Manzo Japanese Restaurant

The atmosphere is superb. A little nook with authentic Japanese touch. It’s too bad that the food and service is subpar. This place used to be my favourite.
The staff forgot give me the cheque and then forgot to get me change for a large bill. Slow service for food/​drinks as well.
Went for the sukiyaki but there were barely enough ingredients to justify the price. This place is pricey with nothing but interior to show for. A disappointment.

This is definitely my favorite restaurant in Richmond. It is a nice, cozy little Japanese restaurant with an amazing selection of fishes they even restaurants like Miku or Octopus Garden can’t get their hands on. I come here quite often, and have come to this place for years, yet every time they maintain their standards. They also have the best selection of premium sake’s in my opinion — even better than Minami. My favorite dishes are the grilled izakaya’s — chicken wings, yam mochi, beef enoki, and asparagus bacon. Their raw dishes are always superb. My favorite cooked dishes are the butter potato balls, mentaiko udon, foe gras on rice. Must try: chopped scallop sashimi pizza.
They also have a special menu which changes weekly. The desserts are all house made and super yummy! Esp the milk pudding and black sesame ice-​cream!

I normally don’t write reviews of restaurants at all but this time I m pretty ticked off. Last time I was here with coworkers we had grilled items and they came accordingly. This time we came for some quick dinner like udon but the speed is insufferable. 30 full minutes of waiting and still no food. Definitely won’t be coming back.

We come here quite often, and have never been disappointed.
On the up side, the yakitori is always grilled perfectly, the sashimi is always fresh, and the beer always cold.
However, know this: a) it isn’t cheap; b) the later it is, the busier it gets; c) they always «recommend» their «specials» — i.e. up-​sell; d) the sake can get eye-​wateringly expensive if you like the good stuff. If you want cheap and cheerful, this ain’t your place.

We ate dinner here about a week ago. The ambience was absolutely fabulous; the food was delicious; the service was excellent; generally it was a great experience. We especially liked the eggplant dish that came served bubbling hot in a tiny cast-​iron skillet. We just stumbled upon this place because it was very near our hotel. We wandered in and without any wait at all on a busy Saturday evening we were seated at a lovely table. We would return here without question if we are ever in the Vancouver area again.

Honestly speaking, this meal was barely okay. I normally don’t complain about food but this meal was very overpriced and not satisfying.
The sushi pizzas were not very good and in general, the food wasn’t that tasty. The manzo on capstan way is far better and serves better versions of similar items served here. I don’t really want to go into details but basically, out of the 15+ things we ordered, only a few were good. We did enjoy the skewers (beef tongue was nice) and the unagi stone bowl was decent but everything else was seriously just mediocre. It was definitely not worth $ 41 per person.
PS: I forgot to add that their food isn’t very authentic… I found that their hybrid fusion sorta dishes didn’t really work out. Also, because we had a lot of people, we were packed tightly into this long table area. It isn’t really their fault that we came with so many people but in general, I wouldn’t recommend coming here with a big group.

It is a small place with adequate service. The food quality is better than I expected but it was too salty for my liking. There is not much original flavor of the ingridents that you can tell. This can be a fun place with friends to chit chat, eat and drinks.

I came here because I was looking for an izakaya and this place had a lot of people out front so I thought it’d be good.
The food would be so much better if they didn’t try to overpower all the natural flavors of the ingredients.
For example, I ordered the chicken skin yakitori and it was grilled very very well. The skin was very crispy and chewy, but then they ruined it by putting the sauce on it. If they just kept it seasoned with some salt and pepper, man oh man would that be some good stuff.
The same could be said about the clams in garlic sauce. The butter simply overpowered all the goodness of the clams.
The service was fine and the food came out quickly, so I was satisfied with my trip to this restaurant.

Come and check out for yourself. A place to hang out with your friends at late night.

I love this restaurant! It’s hard to find decent Jap food in Richmond and this place is one of the best one. Staff are friendly and helpful. Lots of varieties on the menu and the quality is pretty consistent.

Excellent Japanese food! It may take some time for the food to arrive but definitely worth the wait :). Great Japanese atmosphere.

Spotted the yakitori sign (in Japanese) while driving by — located on the famous «Food Street» (aka. Alexandra Road) in Richmond.
The Manzo Japanese Restaurant is an izakaya establishment that attracts many young people and students. Within walking distance from our hotel, we came here solely attracted by their yakitori sign, the menu is fairly extensive, they have everything from yakitori to sashimi to all sorts of sake and drinks. We went with a series of yakitoris — chicken heart, chicken gizzard, beef tongue, chicken wings, and mushrooms. Delicious! The yakitori are very well seasoned and flavorful, not greasy or oily, and the meats tender. The chicken gizzard was on slightly the saltier side for me, but rest are pretty delicious.

Yummy izakaya, probably the best in Richmond.
I can’t believe I havent already reviewed this place… I swear I did.
A bit on the pricy side of izakayas around the area, but it is a lot better than most places. Large variety of dishes, and if you fancy robata you’re in luck because they really A+ it here. There is cooked and raw dishes, so a little bit for everyone.
I’d recommend trying their agedeshi tofu to start — the broth is flavorful and will leave you sipping till’ the last drop. All of their deep fried appies are good, their sauces really are refined and taste housemade unlike some places where they taste commercial. After you crave your fatty needs, order an assortment of skewers — they pretty much have everything… veggies, meats, or both together! Everything is well seasoned and exceptionally cooked — I haven’t ever come across overcooked or undercooked here. Another must try is their assorted sashimi, super fresh and they have a large variety of fish.
I really think all the food here is refined and great. Just go to town with it and be adventurous!
Service is alright, it can get slow though since they get busy and it often feels understaffed. Water and tea takes a really long time to get filled. That’s the only downfall I can think of.
The restaurant itself is cozy and dimmer than most places. Small so not the best place for large parties. A good place for a nice intimate date and to sip some good sake.

This place has been in Richmond for as long as I can remember. They have another location near Garden City, but it doesn’t have the same touch as the original store.
The Alexandra Road location is extremely packed and parking is pain in the bum. If you get there after 10PM, you’ll be expecting a waiting time of around 20-​minutes.
During my recent visit, I noticed their dishes are significantly smaller than before and the drinks were watery as well. The place was packed with drunk teenagers, and I wanted to just chug my drink and get the hell out. It was hard to flag down a server, but I felt bad for them running around trying to meet the demands of obnoxious teenagers.
It was once a nice place to hang out with friends till 3AM, but now it’s a wonder why people still wait so long for a table to be crowded with loud drunks.

This place is tiny, cramped, and the wait is also so-​damn-​long.
The waitresses are super short and impatient.
They will seat their friends first. Food takes forever.
But they are consistently busy enough to establish an hour long wait list. Why?
Cause the food is solid and drinks are cheap. Open late so you can drink your face off while chewing on some bomb innards of animals you ain’t even know existed. Nuff’ said.

I went here at 1am for some late night eats, the food is okay, slightly overpriced, but the service was terrible.
We ordered the beef and mushroom skewers, some other skewers, cold soba, sashimi omakase, a bottle of sake ($ 199, wtf! It was the same bottle that I get at the store for $ 20, undestood they need to make money, but you can’t just mark it up 10 fucking times!). The food was seriously generic, I could get a lot better next door or anywhere in the kity with izakaya style dining.
On to the service — asked the waiter to refill waters and teas at least six times before they actually did it. When it came around to pay the bill, they gave us the bill without us asking and kept staring at us until we paid and rushed us to do so. It was a scary experience to say the least.
The food somewhat saved this place… but seriously guys, work on the service!

Manzo Izakaya Japanese Restaurant is located on Alexandra Road for over 10 years. They were one of the first izakayas offering Japanese tapas and grilled dishes and skewers in Lulu Island before Gyuu, Gyoza King Group (click), Ebisu, etc came aboard. Since then, they have also expanded to open Manzo Itamae on 120‑9020 Capstan Way (click).
Let us saviour the original Manzo. For those unfamiliar with the term izakaya () it is a type of Japanese drinking establishment which focuses on a popular yet casual place to congregate after work drinking and communication. The red lanterns — pronounced akachōchin () are traditionally found in front of any izakayas.
Manzo has been a popular spot to enjoy some sake, unique tapas dishes and the company of friends along with impeccable service.
Their daily specials with a wide variety of choices also make frequent visits entertaining.
To start, fresh cabbages are served with daikon soy sauce. Something with a little bite without the heaviness.
Uni Chawanmushi $ 7.95
A traditional egg custard steamed in a tea cup added with a piece of fresh sea urchin. Inside you will find it flavoured with soy sauce, dashi, shiitake mushrooms and shrimp. Egg custard is smooth and light, perfect as a starter.
Grilled Beef with Mushrooms $ 6.50
Perfectly grilled fatty beef slices wrapped around enoki mushrooms. The sweetness of the spores lightens the protein and adds a lot of juice.
Grilled Chicken Heart (3 skewers) $ 4.50
If you are adventurous, these will make your heart melt. Tiny bite sized, lightly grilled and goes well with a pint of Asahi Beer.
Kawahagi $ 4.50
This Thread-​sail File fish is an angler’s favourite catch during summer months in Japan. It is also commonly known as File Fish or Leatherjacket. The skin is rough yet brightly colored. When grilled it will remind you of dried cuttlefish; only sweeter.
Sazae $ 7.50
Conch. This crustacean may not be a popular sashimi item, but in case you are wondering, it closely resembles the texture of an octopus or hokkigai (surf calm) — elastic consistency and subtle ocean tastes.
Mirugai Karaage $ 4.50
Geoduck slices deep fried and sprinkled with chili flakes. Sweet, savory and a little spicy.
Deep Fried Potato Balls
Lightly floured and deep fried. Sugared butter is served on the side. Think hash brown with an Asian flare.
Okonomiyaki
aka Japanese noodle pizza. Its main ingredients are egg, cabbage, Aonori (Seaweed Flakes), Panko (Tempura bits), noodles and various other toppings. This dish is on the heavier side and goes great to absorb /​coat your stomach from alcohol consumption.
Hanna Sushi
Currently not on the menu, but if you ask it will be served. This sushi roll is made with farm salmon sashimi rolled with little rice, chopped scallop and sprinkled with tobiko. It is refreshing and has a lot of bite.
If you are looking for something more refined and sophisticated, hop of to Manzo Itamae (click) where it features an array of fresh sashimi flown from Japan.

A funnies: You can purchase the menu for $ 400? what? random. ok. lets move on…
Inside the menu. Definitely don’t come here when you’re hungry, as food is over priced and not filling. The taste doesn’t compensate either. I ordered a plain yakiudon. and salmon sashimi. *pause* nothing to write home about. actually. there is. Don’t eat here. xoxo
Maybe they changed owners, and changed menus. But nothing jumped out. The restaurant only had one other table. It was actually really sad. Better tapas served in other izakayas. So make sure you explore your other choices first.

In a movement of solidarity, I joined my friend’s boycott of Manzo many moons ago. I don’t remember exactly why again — I think it was something about their questionable hiring practices. Or something about racial segregation and civil rights… oh wait… nevermind… it was over some some ‘Mean Girls’ shit — some girl related to someone involved in the restaurant called another girl a ‘bitch’ over god-​knows-​what. Simply retarded, I know — but I’m a ride-​or-​die king of guy. Right or wrong, I’ll get your back.
Shame really — I actually enjoyed Manzo. But whatever — it meant a lot to my friend and there’s a billion other izakayas in the GVRD… and I don’t really hang out in Richmond anymore. So easy sacrifice.
The friend I mentioned was going for her ‘last meal’ of her most recent Vancouver visit before returning to the vast wasteland between Vancouver and Toronto. As expected, before returning to the abyss, she wanted to get Asian food. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, we couldn’t go to the restaurant we had planned to go to. So there we were — late night in the middle of Richmond and nary a Japanese restaurant to be found.
Her: «…well… Manzo is around the corner…»
Me: «Whoa whoa — think about what you’re saying here…»
Her: «I just really really want some Japanese food»
Me: «JUDAS!»
Despite the treachery and clear lack of willpower, we rolled into Manzo. Joint is pretty much as I remembered — small Chinese-​run izakaya. Menu is really extensive featuring a huge selection of skewers. A bit pricey — but the quality has always been strong. To give it some context, in my estimation, their kushiyaki is only second to Zakkushi in GVRD and it’s slight less boisterous than Guu. Grilled pork intestines, beef tongue and yakitori were solid. The grilled filefish was particularly good with a nice sweet finish and chewy texture.
Open late so it’s a pretty good joint to get your boozing and feasting on — as long as you don’t hold silly grudges — or dumb enough to follow one blindly.

After not being able to get a table at Seto, which was recommended by a friend, we wandered across the street to Manzo, which seemed appropriately busy on a Friday night. After a two-​minute wait, we were seated and rearing to go. We ordered what was probably more than enough for four people: grilled beef tongue, chicken liver, chicken skin, and chicken heart, along with a sashimi platter, fatty salmon, conch sashimi, steamed egg, kimchi soup/​pot, and some sort of tea rice dish. The tea rice, which we actually had to remind them about and wait for, was disappointing — quite salty and not tea-​y at all — but everything else was great. The conch was generous in portion size and tasted super fresh and sweet, the kimchi soup had very nice flavors (but may not be spicy enough for kimchi fans), and all the grilled items were also generous and appropriately seasoned.
The pricing was slightly high but not outrageous. The service from the servers was ok, but props to the manager (?), who was extremely congenial and kept checking in with us throughout the meal.