Kibune Sushi

Excellent quality of nigiri. Great place, sorry to all the Shrimp Tempura and California lovers who gave it 1 star. If you want cheap, conveyor belt sushi, avoid this place. If you want fresh, high quality and well prepared sashimi and nigiri, please try this place.

For the Sushi Connoisseurs.
This is one of those rare gems that reward those who know what to really seek out in a Sushi bar. Firstly, the cooked food menu is brief and rightly so. They know they are a sushi bar and so all the mastery and craftsmanship is found there. You don’t come here to expect the best chicken teriyaki (if there is even such a thing). No. You come here to experience one of freshest and finest sushi experience in Vancouver. The cut, temperature, texture, presentation and taste of the sushi here is exactly what a highly experienced and no-​nonsense sushi chef produces. If you walk out thinking otherwise, perhaps you should consider the probable cause that the restaurant knows more about the culture of sushi than you care to admit.

1 – 2 stars max
Wait is long
Food is expensive
Flavour is lacking
Service is okay
Came in on a Sunday night and waited a while until our order was taken. It wasn’t a busy night.
Then waited 30 minutes for our food to come.
Prices on menu were higher than other sushi joints. When the food came the dishes had very small portions.
A chicken teriyaki dish is $ 10.75 and extra $ 2.00 for rice.
Also the broth/​sauce in the dishes are quite watery making the flavour poor.
We asked for hot sauce and waitress said $ 2.00 extra. Say what?
Mmm go if you want to experience this or save yourself time and hit up sushi Bella on west 4^th.

Love this place… I have never been to Japan but I feel like this is s close to authentic you get in Vancouver.
The servers are adorable and genuine. Not the fastest service in Van, but it is because things are made fresh to order and they have a tiny kitchen.
The food is really good; unique (as in traditional unique not modern unique) dishes that you don’t see at other standard Vancouver sushi joints.
We live close by and are there often … one of our favourites!

Visiting from Seattle, I thought this place would be really great as I’ve always heard Vancouver has really great sushi. The food wasn’t anything over the top special. The miso soup and spinach salad were really great, but the sushi was just average. The service was just a bit below average as we were getting our food. We weren’t brought two items we asked for, and then waited 40 minutes for our check. When the check came, the women just took our card, ran it and gave us a total receipt. We never got an itemized receipt. I personally wouldn’t go back unless you want a two hour experience for overpriced sushi that is just really average.

One of the few places where you step inside and feel like you’re in Japan. The sushi is fresh, menu varied, and price reasonable for the quality. Easily the best sushi I’ve found in Vancouver so far

Serves was poor, food is too expansive. We were waiting for half hour to get our first dish after we ordered. And than the dishes came to the table by every 15 ministers. We stayed there for two and half hours, 90 minutes was for waiting, waiting for the dishes, even the bill!!!
We will never go back again!!!
You can find lots of Japanese restaurants beside this one. The food is no that good and not worth for such a long time for waiting!!!
Everything is so small and especially the egg&mushroom soup, $ 6 for half of small bowl of soup!!! And I think they put lots of MSG, because I was so thirsty after dinner!!!
Never go back again!!!

AMAZING FOOD ! but Sloooooowwwwww service… me and a group of 7 went there for lunch today and lol 3 got their food in 30mins and the rest had to wait an hour one guy hour and 20mins with no apology or explanation… won’t be going back for lunch again…

De-​Lish!
This place has some seriously mouth-​watering Japanese food. Great location, a tiny place across from Kits Beach, we were delighted to discover just how good this little gem is. A friend took us who lives nearby and says they’ve been enjoying this local neighborhood eatery for years. Both the staff and service were great, while the food was some of the best Japanese we’ve had for a long time. Everyone we dined with commented that their food was excellent. Some warm saki, good company and reasonable prices left us all happy and very satisfied. I’ve spent the same at too many [faux] Japanese restaurants only to have just an ‘ok’ food experience. Not the case here. It’s evident why this place has been around for so long. Good eats! Domo arigatou.

Solid, good food with vegetarian options, including a vegetarian bento box with kappa roll, your choice of tofu and veggie tempura.

Worst service ever. It took about an hour to get A dish and we ordered chicken karage but it never came. Horrible restaurant.

I just came back from a lovely dinner alone here. I had the special assorted sushi (or something like that: the most expensive one, chosen by the chef, 11 pieces) and it was great. I liked that I had asked for toro, unagi, and uni a la carte and they told me they were already included in the special, which was a nice surprise. They were all great quality, but I loved the scallop and the unagi in particular. I also had a delicious tamago, which I ordered separately. I found it decently prized although I am not from Vancouver so I can’t compare with the other places around.
But what really gets them the full five stars is that I had forgotten my sweater and the owner came to look for me at the bus stop! (she knew I was taking the bus because I had mentioned my bus ticket). I thought that was such a thoughtful gesture, especially since they were getting quite busy. Since I am leaving Vancouver in two days I might have not been able to come back. Thank you, Kibune!

Endo-​san is the Man! Excellent toro and the nigiri is top notch! Best sushi in Kits, I would be here everyday if I could.

I was in the area with my family and decided to give Kibune a try since the ratings on Unilocal were mostly decent. Very much regretted it soon after. I ordered the salmon and tuna Don buri, they only use wild sockeye salmon but both the tuna and salmon were not properly chilled and not fresh. I had two pieces of tamago which tasted like store bought ones, definitely not freshly made. We ordered a few maki rolls: California, Yam, and New York; way too much rice on the outside, New York roll was very disappointing as well as the California roll. Only decent one was the yam tempura roll. Compared to Ajisai (in Kerrisdale), the sushi and sashimi the chef prepared did not cut it for me. We also tried the pork tonkatsu which was alright. Nothing to rave about.
The service here was mediocre. But if you want authentic and traditional Japanese sushi, this is not the place to be. Rice isn’t done well, sashimi is not fresh, and their maki rolls were not good at all. This is a pricy place too so we obviously weren’t getting our money’s worth. If you want authentic traditional Japanese sushi, go try Ajisai in Kerrisdale or Kaide Sushi on Richard street in Yaletown. Those two places never disappoint.

The worst japanese restaurant experience of my entire life.
I am a fan of simple dishes like sushi, maki and teriyaki, since i believe that it is possible to understand if thw chef is good or not when he is challenged by simplicity.
The location is very nice and cozy and we got here after a wonderful walk on the kitsilano beach. Unfortunately the dinner was terrible. It took 5 minutes to be seated. Sushi was served with still some pieces of skin on it, the salmon of the teryiaki looks more like a sole than a fish and for THE VERY FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE i’ve found some fishbones in the fish served in a sushi restaurant.
Nevee again in this place.

This is my favorite sushi restaurant in Vancouver. It feels like a Japanese home: reserved, unpretentious, and welcoming.
The staff is warm & friendly, and the ambiance is quiet and peaceful.
The dishes and sushi are fantastic, and the quality consistent.
Every time I go to eat here I feel relaxed and happy. Everyone is smiling and joking, and enjoying working there.
Hands down recommend going and experiencing it for yourself!

Pretty good :) we ordered sushi set for 2, and it came with miso soup, goma-​ae, sunomono, tempura, sushi and dessert! Miso soup, goma-​ae, sunomono and tempura are very delicate, authentic and delicious. Probably one of the best i had in Vancouver. Sushi was not bad, sashimi was authentic (i.e. no California roll) and delicious.
Good for special occasion and dates.

After laying out on the beach for a couple hours, we were hungry and wanted to find something nearby. A friend looked this up on another review site and said it sounded good. I saw 4 stars on Unilocal so figured it should be worth trying. I should have read the reviews and validated with the reviewers I trust.
I wanted to try their sukiyaki, but opted for a tuna and salmon don buri bowl instead. Sadly, they didn’t have brown rice, only white. I should have gotten the sukiyaki, as the sashimi in my dish was not fresh. The person to my left at another table, and the person to my right at my table both ordered tuna and salmon sashimi as well, and their fish looked so much more fresh than mine. I didn’t feel so good afterwards.
They didn’t have yaki-​soba on their menu but two friends were told they could order it anyway, with beef. Their dishes came out almost 15 minutes after the rest of us had received our food — with no explanation or anything. Once they got the dishes, it was both greasy and bland. I tried it, and agreed but thought it was at least better than my food.
Service was sort of non-​existent and the food was not good. I don’t think it’s worth me coming back to try that sukiyaki.

Yay, yes I am a fan. **Authentic” but pricey small Japanese restaurant at the foot of Yew. Run by a Japanese family it is one of the few places that make sushi like it should be made, delicately.
The sashimi is fresh and delicious, sliced thinly and presented well. When I say thin, its not actually thin but normal, however compared to sushi places these days where the cuts are 3″ unappetizing cubes, yes it’s thin. Not Giselle Bundchen thin, more like Cindy Crawford slim.
The food is consistent, the teriyaki chicken, which I normally loathe due to the deep fried and then slathered with sweet bottled sauce norm. Here it is properly seared and broiled and served with a delicate teriyaki that is a pleasure to eat.
Same goes with the nigiri, tempura, etc all perfect… did I say perfect in a review? Wow.
The catch, its not cheap. Nigiri will run you close to $ 4/​piece. Any mains are upwards of $ 11. Sashimi will set you back $ 14+. So, you’re not talking McDonalds sushi. 4 people without drinks is at least $ 100 all in.
The bad, the service is terrible. Its run by a family so there is no extra staff. Last I was there it was just the mum and daughter serving the entire place and we waited a good 15 minutes for our bill and then another 10 just to pay. You need good patience. They mean well, just understaffed and not professional waitstaff.
So, even with bad service I keep going back because the food is good and feels real. I am getting tired of the huge portions and slabs of fish, thats not sushi folks. Does everything have to be Westernized? Its not always for the better but it seems its better for the pocketbook.
I read a few other reviews regarding the cleanliness, I have not noted an issue and I will have to think that after the Health Board requirements they have cleaned up. Have never gotten sick, been 3 years of going here with family.

Our last sushi meal and for that matter, last official meal of our trip to Vancouver. Came to Kibune Sushi on Thursday evening after hanging out at Kitsilano beach for a few hours (it’s conveniently a 2 minute walk from the beach). We saw this place earlier on and knew it was going to awesome just from the front. It just oozes Japanese.
We decided to sit at one of the tables where you took off your shoes and sat on the floor. Outside patio would have been better but it was getting cold/​still was windy so we sought warmth indoors. Servers are very friendly and the sushi chefs are old school. Don’t think we heard the chefs speak a word of english, it was all Japanese.
Anyways, we decided to split some sashimi and sushi so we ordered:
— Tuna and salmon sashimi ($ 14.95) — salmon was melt in your mouth! So good. Nice presentation (comes in a mini boat) and you get 10 pieces total (5 of each).
— Ocean maki ($ 7.50) — avocado, hamachi, cucumber and tobico. This one was pretty good and you get 6 pieces.
— Tomo maki ($ 7.50) — BBQ salmon and skin topped with salmon. They give you 6 pieces. This one I wouldn’t order again — the skin gives it a weird taste.
We weren’t super hungry otherwise we would have/​should have ordered more. Really small but authentic, inviting Japanese restaurant. Perfect place to get your sushi fix. Just go and you can thank me later.