wagyu and strong taste of beef, yummy. Lobster roll - It's good, nothing special. Spicy chopped scallop cone - never had that spicy scallop cone. I loved the crispy and spicy! Mirugai nigiri - Very fresh geoduck sushi, thumbs up! Dragon roll - Beautiful presentation and lovely eel roll I never had. Black sesame ice cream and banana tempura with ice cream - Just saved room for dessert. Strong black sesame flavor and huge portion of banana tempura. I died for it..... I definitely will be back!

We usually go here on special occasions. Excellent Service and an amazing food. A LOT OF PPL SAY, this place would be the best japanese restaurant in Vancouver and I strongly agreed. We have a bday dinner ystd and it was the best! So fresh and amazing decoration. My favourite from this restaurant is Uni shooter and Foie Gras

Exquisite is the only way to describe every dining experience I've had at Octopus Garden. Chef Sada and his team create art for your eyes and mouth. This is my favourite Japanese restaurant in the city. Make sure to get a seat at the sushi bar for the best experience as Sada is a delightful man. He will make you grin from ear to ear with his sense of humour. The host is adorable also and will go out of his way to ensure your service is top notch. Real japanese beer and a large sake and whisky list here. The menu changes constantly based on what is fresh and in season. Sada imports the BEST fish from Japan that can be offered. They taste like they were caught this morning somehow. Must try is the uni from Japan. So very sweet and delicious. See my photos from various other dishes we have tried over the years. You will not be disappointed with anything that comes from the knife of this sushi master. Beautiful serving dishes increase the visual appeal of your meal and make you feel like royalty. Restaurant is spendy but for a special occasion treat yourself or your love to a sushi night they will not forget.

Best sushi I've ever tried, especially as for the salmon and toro bellies. It's high quality fish you cold tell. Also, the toro had gold flakes on it, isn't that amazing?! I only give it a 4 stars because of them taking a bit too long to make the sushi. We stayed at the restaurant for an hour longer than expected.

Amazing fresh sashimi, good service, expensive as they seem to have very fresh imported fish

SADA SAN I LOVE YOU!!!!!! and I love my boyfriend too for finding such an amazing restaurant! The host is the coolest classiest dude you could ever meet. The waitresses are as pretty and sweet as can be in their lovely kimonos. The restaurant is small and intimate! The perfect spot for a date or a small birthday get together (they sing Happy Birthday to you too!! :) We sat at the bar and watched Sada San work his magic with a warm and welcoming smile! The kitchen staff were smiling and talking what a wonderful atmosphere! You cant help but smile because its contagious! Sada is a GENIOUS! PLEASE TRY THE FOIE GRAS SUSHI! IT IS A MUST!! I cannot stress that enough! It was INSANELY GOOD! I would fly back just for this I swear! Sada San is always making jokes and you cant stop laughing but meanwhile he's also making you melt in your seat because every piece of sushi prepared is to die for!

Every bite I had was like an orgasm in my mouth, especially their uni Expect to pay high prices though!

My friends and I came here for dinner and it was amazing! My nigiri platter was beautifully presented and came with nine pieces of nigiri, including tamago and tako. We all ordered a foie gras nigiri, since it seemed to be a specialty of the restaurant's and it was really good - very creamy and flavorful. We also got the live lobster sashimi, which came out in the shell of the lobster. The best part of getting this was that after we finished with the sashimi, the server took it the shell and they made a lobster udon noodle soup with it! It was so tasty and probably my favorite part of the meal. The service was excellent - the servers were very attentive and they didn't have us rush through our meal (our table ordered like $400 worth of stuff, so I would hope they wouldn't). We had a toddler too and the male server was very good and patient with her and even gave her plush octopi toys to play with (the whole place is cutely decorated with octopi, and the chopstick rests are also octopi!). Overall, a solid choice for fresh sushi and other items you wouldn't normally see at a sushi restaurant. Plus I give them bonus points for the Beatles' reference.

For my birthday dinner I wanted to have some good Japanese Omakase in Vancouver area. Omakase literally means to entrust, so that when you order Omakase, you are entrusting the chef who will choose the freshest fish and ingredients for your special meal. It seemed like Octopus Garden has one of the most high-rated restaurants that offer quality omakase so J and I decided to give it a try. Octopus Garden requires 24-hour notice & reservation for their special omakase so make sure to call them in before dining in. Sitting at the sushi bar was a great choice as we could try the freshest sashimi right from our chef, Sada-san. Sada is very kind, humble and knowledgeable about the food he provided. Our omakase experienced wouldn't be satisfying without him! To start with we got Sada-san's signature Nomu Uni Shooter which consisted of fresh sea urchin, mountain potato, quail egg, wasabi, dashi broth (mixed with sake, mirin, soy sauce), rice and seaweed & minty Shiso leaf garnish in a little glass. It had a very interesting flavour and texture at the same time. It was creamy, slimy with some savoury flavours from the sea urchins. The rice added an extra crunchy texture while dashi broth gave more flavours. Make sure to mix it well and take a shot in one gulp. I personally liked it, but J wasn't sure if he liked it. Ahhhhhh what can I say here... The Bluefin Otoro Nigiri Sushi was one of the best I've ever had. (Bluefin Otoro is the fattest part of the tuna while Chutoro is the name for medium fatty tuna). They served us very high quality sashimi and the sushi rice was just perfect. Sada-san put some Japanese sea salt on top of the nigiri in order to pull out the real flavour of the fish. Amazingly tasty, flavorous and this small piece of sushi just melted in my mouth as soon as I put it. Also, the real fresh wasabi had a very clean, pure flavour. I decided to come back after trying this! Our next set of appetizers came along. It had 5 different little appetizers that were carefully prepared. The Tomato Salad (left) was very refreshing and its mild-sweet dressing was perfect as well. Deep-Fried Baby Egg Plant was stuffed with minced beef and foie gras, which was very crispy on the outside, and juicy on the inside. I liked the sauce which enhanced the overall flavours. Brussels Sprouts Salad was pretty good too. It still hold the firm texture and not mushy. The bonito worked well here to give more enhanced flavours. Foie Gras was placed on a savoury sesame cracker, and topped with strawberry jams. It was very rich in flavour, and buttery. It was very interesting to try soft foie gras with crispy sesame crackers on the bottom. Two very different textures blended well together. Prawn Tempura Spring Rolls were very refreshing. Prawn tempura inside the rolls was still very crispy without any sogginess. Also, the spicy sauce Sriracha prevented the greasiness. Well-done. Finally our sashimi was served in Bluefin Tuna Kama! I could tell each piece of sashimi was carefully cut and placed on the plate. We got 7 kinds of sashimi: Amaebi, Herring Roe, Hirame Engawa, Sockeye Salmon, Butterfish, Bluefin Tuna Chutoro and Hamachi (Left to Right). Everything tasted amazingly fresh and good. We definitely loved Sada's sashimi selection of the night. My favourite was Hamachi and Chutoro while J loved their Sockeye Salmon and Herring Roes the most. 7 kinds of nigiri sushi: Seared Scallop, Hirame Engawa, Butterfish, Geoduck, Mackerel, Tako (Octopus), Tamago (Top to bottom). The sushi rice was cooked and seasoned perfectly, and the fish was amazingly fresh. Some of nigiri were lightly seared giving out extra flavour. I loved butterfish and tamago! Braised Tai Kama was one of our main dish. I know I keep saying their food is so tasty and delicious, but then there is nothing else I can say other than that... The kama was braised long enough for the meat to absorb the sweet and savoury sauce. There was fairly good amount of meat we could have, and the meat itself was very easily apart from the bone. Yay! Sada-san remembered that it was my birthday and we got a special dessert platter :) Everything tasted really good and we were impressed by their pastry chef's skills. Creme Brulee with Red Beans, Lemon Cheese Cake topped with Fresh Strawberry, Sesame Seeds Sorbet, Salted Chocolate GanacheCake, Matcha Macaron & Matcha Tiramisu (Left to Right). Matcha Tiramisu was my favourite. The taste of matcha was in every bite, and the cake was sweet but not overly. The texture was soft, with a perfect blend of fluff! PROS + Amazing omakase & delicious food and dessert + Efficient service + Fresh ingredients + Good price for omakase ($75 or $100 per person) CONS - Maybe the location - Quite small place RATING Food 4.5/5.0 Ambience 3.5/5.0 Service 4.5/5.0 Price $$, $$$ *If you are going for Omakase and planning to have sake or any alcohol, expect to spend $200-$300 for 2 people.

If only I could give this place a 0 star. It's overpriced and not worth it. I don't mind spending more for exceptional food and service but you don't get either. I ordered one piece of toro sushi right off the bat while I was looking at the menu. I find the quality of toro is a good indicator or what the rest of the sushi will be. It was good but I've had equal or better elsewhere. Turns out that one piece was $30. say what? I was told it's a high price because it's flown in from Japan. That may be true but for $30 apiece, it should rock my boat. My friend ordered a one-bite spoon taster of foie gras. He said it was really good, but again the taster was $30. I ordered the assorted sushi and once again it was ok. small pieces and they were a bit dry vs oily/shiny fresh. I can't remember the price but I do remember that it wasn't worth it. So many other places have better sushi/sashimi. I noticed that the emphasize a few menu items....Waygu beef, Cavier, and Froi gras. This feels pretentious. They offer a few high-end items and overcharge on everything on their menu. BTW the miso (with a tiny bit of real crab)...was $30 a bowl. For great sushi go to Minami (downtown), Green Leaf (kitsilano), Ki Ishu (yaletown). For Waygu go to Elisa. For foie gras go to Le Crocodile (taster plate for $30).

One of the best sushi in Vancouver. Sada-san is super cool. The foie on a spoon is the best foie in the city. We ordered the blue fin tasting and it had specks of gold. Uni shooters is the close runner up to best thing in the house. But then we tried the BBQ Hamachi Kama and that was amazing as well. Basically anything you order here from negitoro roll to Oysters Got Talent to hot sake and the octopus sour gummies that come with your bill...everything will make you oh so satiated.

After an extensive online search for the best authentic sushi restaurant in Vancouver, we decided on Octopus Garden. We didn't know that omakase opt-in had to be on the phone 24 hours ahead of time, so we just ordered a la carte instead. Uni shooter (large): great for sharing between two people. I really like uni with quail egg. The textures together are a great combination. Because we shared, we used a spoon to eat instead of shooting it down. That was a bit difficult given the egg yolk and grated potato mixture at the bottom were not easy to pick up. Great dish regardless, if you like uni and gooey stuff. Sushi that we ordered: - Snapper - Aji - Scallop - Hamachi chu-toro - Botan ebi - Ikura - Gintoro - Uni - Dungeness crab - Tobiko and quail egg It ended up being a light meal. But there wasn't a lot of variety so we just ordered what we liked out of the limited selection. But the fish was very very fresh and prices were reasonable. Great service too. Next time I'm in Vancouver, I definitely want to go back and try the omakase. It looked great a few seats down from us!

Had a reso for 7:30, was told to come back in half hour they weren't ready. Came back at 8, waited another half hour. I noticed raw prawns sitting in a plate on the bar when we first arrived, unrefridgerated. They were the same ones we were served an hour and half later. 12 hours later I was in bed with the shakes, high fever, bodily fluids coming from both ends, it's now Sunday and I'm still battling one of the worst cases of food poisoning I've ever had. Never again will I trust eating raw prawns or any seafood anymore I've been so ill. The bill came to $400 for two rolls, 12 prawns, a large sake, and we had the fois gras and wagyu beef samplers. I've eaten a 25 course meal in a 3 star Michelin restaurant in California for the same price. Unbelievable they get away with charging that much for an experience like this. Never will go back.

This was really a one of a kind experience! Ever since our trip to Japan last year where we were spoiled by the array of amazing Japanese cuisine, it's been hard to find a restaurant in Vancouver that can compare, not that I really expect to find one since Japan is halfway around the world. Enter Octopus Garden! This restaurant is fairly small with approx 6 bar seats and a few tables scattered in the restaurant. Reservations are highly recommended! It has a very authentic Japanese look and feel to it, along with an all English-Japanese speaking staff. The first thing that caught my eye was the well-dressed host. We were seated at the sushi bar. You can't quite see exactly what the chefs are doing behind the bar but I was okay with that. Our server was Hiroko and she was fantastic. She made us feel very welcomed and went over the menu thoroughly. We read many prior reviews and ordered some of their most popular dishes. We tried the Uni shooter, the Untouchable, Foie Gras with truffle and gold flakes, Wagyu donburi, and several nigiris including the otoro and chutoro (fatty tuna). Our favourite was the Untouchable and Foie Gras. They literally melt in your mouth and their flavours are out of this world!! Their fish is shipped to Canada 3 times a week and you can definitely tell based on their quality. Yum!! Just take a look at the pictures if you don't believe me. Yes the prices are fairly high but you pay for what you get, a one of a kind Japanese experience that is sure to satisfy your palate. Highly recommend for any special occasion. We were celebrating a birthday and the staff went out of their way to make us feel extra special which was a nice touch. Thank you to Chef Sada and his staff for an incredible experience!!! We will definitely be back.

My girlfriend and I had a reservation here on a Monday night. It is a smaller and very busy restaurant so I definitely recommend making a reservation well in advance. The food here is relatively expensive, but for the cost you get a fresh, great tasting sushi experience. As for the service, it was slow and everything took a very long time. We started off with a sashimi salad, it had baby spinach and other greens, with assorted pieces of sashimi. For $12, it wasn't anything very exciting. We ordered the foie gras and mango nigiri, bluefin tuna Toro, and other multiple varieties of nigiri. Could you imagine paying 24$ (market price) for two Toro nigiri or $19 for two foie gras nigiri? Me neither, but it was a wonderful experience...extremely fresh and melts in your mouth. We ordered two uni shooters and they were excellent and I would definitely recommend it.

Holy this place got pricey. It's delicious. But for a casual Friday dinner we spent $300 after tax and tip. It was good and definitely one of the top 3 in town. But you are paying. The service is kind but always occupied. So where I knock it down is for the price you are dealing with small hiccups. Missed items, difficult to flag server, pour your own drinks. Amazing sushi though.