Tsunami Sushi

The ABCs: Acceptable, Boats, Crowded. The stars are as easy as 1, 2, 3.
But the place is often loud, so don’t except any do-re-mi’s.
Other quick pros:
— Good location
— The food tastes okay, but mainly because you get hungry from the wait (both to get a seat and again for something good to come on the boats)
Quick cons:
— Noise
— Not acceptable in Vancouver for the price and nearby competition’s quality
But the place is essentially easy, if you don’t know any better, have someone easily impressed by sushi boats, or are just lazy. I would probably recommend going to the place once to check it out. But this wouldn’t be my go to recommendation for someone who wanted the Vancouver sushi experience nor for a regular sushi bar.

I went there today for lunch with my wife. It’s my first time back in 15+ years. The restaurant has not changed much at all with the exception of it looking its age and the new staff.
Tsunami Sushi is a great place for the first timers. Sushi travels around the sushi chefs on dishes in little boats… uncovered. With this in mind, as the sushi travels around long enough the rice will get hard and the fish will start to loose its freshness. If you hear someone sneezing, I do suggest that you end your lunch as the food is susceptible to airborne contaminants because the sushi is uncovered.
After being seated for 10 minutes, no one came by to provide us with Japanese tea, wasabi and ginger. Lucky for us, trays of wasabi and ginger was sitting right next to me so I was able to help myself. It was very disappointing to wait this long for tea, wasabi and ginger especially since a majority of the customers were sitting around the sushi bar helping themselves to the food. Heck, the 2 girls sitting to the right of my wife had to ask for their miso soup twice before getting it!
The prices of the sushi are based on the colors of the plates ranging from $ 2.05 to $ 5.20. The quality of the sushi was acceptable but very pricey in comparison to a sushi restaurant. Lunch cost the 2 of us $ 30 for 5 plates.
…weird experience. I needed to use the restroom to blow my nose. I knew where the men’s room is. I walked in and saw a hostess standing in there admiring herself! I thought I walked into the ladies room. …NOPE, it was the men’s room.
While sitting there enjoying my lunch, I noticed the sushi chef directly in front of us with a drink. He was handling the top of straw where he drank from with his hands… put his drink down and continued making sushi. HE DID NOT WASH HIS HANDS… You heard me right — he did not wash his hands!
Patrons at the restaurant this Sunday afternoon consisted mainly of tourists!
In today’s times, food safety is a big issue. I am not comfortable consuming sushi traveling around the sushi bar uncovered picking airborne contaminants nor am I interested in getting sick from careless sushi chefs not washing their hands after they’ve touched the top part of the straw which they drink from. …I am still wondering what the hostess was doing in the men’s restroom!!! LOL
Perhaps, my next visit to Tsunami Sushi will be in 2026!

Very DISAPPOINTED! For a downtown sushi place on Robson St, Tsunami Sushi does not make the cut at all. We didn’t want to walk all the way down Robson St so we chose this place because it was the closest.
For Starters they lack variety and there food is low quality. I ordered my usual Salmon Donburri which by the way is not even listed on there menu! I had to request it. Okay, when I got my Salmon Don I was literally shocked. The pieces of Sashimi were literally paper thin. that leaves me with a huge bed of rice underneath. Service is good but it doesn’t make up for the food.
For what they serve there prices are way too high and considering how many Sushi places are in the area that are much better than this joint I would never recommend this place to anybody.

Like other Unilocalers have pointed out, the only good thing about this place is the novelty of the «floating sushi bar». When it comes to actually eating any of the food… well, that’s a different story. The food on the floating boats sits there for however long until someone decided to sample the dried out fish and mediocre rolls. I have literally seen the same piece of tuna nigiri pass by me dozens of times, and still be sitting out waiting to be eaten over an hour later when I left. Even the food ordered from the kitchen isn’t very good. I will agree that the service is always very good, which is why I gave this place two stars instead of just one.

Although this place definitely has a great location, I feel like that can work for or against it because there are so many other options within a 10 block radius, both for sushi and for almost any other type of cuisine you can think of.
Overall, I have to say that I wasn’t impressed. I saw bugs flying around, which was a major appetite killer, and the idea of sushi floating around the «mini moat» for who knows how long kind of negated my dreams of an ideal sushi experience of super-​fresh seafood and rice. While some of the rolls very tasty, others definitely tasted like they had been made a while ago. Also, I love ginger and found it annoying that extra ginger was an additional charge, especially since you only got a tiny piece with the sushi itself.
With so many other great options just a stone’s throw away, I’ll try other places.

Tsunami shine in service, but there sushi is only OK. I was impressed by how attentive the staff where — they were always available yet unobtrusive.
The green tea and miso soup with fine and on par with the other sushi restaurants that I have dinned at in Vancouver.
The sushi, however, is lacking. The quality of the fish is OK. The flavor did not «pop» and texture was mediocre. The various rolls were average. Also the price was high given the restaurants offering.

Tsunami is the where I ate my first sushi ever, way back in 1989, it must have been pretty good because I kept eating sushi but obviously, I had nothing to compare it to. Now I have eaten lots and lots of sushi and when I needed a break from shopping on Robson yesterday I stopped in.
I am not usually big on kaiten-​sushi, I eat it in Japan because it’s easier than faking my way through ordering from the waitress but the restaurant was really busy and the chefs were refilling those sushi boats very quickly. There were lots of nigiri choices including some more unusual ones like oysters and tobiko with quail egg. I had the scallop, bonito, and salmon nigiri and a dynamite roll. The scallop melted in my mouth, the salmon was obviously wild and very fresh and the bonito transported me back to Tokyo. Dynamite roll was great, I would have preferred it with avocado, but was thankful it didn’t seem to have mayonnaise on it.
Of course there are better sushi places in Vancouver, lots of them, but if you are downtown and have a craving you could do a lot worse than this! Oh, and I stuffed my face for $ 20. You can’t do that where I live!

I wish I had read some reviews before coming here. Normally I would check my Unilocal app on my iPhone, but ATT charges over $ 10 per megabyte for data roaming (insanely expensive)!
Anyway, the sushi was horrific. Some of the worst sushi I have ever eaten. The rice was cold and hard. The unagi was below average. The rolls were bad, it tasted like trimmings from a dozen different fish mashed up together. The hot tea tasted like dishwater.
Being from Texas, I expected some good sushi in BC, but was sorely disappointed here. At least I’m going back to Japan in the fall!

We used to be semi-​regulars. The sushi quality isn’t great, but it’s still better than the sushi places in our neighborhood. Finally, I got really bad food poisoning after dinner here. Never going back.

it’s been over a year since my visit…
service was weird, atmosphere could have been a lot better and the sushi just wasn’t the greatest.

Nasty! I work close by and wanted to meet a friend on my lunch break for sushi, so we thought we would hit up this place cuz we hadn’t been in a long time. Now I remember why.
The only thing this place has going for it, is the little sushi bar that you can sit at where little plates roll by on a conveyor belt and you pick off which one you think hasn’t been sitting there for two hours (or more.) It’s a pretty cute idea, and very much like traditional sushi places in Japan, but this place just isn’t busy enough to have that kind of thing work. I’m sure they get a rush of people on their lunch break at noon, who come in and are just in a hurry to eat, pay and leave, but for those of us who aren’t in a rush … those fishes on dirty dishes aren’t worth my riches.
I opted to order my stuff at a table so it would be fresh, however it seemed like they just pulled my order off of the a la carte conveyor anyways because it tasted so dry and disgusting. Even my lunch buddy was disgusted and he didn’t even finish what he ordered. I went back to work hungry and irritated, and I can honestly say I would never go back to this place, ever!

After a long obnoxious/​druken night at Republic, I was woken up by the sounds of my obnoxious somehow still drunk roommates which I wanted to strangle them for.
But it was best because it was our last day. I skipped their invitation to discover the city together and I had one thing in mind. SUSHI. I somehow found Robson st again and was ready to devour pounds of toro.
After passing over 10 japanese restaurants i was fooled by a sign which was sitting outside that read «best sushi of 2008 in ***** magazine.» me being the impatient hungover guy i was, I was sold…
My first impression once i stepped in was not great because it was mostly white folks. not being racist but a lot of people were ordering california rolls like it was free.
I would really like to reccomend the toro and salmon cuz to be honest with you, salmon is frequently taken and toro has to be requested in which these two nigiris are usually fresh.
oh btw, the customer service is fantastic. Maybe its just cuz they are canadians.

I used to be quite fond of this place — for the speed of service, convenience and the quality of the food for its price range. Three or four months ago, I would’ve rated this place four stars.
It still has a nice aesthetic. The light and airy feel and that it’s on a higher level means you don’t have to look out onto a busy street sidewalk.
The sushi on the boats on the moat is quite nice as well (so that you overlook the fact the sneeze screens aren’t quite big or low enough to screen the food from the patrons). My guess is that the attractiveness factor outweighted the hygiene and the owners decided not to employ plastic covers on the rotating food.
What I’ve found disappointing on recent visits is the quality of the food. I may have picked off times or the restaurant has gone into recession mode and seriously slimmed down the fish to rice ratio in its sushi. I used to rave about the thick slices of fish and the good value for money. On my last visit, most of the nigiri sushis had flimsy pieces of fish similar to those seen in cheap takeaways.
Perhaps everyone is cutting corners in these times. I imagine the alternative is in raising prices so I shouldn’t be too surprised

You’re out shopping on Robson, and you know all that retail can be a little tiring and cause an awful state of hunger after several hours… sushi is required!
Conveniently located in the middle of all the Robson Street goodliness is Tsunami Sushi. If your stilleto heeled feet can manage it walk up the flight of stairs, arms full of shopping bags to boot, and sit yourself down for some fantastic sushi!
They have the standard sushi selection, but what always impresses me is exactly how fast they get your selection to you. If you are like me, a focussed shopper who ignores hunger until your stomach grumbles at an embarassing decible, this is really important. What’s better is it is really good sushi at a good price… allowing you to return to your shopping happily full of delightful sushi, and it won’t wreck your bank account the way the shoppes will!

This is the only turn around sushi bar I know of in Vancouver. But it really is not worth a visit. I’m not entirely opposed to turn around sushi — with my fondest memory of one being near the fish market in Hachinohe, Japan where the fish was incredibly fresh and there was such high turn over that nothing sat on the conveyor too long.
Unfortunately Tsunami is the opposite. The items I saw did not look fresh, and I personally did not feel comfortable with the hygiene. I actually left without eating. I didn’t want to risk it. I am a huge fan of sushi, but I like raw fish to be handled with the utmost care before I put it into my body.
Out of curiosity I followed up and looked at the Vancouver Health website to see what they had to say at
Since they frequently remove bad reports after things get resolved, I thought I’d record some of the findings here from their December 9^th inspection:
— Flies are seen throughout the premise
— Sanitation of the premise is poor
— Employees should not be working with food items if they are have a gastro intestinal illness
— Sushi chef dropped knife on the floor and rinsed it off with water
— The soap at the hand washing stations in the sushi bar do not pump the soap
— Several mouse holes were observed and a open gap at the side of the walkin freezer.
— A gap is located along the side of the walkin freezer which allows mouse to access the food prep area.
— Staff are storing personal items (example boots) next to food and dishware.
— Some shelves being used are bare wood and soaking in the oils.
Their December 15^th follow-​up included this little addition:
— Mouse droppings were seen on the floor around shelving units. A live mouse was observed under/​behind the deteriorated shelving units.
Suffice to say I won’t be returning anytime soon. I hope they clean up their act.

Two words: Sushi Boats. A stupid gimmick but left me amazed.
I went around 8:30 in the evening and during the 30 minutes or so I was there, there was no new sushi that was added to the boats. While the boats are on water, you can imagine that the sushi doesn’t stay very fresh.
All in all the sushi isn’t bad, it isn’t great but isn’t bad. It gets the fourth star purely because it sold my favorite piece of sushi which is inari or a bean curd that looks like a football

After a hard day’s grouse grind, (a diabolical local hike) we decided to go out and get a nice healthy dinner. I was worried that sushi might not be filling enough, but with avocado rolls only $ 2.75, a veggie can really fill up here. I had the inari/​unari, gomae, and miso to start. The gomae was surprisingly good — spinach-​covered rolls in a bed of sesame paste. Our server was sweet and friendly, but it did take a while to get our check, which seemed to be confusion on the restaurant’s part, not on hers.
We ended up sitting outside, even though the sushi boat would have been fun, watching the sun set and listening to the sounds from street performers below and the seagulls above. (apparently the gulls have good taste in sushi, but they didn’t bother us) ;-)

While I didn’t get to see the little fishies go by on the itty bitty boats, I was able to sit outside, stuff my face properly full of protein and drink ¾ of a bottle of cold sake. That my friend, is a good night.
We got there early enough– where getting seating outside on a gorgeous night was possible. After a grueling day of physical exertion, I had no qualms about chowing down in front of the veggie boyfriend.
The miso was great, but I missed the bits of tofu I’ve had in others. The spicy tuna was healthier than most I’ve had –no mayo. The unagi was great, fat and tasty. Our server was sweet and the joint did get jumping towards the end of our meal.
We were starving and it managed to satiate our appetite. Even the vegetarian fare was decent. The veggie rolls, the avocado roll and the most delicious spinach appetizer with peanut sauce really made the meal. for my man.
I’m glad I read up on Tsunami and stopped in for dinner. I love the novelty of a sushi boat, but this time, I behaved myself and opted for what my wallet could handle, instead of my greedy waist. Which, in the end, made for a much better night of drinking to follow.

I tried going to another restaurant for lunch but it was closed… walking around Robson Street I was starving and decided to see if Tsunami was open and it was. Yay!
I am usually wary of restaurants with the boats — the rice can dry out if it’s been going around and around for and hour. Instead of taking dishes from the boats I ordered everything from the sushi chef.
Toro was good… not great, but most importantly, cheap! At least it was before our dollar went downhill. Uni was also fresh and glistening — better than the toro. Everything was solid but nothing stood out.
Service is efficient and a good place to go for a late lunch.

one of the few sushi restaurants in vancouver to feature a miniature «water canal» with boats floating by and carrying your favorite sushi to pick and choose from. this place is a total novelty and great for the sushi beginners.
years ago i visited a friend and she took me here for dinner and i was pretty much a newbie when it came to sushi. i have to say it was pretty darn good back then. this is the first place i ever had spider roll and i was so scared to put that weird looking thing in my mouth. WOW! i fell in love immediately and it’s always on my table whenever i get sushi.
these days there are so many options out there but i got to come back for the memories. it’s a really cool place but a little to pricey for me but oh well eh!