Aki Japanese Restaurant

In a city where there are sushi restaurants on every corner, it's a treat to find a joint that is actually authentically Japanese. Aki Japanese Restaurant is one of these places.

Located in the heart of downtown Vancouver and in operation since 1963, the restaurant is reminiscent of the izakayas you can find in Japan with its wooden decor and perky waitresses who greet you in Japanese the moment you walk through the door.

Their menu features a wide variety of sushi and sashimi, but you can also order plenty of robatayaki items (meat, seafood, and veggies that are grilled up by the chef). And of course, there are the standard tapas items, like gyoza and my favourite - agedashi tofu.

I prefer Japanese tapas over sushi and sashimi (when I eat sushi it's generally only the vegetarian kind), so I opted for the above dishes along with a plate of beef short ribs (not pictured) from the robatayaki menu.

My friends are more adventurous than me, however, as evidenced by their orders of sushi, chirashi-don (sashimi over a bed of rice), and Japanese-style pasta with beef (which I forget the name of!).

As you can see, there are plenty of menu options to suit all tastes and the prices are consistent with most other Japanese restaurants in Vancouver (not dirt cheap but not super gourmet either). Definitely worth a visit for the atmosphere and delicious food!

Location: 745 Thurlow Street, Vancouver, BC

♥ This post was kindly sponsored by Sauce Communications.