Izumi-Ya Japanese Marketplace

My first ever Japanese grocer that I discovered in the Lower Mainland. Located on the outskirts of the Golden Village district in Richmond, Izumiya has ample parking (every time I go here, there is literally empty spots everywhere) and easily accessible by transit, via Lansdowne Station or the 403 and 410 buses.
Inside the medium-​sized supermarket, you’ll find packaged sushi, bento, Japanese-​imported food, candies, noodles, drinks, culinary ingredients, books, manga, and a «100-​yen» section (Japanese equivalent of a dollar store, if you didn’t get that. At least that’s what I call it) loaded with useful everyday items. There’s pretty much something for everyone here.
The pre-​packaged food is passable, but hey, they give you a dining area in the supermarket to eat at so I’ll give them that.
Only flaw here is that this place is almost deserted. I felt as if I’m walking in some sketchy, failing store. People need to know more about this place.

I gave three stars, as it’s a combined rating for the restaurant and the market. Absolutely love the market but the restaurant is total garbage. Crap food, low quality, but it’s buffet so should have managed my expectations. Found the staff a bit rude. It wasn’t busy when I went. Next time I will stick with the take-​away from the market which is always good. As markets go, Konbinya on robson has a few obscure items that aren’t here but overall Izumi ya is a better grocery store.
I will definitely return to the market, but not the buffet.

Izumiya is wonderful because it offers great food services and groceries all in one place. You can also find special Japanese products too!

Decent Japanese supermarket in Richmond central. It has its own private parking lot which I like and they’ve expanded it a lot since it opened years ago. I like to come here close to closing for the marked down bentos and snacks, but they have a pretty good assortment throughout the day. I especially like that they have a fresh seafood section with sashimi grade seafood for sale. Product wise, I’ve seen better but the selection that they do have isn’t bad and they stock all my Japanese cooking needs.
An added bonus is the sitting area with a microwave and free tea/​water that is provided. It makes it easy to have a quick meal there before running off.
They have also opened a buffet and chocolatier recently. The buffet is a pretty good deal and serves mostly homey Japanese food, but it’s of a decent quality for its price. You do have to add extra to get sashimi though.
All in all a good, quiet place to do your shopping.

One of my favourite Japanese grocers! Located near Landsdowne, it’s just a short walk from the Canada Line! My favourite section of Izumi is their food section, of courseee hehe! For prepackaged, prepared food, it’s pretty tasty! They have a little seating area and microwave where you can heat up your food!
They have a huge selection of Japanese market goods, even a bakery section with pastries/​bread! Tired of your ol’ chocolate pocky? They have a huge candy selection with a plethora of exotic pocky flavours! hehe: D
La Chocolaterie which is located in Izumi, has some bomb chocolate! Go check it out, you’ll thank me later! ;)

We stopped by on a Saturday night, and the place was pretty empty.
The inside is pretty simple and sparse, with sections for prepared food, chocolates, dry goods, groceries, etc. Compared to the more popular grocery stores like T&T and Osaka, it is a little surprising how empty it was in there. The deli section was pretty empty at that hour, so I can’t comment about the prepared foods here.
If you are in the area and are looking for Japanese goods, then this is a good place for that. If you have been to Uwajimaya in Seattle, then you probably wouldn’t like this market.

Love this place, it’s not a typical ayce place where you hide the rice you can’t eat (can anyone relate?). This small restaurant is inside the izumiya market in Richmond so you’ll definitely miss it driving by.
There is so much variety and lots of nice home-​style foods to choose from. They have sushi, oden, fried foods, noodles, rices, soups, salads, even have tons of desserts (and a soft serve ice cream machine to top it off.
There really isnt any service since it’s all do it yourself but that’s alright it’s more fun when you can pick a bit of everything! Super cost effective too, only 10.99 for as much food as you’d like, pretty crazy cheap if you ask me!

I haven’t go for groceries shopping at Izumi-​Ya for a while and wanna shop around for imported Japanese goods there. It used to be my flavour Japanese supermarket, however, it goes downwards now.
I was shocked when I walked in, there was NO customer at the supermarket. I found they didn’t have a lot of new imported goods or varieties of products on shelves and kind of disappointing.
Anyway, I still shopped around and found something I like such as UCC instant coffee powder and Kikkoman Organic Soy sauce.
Hope they can do well and survive in such competitive market in Richmond.

I’ve been here many times, and have previously given it a 5 Star review.
After tonight, though, I won’t return for a long time, if ever. It’s Saturday night at about 7 pm and the place was about ¹⁄₃ full. About ¹⁄₃ of the food trays were empty and the other ²⁄₃ looked way too greasy or it looked like it had been out all day. Both soups were also overly salty.
It’s sad that the food here has been so neglected. It’s like they don’t care. And they make you pay an extra dollar on weekends for what reason?
The line bright spot was the server who was quick to clear dirty dishes.

I love shopping at Izumiya. Things aren’t exactly cheap here but rest assured you will find what you need when it comes to specialty Japanese items. When you shop here, you are shopping for the real deal, none of that fake or imitated condiments or things you can find a cheaper version of at some Chinese grocery stores.
It all started when I was craving for some oden. I am a bit crazy when it comes to food. I LIKE making my own food, certain restrictions apply but I like making my food as much as I can. Despite the fact I’ve never made oden in my life, and the closest I’ve got is eating them at some darn good Japanese eateries, I figure I can google and figure out the rest. So here I am, with a mental list of oden ingredients. I bought myself some kinjac, daikon, assorted fish cakes and off I went — back home. Thanks to my Asian mother who always has konbu and dashi stocked up in the pantry, my very first home-​made oden was a success.
Another reason why I like shopping here is because they have delectable cooked food everything from Japanese lunch boxes such as rice and grilled fish, rice and Teriyaki chicken, rice and Katsu, to cooked odens, gyoza, grilled squid, udons (noodles and topping separated), sushi, and sashimi. The prices are very reasonable. I notice a lot of people working nearby would come here, grab their food of choice and heat it in the market (microwave available). There are tables and chairs around for diners.
When it comes to fresh produce the selection is very very limited. There is a seafood section but that is small too. You will find aisles of condiments, rice/​grain, snacks, even frozen fish and foods. If you are looking for meats you can’t find it in the market per se as there’s a meat vendor in the building selling thinly sliced beef and pork (beautifully marbled too).

Not bad at all for the price! 9.99
Located in a Japanese supermarket lies a small Japanese buffet offering a variety of hot and cold dishes. You got your usual suspects, miso soup, chicken teriaki, skewers, deep fried shrimp and veg tempura, yakisoba, different sushi combinations… you name it… OH and they even got OCTOBALLS, son!!! I could eat those balls all day! (PAUSE… wait… that didn’t come out right…)
Run by a super friendly staff always topping up the buffet at just the right time, clearing your dishes and wiping your table like a friggin ninja ready for the next customer waiting to stuff their fat faces. Sure this place is small and doesn’t have a crap load of items but I can tell they put love in what they make. Like my homie Larry L. said «This is not some Chinese run FAKE Japanese food filling guts in the guise of AYCE» nicely put ma boy! :)
In my opinion, this place is a little higher then any AYCE joints ive been to,. and when i say «higher» i mean higher quality in food and service! and for just $ 10. what?! This place won’t do NUTHIN for my sexy-​ass Figure… A hidden Gem worthy of more exposure!

It’s really awesome that you pay $ 10 for AYCE Japanese food. If sushi is the goal, don’t come here, because it’s not that good. Everything else though, it’s all right. They’re very well seasoned, but I’m not a huge fan of deep fried food, and there were too much of that for me.
My favourite were Garlic Butter Clam Soup and their Red Bean jello.
For the price, I’d say it’s pretty decent.

Price is currently $ 9.99 most days of the week and $ 10.99 on Fridays and weekends. One hour limit applies.
I’ve been busy all summer til now with work, but I’m so glad I finally came for a really excellent japanese style buffet AYCE. Now there are a lot of japanese AYCE throughout the lower mainland, but I have to say that this is one of the best for the price. It’s better to come if it is not that busy, maybe just before 7pm (last seating).
I loved the oden, the deep-​fried tempuras, the red bean and lemon jello cups. The sushi rolls were pretty good too. Sashimi is no longer available in AYCE, instead you pay $ 6 – 7 for a small dish of tuna or salmon sashimi if you really must have sashimi. I don’t recommend paying extra for that little bit of sashimi.
The clientele is mostly young couples, families, and pairs of college students. Some seniors as well. It’s a rather eclectic crowd for a japanese restaurant in Richmond.

Still quite busy, but line ups aren’t as long on the weekends anymore. Still an hour limit. Pay before you sit. Price went back down to $ 9.99 for lunch and now offer dinner for $ 17.95. Dinner menu includes the same lunch selection plus sashimi, nigiri sushi, and more hot food.
The prawn and vegetable tempura, are always good and always the kids’ favs, along with the oden and mini clams. The pork shogayaki is always good too. To top off a nice lunch, soft serve ice cream. Who wouldn’t want one?
The staff, super nice. High chairs are limited.
30 Day Unilocal Challenge (¹⁰⁄₃₀)

Izumi-​Tei is a little restaurant hidden inside the huge Japanese market. I was pretty disappointed especially with the glowing reviews. First of all, the price has gone up to $ 11.99 for a buffet lunch or dinner. Still not a bad price, but after the experience, it wasn’t worth it. Note: you pay before you eat.
Food was warm, and dry (overcooked) and did not taste fresh. There was variety but very little veggies and not very much for a vegetarian or vegan. Very little sushi selection… most were rolls with imitation crab, egg, or avocado that had turned brown. Sushi was very picked over and took forever for them to bring out more. When they did, the selection wasn’t any better with only a couple of small sushi maki rolls, the rest was more California, egg, etc… Bleh!
Some of their items were nice, especially, when they just bring it out hot! In particular, i liked the salmon and tofu! In addition to their small selection of sushi, they had a lot of deep fried stuff, some seafood (clams), salmon, lots of fishy ball like stuff, noodles and fried rice. They had nice hot tea and other beverages, soft serve (that «tasted watery, not creamy, more like sorbet» says my ice cream loving sister), fruit, salads, soups.
Food was mostly picked over and they were really, really slow to refresh with more food. Which was really annoying especially because they had a 1 hour dining limit. It was yucky and felt like I was eating food from a meal after everyone else was done eating. Slim pickings. I know I can be extremely picky but I went dining with some VERY easy going diners who wouldn’t mind just going to old McDonalds and we all left feeling disappointed. Sorry, I won’t be back.

The word has gotten out and now this place is getting busy. First time we came for lunch, there was no wait. The second time, we came right when the lunch started and there was already a line up which then filled up the restaurant right away. We ended up waiting an additional hour.
It’s $ 10+ tax for adults, all you can eat, buffet style. Help yourself to green tea, and then fill your plate!
There’s a small selection of sushi, a salad bar, and a selection of hot items. Most dishes are home cooked style. Chicken teriyaki, ebi fry, croquette, stewed eggplant, tofu, fried rice, an oden station, and my favourite, create your own takoyaki!
To end off the meal, there’s also a soft serve ice cream machine for your sweet cravings.
It’s a good spot for Japanese comfort food, at a great price. They impose an one hour limit, as the place is small and there is a consistent line up.

This is a convenient and quick place for me to pick up some Japanese essentials. Parking is easy, the store is neatly organized so you can be in and out, and the service is very friendly with smiles — Arigatou gozaimasu!
The usuals for me are their fresh and sweet tasting Wakame (seaweed) salad. And at 1.99/100grams, it’s one of the cheapest you can find! I really love their udon bowls — once microwaved in their microwavable safe container, the broth is perfectly seasoned with dashi, the udon is chewy and good, the ingredients are plentiful — soft meat (beef, chicken or cha siu), quail egg, seaweed, tofu, imitation crab meat, and green onions.
Note: When you come 30 minutes prior to their closing time, they have a discount on their ready-​to-​eat items. I always enjoy the hunt for $ 0.50 — $ 1 off my udon bowls, unagi sushi, and takoyaki! Discounted food always tasted better!
If you’re stomach can’t make it home, they have a small eating area inside with a microwave and japanese newspapers so that you may enjoy your goodies ASAP.

We came here on a whim, of food shopping in Richmond, and was advised of a Japanese supermarket. After going to the Nikkei fair a week back where one of the vendors, who was selling fresh mushrooms, said that they sold their product here. Keeping this information handy, and looking for an opportunity to come, me and my partner ventured, and came out with some stuff to munch on.
I was told by my partner that this place used to be smaller, that they didn’t have all this room. It does look a little empty with the newly acquired room they have, but it does mean for comfortable shopping, as you won’t have to tip-​toe and maneuver yourself between people’s and tight isles. The prices here were exceptional, where I did not find to be that expensive, and also very cultural, where some you know this stuff was imported as even the instructions on the box were all in Japanese.
I ended up buying a beef musubi and an unagi one too. They had packages of curry potato croquette, which I quickly grabbed off the shelf! Also was able to find the 4-​pack of the black sesame short bread that I found at the Nikkei fair. My partner bought some Japanese mayo, and okonomiyaki mix, where we had a fun time making at home. They accept all kinds of payment, and the parking lot is big. I will be back to try out more of the goodies they make here, as well as shop for new cooking items, glad to learn about this place!

Izumiya is growing and it’s great news!
The addition of La Chocolaterie and more and more stuff from Japan and local communities.
Japanese style and imported meats from Nikuya and Sugiyama.
Fresh Veggies
Instant ramen and bottles of sauces.
Fresh food prepped daily Bento style
And a place to eat it too!

I was surprised how big this place is. The aisles are spaced far apart, so it’s not like they have TONS of stuff, but they do have lots of variety.
I’ve never seen Nukazuke (special kind of pickling) kits! I bought one, and can’t wait to try it out.
The back third (?) is blocked off and is where all the prepared food is made. They have all the regular bento and sushi items, but I went December 30, and they had lots of traditional New Year items like Kuri-​kinton and Kuromame.
A few years ago, I had prepared Izumi-​ya items that I bought at another store (that they bought from Izumi-​ya). I didn’t like it then… the rice ball tasted like it had artificial seasoning. I was convinced that Fujiya (
) is better at that. The Pickled Napa I got here today was good, though. I might give them another try.
There’s a section of tables, chairs, a hot tea (or hot water?) dispenser and a microwave if you want to eat your bento there.
There’s also a section of 100-​yen store items for $ 1.89.
The whole atmosphere is warehouse-​y, but I didn’t find that discouraging. I’m pretty sure I’ll be back. The prices seem better than Konbiniya (downtown) and I can find things I don’t see at Osaka Supermarket (few blocks up at Yaohan Centre). This is one of those places I like in a utilitarian way, not in an endearing way.