Kamei Baru

Go for their lunch menu they have excellent combos and huge bento boxes for a great value. I’ve gone back twice but once it was a dinner menu and another time it was a weekend lunch so I wasn’t able to catch the good deals. I’d recommend the ramen, the tuna tataki salad (this is actually really good), and the samurai rock. Meaning to try the oysters during happy hour but will save that for next time. Wish they had lunch menu items throughout the day, I would order them even without lunch special prices

First Unilocal review FTW! We’ve spent many a weekend wandering all over town looking for Buck-​A-​Shuck oysters. ACTUAL Buck-​A-​Shuck — not ‘$ 2.95 a shuck’ or ‘$ 1.95 a shuck for select oysters only OH LOOK we just ran out of those’. At Kamei Baru: 99cents!
5:00-ish on a holiday Monday, so not super crowded (movie theatre next door makes that entire block busy most of the time).
Service: excellent. Attentive, friendly, accommodating. Had questions about the giant lobster boil on the menu and the server told us all we needed to know. (We will be back later for a lobster party!)
Food: Oysters were great. They were out of Miyagis so gave us Lighthouses for the same price — 99cents! Shucking was pretty good. Clean, no grit, a little rough but just fine.
Will be back!

This is a Japanese tapas style restaurant with a lot of drink specials (e.g. pitchers are around $ 12, 8 shooters for $ 18, etc). The place also sports very cool décor with an upbeat vide. They have an awesome happy hour after 9:30pm on weekdays and on weekends they have $ 1 oysters after 9:30pm.
Go for: a nice feeling and looking casual Japanese restaurant that encourages sharing food and drinks without breaking the bank
Don’t go for: hmmm I can’t think of a reason if you’re into this sort of restaurant

I like how I can make reservations here for a bigger group and they almost always are available. Auto gratuity added to your bill if you have 6ppl or more though. Their food is pretty good (3.5*), but on the pricier side if you’re not here for Happy Hour (HH menu is completely different from regular menu). Rounding them down because other than pricing, service also has room for improvement. Service is always friendly but when you run into a problem (like mussels tasting rancid), it’s just ‘oh, ok’ from the waitress with no attempt to fix it. Or the more recent visit, our waitress kept asking if we are done and need the bill when everyone just got another round of drinks and the restaurant is half empty. Other than that, highchairs available and have a quiet booth section away from other patrons where they always seem to put me when baby comes along.
Food wise, they have Aburi ranging from $ 14,95-$ 16.95 which are good, but not great and not at that price point– might as well go to Minami then. I like their pork belly stone bowls and udons (though this is on the smaller side for $ 15+). HH chicken wings taste great here. Stay away from their curry rice dishes if you don’t like black curry.

Was here for a Xmas party. We were a large group, service was pretty decent. We ordered mostly appies; fries, raw oysters, karaage which were decent, nothing spectacular. Beer was a reasonable price for a pitcher. The shock came when a friend ordered a highball and only half the cup was full and half of that was ice… meaning ¼ of the highball cup was filled with liquid… we flagged down a server, she returned from the bar returning the drink stating that that was how it was supposed to be… zero stars for service there.
They did not even offer a better (higher quantity?) alternative.
1) Lack of corrective action is a sure fail in the service industry.
2) ridiculous price for the drink quantity

So, my friend and I wanted to grab a few beers, and catch up. Decided upon Kamei Baru, due to the ambiance, and location
Ordered a beer each, and some edamame. we were told we could stay until 7:30pm.due to reservations, and no available seating
Ok, no worries. so we ordered a few more beers each, and additional edamame. We weren’t that hungry having eaten Vietnamese earlier
Anyway, just as we were about to order food, the waitress comes back to remind us of the 7:30pm deadline. Okay, then no worries. I asked about seating at the bar, which was pretty empty. but she said they were going to be full
Then she asked if we wanted a pitcher of beer. The time was 7:20pm. My friend and I enjoy beer, but a pitcher in 10 minutes?
So, we pay the bill, and my friend goes to the washroom. It was just before 7:30pm, and she came back again to tell me of the group arriving soon. Ok, got it. just waiting for my buddy to get back
I’ve been here several times, and the waitress remembers me. however after this experience. I won’t be back. It could have been handled a lot differently

DOV 2016
Fusion Japanese done well.
I walked in here the first time and was a bit confused by the setting, it really looks like a North American sports bar. Anyhow, the service here was really good, very friendly waitress, checked on our table frequently to refill our water.
Food wise, the dine out menu offered 4 courses instead of normal 3, all dishes are enjoyable, although I think I made a mistake on picking the tempura entrée. My friend’s lobster hotpot (including half a lobster, oyster, mussel, etc) looked more scrumptious (and filling). Loved the nigiri sushi, very very fresh, even the uni (sea urchin).
With its excellent location, I will probably come back to try out their regular menu items in the future.

No more happy hour makes this spot a no go zone. $ 0.99 oysters does not a happy hour make. No cheap beer and no cheap rolls makes this place a downer.
Don’t get me wrong the staff are cute and fun. The spot is actually hopping. It’s just that without a real happy hour there is no impetus to come here because this place just does not deliver the goods.
Miss happy hour. Sayonara Baru.
g

Came here expecting a moderately chill Japanese eatery and ended up having a fancier meal than expected! We came during dineout but decided to order off the regular menu instead as the dineout choices didn’t appeal to us as much as what we ended up ordering.
Looks like a chill little bar with a Japanese twist. They’ve got a ton of screens in the restaurant so a good place to watch a hockey game too. We booked ahead and got a comfy spacious booth by the window.
Food was pretty darn great. We ordered:
19pc Assorted Sashimi,
Baru Wings,
Volcano Roll,
Salmon Motoyaki Aburi,
LOBSTER MOTOYAKI (omg)
And a pitcher of Sapporo.
Sashimi was super fresh and delicious. You get 3 pieces of most of the fish and then two oysters and two shrimp. They offer to deep fry the shrimp heads too if they see you haven’t touched them raw (just like at Miku!). Worth the $ 32 if you want some fresh, high quality sashimi indulgence.
Baru wings were well seasoned, sweet and tangy. Great snack for $ 7. We’ll probably grab that again for a casual night out.
The volcano roll was quite good. Don’t remember exactly what was in it but it was drizzled with a spicy sauce and had tobiko, some avocado, and some other yummy stuff. $ 13.50. Might do again.
The Motoyaki Salmon Aburi sounded great and was objectively good, but we were spoiled by the salmon oshi aburi at Miku. Probably won’t order again for the $ 16 price tag. Might try the miso Saba aburi though.
THE LOBSTER MOTOYAKI WAS GREAT. The Motoyaki was creamy and flavorful and oily and delicious the way Motoyaki should be. The lobster was fresh and delicious and they give you about six pretty substantial pieces in a cute little indented bowl, that makes it look like a cute soufflé. It was about $ 13 and ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would eat again.
Our Sapporo was well chilled and came to us in chilled glasses as well. So luxury. $ 15 for the pitcher.
Total for the two of us came to about $ 100 before tip. Nice casual atmosphere and attentive service. We’ll definitely come again, but probably more for appies and drinks rather than a full dinner like we did this time. Would definitely recommend for both a high quality sushi dinner as well as for a chill Friday after work hangout.

Love this place for a quick lunch. They even have someone standing outside selling bento boxes!
Have had the bento boxes, ramen and oyster motoyaki. All have been delicious and filling. Service was quick and efficient. The inside is modern and clean. Be prepared to spend $ 10-​$ 15 for lunch though.

I came here before catching a movie at Scotiabank Theatre to catch up with a friend and have to say was impressed with the quality of sushi.
The décor is very similar to a typical Izakaya joint and all servers were in funky costumes as it was the week before halloween. The service was ok but a bit slow.
We started off by ordering 4 rolls from their house specialty menu, where all rolls were equally delicious… specially the Ebisu roll, where our server glazed the salmon on top with a torch… making the salmon melt in your mouth; my favorite roll of the evening.
All rolls were delicious and use higher quality seafood compared to your average sushi joint, so I recommend this place specially if you are in a rush to get food before catching a flick.

This is a fun sushi joint — perfect for a double date night or just getting together with friends.
Their menu has a variety of food to choose from, not all Japenese sushi. They do a nice twist on their pastas. I have yet to try their dessert, but their dinner menu is delicious! The seating is great, booths and tables. No private rooms though, like some Japanese restaurants have (bummer, I know. aren’t the rooms so cute!)
The last time I went I had the caesar — it wasn’t really good, I’ve had way better. I asked for a double but it didn’t taste like a double.
The next time I visit, I reallllllllly want to try the «Calamari Tofu»! it looks soooo good.

Ah! What a treat! I went for dinner with a friend tonight and we left more than satisfied. Unfortunately, we missed happy hour — although, I still had a pint of Sapporo beer for $ 6. We arrived close to 6:30 pm on a Friday night and the place was packed! Even with a full house our food began to come out in about 10 minutes. We ordered a host of tapas and sushi.
This place rocks the seafood. I would recommend the oyster tacos for all the oyster fans out there. So. Much. Flavor. The calamari pieces were large and come with tempura tofu. Again, real flavor, even with the tofu. We also ate panko oysters (fried with tarter) and an avocado salad with anchovy dressing.
I still have some more days in Vancouver and I am definitely looking forward to returning!

This is one of those places I always want to try whenever I went out to watch movies at Scotiabank. This place was OK, decent, slightly overpriced food but nothing special.
We ordered their Uni Miso Battera and Oyster Motoyaki. I was excited when the motoyaki came in a big bowl but it turned out that the portion was actually really small considering the price.

Conveniently located directly next to the Scotiabank Theatre in Downtown Vancouver this is another one of those places I kept meaning to go to. Finally after seeing a movie on a Friday evening around 6:30PM I stopped in. The place was very inviting and courteous staff greeted me at the door. I found a stool at the bar and ordered soon after.
It is much smaller inside than it appears, but cozy and inviting enough. I found the staff overall to be excellent and the quality of food good as well. The menu is extensive so I was only able to sample a few of the dishes like their signature, «Real Crab California Roll» which was very good.

This is part of the Kamei Royale Group. I had their sashimi and it was really fresh and as well the piece was big. As well had the mojito and it tasted very refreshing. I highly recommend this place because it has a really nice décor and friendly service. I find this place very authentic japanese compared to the other Kamei.
After 9:30, they have happy hour pricing. Only problem is parking. Its located in a very busy tourist location. Its right beside the theater so you could park in the parkade for $ 9 whole evening.

Kamei has been around for decades around Vancouver. This is their latest incarnation (even newer than Ebisu, which is also owned by Kamei). Good to see that there’s now a reasonably priced tapas place in this part of the city.
Parking is horrible (street meters or the crowded theatre lot) unless one arrives after 2200 for their happy hour, which is 1400 – 1730 daily, as well as 2130 to closing from Sunday to Thursday.
I’m really liking this entire happy hour phenomenon, which is finally showing up in Vancouver. The best deal? $ 1 oysters. Oh yes. Sure you have to buy at least 3 at a time, but you really can’t go wrong. The oysters were fresh, and tasted great. Beer is also reasonable at $ 4 a glass, so one can have a classy late night snack for under $ 10.
The interior is split into 2 sections (upper and lower). The lower area seems to have the most TV screens, which would be great for watching sports. The upper would be great for a patio type feel.
Staff were friendly, though they did seem a bit stretched. Had to look around a few times for the waitress on several occasions.
Not sure why they didn’t just market this one as Ebisu. It’s basically the same restaurant, which is a good thing.

Great late night happy hour menu /​late night menu after 9:30pm on weekdays
Albeit a tad small the menu .
Oysters buck a shuck but not the best quality sometimes.
Get the avocado salad. Very simple but delicious.

One of favourite sushi bars to eat at in Vancouver. It is a ridiculous combination of cheap sushi and great atmosphere. And by cheap I mean for the quality and the taste, you might be able to find cheaper sushi but not the same quality.
What i really like about the place is the staff is very attentive and is always around. Multiple waiters around to get you whatever you need. At a place like this, you want to leave a tip behind.
Overall, great food, great atmosphere, great quality and prices. My favourite!!!

I love the happy hour here and it starts early at 2! So you can even do a late lunch. Oysters are buck a shuck and so are the best chicken wings in town
The sushi is ok but their cooked meals are truly awesome!
Value 4.5÷5
Atmosphere 4.5÷5
Service 4.5÷5
Quality 3.5÷5
¹⁶⁄₂₀