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Hi Genki Japanese Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Japanese Japanese [Edit]
6680 Southoaks CrescentBurnaby, BC V5E 4N3
(604) 777-0533
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11:30 am - 3 pm
Mon-Sun 6 pm - 8:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage, Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
24 reviews for Hi Genki Japanese Restaurant
Review Highlights
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"My favorite is chicken katsu curry." In 4 reviews -
"Located next door to the National Nikkei Heritage Centre." In 3 reviews -
"Spicy Karaage Don - A." In 2 reviews
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24 reviews in English
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Review from Rick S.
Bottom Line - If you're looking for homestyle Japanese cooking, this is your place. I've rated this restaurant as just that. No sushi here!
I came on Tuesday, 28 February 2012 with a friend, and we were a little confused as to where the restaurant was at first. You have to go into the lobby of the assisted living home... the restaurant is located in the lobby behind a quarter-wall partition. It was very odd, and I couldn't stop from chuckling and wondering what mess I've gotten myself into.
We ordered the following:
Tempura ($4.95, 2 pieces prawn & 5 pieces vegetables) - The tempura batter was nice and light. I liked it!
Agedashi Tofu ($3.50, deep fried tofu in tankatsu sauce) - Bravo. The tofu on the inside is silky, and not rough. Do you know how hard it is to find silky tofu in agedashi tofu?! I'd definitely order this again.
Hokkei Shio ($8.95, grilled white fish) - The fish was a bit over-cooked. It was okay, but I would not order this again.
Duck Misoyaki ($8.95, grilled duck, miso flavour) - The duck breast was so very moist. It was really nice; I'd order this again.
Tonkatsu Donburi ($6.96, deep fried breaded pork cutlet and egg on rice) - My friend and I probably enjoyed this dish the most. It reminded me of eating in one of the many food vendors in Japan. For the price and flavour, I'd order this again.
The bill for our table of 2 came to $33.30 + 4.00 HST + 5.70 tip = $44.00 total. -
Review from Chris F.
Burnaby, BC
2/22/2012
Hi Genki is not about the best sushi or sashimi and there are other places that do those better but Hi Genki is all about home style authentic Japanese comfort food. The curry on rice dishes, agedashi tofu, curry and regular udon are true homestyle dishes
The Bento boxes while a little on the pricey side strikes a good balance of different foods from teriyaki chicken to sushi. The waitresses and service is always top notch.
We have been eating at Hi Genki for years and what I like is the consistency of the food and the good service. It is always very clean too. -
Review from Nina I.
Burnaby, BC
1/3/2012 1 photo
This is a place where my parents will come when they don't feel like cooking. You get authentic Japanese home-style food with generous portions for a very reasonable price. I think the owners who run the restaurant are the same as Fujiya - the Japanese grocery store.
We went for lunch on a weekday (opens at 11:30am) and I had the chicken katsu teishoku (set meal) for $7.95 and it included rice, a small salad and miso soup. The chicken katsu was fresh, crispy, light and golden. I've included a photo as well. My friend had a katsu donburi (on a bed of rice) with miso soup as well.
Remember you are visiting a seniors' home cafeteria so you really can't expect much in terms of ambiance. I don't really know how they split it up, but there is a room in the back (not in the restaurant side) where most of the seniors seem to be eating during the lunch service. But I do think it's quite nice for being a "cafeteria"/restaurant setting.
Filled us up and we'll be back!Listed in: Best local Japanese eats!
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Review from Crystal L.
Burnaby, BC
1/21/2012 1 photo
My favorite place to go for an affordable and delicious meal in the area! Yeah the "restaurant" (more like cafeteria) is at a old folk's home so you don't come for the decor. I love the Japanese home cooking here. The other night I ordered off their feature sheet and had the Oden. Yummy veggies in a hot dashi broth, with rice is exactly what I wanted on a cold, snowy night.
You wouldn't think of this as a dessert place but I absolutely live their deep fried ice cream. Their sweet potato ice cream, a recent feature, was also amazing. It was a sweet potato mash served on top if some vanilla ice cream. Sounds weird, but trust me. Great portions and food quality for the price! -
Review from Kwoky L.
Updated - 2/26/2012 1 Check-in Here
The food at Hi Genki is still very good when I went there two weeks ago. I had my favourite ebi and satsuma tendon which is prawn and fish cake tempura with a drizzle of sweet sauce and served with rice. It is SO good! Christian H. got a salmon dish and for less than $10, he had three salmon fillets. How amazing is that? My only complaint, if any, would be that they feature a lot of fried items. This is still a hidden gem (literally) and I hope Yelpers would come and give them a try. You won't regret it!
Listed in: Best Places to Eat in…
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/8/2010
Japanese food in a old folks home? Are you freaking kidding me?
Yes indeed, and people wait in line… Read more »
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Review from Jenna L.
2/27/2012 2 Check-ins Here
This place has amazing food at such reasonable price. The food feels so home made and I've never been disappointed in my three visits. Their portion is beyond generous but somehow I manage to finish almost all because I am a big eater to begin with and the food is so tasty. The salads are always fresh, nothing fancy, just a light vinegar dressing. The port katsu curry is always my favorite along with deep fried eggplants. The service is ok, the ladies are nice, but there are only ~3 servers in the whole place, it does take time to track down someone to get the bill or order your food. Nonetheless, I love their food and its price, hope they will keep it that way for a long time!
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Review from Ellen L.
12/8/2011
It smells undeniably like a seniors' home upon walking in the door. But whatever, the human nose is designed such that you wouldn't be able to detect it after a couple minutes anyway. This place was busy on a weekday evening. At its peak, all tables were filled except one, with a good amount of young patrons (so we didn't feel out of place dining here, hehe). I guess no surprises there: cheap decent eats = value = customers!
Agedashi Nasu (eggplant) - refreshing to see something different from tofu. Decent, but minor complaint that the batter is coated a little too thickly.
Spicy Chicken Karaage Donburi - more sweet than spicy; actually didn't detect spicy at all. Chicken was not crispy. Miso soup was standard.
Also had a taste of bf's Pork Cutlet Curry - I've only had Japanese curry out of a Glico box; it's probably the same thing. The portion is huuuuuuuuuge; plate is probably twice the size of my head.
Banana Tempura with Vanilla Ice Cream - I loved this one! The ice cream is rock hard - booya! Only slightly sweet from the strawberry syrup - perfect.
Everything came to $27 after tax.
Overall the food is hearty and hits the spot. However, a good majority of the menu is deep fry based - cutlets, tempura, agedashi, etc. Surely there is more to home style Japanese cooking than that?!?! (I don't know...). Nonetheless I wish there were more non-deep fried options. This would be the only thing that holds me back from returning.
Ample free parking in the underground lot. Dinner service begins at 6:15pm with last call at 8:15pm. -
Review from Johnson C.
Vancouver, BC
Few dishes make me happier than Japanese curry and... [with a heavy sigh] options for Japanese curry is extremely limited in Vancouver. Barefoot Kitchen and Yoshoku Ya are now gone. Copper Onion packed it in years ago. But then again, these joints didn't hold a candle to J-curry joints in LA, NYC or in Japan. It's hard to find any Japanese curry in Vancouver that isn't from a Glico or a S&B box.
I've been meaning to check out Hi Genki for over a year - I just never found a good time to venture to this area of Burnaby. It had all the good indicators sold to me, simple home-style Japanese cooking at big portions and a low price. And the fact that it's attached to a old folk's home added to the kitsch factor. Something so far and so hidden... it *must* be good, right? Well...
My buddy and I purposely planned a trip here during a Canucks game to avoid any crowds. Dead streets, plenty of free underground parking and instantly got a table - dope. Service was minimal but friendly - it's more like a cafeteria with table service than an actual restaurant. My buddy and I ordered and debated the finer points of Japanese and Chinese stereotypes... food took a while so we frequently crossed the line.
I got the pork katsu curry on rice and got an order of korokke. The korokke was big and well-battered, but didn't have many veggies in it. So it was just like eating a mashed hashbrown. Meh.
The pork katsu was a wee overcooked but pretty good crispy batter. Unfortunately, it was plated with the salad, which did make it a bit soggy. Meh.
And the curry? HARD FUCKING FAIL... bland and grainy. Even for out-of-the-box curry - this was pretty lame. Where's the richness and smoothness? Do old folks really like food this bland?
Maybe I'm just a J-curry snob - but I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt as the other dishes looked pretty good. Good portions and reasonable prices - as long as you don't mind eating in an old folk's home. I wouldn't recommend the curry though - if you like the curry here, l can recommend a few places to you that will blow your top off... unfortunately, none in Vancouver. This makes me genuinely sad. Ebi-Ten is the winner by default thusfar.Listed in: Quest for Intercontinental…
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Review from tee a.
Warning: this is not the place to take a date... unless the date is me :)
Hi Genki is located in a old folks home. Decor is stale and ambiance is none.
The food.. refreshingly not sushi based. Home cooked food in generous portions. I had the saba w/ rice. Super tasty!
I was drooling as the tables around me ordered the curry. I will definitely try that next time. -
Review from M D.
Surrey, BC
10/5/2011 1 photo
This place is ok for a variety.
Their food is average, but you will for sure get a generous amount of food for the price. -
Review from Mark H.
Like many people, hospitals makes me queasy. Though actually the cafeteria for a senior's home, Hi Genki definitely brings back memories of eating at a hospital with sick relatives.
Let's start with the highlight for me: panko crusted deep-fried ice cream ball with strawberry sauce. Never seen such a creation before, but brought memories of when I discovered deep fried milk in Shanghai (find me a good place in Van that has this please!).
The vanilla ice cream itself was quite delicious, but the panko crust was definitely not freshly done as it was a bit soggy and lacked crunch. But A for originality.
Going backwards, I ordered the chicken katsu donburi rice bowl. Again, this was definitely cooked earlier in the day and was nuked when I got it. Soggy coating.
Gf had veggie curry which looked big, but definitely below average Glico-curry quality.
If I were to come back it would be to grab an ice cream ball to go. -
Review from Amy T.
12/1/2010
Hi Genki is located inside an old folks home and next door to the National Nikkei Heritage Centre.
The decor.. hmmm what can I say about the decor. Well, it feels very dry and boring. It's basically a cafeteria with a few paper lanterns hanging on the ceiling. I've eaten here a few times, but I usually get take-out.
Even though this place doesn't have much in terms of atmosphere, it makes up for in quality of food. Hi Genki serves homestyle Japanese food and the portions are pretty good. The ingredients are fresh and the dishes are tasty. They are only open for lunch from 11:30am-3:00pm and dinner from 6:15pm-8:30pm, but make sure you arrive a little earlier since they fill up really quickly.Listed in: Cheap Eats in Burnaby
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Review from Stephen Y.
Richmond, BC
12/1/2010 13 Check-ins Here
Been going here for 5 years now, mostly for lunch since it's not too far from my workplace.
Ambience (2.5/5) - Let's face it, it's in an old-folks home... It's clean and quiet however!
Food (4/5) - I've tried most of their donburi's and curry dishes now and they're always consistently great. The katsu pork or chicken is never too dry or overly crispy and the portions are nice and large. If you are extra-hungry, go for their katsu curry dishes, very large serving. Warning, you will suffer from carb-coma afterwards. Their Spicy Karaage Don is another of my favourite choices too (ask for the sauce and mayo on the side).
Service (4/5) - Polite and attentive. All I ask for from a server.
Highly recommended!Listed in: Noodles Pour Toi.
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Review from Clara S.
Burnaby, BC
8/18/2010 2 photos
I know, I know. Japanese food in a restaurant located in a Japanese Assisted Living Facility... it sounds a wee bit sketch. I was incredulous when I first heard about this place. But after eating here, I've never wanted to become an old Japanese senior citizen so badly! The food is sooooo good here. If this is what old age holds for me, I can't wait. :)
This restaurant specializes in food that's not really sushi nor anything they would serve in an izakaya. It's more homestyle Japanese food, mostly donburi's, mostly involving Panko bread crumbs and deep fried goodness.
I had the Hire Katsu Don. It was awesome!!!! There were 3 large pieces of pork, breaded and deep-fried to perfection. So crispy, despite having egg and sauce on them. Non-greasy, too. These Katsu pieces lay on top of lots and lots of onions.... MMMMMM. The onions were lightly sauteed and were so soft and sweet to eat. Foodgasm. :)
My friend had the Genki Bento box, which includes tuna & salmon sashimi, chicken teriyaki, potato croquette, and salad. Oh and I think each entree comes with a free miso soup because we both got one each.
I was sweating as I was eating this food cuz it was so hot and muggy in Vancouver lately, but I didn't mind one bit! The food distracted me :) This place is comfort food for the Japanese, I would imagine, and the solid, comfy chairs (for the residents of the living facility) also make me feel like I'm visiting Grandma or something.
I want to go back soon to try the Spicy Salmon Tar Tar Don, which is Spicy Salmon Sashimi in a tar tar sauce on top of rice. Sounds tasty, eh? :) -
Review from David L.
1/12/2010
Hi Genki Japanese restaurant is a place where you will never take a date, guest, or out of town vistors for lunch or dinner. The reason isn't because it's a bad restaurant, but more like a location and environment issue. Would you take a date to a senior home cafeteria for dinner? Not in a million years right? You'll have to agree with me! Never! Hi Genki is located inside a Japanese senior home so the decor is very senior home (almost hospital like, and it isn't hip, trendy or posh) and the restaurant smells like old people.
On the bright side, you will get pure and simple, yet very authentic Japanese dishes not found anywhere else in the Lower Mainland. These are home styled dishes you will find in families in Tokyo where moms will cook for their families. I didn't see California rolls on the menu at this place! If you like impossible to find home style home style Japanese cuisine at reasonable prices, Hi Genki is a must try. This restaurant is a rare find and you'll either like it or hate it.
Honestly, when I left this restaurant, I asked myself, did I just eat at a restaurant or a senior home cafeteria? The food and the decor was more on the senior home side. -
Review from Marc D.
Vancouver, BC
11/5/2008
Located next door to the National Nikkei Heritage Centre. Serves homestyle Japanese food, and also caters to the senior Japanese residences nearby. The decor is a bit institutional, but the food is very Japanese. Check the sample plates at the entrance to see the daily specials - they change regularly. The portions are very generous and the food has a home-cooked feel and taste.
This restaurant is operated by the Fujiya Japanese Food grocery store local chain, that has its main branch on Clark Drive in Vancouver.Listed in: Vancouver Japanese Food
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Review from samuel a.
Vancouver, BC
8/3/2009 2 Check-ins Here
I can't believe there is only one rating on this ...
Hi Genki is a weird place. It's in a senior's center so it's not a "restaurant" - rather they serve the public after the old folks have eaten. So that's why the seating section is set up the way it is.
But the food for being in such a non-descript place is what Japanese food is. Japanese food has been bastardized here in Vancouver. No it is not sushi.
Hi Genki serves what I like to refer to as Japanese soul food - I love it - it's what I grew up on.
I've been here many, many times, and the mix of taste, portion, price (most is all under $10) is unbeatable. I just had the Hire Katsudon - which is just a katsudon with smaller, tender deep fried pieces of pork and it was great. It's a dish that many have screwed up here in the Lower Mainland.
They have a regular menu and a rotating one which is nice. It's too bad it's so far out of the way, and the service isn't terrible, but it's very no frills. (AKA don't be an idiot and ask for substitutions).
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Edit: Japanese Soulfood consists of things like:
- Curry - or better yet Katsu Curry or some other variation of curry.
- Dons - Katsu, Gyu, Oyako, etc.
- Sukiyaki - this is actually my fav
- Oden
- Ramen
- Okonomiyaki (Hiroshima style - which is the non-pancake style is hands down the best)
- and the list goes on.
... Hi Genki doesn't serve all of these but many of them. -
Review from Jay L.
Vancouver, BC
4/18/2010 1 photo
Hi Genki is located next door to the famous Nikkei heritage center, and nestled right at the entrance of the Nikkei assisted living center.
Sure the decor looks a bit sterile and more like a cafeteria than a fine dining restaurant but it's all about the food isn't it?
It's definitely worth coming here for lunch. For Dinner the menu will be a bit more pricey.
I usually come here wanting to try something different because it all looks so good but I always end up getting the same dish... The Karaage Donburi. Maybe it's the flavour, maybe it's the presentation. Maybe it's just that I don't come here that often that I just like to have my usual. -
Review from Michael L.
11/9/2009
Found this place during my recent visit to Vancouver, BC. The weather was cloudy and pouring rain sometimes. Temperature was below 10 degrees celcius. So the natural choice for that kind of day is ramen.
So I yelp for ramen around Burnaby, BC and I found this place. Though this place does not serve ramen but this is a good joint for a Japanese food. This place has udon though.
It is located in the Nikkei Center. I can smell the food from the outside already. It is an assisted living place for seniors. The restaurant was actually placed at the lobby of the building.
I ordered Bunta Pon, a breaded pork with Ponzu sauce. It comes with miso soup, steamed rice and some veggie salad. It has generous portion. I almost could not finish my meal. We ordered another dish that I can't remember the name now. But it is basically a fried mackerel, salads, miso soup and rice. Both of the dishes were very good. I am actually tempted to try the banana tempura ice cream, but I skipped since it's already cold out side.
Total for that orders come to $18 CAD and then we added 20% tips to the bill. -
Review from Akiyoshi O.
Calgary, AB
12/23/2010
Hidden Japanese restaurant!! My favorite is chicken katsu curry*:.. o()o ..:* Big portion and valuable!!
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Review from Angie T.
Vancouver, BC
12/28/2010
been going there for so many years,
very typical japanese restaurant, dont have Rolls of sushi there, very limited sashimi.
but if you are looking for bowl rice ,or noodle.
def try this place. -
Review from Gasalot H.
Burnaby, BC
12/28/2010
Great homestyle Japanese food. You're not going to find roll sushi here and they were out of salmon sashimi when we were last there, but if you want rice or noodle dishes, you will be hard pressed to find better value than this place. We have eaten here a number of times and it has always been satisfying. I know others have been critical of the ambience but I actually like the institutional look and attitude. The place looks super clean and the wait staff are efficient and all business. It all fits.
BTW, there is free underground parking too. -
Review from Jim H.
Richmond, BC
Spicy Karaage Don - A++
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Review from Dean C.
Vancouver, BC
3/4/2010
Its cool to watch the seniors roll around this care centre with curry burps and okonomiyaki sauce on their faces, smiling in food bliss. I will drive from Vancouver every so often to eat their sukyaki, which is incredible. Worth the drive and the odd location! Be sure to check out the Japanese Canadian Museum while you are there.
