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Koi Japanese Tapas Bar
Category: Restaurants Sushi Bars Sushi Bars [Edit]
630 KingswayVancouver, BC V5T 3K4
Neighbourhoods: Mount Pleasant, Riley Park, Kensington-Cedar Cottage
(604) 566-9263
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Trendy
- Has TV:
- Yes
18 reviews for Koi Japanese Tapas Bar
18 reviews in English
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Review from gloria p.
Vancouver, BC
4/15/2012
I'll just make this short & simple :)
Love this place! I've been coming here for over a year now and the service and food is still an A+ !!!
I normally get
Beef tar tar - this is delicious
Ebi Mayo - the Batter is just Perfect! I hate places that have too much or too little
Kimchi Udon - I love how there is so much massago & there is a lot of flavor to it
Beef stone bowl - this is my favorite! It's crispy, and has so much vegetable & beef!
Anyways im horrible at explaining but I've added lots of photos to share ^^
Thanks Phil & Pat for the the amazing food & service -
Review from Quan H.
5/1/2012
So the bf and I came here for an early dinner after frolicking at Steveston. We didn't make a reservation, and arrived at around 6:30pm (dinner time). Turns out all the tables were booked, and the waitress told us so, but offered to give us a call when a table opens up. That was really nice of her. She pointed out that there was a playground across the street if we wanted to go there.
We got the call and ordered:
tuna tataki - the ponzu sauce was bland
beef tartar - best dish of the night
volcano roll - also really good
chopped scallop cone - blaaand =/
deep fried salmon skin and tobiko cone - pretty good; crunchy & salty
tuna toro sashimi - good; small portions though
Beef tartarrrr @_@ I recommend this if you come here to eat, and if you don't have a thing against raw beef. It comes with a quail egg that you crack over the meat (Or, at least that's what we did; had no idea how to eat it, but it worked!).
Other than that though, unless I'm in the area, I don't think I'll be coming back, because the area is so odd for a tapas place, honestly. It's located in the midst of busy Kingsway & Fraser. -
Review from Stephanie W.
Vancouver, BC
1/29/2012 1 Check-in Here
First impression was small but cozy. When I got there late on a Tuesday evening for a snack. The place was pretty full, but we were seated at the bar pretty quickly.
The setup of the restaurant/tables was a bit awkward, but not terrible by any means. Decor and everything was clean. Prices were reasonable for the quality of food, and the food was definitely yummy. We had:
Gyu-Shabu Salad: The egg was a great touch - I generally dislike salad, but this was overall quite well done
Tako-Wasa: Great appetizer and taste. I can imagine some people not liking it - it looks gross due to the marinated octopusness, but it's absolutely delish with a beer or other cocktail.
Ebi-Mayo: Standard fare at most Japanese tapas place, same here. The portion was good (and I think better..?)
Beef Yaki-Udon: As good as Guu or Hapa - the noodles were the perfect chewiness for me!
Service was excellent - I think the guy who was serving us may have been the owner/manager? Super friendly, super accommodating, and I felt like he made a noticeable effort to ensure we were having a great time. They have a TV and I can def see myself coming back for playoffs.
I'm glad to have a tapas place in the area, and I'll definitely be back. I would caution people to call ahead to make sure there's seating available -
Review from Ben C.
12/28/2011
I found this place through a groupon. It's well worth their while because I have been driving past this place every week for over a year and never noticed them before.
It's very trendy and very small. So, what can you expect? Great service! They delivered in spades. On top of that the food was delicious, fresh and quite original. Definitely a place to check out if you haven't. -
Review from y l.
Richmond, BC
4/9/2012
Upon entering, didn't think much about it but since reviews were good, thought we'd check it out. It's quite small but cozy. Music and ambiance was good. The best is the yummy food! My family and I absolutely love izakaya fusion food and this is hands down one of the best.
Items to try: toro belly negiri, beef tartar, tofu cheesecake, all the sushi.
Thanks Phil (part owner) for such great service!
Ps. Their tea was awesome! -
Review from Amy T.
12/24/2011
Koi is not an authentic Japanese tapas place. You won't find chefs greeting you loudly as you enter the restaurant, the tea they serve you isn't the typical green tea and the servers aren't even Japanese... but they score high points in food.
The sushi rolls were delicious, fresh and had the right amount of sauce. The tako wasa had some overly chewy pieces of octopus, but still had the great flavor and the right amount of wasabi. My favorite was the unagi salad roll. So unbelievably good. I don't really care for unagi, but just loved this dish. The salad roll wasn't the slightest bit dry and I can tell they just rolled it right before serving to us. The plate was drizzled with a sauce and carefully over the roll as well. The unagi was warm, but not too hot so it didn't make the lettuce soggy. It was cut into 6 pieces, which was easily shared and devoured. -
Review from Michael C.
Vancouver, BC
Small joint, but big on taste!
First off, that Stewed Pork Belly with braised Daikon...... sooooooooo gooooooodd! The meat is perfectly cooked, tender, and juicy; it just melts in your mouth!! mmmmmm Best I had so far in Vancouver, but that's easy to say, cause I have been let down many times at other restaurants.
It's a pretty small joint that could probably fit 15-20 people max? They have 2 large screens here (Go Canucks Go!). Also, the interesting thing that they have in the place are large mirrors hung up so you can watch the TVs from the reflection. Surround Nucks' Vision!
The service is excellent! We never had to ask for anything, cause the server was always there with what we need. Very attentive, quick, and friendly. I guess that's also a nice thing about small joints.. no nooks & crannies to be hidden away from server's plane of view.Listed in: Turning Japanese, GAME TIME BABY!!!!
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Review from Amey S.
Vancouver, BC
9/5/2011
Generally this place is crowded, but we managed to luck out as there was only one other table occupied. Out waitress was attentive and very pleasant and the food prices were quite reasonable for the food quality. Awesome place to go for a nice dinner.
Lotus Root Chips - It was my first time having this but I'm glad I did, it was nice and crunchy and yummy. Came with Salsa dip that had avocado chunks in it.
Cheese and Tofu - I honestly expected some sort of brie stuffed in tofu skin and was surprised when a cheesecake was brought out. It came with crackers and was drizzled with honey, super super good!
Chicken karaage - Juicy, I was really surprised by the juicyness. It came with some mixed greens and mayo dip that quite tasty.
Beef Yakiudon - I'm a fan. It had a good amount of beef on it and wasn't burnt in the least.
I will definitely come back to try their sushi! -
Review from Larry L.
4/9/2011 1 photo
I was here with some Yelpers last week and it was just a soft opening. So the chef and owners are just getting things worked out. Still planning on what to put on the menu, the selection of food that we tried was pretty good for a tapas bar. In a sense, it's an Izakaya, because along with the food should come the drinks.
Beer and mixed drinks go well with sushi and takowasabi.
It's a small place and even though it hasn't officially opened, it's busy!
From what Ihear, they are going to try to open up for lunches and cater to the neighbourhood. Nice. An Izakaya, in your neighbourhood. What would Mr Rogers say about that?
So welcome to the neighbourhood guys.
I have a feeling this place can help to establish some new energy in this little area that is growing in the culinary spotlight of this part of town.
I've got to come back and try some more dishes. I got a bit too knackered the last time I was here. I do recall the Chicken Karage was very nice. Well marinated and crisp but juicy.
And the drinks are pretty dammned good too. -
Review from Edda O.
8/31/2011 8 photos
Great food w good prices and even better service! ^o^ Tried the:
Beef tartare - nice chunks of tender beef with a light sweet almost teriyaki like sauce. Pretty darn good. Need some crunch to it..
Tempura White Fish - Huge portion! Well battered and soft flaky white fish. drizzled with mayo & sweet sauce
Chicken Karaage - my favourite! amazingly juicy large chunks of deep fried chicken thigh served with a garlic mayo. yummm
Kimchi Mentai Yaki Udon - One of the best aroudn vancouver. Hapa has nothing on Koi for this dish. Lotsa kimchi and mentaiko w/o being too salty.
Koi Extreme Roll - I was skeptical about this roll but it was actually quite good! the crispy onions was complemented by the creamy avocado, some sauce and some ebi tempura.
Miso Duck Carpaccio - my least favourite but not bad. the miso sauce n balsamic work surprisingly well but the duck was a tad too chewy for me.
Deep Fried Banana w ice cream - not bad.
Tofu Cheesecake - not your typical cheesecake. more gelatinous with a lemony aftertaste, served with honey and crackers. addictive!
Overall, their prices are actually very very reasonable because all the portions are fairly large (in comparison to other izakaya. Food ranged from good to excellent. Nothing was mediocre or bad. -
Review from Stefan G.
Vancouver, BC
10/31/2011
The place was surprisingly impressive. At first glance, the decor deviated little from other modern takes sushi joints. The kind of places that spend more time on decor than on their menu. But don't let this dissuade you. Koi Tapas is the bees knees.
Food presentation is phenomenal. Minimal in execution, but not lacking. Starting off with aburri toro. Great flavour and balanced searing that accented the different flavours of tuna belly.
Kaku-ni, without a doubt, was the most memorable experience here. Pork belly perfectly braised in a flavourful dashi broth. Tender, yet firm, daikon was an ideal accompaniment. This dish guarantees I'll be coming back.
Really enjoyed the tobiko and quail egg nigiri. Unlike most places, their nigiri emphasized the flavour of the yolk rather than the tobiko. This means rich earthy flavours overpower the seafood saltiness.
Service was excellent. Very jovial and unassuming. Two big TV's playing sports means a foodie no longer has to sacrifice a Canucks game for dinner. -
Review from Guislen M.
Vancouver, BC
7/22/2011 4 photos
Definitely a super addition to the neighbourhood! Dropped in for a late dinner around 10pm and I could not stop telling the waitress how good everything I ordered turned out to be! My friend and I literally left the restaurant on a high. I had the juiciest chicken karaage I had ever had and the sauce that came with the ebi furai was damn good. Each dish we ordered was beautifully plated and were well portioned, in my opinion. And this is going to sound really unnecessary but their jasmine green tea is amazing. I may or may not have drank my weight in tea.
There isn't much I don't like about this establishment! Even at this time, all the seats were taken up by different parties except one table, which was super lucky for us. And after we ate, we didn't feel pressured at all to leave. The ambiance was perfect the entire dinner.
My new favourite restaurant! Will definitely be back again to try the bar. -
Review from Shannon B.
Vancouver, BC
5/8/2011 2 Check-ins Here
We've been dying to try this new place and when our last attempt failed because this place is not open on Mondays we decided to check it out today.
The decor is welcoming. This place probably seats no more than 25 people and was a bit awkward with large tables side by side making it difficult to get it and out without feeling like you're imposing on the table next to you.
The food was terrific; melt in your mouth tuna tataki, creative Koi roll and volcano roll. Unfortunately, they were out of wild salmon sashimi and agedashi tofu. We opted to try the tenderloin steak, the steak was the most disappointing dish we tried because of its chewiness.
Overall, I am happy that there is a Japanese place in the neighbourhood and I hope to return and be able to give them at least one more star. -
Review from Christina D.
Vancouver, BC
I managed to visit Koi during the playoffs and had lots of fun watching the Canucks game here. They have two fairly large TVs that can be seen at any table. Bonus: they were giving away free saki shots every time we scored!
The decor was trendy and the restaurant was very clean. This place is a great addition to the neighbourhood. Food was delicious and everything was plated very nicely. There are lots of creative rolls to choose from and quite of bit of other food choices as well.
However, the place is small and the tables are a little to close together and can get really uncomfortable when busy. Make sure to call a head so you're not disappointed about seating but definitely do make a trip to Koi. -
Review from F L.
Burnaby, BC
8/16/2011
Great yummy food - a bit tastier than Hapa Izakaya or Guu. Prices are way more decent. For example, the ebi mayo (which I love at Hapa) is cheaper here and for a bigger portion too. Friendly guys at the counter- brought over some shots on the house. Place is small, but has a nice feel to it.
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Review from Chris L.
Surrey, BC
When u first walk in to this restuarant it has a nice yale town vibe to it. The music and the decor has a nice downtown feel. The service was excellent. All the servers were very attentive and were always clearing our tables. The food at this place was excellent. I enjoyed everything I ordered. My favorite was the extreme koi roll, Memphis roll, ebi mayo, and kimchi udon noodles. I highly recommend this place to everyone looking for a new place to try some great food. I will be returning again this weekend.
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Review from alicia T.
Burnaby, BC
8/19/2011
Finally got to try this place after passing by it a million times n thank god I did. This mini gem of a restaurant deserves 5 stars from me n trust me, Thats pretty rare.
I first noticed this place on my way to downtown. The red color is kinda flashy n hard to miss. I went in with a couple of friends n the place was really really small but the decor is cute although simple.
The staff is super friendly, always had a smile, service was impeccable. They were very attentive n made sure we werent missing anything.
The place was busy but we didn't hv to wait too long luckily. But next time I'm def going to make reservations....
I really liked their tea too!! I read someone else also said that. They also served it cold with ice n it was the most fragrant tea I ever tasted. I had tea like that before somewhere else but other places charge for them. At koi it was free n they kept refilling it n I couldn't hv enough!!
Anyways about their food... We had the koi specialty roll at the servers recommendation n it was sooooo goooood. It was crunchy n yummy!! I really liked their portions too, you def get the bang for your buck. We tried this hotpot rice dish with kimchi n beef n the server adds some broth to it n mixes it for u at your table. We also had the ebi fry and the spicy sashimi n they were all really good. I really had no complaints. There were so many unique dishes but we were too full to try anything else!! We had to compliment the chefs n the owner chatted us up n gave us free shots n even those shots were yummy. I asked wut the shots were called but he said it didn't hv a name yet. It was some really fruity sweet drink.
Overall I really love this place, I'm def going back. The only thing is maybe this place needs b a little bigger. But the prices r good, portions r generous, service is awesome n the parking is stress freeeee. I'm so happy I found this place. I'm def coming here instead of those expensive places in downtown with crazy parking. Can't wait to go back. Highly recommended. -
Review from Timothy W.
5/17/2011
This restaurant had pretty damn good sushi! The tapa plates had very unique sauces and was rather tasty! Im from San Francisco but i gotta say that this place beat them all... I should suggest to the manager to move to the bay! It was during playoffs and the free shots were awesome! Not only cuz it was free, but it made me feel like i was back in the states with my group of friends!
