Best Casual Japanese Restaurant 2011

Guu

838 Thurlow St. (multiple locations)
604-685-8817
Guu-izakaya.com

A highly competitive category; Guu (Gold) came out on top, a first-time win for the izakaya chain, for “the most vigour and fun” on the plate. The “raucously elegant” Kingyo (Silver) balances rigorous cooking technique with creative flair seen in plates like Aonori calamari—batter flecked with dried seaweed and shiso. Exacting standards and knife skills set the sushi at Dan (Bronze) apart from other casual Japanese restaurants. “The omelet sushi (tamago) is a litmus-test dish, and Dan’s is perfect,” noted a judge. “Seasoned with dashi, perfectly textured, sweet eggy flavour that blossoms in the mouth.” Honourable Mentions to ShuRaku (translates loosely as “enjoy sake”) and Zakkushi.

 

 

Finalists for Best Casual Japanese Restaurant

Kingyo
871 Denman St.
604-608-1677
Kingyo-izakaya.com

Dan Sushi
2511 W. Broadway
604-677-6930
Danrestaurant.com

ShuRaku Sake Bar and Bistro
833 Granville St.
604-687-6622
Shuraku.net

Zakkushi
823 Denman St. (multiple locations)
604-685-1136
Zakkushi.com

 
Return to all Restaurant Awards 2011 results