Kuma Japanese Restaurant

This place is fantastic. It is small but that just adds to the cozy factor. I have been there twice and both times enjoyed the Osaka style Okonomiyaki. My second time was with a Japanese friend who vouched for the authentic taste. I love it that they can be ordered with seafood, chicken or pork. Something for everyone! So far my only regret has been not ordering enough, because I get too full. The rolls, seaweed salad, and the miso soup served here are great too! the only thing I thought was not that special was the friend Mackerel and I usually love it.

This is probably the best Japanese restaurant I’ve ever eaten so far.
The quality of food is absolutely phenomenal, service is great (owners know me and my boyfriend after visiting so often!)
Definitely a go to restaurant if you want to try Japanese cuisine. TRUE Japanese cuisine.

I tried this place based on the good reviews. I was disappointed to see the prices have gone up from what had seen in the photos posted. I got the salmon and tuna combo and appetizer tempura and it came to $ 24! That’s pretty high for one person. The rolls were small and had very little fish in them. Not worth the price in my opinion.

This place is unreal. Every time I eat here I’m blown away by the quality of the food.
The Queen and Canucks Roll are both delicious, and the Firefighter Roll is superb as well.
I especially like their Toro Sashimi, and their Miso Soup is always packed with flavour.

One of my favorite Japanese places in Vancouver. The food is consistently good and the staff are always friendly. The bento boxes are a fantastic deal. I wasn’t thrilled about the okonomiyaki, but it is probably some of the best I could find in Vancouver.

The food is really good! The hostess/​server is really laid back she lets you leave when you’re ready instead of making you feel forced to leave. I was able to read my book on my iPad as I ate my sushi and gyoza. She kept my tea filled too!

The hostess was very nice and the food came out fast. The price was affordable. The environment was friendly. The place was quaint.

small place in the hood
very traditional Japanese sushi
they have very adorable young waitress
the food is good, but okonomi is not my cup of tea.
unagi nigiri is good.
I like their moccha ice cream

I went here with my spouse. Food was fresh but presentation was lacking. Plates were chipped and the décor is more Tudor English fish n chips shop than Japanese sushi joint.

Kuma is my go to place for sushi! They have good prices and amazing rolls. Their spicy tuna rolls and paradise rolls are the best I have ever had. I have yet to try something that I don’t like on their menu! Aside from their great food, the staff is super friendly — they always greet you immediately when you walk the door and they have a great atmosphere in the restaurant.
I would definitely recommend this restaurant — I always bring people here and they end up loving it as much as I do.

It’s amazingggg!!!
You have to go to try their authentic okonomiyaki!!!
It’s sooooooo good!!!
Also the sushi is delicious! Totally recommend it to everyone :)))
Going there now! :) haha

OMG OMG OMG. I recommended this place to a few people and they all liked it!
I even brought my mother here to dine before she went home to Smallville in the interior of BC and she’s probably the pickiest eater I’ve known.
She wanted to try Okonomiyaki and I said, if you want something good, then you have to go here.
They have a specialized Okonomiyaki san that does it Osaka style like da bomb!
Verdict?
My mother liked it. Two thumbs up approval.
She liked the salad and the sunomono too!
My other two Japanese diners enjoyed their meal just as much.
Sushi is on the smaller side.
Fresh and tasty though.
Gyoza, I hear is hand made there.
At first the staff didn’t seem to be smiling, but I got one of them smiling.
She was so much more cuter after that.
That made my dining experience even better.
My friend loves to eat here.
I hear he comes by here to dine every other week when he can.
I’d like to be able to do the same thing.
Their salads were pretty good.
Typo’s free of charge, you’re welcome.

They put too much vinegar on their sushi rice and it’s often too mushy. No idea why they put my sashimi on top of the miso soup. I don’t enjoy warm sushi.

You might want to hurry up if you would like to dine here at this okonomi-​yaki place. But good thing is their okonomi-​yaki is real jam! The quality of other your ordinary Japanese food can be sparse sometimes but overall great. Their party treys are one of the better ones I have around the block, and Dragon Rolls (Tempura, Avocado, Cream cheese, and BBQd Eel) and Fire Fighter Rolls (Yea! spicy Tuna with house special sauce in FRIED rolls) are sure crowd pleasers. The service is fairly attentive. Well worth the trip from Downtown!

We were not impressed. The veggie tempura was not crispy and the veggies were still raw inside. We also had sushi that was just «meh». I don’t think the rice was seasoned properly. On the plus side our waitress was attentive.

Outstanding in every way-​Okonomiyaki of distinction, heavenly Tempura and Nigiri to die for.
Excellent service and a warm Welcoming atmosphere.
Couldn’t be Happier!

I can’t quite give them 2 stars but I certainly have had better.
We came here with a group of us for sushi and we were all disappointed. We are from Seattle.
The salmon sashimi had good flavor and texture but 2 of the 3 pieces of fish had BONES in them. Wth?! That is just not ok.
I liked the miso and seaweed salad. The hamachi sashimi was okay. The restaurant is very cute. Sadly when I am in Vancouver next I will go elsewhere. Bones in sashimi is just too much to merit a repeat visit.

I was between rating this place between two and three stars. The food was good but the service was not.
I called and ordered some food for pick-​up. I was told that the food would be ready in 30 minutes. That wasn’t a big problem. I arrived at Kuma in 40 minutes and so I expected that the food would be ready and waiting. When I got in I was told that they are still making my food. I was told to sit on a small chair in the «waiting area» of the restaurant. It is a small place so it was cramped to sit and wait. I wasn’t offered a table to wait or anything. I then proceeded to wait another 20 minutes for my food to be ready. They never acknowledged me, or offered any sort of tea while I waited so long for my food to be ready. Finally, after a combined 55 minutes from the time I placed my call, my food was ready.
The food was very good. I have to say that. Maybe this is the type of place that you have to actually eat at in order to get your food in a reasonable amount of time?
I may change this rating if I decide to try this place out again.

We had a family dinner here the other night and many of us ordered Okonomiyaki, we were pleasantly surprise when we took our first taste. It was without compare the best Okonomiyaki we have ever eaten. And some of us had lived in Japan. What an amazing surprise for such an unassuming restaurant tucked away on Dunbar street.
I would say this is one of Vancouver’s hidden gems.
The owners and staff were very gracious and the services was excellent. When I complement them on their food they told me that these were family recipes from a small village of 3000 in southern Japan. So their was a lot of what I would call soul in their food.
I would recommend this restaurant without hesitation, especially if you are a lover of Okonomiyaki.

Tried the Nabeyaki Udon on a cool, rainy day…
OYISHI
The broth was very tasty and the tempura were made on the spot. You can taste the difference of freshly made tempura vs. some old and stale premade ones. I just wish it is slightly bigger in volume because I can eat quite a bit, plus it was so good… LOL