Rajio Japanese Public House

If you’re looking for the perfect date night with sake and skewers, this is the place to be! The atmosphere is great, and the amazing staff will guide you through the menu, making sure your experience is both special and fun. Every dish was delicious, and the service was amazing. Highly recommend for anyone wanting a memorable night out!

This place is a hidden gem! Food was amazing , I like the deep fried skewer and the watermelon punch the most. The watermelon punch was made from fresh watermelon !! Service was great , they were friendly. We went there for dinner on a weekday around 7:30pm , only half of the restaurant was full. So no line up and no need reservations at all. Easy to find street parking

Fun little Izakaya style experience that focuses alot of the fried things on a stick experience, though having said that; there is a wild variety of things that are not fried on the menu as well. Tables are spaced well, but cramped on the surface front, which creates a particular contrast, while the decor is best described as modernized tradition. Food was a highlight, as there was a good mix of expected crowd pleasures and known modernized classics. All in all a fun place to go, drink and eat, but falls a little short of being that exceptional place you'll rave constantly about? Though I will say for what it is, it's priced well with sticks at 2-4 bucks and larger items at 12-20, so the value is here!

Fantastic food. Service is excellent. The staff are so friendly and high energy and they were so kind to surprise our group with a special birthday dessert without us even asking for it.

This Japanese restaurant has a cozy and small atmosphere, which is reflected in the small tables. The food is quite good, though the portions are on the smaller side. The prices seem reasonable for what you get. However, the worst part of the experience was the condition of the menu. It looked old, dirty, and felt sticky to the touch. I think the restaurant would benefit from updating or replacing their menus to improve the overall dining experience.

Had a wonderful birthday with Rajio with my wife!!!! Kushikatsu is such a great way to eat fried food nice and light not greasy at all. Staff are incredibly nice and welcoming here so that’s a huge win!!! Will be back again soon for sure with friends!!!! Thank you again Rajio!!!!

Fairly small venue with touch of japanese festive decorations. As for food i had 3 kushi (wagyu menchi, lotus root, and pork) and surprised how filling it was; couldn't finish eating the rest of kushis i'd ordered ... Yellowtail sashimi was SO good. I have yet to try more food to better recommend, but as for dessert, try hojicha pudding! Pineapple punch is a must try! PS: JP, what a great server. He had great smile and service from the moment i walked in to the place. And to Mikiya, Rum, Mayu, and Subaru. Thank you ALL for great hospitality. See you all soon 😊🙏

The food was delicious, and the service was outstanding! The staff were friendly and professional, and the atmosphere was very welcoming. I’ll definitely visit again!

This restaurant is a lot quieter than the others in this group, but I can't really see why. The food is still high quality and delicious, though I don't think it's my favourite from the group. We got the agedashi rice cake which was my favourite; the rice cake was chewy and the sauce was perfectly savoury. The scallop sashimi was sweet and tender, and the uni-bonara udon was not bad. The udon had very little uni flavour, and I wish they had been more generous with the crab, but for the price, it was a plate of noodles that didn't disappoint. The service was good, attentive but gave us space. Overall, a quality spot for dinner for a reasonable price. I still think Suika is my favourite, but this place is a close second!

This izakaya focuses mainly on kushikatsu but we didn't order them. We wanted something more filling and opted for rice/noodle dishes. Uni udon - super creamy. Can't really taste the uni. Nice big pieces of crab. Crab bibimbap - not enough flavor. Just a bit of sauce right at the bottom. The carb dishes are priced well at $14.80 Sudako - cooked octopus with cucumber and yuzu jello. Such a small dish for $8.80. The instgrammable watermelon and pineapple drinks were not worth at all. There was barely any pineapple and watermelon flavor that was mixed with a lot of club soda. The watermelon had more drink solely because the size of a watermelon is bigger than a pineapple. Both come with 2 slices grapfruits/orange/lime. However, the watermelon also comes with pieces of watermelon meat inside and extra pieces of pinepple. The pinepple drink doesnt come with extra pieces. For $15 that is not a good drink.

Solid 3.5 stars -- If you enjoy Kushikatsu (deep fried meat/veggie skewers), then Rajio is the place for you. It's a fun dining experience to try the different types of skewers, but I also highly recommend ordering off the menu. The crab carbonara udon was super rich (def meant to be shared and not as a one-person entree), as was the ebi shrimp tempura (love the flavor but definitely very rich). The skewers themselves are tasty, and while not expensive, one skewer is quite small and only meant to be one bite. Be careful filling up on too many of these as they can add up in price!

Went to @rajio_japanese_public_house for a birthday celebration and tried their kushikatsu and a few other dishes. It was pretty fun to eat but my fav was probably their rich uni-bonara udon. It was so rich! If you aren't sure what to order for kushikatsu, they do have a list of fan favourites on the wall so check that list out. We tried all of them and they were all delicious! Their fruit punches were beautiful but the alcohol was very diluted so didn't taste it at all. Great service. Chill ambiance

What a gem!! Not only was the food superb, the staff were really lovely and really made our visit there that much more memorable. We were here to celebrate my 12th annual 21st birthday so we ordered the good stuff- the crab bibimbap, truffle butter udon and a variety of skewers. We were also treated to their pudding with the freshest mango puree on top, along with a candle and sparklers! I will definitely be back and am excited to bring more people with me next time!

Overall the foods is really good except the bbq skewers. I was expecting real Japanese bbq skewers. But it came out all fried which is disappointing. The bread cover is too salty and flavorful that you can't tell the true ingredients. That's the only reason a star came off. Servers and waitress are friendly but they are not really good in English that give us a little difficulty at ordering. Overall is good experience. Fair price, fresh food and drinks. Can return again.

Came here on a Sunday evening and we were happy that we were able to get a table. Which leads me to my first tip. You should probably get a reso if you plan on having a late dinner. Fortunately we came at opening and they had tables available as long as we were done before 6:30. My second tip is that there's absolutely no need to pay for parking on West 10th unless you're too lazy to walk the extra 5mins from the side street where parking is free. My girlfriend and I ordered a couple skewers. We got chicken, eggplant, octopus, asparagus, gyoza, and salmon. We also got their corn Karaage and the Carbonara udon. The udon was probably my favorite dish. Had a decent amount of crab in it. It reminded me of lobster mac and cheese. The skewers were alright. Nothing to get excited about. I definitely can't recommend the octopus. It was so hard and rubbery; like eating an old gummy. The corn is the reason why I was excited to go to this place after seeing a couple posts about it. Not sure what I was expecting. They were just good. Not mindblowing. Can't even say I'd buy them again, but $8 I guess it's a decent dish. Overall, it was a decent experience. The service is awesome, but I don't think I'd come back. Just not for me. Our bill was around $50, which is alright for the amount of food we got, but the actual flavours and food were just...okay.

Very good service in this alive restaurant. However, the dishes we had on special (10 ) and lobster tail, had no taste, zero, other than fried. The watermelon ball drink was weak as well. Sorry, but I will not recommend or return to this restaurant.

The atmosphere is great! It's a small restaurant and highly recommend that you book ahead of time. Rajio is awesome to gather with a few friends over drinks and deep fried skewers. They have skewer combos that you can order to sample and also you can order individually. We really enjoyed all our food!

Not really getting why the rave reviews. We tried a bunch of the kushi katsu skewers and were underwhelmed and didn't feel like the sauce or skewers were anything special. The skewers seem really overpriced...2.50 for one gyoza?! The udon dishes were okay but again nothing amazing. The one dish we all agreed was really good was the cheese tofu. Seems like a charcuterie plate option...the bread toast with the tofu cheese spread just worked. The ramen took a really long time to come out but the broth was good but noodles really over cooked. We probably spent more on drinks with their ginger tea mixtures than food lol. The drinks were interesting flavor mixes that we enjoyed but again seemed to be 75% ice and 25% drink. Sadly, I would say head to Raisu if you want a better selection of quality food and better value.

Came here for our good friend's birthday on a weeknight. It is a hidden gem with Izakaya style menu. We had the Asahi Black (my faves), and my friends had some sake flights as well. Lots of battered deep fried skewers and we had the following: duck (my faves) eggplants, scallops, jumbo shrimp, lotus root (2nd faves) My favourite dish of the night is the Uni, Ikura and Kanj (crab) Udon. The sauce is so delicious. Next favourite would be the pork cheek. Love the yuzu sauce. Tako Wasa (raw octopus marinated with wasabi) was flavourful but best with sips of beer. It is a casual dining experience, staff was friendly and accommodating. I would like to try other dishes on the menu particularly more seafood options the next time I'm there.

The food was fresh and delicious ! The service was phenomenal and so friendly. We enjoyed the outdoor patio in a warm summer evening. Highly recommend this wonderful restaurant for great food and a wonderful experience. Our meal was so delicious that we didn't even have a chance to take a photo before we cleared the plate !

It was a busy Tuesday night ... I got a place at the bar. I was given the menu but had to get the waitress attention to order after waiting for 5+ minutes. Kitchen wait time for ramen was 1h and I was reduced to eating appetizers due to constraint in my time. Cheese w Melba toast was without flavor and truffle fries were mediocre. I had to ask again for a drink and also for my check. So this was not a good visit for me. However I will be back, with more time to taste their unique foods. Judging by the crowd they were enjoying it very much.

Visited: Feb 17 2019 We decided to try this place after a family member raves about their ramen. We went for dinner at 5:45pm and thank goodness we were there early (we didn't have a reservation either) as there were only a few tables left. There were actually a lot of good stuff on the menu but we settled with the ramen plus a couple of appetizers. We also ordered the pink lemonade and it was super delicious and refreshing! It was fizzy and thirst quenching without being sweet. There were also little lemon pieces and goji berries in the drink. The ramen came in a deceptively small bowl but it was packed with noodles. Came with bits of crunchy dried shrimp on top and 2 thick pieces of fatty pork. The ramen does come as advertised- heavenly sweet shrimp indeed! The broth is thick, intense, and packed with flavour. Needless to say I drank most of the broth, so very good. The KFC was seasoned well and nicely fried. It says it's supposed to be spicy but we didn't taste any. The chicken was moist and it's a good dish overall but we felt like it needed some Japanese mayo or garlic aioli for dipping. The seafood bombshells were my favourite, perfectly fried and crunchy on the outside. Inside, it has a mixture of shrimp and fish and it has a bouncy texture which was great (ie not soggy). The server enticed us with the ice cream flavours of the day for desserts and we ordered one of each. It came nicely presented in a cute little glass jar with a tea cookie on the side. Both ice creams were awesome. The matcha was very rich and creamy and it had candied pistachios on top. The lemon cheesecake ice cream tasted exactly like eating a lemon cheesecake. These ice creams are comparable, and if not better, than any other ice cream joints in Vancouver. It was a very satisfying meal and we will definitely come back again to try other items. Service was friendly and quick as expected. Ordered: Pink lemonade (non alcoholic) x 2 KFC Seafood bombshells Heavenly sweet shrimp miso ramen x 2 Matcha pistachio ice cream Lemon cheesecake ice cream

I just dined here for the first time and loved it. Wonderfully cozy atmosphere, delicious dishes, and friendly and attentive service. It filled up quickly, which I took to be a positive sign. Ordered the agadashi rice cakes - delicious! Already planning my next visit.

So I came here with my mom and we ordered the KFC Chicken Kara-age Saba Aburi Sushi Ebi Mayo 2 scallop skewers First off the food was very fresh and very tasty. Service was awesome. The restaurant was very small and so you do need a reservation if you are coming as a big group. The KFC Chicken Kara-age was very juicy and crispy on the outside The ebi mayo was great. I liked how the shrimp was big and juicy. The saba aburi sushi was a bit disappointing. It didn't melt in my mouth. The scallop skewers were not bad. It's actually one scallop where they splitted in the middle and served it. Looked like two piece but in reality its only one. Overall, I would definitely come back. The food was really tasty and I really enjoyed it. Parking is not plentiful here. There are meter parking in the front of the restaurant. The other options are: park in the neighborhood or bus here.

This place is one of my favorite. The service is great and and food is great! It's a small restaurant so I don't recommend a huge party but anything around 10people is definitely doable. True to the Osaka style fried skewers everything we ordered were delicious. I loved their foie gras and also their scallops. The seafood mentaiko udon was also very delicious. It was very creamy and flavourful. 100% can't wait to visit again

Been to Rajio Japanese Public House twice now for dinner. They also own Kingyo, Suika and Raisu (which I've also been to). It's located a few doors down from The Pokeman. Impressed how busy this place has been on both trips. People were still coming in at 10:30pm. Service was typical Japanese excellence. They constantly came by to refill our water and tea (which was complimentary). You know they're legit when they play jazz music. There's a couple menus: daily specials, daily drink specials and a regular menu. The regular menu is broken into kushikatsu, tapas, vegetable, meat, seafood, sushi, rice & noodle and drinks. Tons of variety but I was shocked to see oden on the menu. Trip #1 We dropped in on a late Thursday evening (around 9:30 pm) and the place was bumping. People were chilling out on the patio too. - Kushikatsu - we decided to try a couple skewers: eggplant ($1.50), shiitake ($1.50), octopus (($1.80) and lotus root ($1.50). Deep fried and panko breaded. It comes with a secret dipping sauce. The skewers were perfectly cooked and had a light, addictive crunch to them. Seriously, you can't go wrong. Order a few. I'm sad we didn't try this when we were in Japan. - Y's mommy's assorted oden ($8.80) - simmered one-pot dish with assorted vegetables, meat, fish cakes and half-boiled eggs in a kelp and clam based broth. The side of karashi mustard had quite the zip to it. The variety of fish cakes, sausage and daikon was excellent, as was the broth. Hearty and deeply satisfying. - Bang-bang chicken ($4.80) - boiled chicken thigh tossed with sesame soy dressing, jellyfish and topped with kaiware. This was fairly simple but well executed. Loved the chewy, crunchy texture of the jellyfish. - Grilled pork cheek ($7.60) - seasoned with house made spice mix and yuzu jalapeno paste. This was a steal! Pork cheeks were fantastic and the yuzu paste put it over the top. Bottle that in a jar and sell it Rajio! To be honest, we love anything yuzu. - Fresh seafood chirashi-zushi ($10.80) - fresh sashimi slices and omelet cubes on top of sushi rice and root vegetables. They forgot our original order but it ended up being worth the wait. A good mix of sashimi (tuna, salmon, yellowtail, fish roe and octopus) and spot on sushi rice. Seriously, texture was fantastic. The strips of tamago and pickled Japanese vegetables (carrot, daikon and umabushi) added another element to the bowl. Trip #2 Second time around, we came with a group of 7. Made reservations and the only time slot available was for 5:30pm on an early Friday evening. - Lotus root kimpira ($3.80) - lotus root and carrot braised in soy based sauce. Lotus root was fresh and had a superb crunchy bite. - Sweet spicy burdock ($3.80) - fresh burdock tossed with honey and soy chili sauce. A tangy sweetness and slight crunch to the burdock. - Fresh oysters ($13.75/dozen) - these were tiny but delicious. Top notch quality. Better than most places that specialize in oysters. - 6x Meat kushikatsu ($1.80 each) - we ordered two each of beef, chicken and pork. - 5x Vegetable kushikatus ($1.50 each) - rounded things off with a few vegetable skewers. - Pig trotter ($6.80) - long stewed tender pork foot with original salt and garlic sauce. This was a tad difficult to cut but trust me, it's worth the effort. Gelatinous, - The KFC! ($7.80) - boneless chicken karaage. This was incredibly moist and juicy. - Squid tentacles karaage ($7.20) - deep fried squid tentacles tossed in Rajio's beer spice blend. Loved it. - Aburi shime-saba sushi ($12.80) - mackerel cured with Hokkaido kelp and vinegar. This was lightly seared and drizzled with sesame mustard soy. Saba was fresh and had a smooth texture. - Negitoro battera ($9.80) - albacore tuna belly with scallions and pickled crunchy daikon radish. Didn't get to try this one but it looked good. - Mentaiko kimchi udon ($8.80) - pan fried udon noodles tossed in cod roe and garnished with chopped kimchi, scallions and dried seaweed. A slight (and I meant the slightest) hint of heat. Good but a small portion. - Hot stone crab bibimbap ($13.20) - crab miso and ikura, omelet, shiso herb and scallions. The crab was fresh and they will mix it for you table side. Figured we could use some more carbs. - 2x Y's mommy's assorted oden ($8.80) - ALWAYS get the oden. So delicious and great variety. Just as good as the first time we had it. - Anchovy edamame ($4.20) - marinated with garlic, sesame oil and anchovy. These were freaking delicious. One of the best edamame's I've had. Well salted and roasted to perfection. The + Group Restaurant people continue to kill it in the izakaya game. Can't wait to come back!

This restaurant is know for their skewers and their special cocktails. We ordered the watermelon cocktail with whiskey and cantaloupe cocktail with gin. They were very interesting and was something worth trying. We also ordered kimchi tako wasabi, cheese tofu, assorted sashimi, assorted kushi katsu, shio cabbage, dynamic steak, primo truffle butter udon and the uni- binary udon. Everything was very good and very unique flavours. Definitely worth trying this restaurant.

DO NOT RECOMMEND BAD SERVICE DO NOT HONOR RESERVATIONS This restaurant had been my favorite Japanese foods for 5 years but sadly that relationship has ended today. I am having a nice family dine out on a Thursday night when it's normally not very busy. I made the reservation for 4 as we have 4 people dining. Given it's not particularly busy we went a bit early, the reservation was at 8:30 pm and we arrived at 8:05. Imagine our surprises when we were told after arrival that although our reservation was for four, we got assigned to a "three person table", or a tiny two people table with stuck in a L shaped chair. And they wouldn't even give us an extra chair for the forth person. We tried to negotiate that we had four people as our reservation shows and provided that we can come back later at our reserved time but the only response was basically "Sorry, not sorry", or " I can try but no guarantee". Despite the fact that there are two 2-people table ready that can be put together to make a perfect one for us, At which point we just decided to leave and never come back.

We began off with having to wait a while before they sat us at a table. There were a lot of space available but they busied themselves with serving. Their watermelon drink (Smashing Hit Punch with rum) was appealing to the eyes but I couldn't taste the alcohol in it at all. There was nothing special about the drink either. The Aburi shime-saba sushi was a bit salty. But the "kakuni bibimbap stone bowl" and the "heavenly sweet shrimp miso ramen" were very tasty. The food also came out in weird order with our sashimi salad coming last after all out main dishes.

This place gets pretty busy at dinner time so be sure to make reservations ahead of time if you don't want to wait long for a table. Snazzy decor inside, with a wall of cute cartoon character lamps. I loved their famous fruit punch in a hollowed-out mini watermelon; it was refreshingly delicious! The Osaka style skewers we had were really tiny, so at $2 each, I felt they were a little overpriced. The deep fried chicken karaage was alright, but not particularly special. Get the seafood bombshells, they are the bomb! Crunchy & filled with various types of seafood, they make for an interesting appetizer. The miso ramen has a rich & flavourful taste, thick & full-bodied. For an izakaya place, their ramen is quite outstanding! Overall, a great place with a nice authentic Japanese izakaya atmosphere & delicious bites.

Tried this place for the first time. It's a small restaurant. Arrived about 15 minutes before our reservation and was seated right away. The server was friendly and explained the dishes and provided some recommendations. We tried the skewers and they were pretty good. Also ordered the Y ebimayo and the shrimps were huge. The bluefin tuna pressed rice was ok. The roe was very fishy tasting. Should have just ordered the sashimi. The colour seemed a little light so not sure if it was really bluefin Tuna. The uni and ikura carbonara udon was very tasty. It's very rich and filling. The ice cream was frozen solid into the glass jar. It was ok but nothing fabulous. Overall pretty decent restaurant. Different and unique.

Sister restaurant of Suika. I came here with high expectations. And the food was good, just not fabulous. I enjoy the tako wasa at Suika more. The seafood bombshell was sort of meh. I did enjoy their Mushroom Ajillo though Our water was constantly filled to the brim, which is quite nice :) But anyways....it was really funny how they gave us a bill that was triple the amount we actually spent. It's a good thing we checked our bill and got them to adjust the amount for us :)

A solid place for Japanese Tapas. It's sister restaurants with Raisu, so the quality is not bad, and it is different enough from Raisu that its worth a visit. Their Spicy Karaage was delicious - but only if you're a lover of spice. I'd say its even a step up from korean fried chicken. Definitely in a similar vein, but with slight hints of vinegar... so maybe a hybrid between a buffalo wing and korean fried chicken. Prices are on the higher end of the $$. But ultimately depends on how hungry you come.

The trilogy is complete. Kingyo Suika Rajio Free cabbage with some dressing when you sit down. Nice touch. They gave me a table even though it said "reserved". I notice that they did the same for Gary M. Each one of these restaurants have their strengths. It was packed in here on a Friday night when I came. Tomato kimchi salad not bad. Diabro chicken was advertised as hot. The waiter even said to be careful. I didn't find it that hot. I licked the sauce clean. Pretty good chicken. Curry chicken wings was unique. I liked this too. Grilled mackerel. This was very similar to something I had at Guu a while back. It's good none the less. Poutine. This I liked much better than the one at Suika. Done very differently. They use actual potato wedges instead of fries. Stone bowl was excellent. I recommend this. It's mixed together at your table. It's a mixture of three asian cuisines and techniques. Japanese, Chinese and Korean. The Japanese influence, was the yakisoba noodles and nori, the Korean influence was the kimchi, the Chinese (specifically Cantonese) influence was the heated stonebowl, although this is also a Korean thing. In fact, the next time I order this, I would let the food sit in the bowl for about 10 min before eating. This way you get the crispy rice and noodle combination at the bottom just like how you would in Cantonese claypot rice. To top it off, there's cheese and ground pork in this dish also. This was a beautiful marriage of flavours and techniques from 3 different Asian influences Didn't order the skewers. Maybe next time.

Friendly service/ was going to give them a 3.5 but decided to give 3 because they kicked us out saying they have another party coming without telling us at the beginning, not cool, and when we left those people didn't even arrive yet. Too bad for them they could've made more $ and received better review food was ok, all the rice dishes tasted undercooked/ all the sushi dishes were very salty/ I had high expectations for this place but it was a disappointment/ in general it was good except some were on the salty and undercooked side but they didn't charge us for it social gathering place good price for quantity and quality would I go back? Not anymore after they kicked us out unexpectedly and killing our vibe

Haven't been in this neighborhood for ages and it was a nice treat revisiting the area and finding this Japanese Izykaya. A few of the items my friend and I ordered included: Hot Stone Crab Bibimbap + Grilled Squid + Kushikatsu (Foie Gras, Oyster, Lotus Root) + Salmon Tartar + Yuzu Tuna Tataki + Watermelon Mojito. The Bibimbap hits the spot - really rich flavour and it's nice and hot from the stone bowl. The squid was also a favourite in the seasonal menu - grilled perfectly with some fresh green beans inside. A lot of the tables ordered the Kushikatsu so we ordered some too! I won't recommend the Foie Gras Kushikatsu because I did find it a little over cooked and lacked the richness in Foie Gras, so save your money and choose some other skewers instead. Overall, the restaurant has a good variety of food but it would had been nice if they were a bit more attentive as I had finished my drink and no waitress came by to ask for any additional drinks or water. The restaurant is a bit far but worth a try when you are in this area!

Our first experience here was not good. Service was horrible. It was so bad it took me a couple of years to try it again. Very happy to report that this experience was completely different. Service was great. Very friendly staff - very friendly and helpful. We had an assortment of food - everything was amazing but the squid was to die for. The ribs were pretty good too (okay, really good). The gingerale was refreshing. And for wine, how can you not love a place where the charge for a bottle of wine is $10 more than the liquorstore on all bottles. Perfect. This second experience there was great - obviously just hit a bad night the first time. We will go back.

ATMOSPHERE - 3/5 Like it's sister restaurant, Suika, Rajio is an izakaya which means incredibly loud, energetic, and cramped. It may be your thing, but it isn't mine. SERVICE - 5/5 Prompt, friendly, and attentive, and accommodating. Short turnaround time. Zero complaints. FOOD - 4/5 Excellent - Seafood Bomb | Aburi Shime-Saba Sushi Good - Negitoro Battera | Kushikatsu | 7/9 Kinds Sashimi Meh - Pork Jowl | Octopus Ball (don't confuse this with takoyaki) Would go back to try more things on the menu.

Yummy Japanese food here at this local a mere 5-7 minute drive from UBC. It has been open for over three years now! Service is friendly and food comes fast. Ordered the KFC, the squid crisps, and the fried lobster. 1) KFC is good, it's like chicken karagge. 2) Squid crisps didn't sound appealing, but I'm willing to try new things so why not. I was pleasantly surprised, it's on the chewy side but I like to gnaw at food when in the mood. 3) Fried lobster was like a good hearty chunk of lobster with a fried tempura-esque batter on the outside. Yum. I approve (and it isn't because of the cool Hello Kitty light fixture inside).

Came here as part of a hungry and thirsty group. Parking here is available on the side streets, though you may have to walk a bit if you want to avoid the meters. The place is pretty cozy, with a nice little patio out front. It's set up like an izakaya, with the Japanese yelling whenever you show up or leave. I had the pork rice in the stone bowl. It was definitely on the salty side, and I couldn't burn my rice enough. Oh well. Service was decent. Overall the food was decent, but it was definitely more expensive than what I would've liked. For the same price I can just hit up someplace like Hapa. But if this is your type of thing, Rajio is decent.

Wow. Just amazing. Food was to die for. Service was fantastic. Can't say enough good things. Go.. Try.. Enjoy..

My favorite go to casual izakaya place in Kitsilano. Sunomos are awesome for appetizer. Sake selections are well picked by the team. Start with japanese draft beer and finish with junmai sake. For those none sake lovers, try Rajio's signature water melon served cocktails. Uni cabornara udon is my 'must' item to finish.

Under the same family as Kingyo, Suika, and Raisu, Rajio is the last one on my list to try! - Soft boiled egg (I forgot the name, it was on their special menu) was great. The crab meat and the fish roe, atop the gooey egg yolk, combine into a quite literal explosion of flavours as the the little roe burst in your mouth. Probably my favourite item tonight. - Bagna cauda: it was a bit of a mistake getting this, because it was literally just raw veggies with dipping sauce. The sauce was quite good though! Kind of reminded me of a lighter, less creamy (and healthier) version of a spinach dip. Oh well, 1 point for the health jar haha. - Assorted sashimi: this was fine, no complaints. - KFC: the chicken karaage coating was a bit too thick for me, but the chicken inside was juicy and tender. - Heavenly sweet shrimp miso ramen: great flavour, and a generous portion of noodles. Quite a large (and heavy) bowl - we definitely over ordered today haha. I kept on eyeing the watermelon drinks that decorated most tables... if I weren't as stuffed I would have ordered one. Oh well, next time!

Terrible customer service They took our name and number, said 15 minute wait, w hour later they then said it is another 30 minutes for bar only and we should have made a reservation Why make us wait 1 hour for that bs news!!!?????!!! Terrible service

Looking for good food open 'late' (by Vancouver standards)? Look no more. Rajio has a fantastic selection of small plates that are great for sharing with a group of friends, or on a date. The place is a little raucous if you're looking to chit-chat, but overall the atmosphere is warm and inviting. The servers are friendly and helpful (if a little slow sometimes), and were able to offer us great advice on what to order. The daily tapas changes frequently, but is always fresh and delicious. This time they had yuzu tuna tataki which was well balanced and seared perfectly. The Kushikatsu is mouth-wateringly good and not oily at all, and their take on bibimbap is a little out there, but really tasty once you get into it. They did forget one item from our order, and were sold out of another, but the servers were very apologetic and with all the oyher food we ordered, we didn't really mind. Selection of alcohol is a little lacking,but if you dont mind japanese beers or sake, its actually pretty good value. All-in-all I highly recommend it.

A great little Japanese hangout bar type place with great tasting food and tasty drinks! They have a special for the next couple of weeks for valentine's that gives you 3 select dishes for $18 - goods value and nicely prepared. The servers were very attentive and happy to offer suggestions or explain what certain items were on the menu. And there was am overall great atmosphere. An interesting offering on the menu was horse. I didn't try it myself this time around but thought it was worth mentioning. Also worth mentioning is that the place is pretty small but they do take reservations, so be sure to call ahead. Catchup!

Decided suddenly that Dine Out is a rip off, so I replaced our dine out reso for dinner at Rajio. I really had to pat myself on the back for this! They are in the same group as Kingyo (best lunch bento in town), and Suika. I guess this restaurant has an Osaka theme. Tiny restaurant with fun street market style decor. We visited on a Thursday night, and the small restaurant was already quite full except for a few small tables left with "reserved" signs on them. Luckily we made a reso! We order a bunch of kishikatus, think yakitori but FRIED! Haven't seen this Osaka specialty in Van until now. We order shiitake, chikuwa cheese, octopus, cheese, and rice cake. All delicious! The batter was super light and slightly crispy. The sauce was yummy and it was difficult not to "double dip". We also tried their kimchi mentaiko udon and KFC fried chicken. Mentaiko udon was very creamy, and the KFC chicken was basically perfect pieces of fried chicken. Crispy skin and super tender meat. The BEST thing we had, though, was the seafood bomb. I think that's what it's called? Anyway it's a fried ball with a bunch of chopped up seafood in it. Fried up in the same delicate batter as the kishikatsu, in a croquette ball, served with this crazy thick creamy delicious tartar sauce. My dining partner and I both agreed that was one of the tastiest thing we've had lately. Can't quite put my finger on why it was so good. It probably had crack in it. Overall it was an excellent meal. Service was pretty good. Not super attentive but got us everything we needed so no complain there. We definitely plan on coming back to try more items from their menu.

Vanities used to have packages to try some popular dishes for a set price and rajio was one of their destinations! An izakaya like suika and kingyo, rajio focused on small happy sized dishes but are known for their skewers. Since I'm not a huge fan of fried foods, i actually loved the other dishes my favourite being the chirashi sushi with plenty of fresh sashimi and tamago for a great price! Their veggie dip was also amazing and my parents who don't eat fresh veggies gobbled them all up! And of course, their short ribs were fall off the bone tender, sashimi salad was fresh and the battera was great!

I come here all the time because they have such tasty food. The abundance of free parking spots around the area is also a bonus. My favourite dishes there are their squid karaage, Saba aburi sushi and corn kakiage. My favourite drink there is their kids lemonade. The lemonade has goji berries infused in it and is slightly carbonated - a cup of goodness! Their skewers are unique as I've never had a skewer like what they serve at other izakayas. However, I think they're just average fried veggies/meat on a stick. They're good to try if it's your first time there. I usually just skip on the skewers and get their other dishes! They fill up fast. I've walked in a couple of times and got rejected because they were full. So make sure to reserve ahead if you would like to secure seats.

- Friendly service, especially fun to sit at the bar. - Fruit cocktails, served in a pineapple or a watermeon, is light and refreshing. - Come for tapas and skewers. - Street parking

The restaurant was much smaller than I had imagined but we were seated right away even without reservations. The fried squid was delicious, everything else we tried was alright but nothing too special. Service was good and they also give you a free salad with your meal to share with your table.

Food isnt bad, but a bit expensive for the tiny skewers you get. And slow.. we waited almost 40 mins to get our 10 skewers. how long does it take to deep fry a bunch of skewers?? Was very annoyed when we were waiting for a certain menu item, and had to flag down a server. It was only then did she tell us that they ran out... didn't tell us when we ordered it or when they found out they ran out. We had to ask... We could've ordered something else but had to go and didn't want to wait another 40 mins. Seems like a good place to hang out with friends, but unfortunately we were in a rush and didn't get to appreciate the atmosphere.

Their food is fantastic, and the service is amazing. One of the best izakaya places in Vancouver I believe. However, their prices are a bit expensive. In fact, it climbs very quickly if you get a lot of skewers.

Came here 3 days ago, a Saturday, for dinner. It was my first time here and from the looks of it, definitely make reservations. It's a rather tiny spot, no air con, so it does get hot and stuffy on a warm summer day. Ordered the famous fruit punch in the watermelon (non rum version), aburi toro, shrimp miso ramen, lobster ceviche, and some sort of salad in a jar. The famous fruit punch in the watermelon tastes so damn good and is so refreshing in the heat. It was difficult for me not to finish it in a few gulps. The miso ramen is as heavenly as it is described. Just the noodles itself were so tasty own its own. The toppings were also very delicious. Highly recommended. The lobster ceviche was pretty good, all the ingredients seems to go well with one another. The salad in a jar sort of reminds me of the ceviche, but if I were to choose, go with the ceviche. I found the toro aburi was a bit mushy and would break apart as soon as I try to pick it up with my chopsticks, but still good. Service appears to be a hit or miss. Most of the servers were very nice and friendly, but one appeared to have a bit of an attitude in her voice as if she was tired of just dealing with people in general. Overall, including service, ambience, and food, I will have to give it 3 stars. I wouldn't mind coming back, but given that it's so far out of the way for me, unfortunately it won't be anytime soon.

five star autumn evening. If you have a kid or two come at 5:30, so you can dine with ease. There's more than enough room and the room hasn't filled out yet. Why was tonight great? a) freshness b) umami c) hot ribs d) perfect pour draft sapporo e) oysters in delectable sauce f) great tunes g) less than $60 incl tip everything came out perfectly, in perfect timing and with grace. What to order: a) oysters b) sweet and sour ribs c) kushi trio including lotus root, eggplant and pork. d) soba meshi e) toro avocado aburi f) one draft beer this was one great evening... g

Sorry I'm still not a big fan of this place. I feel overall it was very mediocre. I ordered several kushi katsu with my friend (kurobuta sausage, lotus root, oyster,Camembert cheese) but it was medicore overall. We also ordered non-skewers like crab bibimbap and pork jowl - that tasted better than skewers but it was still a-ok. The drinks are nice though. I like their home made ginger beer.....

Video may have killed the Radio Star, but not the Rajio Star in Japan. Joining its sister izakayas Kingyo and my favourite, Suika, Rajio opened Nov 18th, 2012. Walking in, I was impressed as always by the unique design touches and the infamous Japanese attention to detail of the place. The main feature of Rajio is Kushikatsu which are deep-fried kebabs. Very reasonably priced at $1-$1.80/skewer, we had beef, chicken, squid, octopus, and asparagus. I don't know what spices go into the batter but it was packed with flavour. Though a tad oily, kushikatsu is pretty damn addicting. They give you free cabbage to aid with digestion. Make sure you try their onion and tartar sauces. Pairs so well! Other highlights were the Mentaiko kimchi udon (perfect texture) and Kimchi sobameshi stone bowl (too unique to describe). And of course, to finish, we couldn't resist getting the classic negitoro battera. And to make things better they sell bottles of wine for only BC Liquor price + $10!! If that's not a big enough excuse to get hammered, I don't know what is. As always, the Japanese staff are simply the best. So genuine, so attentive, so friendly, so awesome. It was great to see off-duty Suika staff dining here! Check it out before the lineups start!