The word guu is the Japanese version of “Grrr,” or the sound your stomach makes when it growls. Owner Yoshinori Kitahara was one of the first chefs to introduce the izakaya concept to Vancouver 13 years ago. Now he owns four locations in town (and one in China). Each is a little different, including its name, but all sport the same informal, friendly atmosphere that has made the chain arguably king of the Vancouver izakaya world. Kitahara themed this popular Guu “with garlic,” for two reasons: “Girls like garlic,” and he associated the ingredient with youth and energy. The food is not particularly garlicky, but there are plenty of youthful girls (and guys) and frenetic energy.

Dishes: Try the kobucha korokke ($3.60), a baseball-size, comfort-food pumpkin croquette with an entire hard-boiled egg inside and a drizzle of creamy dressing. Tako wasabi ($3.50), a cold shark’s fin and octopus salad traditionally eaten in Japan the way peanuts are with beer in the United States, is fresh-tasting, with a wasabi bite. Fried udon dishes ($7.80) are cooked fast, furious, and fresh in the open kitchen behind the bar. If you’re feeling adventurous, try nankotsu karaage ($4), a fave in Japan: deep-fried chicken cartilage.

Atmosphere: Hot, bright, friendly, and nearly always a 45-minute wait. Jackson 5 and Sly & the Family Stone play behind the din. New hires are told they need to be “energetic and loud,” according to owner Kitahara, and they apparently also need to wear battered Converse and punk rock accessories.

Quirky little Gyoza King (its tag line: “No Sushi!”) became extremely trendy some years back for its dark, night-owl-positive atmosphere and generous, cheap portions of simple, comforting food like the eponymous gyozas (pot stickers). The dumplings originally came from China, and so did the restaurant’s owner and first chef. But izakayas in Vancouver aren’t rigid about their menus: You’ll see other Chinese dishes and many Korean ones listed.

Dishes: Gyoza, duh. Try the pork, prawn, and chive variety, six for $5.25. The MSG ramen contains no MSG, but it does have miso, sesame, and garlic, costs $8.25, and is delicious. Nearly everybody orders ebi-mayo (fried shrimp with mayo sauce), the izakaya version of french fries, for $5.75—and every izakaya, including Gyoza King, claims to have introduced the dish to Vancouver.

Atmosphere: Dark lighting, dark blue walls, Beyoncé on the iPod, and cute Japanese waitresses with limited English. Twentysomethings in beanies and baseball hats fill the handful of tables during the dinner hour, then there’s another rush around midnight.

A more grown-up izakaya, Hapa (which means “half”) is the baby of a Japanese Canadian couple who worked in Tokyo joints for six months to learn the ropes. Quieter than Guu with Garlic or Gyoza King, both of which are nearby, Hapa was created with the less adventurous, thirtysomething diner in mind: Servers are required to speak perfect English, and there’s a bit of sushi on the menu. The rest of the dishes are refined and often a little fusion-y, with dramatic plating. Prices are higher than at both Guu and Gyoza King, but still within the realm of a good deal.

Dishes: Hapa’s famous table-seared mackerel (saba, $8.80) is blackened with a blowtorch by your waiter, resulting in a fresh, nearly raw interior and a smoky exterior. Negitoro (tuna tartare, $7.95) is served with little slices of toast, like unctuous bruschetta; and the slow-braised pork belly (kakuni, $7.80), served with steamed buns and a dab of strong German mustard (to heck with wasabi), is rich and intensely savory. Unlike other izakayas, Hapa actually has a wine list and some local microbrews (Okanagan 1516 Bavarian Lager and Spring Pale Ale) on tap.

Atmosphere: A bit like a fancy, big nightclub. There’s no sign out in front, just the name of the restaurant discreetly painted on the window. Ambient techno plays in the background, and there’s no yelling. Low lighting, dark wooden tables, and glowing paper columns make it feel like a cushy date spot.

Kingyo was opened in 2007 by a former manager of Guu with Garlic. It’s about a 10-minute walk from the other restaurants listed here. Like Hapa, it’s a more thoughtful, intentionally designed (and pricier) take on the genre. Care has gone into its black-and-white décor, the dishes are beautifully presented, and the whole place has a whimsical, artsy vibe. Plates and glassware are mismatched and funky: Sake is served in red and blue Moroccan tea glasses. A flower arrangement arrives with your check, containing two frozen red grapes on sticks.

Dishes: A simple grilled pork cheek with slivered scallion is rich and tender ($6.80); stone-grilled beef tongue comes with a hot rock that you cook the meat on ($6.50); Chinese tan tan noodles are spicy, with ground pork and an extra-savory broth ($8.80). Kingyo has put more thought into its sake list than the other izakayas, too. You’re given a map that shows the provenance of the restaurant’s 17 brews, and Kingyo was the only one of the four on this list that offered the local (and very good) Osake artisan sake, made on the city’s Granville Island.

Atmosphere: When Kingyo won Vancouver Magazine’s 2007 Best Japanese Casual Dining award (Hapa won it in 2006), the owner and the manager accepted it wearing tiger masks. The attentive, mostly young, male staff likes to have a good time: When somebody is celebrating a birthday, staff members come out and dance around and sing on a little toy microphone. But it’s not like you’re at Chuck E. Cheese’s—the food is seriously classy.

(Back to top)