Guu with Garlic

Great place to bring your friends to after work and have wine and enjoy a few hours in the evening.

Been in Japan several times and Guu is really authentic place, like I am there again)

We originally wanted to dine at two other Japanese restaurants, but had no luck. Good thing we already had some apps to cure our hunger prior to coming here because it was a hard restaurant to find! We literally parked next door to this place, but walked around the block back and forth trying to find it LOL.
Once you enter this eatery, you’ll be taken upstairs past the bar and onto the second floor. The atmosphere is lively and looks like a great place to hang out. I was disappointed that they didn’t offer any sushi rolls, so we ordered a few tapas instead.
We ordered some sake, miso soup, beef tataki, tuna tataki, chicken karaage, and a hot stone rice bowl. Everything was flavorful and fresh! My favorites were the beef tataki and salmon carpaccio. Both dishes were light and had delicious sauces and dressings. Service was okay, one of the workers had to go on break and the new person seemed nice, but inexperienced. I was surprised we got some complimentary frozen grapes at the end of our meal– one for each person. Woohoo! hahaha.

I used to come here often when working in downtown. It has a really cool nice and active or lively atmosphere. The place can be said to be quite loud. But again its a pretty cool hipster place to hang out with friends. I love coming here. Décor wise is kind of dark in the restaurant.
Its tapas style and to me anything that you order off their menu is good. My favorite is the tartare. So any tartare dish are my fav. They do change their special menu once in awhile but not often.
If you are coming here to dine, its best to get a group of friends. It is a hapa house.

Yum! With a limited selection of restaurants opened on xmas, we decided to go here because it was near by and had lots of positive reviews. Glad we picked this place because it was so gooood. For a table of 3, we got:
— Salmon Carpaccio — yummy marinade. ²⁄₃ of the group picked this as their fav.
— Ebi mayo — pretty basic tempura shrimp with mayo.
— Beef tongue — super flavorful! i love the seasoning, but like others have mentioned, it is pretty tough. but that’s beef tongue in general unless you slow cook it.
— Yellow tail sashimi (6 slices included in our order) — super fresh, no complaints here.
— Sockeye salmon sashimi (6 slices included in our order)
— Spicy chicken wings — 5 pieces, REALLY crispy and flavorful. I wish this came a bit earlier so I could have ordered 2 of these…
— Yaki Don — My favorite of all of the dishes we got! It’s so simple, yet so delicious. It had some kind of butter sauce, with mushrooms/​beef.
— Tuna Tataki — yum, melted in my mouth.
— Monk fish liver — this was ok. Definitely had better, but it was still good to eat.
— Kabocha croquette — This was like some japanese style scotch egg. Unique and filling.
— Almond tofu — great dessert to top off the dinner plates. Smoothest almond tofu ive had.
Tips:
— Make a reservation. Street parking gets packed, small restaurant.
— Get the Yaki Don, Salmon Carpaccio, and the almond tofu at the minimum

Fun place. Needs to update their menu.
Probably been there about 20 times and while overall very good, the food and service is inconsistent ranging from Average to Great. Hence the 3 stars.

Okay, let’s make this clear, if you want amazing food while in Vancouver, come to Guu! Now I feel like most reviews are exactly like mine, but how can you not call this place heaven on earth and write an absolutely riveting review about it. Short 15 minute wait was not too bad especially for a 8 pm dinner. Got seated and ordered tantori (Beek cheek), and fried calamari, as stated above, absolutely stunning. I wonder if I can come back for lunch and dinner for the next three days straight to eat everything they serve…

Guu is so guud! (I’m not original, I know)
I love that they have drinks with ramune — that soda brings back childhood memories. Get the grown up melon soda float (alcoholic).
Tapas = order everything on the menu! Seriously.
They make the best eggplant ever. Sashimi was fresh and quality was great. Miso black cod was a bit disappointing but still good. I love that we sat at the bar so we had a good view of what they were making.
Tiny place, expect a wait. Metered street parking nearby.

Guu was not as garlicky as expected but it’s cute that they had mouthwash in the restroom.
We sat upstairs where we had to take off our shoes and tried to fit into the small tables. It was fun and comfortable but hard to cross legs.
Shared bunch of stuff:
Chicken karaage: crispy tender and yum spicy chicken wings: was not spicy at all, good with beer
Albacore belly sashimi: didn’t taste fresh but was tender
pork cheek: small portion but fatty and good
Good place to hang out and get drunk. Was very loud inside. Every order we got came with the server yelling it to the kitchen.

I was very disappointed with the food here.
Kimchi Nabe: ³⁄₅ the broth and flavours were not exactly bland but they were forgettable.
Saba: 2.5÷5 the mackerel wasn’t cooked too badly and it had a lot of flavours but I felt the flavours clashed too much. The best mackerel I’ve ever had was lightly broiled in butter and yet tasted incredible. I don’t know how it is except I really did not like the flavours.
Calamari: ⁴⁄₅ the calamari itself was perfectly cooked and delicious but the accompanying dip was awful and very bland.
Atmosphere: way too loud. Kingyo has the same sort of atmosphere but it does it in a way that it isn’t unpleasant. My ears were ringing the entire time I was eating here. Maybe it’s because Guu with Garlic is such a small space.
All in all, this is not a place I would go to again. Sad because I really wanted to like this place

An excellent place that serves Izakaya type food. The ebi mayo was excellent and the shrimp was juicy — it somewhat reminds me of chinese honey walnut shrimp, but even juicier. I also really liked the hotate butter which was scallops with fried garlic and a ponzu like sauce… really delicious! Definitely a must stop by if you’re in the area. Try it all!

Like their mantra says, Guu is gooood! My cousin recommended this place as a must eat while visiting Vancouver. So I immediately went online to make a dinner reservation and snagged a table for 3 on busy Saturday night! Good thing I made a reservation because this place was PACKED out the door when we got there at 7pm.
This is a small izakaya place that has a great atmosphere. The place is loud, the waitresses screams your order to the kitchen as you are ordering, and every one is just in a great mood! Love it!
Everything we ordered was great! My faves were:
–Pork belly with daikon and poached egg. Ooey gooey egg mixed with a tender piece of pork belly and a super soft piece of daikon. Must order!
–Kimchi udon. The udon was perfectly cooked and had a soft yet chewy bite to it. The kimchi flavor was spot on. I could eat this all day!
–Hotate butter scallops. A light sear on the outside, and lots of buttery goodness.
–Sashimi assortment. Came with 3 slices each of Yellowtail, Sockeye Salmon and Scallops. The fish was really great quality. Haven’t had fish this fresh in a while. And great to try some sockeye salmon sashimi, as we don’t get that in LA often.
–And don’t forget to order their almond tofu dessert! They claim it to be the smoothest tofu you’ve ever had… and they’re right! Its a perfect end to an amazing meal!
Overall, great experience. Make a reservation, enjoy the food, be merry.
Parking: Street metered parking. Though we were lucky to snag a free spot on the side street right on the corner where Guu was located. I guess side streets don’t have meters. Just make sure to read all the signs carefully!

This was good. Guud. The salmon carpaccio was my fave. Tuna tataki? Also good. However, the kimchi noodles didn’t have much of a kimchi or spicy taste. The fried squid was a bit too greasy. They do, however, give a good portion of half litre wine that we were satisfied with. A bit on the noisy side as well… if you’re trying to have a conversation with your mate.

Il a vécu sur sa réputation mais le chef a changé, la carte est banale, sans effort, le SABA cuit au four a disparu, attention les autres guu sont sur la même voie mêle le Guu Garden qui a supprimé de sa carte ce qu’il y avait de meilleur y compris le sorbet a la pulpe de saké …

This place is definitely one of the better Guu’s. I would say Gastown is probably second.
I love the fact they use garlic in a lot of their dishes here. It adds so much flavour to it. The beef tongue, the croquette. all amazing. Some of their daily specials are great too.
Only downside is this place is small and a tad loud. Though that is what you expect when you go to any Guu.
Very good service, relatively cheap food. but it can add up if you order a bunch of food. Some dishes could be cheaper for the portion size they give you though.
Overall I’d recommend this Guu out of all the Guu’s in Vancouver/​Richmond.

Ate here last night. That was a good decision.
This is my first time in Vancouver and saw that this place is the most well reviewed spot in the city, so eating here was a no brainier.
After seeing a large group of people outside at 9:30PM on a Friday, I was certain we would have to wait hours for a table. I walked in, saw a clipboard and proceeded to write my name down until an employee came over and asked me what the hell I was doing.
«Putting my name down for a table?» I replied
«Uh, No.»
After initially flashing me the evil eye, she asked me how many people and seated us at an open set of seats by the bar.
We ordered the following:
Sapporo pitcher — no description needed
Taco Rice — this shit is amazing! It’s Mexican Bibimbap. The flavor was very good and I really wish I didn’t have to share this one.
Hotate — perfectly cooked with lovely fried garlic chips that are on everything here. I wish there had been a bit more citrus in the dish but overall it was good.
Cheese baked oysters — this is basically a casserole with oysters and potatoes topped with a ton of cheese. It was bubbling hot when it got to us but that didn’t prevent us from finishing it with a quickness. Delicious.
Duck Salad — cold smoked duck slices with romaine lettuce and mushrooms. This dish was okay. Not the best but far from bad. Probably would order something else next time.
Smoked Monk Fish Liver — otherwise known as ankimo. If you haven’t tried this, you haven’t lived. The flavor is slightly reminiscent of spam and the texture is that of foie gras. It melts immediately in your mouth and gives off that feeling of velvety luxury.
The service was decent, although sometimes I couldn’t understand our waitress’s English. She kept asking us if we wanted «beer» which we repeatedly said no and asked for the check. However, she never came by with the check. Eventually, we realized that by «beer», she meant «bill» and was probably very confused when we kept waving her over for the check but then telling her no to the «beel».
Would love to come back again and try everything else. Food here is incredibly original and delicious. Great place if you want to go to an izakaya that serves more modern izakaya dishes.

Came to Guu on a not so busy Saturday right at dinner opening. Friendly and lively place with a semi open kitchen. Ordered a variety of tapas dishes to share with friends.
Pork Tenderloin Salad with Green Chili: Was a salad of iceberg lettuce topped with sliced onion, green onion, and seasoned pork tenderloin. Didn’t get any green chili, was a simple soy vinaigrette. It was good, but uninspiring.
Yaki Udon: Really liked this dish. Chewy udon with tender sliced beef, green onions, mushrooms, and topped with nori. Good wok flavor, but could have used more beef and mushrooms.
Chicken Wings: teriyaki style fried chicken wings, not battered, but crispy and good.
Fried Brussel Sprouts: Hot and crispy with a squeeze of lemon. Good.
Seared Beef Carpaccio: Probably my favorite dish from the restaurant. Tender sliced seared beef carpaccio topped with a mild mustard and separate soy dressing. Was topped with finely sliced yellow onion and pea shoots. Loved the cold raw sliced beef and the combination of soy and mustard with the crisp vegetables, highly recommend.
Overall I highly recommend this restaurant. Be mindful that they take a break between lunch and dinner service.

I didn’t really think this place was all that impressive.
Guu is actually more of an izakaya type of place, but they are not fully an izakaya… so I have no idea what to really think.
Portions were small for the price point. Paid $ 8.80 for a mere two medium size grilled scallops with garlic chips… sorry, but that is just a rip off, though it was great tasting… just wasn’t worth $ 4 a piece!
We also had sashimi and okonomiyaki, both, again, were only okay. Granted the most unique aspect of Guu is their garlic chips, everything else was just okay. Tiny, hot, loud, and only okay food and service. I would try another place if there’s a line.

I LOVE Guu, whether it’s this one of the one on Thurlow. The moment you step in the door and are greeted by what seems like the whole kitchen, you know you’re in for a treat. Although it’s a bit on the pricier side for tapas, if you get a few things to share with a pal, it’s totally worth it for the quality alone!
Can’t imagine how busy it would be in the summer here though… the place is tiny as is!

This place is a new found love on Robson Street. My mother and I came here to eat some dinner, and we tried not to order everything on the menu. Each menu item looked delicious and it was so hard to choose! We ended up getting the salmon and yellowtail sashimi, garlic udon noodles, almond tofu for dessert, and so much more. The more I write this review, the more I wish I was back up in VanCity to eat it.
Our waiter was so attentive and enthusiastic. He was busy with a bunch of other tables, but he made sure our table was doing fine.
There are few restaurants where my mother wants to go back and eat, but she was very down to come back the next night and eat Guu again.
The service is fast, the food is extraordinary, and the ambience is very fun.
This is my second Guu that I have been to and I cannot wait to explore more!

The #1 most recommended restaurant per my friends upon my visit to Vancouver. Upon entrance, I find the place to be very small, but they have a section separated for private parties or large groups I guess. What irked me the most is that although I had reservations, we were still seated at the bar because only groups of three or more were allowed at the actual tables.
Food section wise was a little limited ONLY because I went for lunch and not dinner time. I wouldn’t say the menu is the greatest for vegetarians, but it is possible to eat there. We ended up ordering a bunch off the tapas menu and a sashimi plate. All were delicious and none were regrets. We even ordered the scallop pizza, which was very stingy on the scallop so it was like eating a cheese pizza with mayonnaise.
All in all, good impression with food. I would definitely come back here on my next visit to Vancouver.

FOOD: absolutely delicious and innovative for a decent price. I love the grilled squid and the salmon with egg. Really excellent.
ATMOSPHERE: busy but entertaining atmosphere, feels like Japan for someone who never went there.
STAFF: very professional.
Would definitely go back or recommend to a friend.