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Robson Sushi Japanese Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Japanese Restaurants Sushi Bars Japanese, Sushi Bars [Edit]
1542 Robson StVancouver, BC V6G 1C2
Neighbourhood: West End
(604) 684-3778
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
30 reviews for Robson Sushi Japanese Restaurant
Review Highlights
"It is open late night and the all you can eay menu for $10..."
(in 4 reviews)
"...added was crunch to the Spicy Tuna and Spicy Scallop cones..."
(in 1 review)
"We did get salmon sashimi and the dinner combos."
(in 6 reviews)
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30 reviews in English
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Review from Stephene C.
Vancouver, BC
9/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
Stuff your face all you can eat sushi and Sapporo for lunch, I'm game! I've been here a total of two times now, and I actually quite like their food. All you can eat lunch is only $9.95 on weekdays and $10.95 on weekends, not bad considering you can eat as much as you want and then some. The food isn't blow your mind awesome goodness, but its definitely good enough to make your taste buds and tummy happy. The Japanese beer is cheap too, I think it was like $4.00 for a bottle of Asahi or Sapporo.
Usually when I go to all you can eat Japanese, I get a little over zealous and order way more than my stomach can handle, but being the foodie and eater that I am, I troop along and finish every last bit. Today was no different, for a group of three our table looked as if it was going to feed a group of six-eight. Just stick a pencil and piece of paper in my hand for all you can eat, and everything on the list will be ordered at least 2-3 times in one sitting. I'm surprised I'm not bigger than I am XD.
MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) rating: 1 - I'm pretty sure they use some MSG in some of their dishes, but my natural body MSG detection was a little off today, being slightly hung over from last night.
Another sushi place off my very long list, only a few bazillion more to go!
St3Fin -
Review from Pete S.
Vancouver, BC
10/7/2011
this place is about volume. even if you don't order all you can eat, the sushi chefs just pump it out. no care in putting any of the dishes together. the rice tastes funny, the gyoza comes out in slats of 5 (stuck together) and the next day i got a suuuuper upset stomach.
AYCEAYOR
(all you can eat at your own risk) -
Review from Jena J.
Vancouver, BC
1/2/2012
whoa... its not that bad guys. i didn't have all you can eat but my lunch was great and it was very busy. the food was very fresh but i was put off with no music. all in all, it was good ill go back for sure.
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Review from Pow T.
Guelph, ON
11/12/2011
Don't even go here. Sub-standard food, poor service. I'd give this place a zero star as well. Will never go back to this place again
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Review from Niko D.
Vancouver, BC
7/13/2011
If I could give this place less than 1 star I would!
The service was horrid! They were mean, short and quite rude
The food.....lackluster, improperly assembled sushi (yes...i said improperly assembled..nasty) Falling apart, cold, tasteless...
We ordered Dynamite rolls and cali rolls. Pretty simple, basic and canadianized sushi,.....Well evidently they couldn't even get that right. I was so shocked. The first place where the prawn tempura was over cooked....and cold...how is that possible???? The cali roll was over mayonnaised and really just..... Nasty!
Please save yourself the $15 and go to any other sushi joint in the area and buy from a non all you can eat menu... Please for the love of all that is not disgusting!!!!!!! Yuck... -
Review from M M.
Vancouver, BC
7/10/2011
My roommate and I have been here for AYCE a few times.. don't get the dynamite or tempura rolls... they're cold and soggy. Gross.
Otherwise, everything else seemed alright.. nothing to write home about .. except oh wait, THEY DELIVER.
They have saved my life a few times when I've walked home in heels and have NEEDED a sushi fix.
$15 for AYCE beats almost $30 at Shabusen! Plus the servers are adorable and super sweet! Me likey. -
Review from Kari C.
11/24/2010
Don't come here unless you want a plate of forcible confinement for dessert!
Two of my girlfriends and I went here in the evening for some AYCE sushi dinner. It was gross, dark and cold outside, that's what Vancouverites do.
The food was nothing special, just your average, run-of-the-mill sushi place with cheap night specials to get rid of stuff so it doesn't go bad, with silent servers/bussers who bring your plates and whip empties away, like ninjas, without a trace.
We each paid our bills, and the manager wouldn't let us leave. He actually blocked the freaking door. No joke. He was angry that we hadn't tipped 15% overall, and said that it was OBLIGATORY. On parties of 8 or more, that's reasonable to have an auto-grat, which has to be clearly stated somewhere on the menu, but for a table of three, who weren't overstaying their time limit or wasting ridiculous amounts of food? I call bullshit.
I read everything, EVER, on menus, cereal boxes, food labels, poorly written signs, and asked him where it was written because it wasn't evident. He showed us the tray that our bill arrived in, and there was a little note taped to the bottom of it, written in Japanese. None of us knew how to read it!
"It's in Japanese. How were we supposed to know what it says?"
"You should ask!" he replied. Seriously?
"Why do we HAVE to tip 15%?" my friend asked.
"What was wrong with the service?" the owner demanded.
"It wasn't anything special," she answered, which was fair.
Honestly, the situation was so uncomfortable and out-of-the-blue that I think that my friends were scared. I did the math and we had tipped about 12%. He went psycho on us for two bleeping Canadian dollars and twenty-something cents.
I fished through my purse, smacked enough change on the table, and said, "Here's your money, and we're never coming back."
That left a bad taste in our mouths!Listed in: Eff THIS Noise!
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Review from Emily S.
8/12/2010
Husband and I were wandering Vancouver.... starving one beautiful afternoon and stumbled into this place. I really wish we stumbled into a different place. The ordering system is odd. And the sushi was not good.
My advice: RUN FORREST! RUN!!!! -
Review from Alice A.
12/19/2010
Three of us just had dinner at Robson Sushi. Now usually I would read the reviews before going but I'm glad this time I didn't. We ended going there because a friend of mine recommended it for its dinner buffet which we didn't order (not that hungry). We did get salmon sashimi and the dinner combos. Everything we had was pretty good, it's fair to say we might return for more.
It is very important to me that the salmon sashimi is fresh and wasabi potent - that's the benchmark for a good sushi place - and I am pleased to report that the salmon is meaty and fresh. I don't get why some of the reviews are so bad. The teriyaki chicken was nicely crisped up and savoury and not overpoweringly salty. My bf liked the gyozas and my mate enjoyed the agedashi tofu amongst other items.
Note that we didn't visit the washrooms so can't comment on that. The area we sat near windows was clean and presentable. The server made it a point to repeat our orders after scribbling it on paper to make sure she got it right. Service is generally slow but not terrible. -
Review from Jimmy K.
Vancouver, BC
6/29/2011
Freaking terrible service, to say the least.
Takes forever to flag down a waiter, and beyond the food delivery, no other services were provided.
That being said, the waitress had the guts to add almost 20% tip to my bill WITHOUT ASKING! I realized this after I had paid, and so I confronted the waitress.
After I told her that she shouldn't do that, and that I should be the one who decides how much tip to leave, she just stared at me and walked away.
Safe to say that I'm NEVER going back! -
Review from James C.
5/27/2010 6 Check-ins Here
As previously mentioned, it is an All You Can Eat sushi buffet by trade.
I go here quite often and almost never have a problem with service or short-changed orders. Almost is not never of course.
I keep in mind with their simple ordering system:, a pen and a piece of paper. This system in transit to the kitchen is rife with chances to be shortchanged as my order may be smudged or my handwriting may be atrocious.
In terms of quality, yes, it is not on par with Tojo but his place is about 9x more expensive. The late night sushi is $11.95 CAD (I noticed many of the other complaints have occurred during other parts of the day).
Recently added was crunch to the Spicy Tuna and Spicy Scallop cones (as well as some others I would imagine but I have not tried those yet). I love this addition; I love the crunch.
My standby favorites are the Alaska Roll (basically, the California Roll with salmon mixed in), the miso soup (even though it's instant, I have never thought it was that salty), the chicken katsu, the green salad, and the sashimi (which is not super-fresh but I have never had it smell).
That being said, I do sometimes have the chicken terayaki which is pretty good but by no means extravagant or elegant.
In summary, a reasonably priced sushi buffet on Robson Street that is open late. I have had great luck with service though if we are being honest, the west coast and northwest (in this case, Vancouver) are not known for having good service (since the prevalent attitude is that the customer does not matter since there is always another customer right after you). I would like to have rated it 3.5 stars (but since I eat here so often, I have to say I am a fan (where is the Like button?)). -
Review from Jasmine O.
Vancouver, BC
2/8/2010
oh my gosh, gross. Why didn't I read these other yelp reviews before venturing into this dirty, horrendous excuse for a restaurant. As a (vegetarian) sushi freak I'm still not even that picky but this place was nasty. The carpets looked like that hadn't been cleaned for a decade. For $9.95, I would rather get limited sushi elsewhere or pay a bit more and not have to walk away itchy.
Glad I don't eat fish. I'd probably be in the hospital.Listed in: The LOST list
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Review from Brian K.
9/14/2008
No frills sushi restaurant. If you get the all-you-can-eat (which is what I did), don't complain about quality. If you're paying $10 or so for lunch, that's a good deal. If you want real sushi at a nicer place, be prepared to pay $50+.
Anyways, I was really hungry and I left the restaurant with my tummy about to explode. But it was all good since I was going to Stanley Park. I got what I wanted out of it and despite the 2 stars, I left happily and my wallet was happy as well.
The ahi tuna looked really weird. It was like frozen then cooked; it wasn't red at all.
But really, if you are paying $10 to eat here, you really can't complain. You get what you pay for. -
Review from Ellie C.
Vancouver, BC
10/11/2011
At first glance the all you can eat menu didn't look too bad. For 10$ all you can eat my expectations aren't high to say the least. And obviously the servers are cranky but what else is new. So, we are getting ready to order and watching food arrive at other tables. This proved to be a seriously unappetizing experience. Exhibit A: Green sticky barf noodles in a stained glass bowl. Exhibit B: Oozing oyster boogers on dirty chipped plates. Me and my friend realized we need to skip this experience shortly after. Inspecting the menu outside and sitting down at a booth obviously shows a level of commitment that I felt uneasy not following through on. However, for my health I decided I better skip out on this one. The server didn't seem surprised in the least. Guess that happens a lot at this establishment. People sit down, realize this may be the demise of their bowl function and leave. Good luck to the people that decide to come here. :)
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Review from Chris M.
2/2/2009
They have inari which gives them their second star.
The food isn't bad it just is poorly done. The rolls I ordered fell apart as they were brought to the table. The miso soup was awful salty. The sashimi wasn't bad but it wasn't good either.
The place operates on an all you can eat concept. It was $14.95 CAN for dinner which isn't bad.
If you are hungry and just looking to fill your tummy, Robson Sushi is your place! -
Review from Kaya R.
Vancouver, BC
2/4/2009
This place is awful - another fake Japanese, Japanese restaurant. As mentioned, you get what you pay for. It's all you can eat, so expect:
- Microwaved gyoza
- Disgustingly sweet gomae
- Instant miso soup
- Watery salad
- Crappy service
- Average ingredients
There's plenty of other options in the city to waste your time with this place. -
Review from N C.
Burnaby, BC
4/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
You know, for late night it's actually not that bad. I wonder about the tip part in other reviews because I've never been hassled for it. But I also wonder if it's that older Asian lady that is the owner/manager that demands the big tip. It's all you can eat and for $12. You can't really expect much. There's no dessert like some places around town but they have an 11:30 last call for sushi which is late and possibly the latest for downtown all you can eat. The teriyaki stuff is alright and I don't think the food was terrible. Just your average stuff but at an all you can eat price. When it's late and I'm starving and downtown, I have no complaints coming here for all you can eat.
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Review from Wei P.
Vancouver, BC
8/3/2009
By far, this is absolutely the worst AYCE sushi place I've been to.
Stale sushi roll, limited sashimi (not too fresh, either).
Lousy and slow service...
Needless to say, for the price they charge, you are better off going to a regular Japanese place. -
Review from Richard W.
Vancouver, BC
2/2/2011
If there was ever a place to avoid it is this sorry excuse for a restaurant. We were in a big group of about 12 of us and the service was extremely poor. They forgot our drinks and forgot our food too. A couple of us ordered the all you can eat sushi. We ordered the short ribs they were flavourless and pulled out of the microwave oven. If I could find a patch of dirt I would eat that instead. Nothing I had here had any flavour to it. Avoid at all costs !
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Review from sammona g.
Vancouver, BC
3/18/2011
we went here for all you can eat on a saturday night, it was sort of busy. We were seated after 15 min waiting ...that was fine as we did not have reservations. However after we sat down it took another 20 min to have a server acknowledge us. she took our order...and came back 5 min later tossing our orders as she walked by ...she never slowed down...the food wasn't fresh..the sashimi was appalling.
After we got our whole order we never got the water we ordered and we weren't check on not even once.
so the bill came and I suggested no tip, crap service. My hubby was kind and put down 2 bucks.
the server chased us down to the door demanding more tip and her broken down english. My husband laughed at her and said,' you are luck you got $2 for the despicable service you gave!' -
Review from Mike M.
Calgary, AB
It is late night food. Dont expect much but it does the trick. If you are going through the day, look elsewhere.
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Review from Lori Y.
Vancouver, BC
5/12/2010
"All you can eat" menu is a good price however the portion sizes are small (typical of all you can eat) but the quality seems poor compared to when you pick up take out or have them deliver. Just something I noticed....
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Review from Allison F.
3/28/2010
Hmm I'm glad I didn't check the reviews before going here last night. We went around 8:30 and had an a-okay time! We opted not to do the all-you-can-eat menu as it's $16 on weekends, but based on the regular menu prices, I think it's a much better value to take them up on the offer.
Service was very prompt and I think they're used to people knowing what they want right away as we were asked if we were ready to order about a minute after sitting down. But the staff was very nice and checked in a few more times to see when we were ready.
We had the vegetable gyozas and the appetizer order of tempura to start. The gyozas were nice and hot and had been pan fried. There were 8 to the plate and only for $3! The tempura was hot and crispy, though 3 of our 4 vegetable options were carrot coins.
I stuck with the basics and just had a dynamite and bc roll. The dynamite roll was huge and had two prawns in it. The bc roll had a lot of salmon skin but no flesh which made it a little less delicious. The large amount of roe helped to make up for it.
My dining companion had their sushi bowl and it was massive. There were multiple pieces of 5 different kinds of fish and about 4 cups of rice in the bowl. A fabulous portion for the $10 charged.
Overall, it was a wonderful dinner and I would definitely return. I didn't see any health or cleanliness issues and the food quality was excellent. Perhaps they've stepped up their game? -
Review from Mina B.
2/10/2010
the place is dirty and dusty and i don't even wanna know what the kitchen looks like.
the service was weird and kinda rude.
you get to write your order on the back of old bills. at least they recycle but i don't think they do it for environmental purposes, i'm sure they do it to save money. fair enough.
the service is fast but i'm sure it's cos the sushi is already half prepared (yam already fried, veggies already cut...)
i've seen a tray full of rolls. they probably have the most popular rolls ready already. hmmm...
the sushi wasn't so bad. avocado roll was good, so was the tamago and inari nigiri, the veggie roll and the agedashi tofu. yam roll could have been good if it wasn't cold. so was the miso.
i definitely ate my $10 worth of sushi but i'm sure i won't be back -
Review from Rayid G.
7/14/2009
not as bad as i expected from the reviews. sushi was ok, tempura and tofu were good. It is open late night and the all you can eay menu for $10.95 was definitely worth it!
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Review from P S.
Vancouver, BC
12/4/2009
Cheap food with cheap service. I go there for all-you-can-eat. It is like sushi mcdonald's. service is minimal, but you get acceptable food. you get what you pay for.
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Review from Kai W.
Vancouver, BC
7/28/2011
Everything you read about the bad service is true. I'm usually not someone who cares too much about the service; if I get seated, get my tea, someone comes by to take my order relatively quickly, I'm good to go. I don't need someone coming back constantly to check on me, or even anticipate when I want the bill. Robson Sushi doesn't even give the basic level of service. It seems like they go out of their way not to make eye contact. Even when the waitress was at the table right next to us, when we wanted to ask for them bill, my friend had to actually shout out "Excuse me!" before she sprinted away. When the bill came, we pulled out our wallets while the waitress hovered over us. I told her that we're still counting our money, but she didn't get the hint and kept hovering. Then she tried taking the tray away while my friend was still trying to calculate how much of my change to take back. And then when that was all sorted out by my friend, the waitress instantly said to her "10 percent. Put down an extra dollar." EXCUSE ME??? Of all the years I've dined out in Vancouver, I have never been asked for more tips. Even when the servers weren't happy about what I left, they'd take it graciously... or at least asked how they could have improved their service. My friend was caught off guard and actually gave her the extra dollar. And then when we got outside, I realized that we HAD given her 10% already. The demand for money was worse than a East Hastings drug addict asking me for money to shoot up. At least those guys are desperate and strung out. What is Robson Sushi's pathetic excuse?
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Review from Andra B.
Vancouver, BC
8/9/2010
I hadn't been to this place in a while and it definitely hasn't changed! It's filthy inside (dust and dirt everywhere, cobwebs on the celing and lanterns), the service is short and rude, and they still short every order we make! To top it off, my boyfriend bit into a sushi cone and was stabbed in the mouth by a 2 inch long fish bone. Disgusting. When we called the health authority to complain, they said it was their second call that day. Clearly I haven't been missing anything!
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Review from Jonathan W.
Vancouver, BC
2/6/2010
This is my first review on Yelp and I'm writing it to warn others away from Robson Sushi Restaurant. I went there last night and the whole experience was truly awful. Our server was sullen to the point of rude, same with waitresses. All You Can Eat for $14.95 but they would rather you didn't eat too much, so short-changed on many orders. For example, we ordered two orders of gyoza of 4 pieces each and 6 soggy little guys arrived at the table. Three pieces of ika karaage with what was basically ketchup, tiny sashimi bits, little slice of greasy tonkatsu with same ketchup sauce. The salad tasted like dish soap. Grey as in in going off avocado in the dynamite roll which none of us could eat. Truly unacceptable, even at the price. Unfortunately I was starving so ate quite a bit and honestly suffered all day today as a result. Steer clear of this place. If you want all you can eat, Tanpopo on Denman is infinitely better at a slightly higher price, or you can go to Shabusen on Burrard and enjoy a truly memorable all-you-can-eat sushi and Korean BBQ experience.
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Review from Sara L.
Vancouver, BC
2/24/2010
Yuck! They even manage to screw up a vegetable roll here! The sushi is not fresh, everything tastes fishy. The tempura is soggy, the noodles are mushy and flavorless, and the list goes on.
