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Barefoot Kitchen - CLOSED
Category: Restaurants Japanese Japanese [Edit]
1725 Davie StVancouver, BC V6J 5L1
Neighbourhood: West End
(604) 681-9722
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
11 reviews for Barefoot Kitchen
11 reviews in English
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Review from samuel a.
Vancouver, BC
I LOVE this place. So many equate sushi with Japanese food, which is false. Japanese food spreads farther out than that. Barefoot shares some of that on its menu.
The Hamburg patty is super (although I honestly don't get it all that much in Japan - I just miss it so I tend to have it every time I'm here) with the Chicken Nanban. OK so others aren't big fans, but I just wish I could get it all supersized when I'm there.
It really might be one of those anomalies where it's just me that is so fervent in support of a place others are lukewarm about. Crystal H. and Marc D. are really super posters and they're not so hot on the place. So as hot as I am about this place, it might not be for you. As a kid who grew up eating Japanese food at home and when I went over the Japan and lived there, this place feels good to eat at.
The unfortunate thing is - on a Thursday at 1 p.m. I parked right in front of the place, I looked down, and it was dark inside, no customers, and the open sign was off. I looked for their hours of operation everywhere and couldn't find it. Then I slowly made it down the stairs and saw a worker in there who came to open the door for me. They were open.
Weird. Hope it stays around. I have a preference of this place over the Yo-Shokuya on Denman.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/8/2009
OK, this is my post of the year so far, so get ready.
I had a debate with our Community Manager… Read more »
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Review from Judy H.
Vancouver, BC
5/19/2009 ROTD 12/27/2009
Didn't disappoint -- excellent service, pretty quiet (not too many noisy groups) and nice food. The katsu (pork cutlet) curry could use a small side of salad or veggies, but it was nicely fried and the curry just right. The hamburg set meal (with corn soup, mushroom chicken rice, and sunomono) was juicy and flavorful. But the negitoro don was only ok -- it tasted a lot like regular tuna, not special like toro. The mango roll and the rainbow roll were both on the bland side.
There's definitely Korean influence. We tried bossam kimchi, on which they dribbled Korean hot pepper sauce (gochujang) -- an unusual touch, but it wasn't bad. Inside the kimchi lettuce were marinated sashimi pieces and the whole thing was quite nicely presented.
All in all, not the place I would go for sushi or special night out, but definitely would go again for curry and other comfort food. -
Review from Crystal H.
Vancouver, BC
Disclaimer - This was my first Japanese soul food experience... and I think I'm just not that into it.
Being my first time, I looked at what yelpers like Samuel A were recommending and went for the Chicken Nanban. The miso soup was flavourful and rich with milkiness. Good start! When my meal arrived I realized there was some striking similarities to HK Cafes. It's westernized and loaded with thick, rich sauces.
The Nanban was like a chicken version of fish and chips (substituting the fish for chicken, and the chips for rice). The tartar like sauce on top was the star for me. Also liked the whipped/mashed potato salad with cucumber. The portion for this could have been bigger.
It kind of slid down hill from there: the salad had thousand island dressing drizzled on top, reminding me of my grandparents (and not in a good way). There were parts of the chicken cutlet (?) that looked a little questionable - the way a chicken mcnugget gives you pause before you eat it, but I soldiered on.
The service was super friendly. They even opened the door for me as I rolled out of there, sufficiently stuffed. A half hour or so after eating, I felt more tired and stuffed then I ever have in my life. What happened? Did the deep fried and tartar sauce all expand in my belly? Either way, I literally had to stop what I was doing and lie down while I digested.Listed in: Favourite Vancouver…, Comfort Carbs, Carb Overload in Vancouver
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Review from Johnson C.
Vancouver, BC
12/30/2009 1 photo
Being a Japanese curry aficionado (and having travelled for good curry), a few people recommended that I try out Barefoot. Obviously, I wasn't expecting GoGo-level (or even Japanese curry house level) curry from a 'we-do-it-all' Japanese fast food place, but my hopes were high that I could find 'the' place to get Japanese curry in Vancouver.
Like many HK cafes around town, Barefoot serves up semi-Westernized Japanese food - the menu is huge (rice bowls, noodles, sushi, pasta, etc.) and the prices are value-oriented. I came here for lunch and sampled the curry tonkatsu (deep-fried pork cutlet) and my friend got the a hamburg set. My dish was $7.50 during lunch special and $10.50 after 4 PM. Both our dishes came with miso soup.
The food was pretty good and was a decent value at the price. My tonkatsu was crispy and juicy and the rice was cooked perfectly. But the curry was pretty bland in my opinion, even for Japanese curry. Once again, this is not a curry specialty house and there are no options to customize spiciness or portions. The sides of salad and potato salad were a nice touch. Overall, not bad. My friend was equally satisfied with hamburg set.
One thing about this place - the service is very Japanese. We were greeted enthusiastically, chairs pulled out for us, menu and dish carefully placed in front of us and I've never had my ice water filled more frequently (the cups are small and I like hydration). The waitresses even walked us out and held the door open for us (before she noticed the healthy tip we left). Now, this is service! My friend was offput by the shower of attention and felt a bit uncomfortable being waited on hand-and-foot, but it was a welcome reminder of service I routinely received in Japan (where it's not customary to tip). An extra star for service alone.
The place is pretty quiet is in a sub-basement off Davie. As Samuel A. points out, be mindful of the 3PM - 6PM no parking rule on Davie. Another tip is to avoid the parking meter outside the restaurant and near Davie & Denman, drive a couple of blocks east on Davie and you'll find lots of free street parking. Like George Constanza would say, pay parking is like going to prostitute, "Why pay for it when you can apply yourself, and then may be you can get it for free?".
Conclusion? I left Barefoot without not being wow'ed by the curry, but my hopes were (unrealistically) high. However, with free parking nearby, under-$10 lunch specials and awesome service, I will probably be back for my next Japanese curry craving or to sample the other offerings. A-OK with 3/5 stars and additional star for awesome service = 4/5 stars from me.Listed in: Quest for Intercontinental…
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Review from Sweet P.
Vancouver, BC
4/29/2010
This restaurant is a bit difficult to find. You would walk right past if you're not looking for it. But once you find it, you'll be pleased with the clean and adorable decor. I also like that it is not noisy and the staff are wonderfully attentive. They walked us right to the door on the way out and said "Thank you" in Japanese a million times. So cute.
If you're just looking for sushi or sashimi, probably not the best place for you. This restaurant serves western-style Japanese food. My favourite dish is the Mentaiko Pasta. Japanese style spaghetti with buttery cod roe. Sounds weird if you have never had real Japanese food but it's awesome. My Japanese friend said it's as authentic as it gets. -
Review from P S.
Vancouver, BC
1/4/2010
On Xmas eve I was on my way to a friend's house. Everything was closed and I was desperately looking for something to bring with me.
It turned out that these guys were the only place open in the Neighbourhood.
So first of all, thank you for working late at night on Christmas.
Second, the sushi-plate-to-go I ordered was delicious and everyone of my friends loved it.
Third, I loved it myself :) -
Review from Alexandria M.
Vancouver, BC
11/28/2009
This place is, well, adorable, with its clean bright decor and friendly staff. Prices are very reasonable and many of the menu items are westernized Japanese style.
The westernization of their dishes is weird but amusing, like the dollop of egg-salad sandwich filling that garnished my chicken teriyaki. My date had the Japanese hamburger, which was a sizzling mound of ground beef with fresh veggie and pickle sides. After we paid and walked out, the staff came out and stood on the stairs, waving goodbye and thanking us!
Like I said, adorable. -
Review from Janice F.
6/1/2009
Westernized Japanese food. Nice location off Denman street, near English bay. Quite popular, but if you're not picky about seating you'll probably be able to snag a seat at their communal bar/table.
So what exactly is westernized Japanese food? Somewhat similar to HK cafes - pasta dishes such as "Mentaiko pasta" - spaghetti with fish roe sauce, buttery and slightly undercooked spaghetti. I enjoyed it - but not sure if I enjoy it more than the kimchi mentaiko udon at Guu or Hapa though. They also have good value set menus, you get miso soup, an entree like curry katsu or cheese hamburg (beef patty) and your choice of side dish.
My favourite item was the green tea shaved ice dessert - very refreshing, served with a bit of ice cream, red bean paste, and mochi. For $5.50 definitely more enjoyable than overpriced frozen yogurt and perfect for sharing too. -
Review from Marc D.
Vancouver, BC
11/5/2008
Japanese yoshoku-ya. Offers tasty Japanese style Western food at very reasonable prices. This is the first Canadian location of this Japanese chain. The main courses are normally very good for this style of food and it seems quite popular with the Japanese ESL crowd looking for familiar tastes. The side dishes could use a bit of improvement though (it should be illegal to use frozen veggies in a place like Vancouver!).
Listed in: Vancouver Japanese Food, Engrish
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Review from Ali H.
Vancouver, BC
3/9/2010
I have never had a bad experience here. The only thing that I don't like about this restaurant is that you smell like deep fried-ness when you leave.
The service is fantastic, the food is great portions are perfect location is ideal.
When craving Yoshoku style food it's always a toss up between Barefoot and Yoshokuya on Denman near Robson. Try both you'll like them! -
Review from Cyndi H.
Vancouver, BC
4/11/2010
Ok. The service was great, the space was cute, and the set meals were fairly priced... but the meat was so greasy that I feel like a small animal crawled inside me and died. The cheese Hamburgh steak was at first pure deliciousness, but at the half way point I could not go on... too much oil for my arteries to handle. My bf went with the chicken set menu and it was deep fried and uber greasy. Le sigh. Cute place though, I'll try the sushi next time.
