Yuwa Japanese Cuisine (fka Zest Restaurant)
Chef Masahiro Omori is the Executive Chef / Co-owner of Yuwa Japanese Cuisine who was born and raised in Chiba, Japan. His grandmother "YUWA" passionately owned a fish market in Chiba, Japan for over 50 years. Yuwa's dedication to her craft deeply touched Chef Omori and he lovingly brings her spirit forward with his professional experience at a well-known long-established Kaiseki restaurant in Tokyo, Japan.
Chef Masahiro Omori brings specialized regional dishes from across Japan taking advantage of the highest quality, freshest local BC ingredients. These can all be paired with our specialized selection of wines and sake.
Safety precautions
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Common areas deep cleaned daily
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
- Contactless payment available
- Sealed or wrapped utensils used
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables
- Waitstaff wear masks
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
Popular dishes
T.U.I (Tuna, Uni, Ikura) Sushi
Everyone's favourite — uni (sea urchin), ikura (salmon roe) and chopped bluefin tuna, rice cracker, fried shrimp, honey crisp apple, avocado on sushi rice, wrapped with soybean sheet
16 reviews
Wild Albacore Tuna Sashimi
7pcs of wild BC albacore tuna
10 reviews
Wagyu Strip Loin Steak Toban-Yaki
Snake River Farm Wagyu strip loin steak served on a sizzling skillet, sake-kasu (lees) steak sauce
2 reviews
Good drink list selection, patio is nice and quiet. The main issue is food, It’s not very good and expensive. Not sure if I would go back again.
Great food and service. Definitely worth a visit. Try the sake flutes.
Last minute date night on an inclement evening. Great food and service, we will be back!!
We decided to eat outdoors in compliance with the new pandemic concerns. It was not as satisfactory as eating indoors, but it was an adventure, and we enjoyed it. The food was superb as usual.
Amazing food from
Always a good bet for fine Japanese dining! Always get the specials and the Eli Shinjo bites.
Delectable cuisine
Excellent cheerful server
Excellent safety measures to separate each table, very assuring
Amazing service, friendly staff and delicious food. Highly recommend!
Excellent service and even better food. Servers and owner were very attentive, and they obviously take pride in the food they serve.
Awesome experience.
Thank you
Yuwa is the best dining experience I ever had in Vancouver. The service process, customer service and food are all excellent.
We have always enjoyed our meal at Yuwa. The sushi is top notch and the service is excellent. It is our go to Japanese restaurant. Close to our neighborhood. Never disappoints
After a rough start (waited 10 minutes inside the door for recognition from waitresses who would glance at us but ignore us until I finally went and accosted one at their cash register), the evening went well. Good table service, manager tried to make up for our wait with bubbles, and fairly good food. Sashimi was excellent. Appetizers and sablefish were great. BBQ Pork Back Ribs were fairly tough and fatty. Good pacing, good ambiance despite covid protocols.
Great dishes that were well prepared. Our server took the time to explain each dish and how it's best served.
A lovely, relaxing experience - dining on delicious Japanese cuisine. Especially appreciate the seasonal choices.
Yuwa is my new favourite Japanese Restaurant. We have been there several times and will bring back friends. They are so hospitable and the food is outstanding!
Food quality are very good. Outstanding service and very nice decor.
Great place for dating.
AMAZING! My birthday dinner here was impeccable! never been before and is a real hidden gem!
Do not hold back on trying something new or different because everything is wonderful. Make sure you save room for dessert, the cheesecake and the black sesame ice cream were the highlights!
Pricing is decent for the amazing service and quality of every dish, so fresh and worth every penny.
It was a nice place. Food was good
Overpriced for the quality. Food was good but not amazing.
What more to say? We’re becoming regulars because we want to see what new specials they’ve added to the list! We love the ankimo, monkfish liver, but they have a new roll, the “surf and turf”. So clever and delightful. You can really taste the richness of the beef, which plays off the lobster so nicely. There was a delicious little clam soup. And lovely little mochi for dessert though my husband had the lychee sorbet with coconut jelly. Thanks for such gastronomy!
Amazing service and some of the most fresh sashimi I've had. The Wagyu stew was amazing as well.
Amazing service, incredible food, beautiful plating !
Excellent on all aspects
There are so many great places in Vancouver to enjoy sushi. We all have our favourites that we frequent and know what to expect. Temaki, Shiro, Toshi, and Miku are some of mine. All fantastic. But without a doubt, Yuwa is undeniably on another level. It will seem unassuming at first. The freshness of the fish was exceptional, the rice perfect, the tempura crispy and tender, the specials were unique and exquisite, and the service was wonderful. There is a reason this ranks number two on the Vancouver Restaurant awards. They deserve it. I look forward to visiting again and highly recommend.
Amazing, memorable dishes - beautifully presented. Traditional with a creative touch. Attentive, fast service. Attractive space.
The seasonal dishes were very tasty and unique. The service is very friendly and attentive. Always a pleasure to dine at Yuwa
Great experience on all aspects. Food was amazing. Felt very safe as they complied with all covid rules for running a restaurant. Would definitely eat here again.
The best Japanese cuisine in Vancouver. The closest one comes in Vancouver to truly feeling like you are sitting in a restaurant in Japan.
A stunning restaurant and absolutely amazing food. It felt like a very special night out and we also felt completely safe and cared for - important in these strange times!
Everything about our dinner was perfect. This was the best meal and dining experience I have had since the pandemic began. It was our first time to this restaurant, but will not be our last.
Our experience was perfect: the food, especially the ribs, was excellent. We don’t want to recommend this restaurant too glowingly because we might have trouble booking a table in the future!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Authentic Japanese cuisine. Yuwa avoids the commonplace offerings and always has a genuine feel.
One of the best places to go for sushi. Everything was very fresh and service was superb! A wonderful place to celebrate Christmas.
Amazing food and amazing staff. We go back there regularly for special events or just when we're craving really good Japanese food.
Superb, original takes on Japanese cooking, with a warm and inviting atmosphere and wonderful service. Highly recommended!
We pick up sushi sometimes, but we rarely eat high-end Japanese food. Decided to try Yuma for something different on my wife's birthday, and boy did it deliver! It was so nice to be transported away from the pandemic for a couple of hours, tasting flavours and foods prepared in ways we'd never tried before. Service was friendly and flawless. Highly recommended.
We are food lovers and eat here often. It never disappoints; it's a fantastic restaurant with fresh seafood!
If you would like unusual, exquisitely prepared Japanese food, this is the place. From the monkfish liver pâté to the duck salad and mushroom tempura, it was delightful. We had several other dishes. Just be adventurous through their very carefully designed menu!
Amazing food and service. Best Japanese food in the city.
FAQs
Yuwa Japanese Cuisine (fka Zest Restaurant) offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (604) 731-9378.
Yuwa Japanese Cuisine (fka Zest Restaurant) is rated 4.8 stars by 861 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.