Restaurant in Vancouver, Canada
Book it. Michelin-starred omakase, counter seats required.
Masayoshi holds a Michelin star and an OAD top-300 North America ranking for its Edomae-style omakase rooted in British Columbia seafood. Chef Masayoshi Baba's counter on Fraser Street is one of Vancouver's hardest reservations to land — book four to six weeks out, request the counter, and plan for a $$$$ spend across Tuesday-to-Saturday dinner service only.
Masayoshi is the strongest argument for Edomae-style omakase in Vancouver right now. Chef Masayoshi Baba holds a Michelin star (2024) and an Opinionated About Dining ranking of #286 in North America (2025), and the food earns both. If you are deciding between this and Sushi Masuda or Okeya Kyujiro, Masayoshi is the pick when you want a chef whose sourcing is rooted in British Columbia's own waters rather than imported Japanese product. Book it. Do it soon, because tables are hard to get.
The restaurant is on Fraser Street, not in a neighbourhood that announces itself as a fine-dining corridor. That address matters: it signals a kitchen that built its reputation on the plate rather than on proximity to hotel lobbies or Yaletown foot traffic. When you walk in, the counter is the room's centrepiece, and the counter is where you want to be. Watching Chef Baba work through the courses from a metre away is the whole point of the format, and the Edomae tradition he practises rewards that proximity.
The cooking is technically precise in ways that distinguish it from most North American omakase. Edomae nigiri is not merely about fresh fish placed on seasoned rice. It involves curing, marinating, and ageing techniques that require a chef to make deliberate decisions about each piece hours before service. Baba applies those methods to locally caught British Columbia fish, which is a specific and considered choice. The result is a tasting arc that feels genuinely rooted in place rather than transplanted wholesale from Tokyo. Among the courses that have been documented publicly, standouts include chilled uni with junsai, mountain yam, crab, and tomato dashi gel to open; sea bass folded over wakame; steamed monkfish in a tart broth; and abalone cooked to a consistency described as soft as pudding. Those dishes show a kitchen that understands how to move through temperature, texture, and intensity across a meal rather than front-loading impact and fading.
If you have been once and sat at a table, your next visit should be at the counter. The difference is not in the food itself but in the pacing, the interaction, and the ability to watch the rice work happen in real time. Edomae nigiri at this level is as much craft to observe as it is food to eat. Counter seats are allocated first when reservations open, so request one explicitly when you book.
For context on where Masayoshi sits in the broader Canadian fine-dining conversation: it competes directly with Kaiseki Yu-zen Hashimoto in Toronto for the title of most technically rigorous Japanese tasting experience in the country. It sits in a different register from destination-tasting-menu restaurants like Alo in Toronto or Tanière³ in Quebec City, which operate in a French-influenced contemporary idiom. For seafood precision in the Western Canadian context, the closest international comparison point is Le Bernardin in New York City, not in style but in the seriousness with which the kitchen treats the primary ingredient.
Within Vancouver's Japanese dining tier, Sushi Bar Maumi and Sumibiyaki Arashi offer different Japanese formats at the high end, and Octopus Garden serves as a reference point for more accessible sushi in the city. Masayoshi operates at the leading of that tier by credential and by the specificity of its technique.
Booking difficulty is rated hard. The restaurant opens Tuesday through Saturday, 6 PM to 10 PM only, with no lunch service and no weekend brunch option. That means five services per week against significant demand for a small counter. Plan to book at least three to four weeks ahead as a baseline. If you are targeting a specific date, such as an anniversary or a visitor's one-night window in Vancouver, extend that to six weeks. Walk-in availability is not something to rely on at this price point and format. Contact the restaurant directly to ask about counter seat allocation when you reserve.
The price range is $$$$ across the board, consistent with a Michelin-starred omakase format. If the budget requires a compromise, Published on Main at $$$ delivers serious contemporary cooking at a lower price point, though it is a different cuisine category entirely.
For a broader view of what Vancouver's dining scene offers at this tier, see our full Vancouver restaurants guide. For planning the rest of a trip, our Vancouver hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide cover the surrounding context. BC wine drinkers should also check our Vancouver wineries guide for what to explore before or after the meal.
Quick reference: Michelin 1 Star (2024) · OAD #286 North America (2025) · $$$$ · Tue–Sat, 6–10 PM · Closed Sun–Mon · Book 4–6 weeks out · Counter seats preferred · Hard to book.
You do not order at Masayoshi — it is a chef's omakase, meaning Chef Baba sets the menu based on what British Columbia's waters are producing that week. The documented highlights include chilled uni with junsai, mountain yam, crab, and tomato dashi gel; sea bass over wakame; steamed monkfish in a tart broth; and abalone cooked until soft. The counter gives you the full experience of watching each course prepared. If you have a strong preference for a particular fish or a hard aversion, mention it at the time of booking.
Yes, at the $$$$ price point, Masayoshi delivers Michelin-starred Edomae omakase using locally sourced BC fish — that combination is hard to find anywhere in Canada. The 2025 OAD ranking of #286 in North America puts it in credible company. If you are weighing this against a $$$$ contemporary dinner at AnnaLena or Kissa Tanto, Masayoshi is the stronger choice if Japanese technique and seafood precision are the priority. If you want a more interactive or celebratory atmosphere, the others may suit better.
Request a counter seat when you book , it is a meaningfully different experience from the four tables. The format is omakase, so arrive hungry and allow two to two-and-a-half hours. The restaurant is on Fraser Street, outside Vancouver's central dining clusters, so factor in transit time. Service is Tuesday through Saturday evenings only; there is no lunch. Book at least three to four weeks ahead. At $$$$ per head, this is a considered spend , make sure omakase is the format you want before committing, and see our Vancouver restaurants guide if you are still comparing options.
The menu is seafood-forward omakase, which means guests with shellfish allergies or fish restrictions face a significant challenge. Contact the restaurant directly before booking to discuss your specific needs. Phone and online booking details are not publicly listed in this record, so reaching out via any contact method on the restaurant's own channels is the safest path. Do not assume the kitchen can accommodate a restriction without confirming in advance , omakase menus are planned around a fixed sequence of ingredients.
Masayoshi does not serve lunch. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday, 6 PM to 10 PM only, with no daytime service. If you are looking for a Michelin-level Japanese lunch option in Vancouver, you will need to look at other venues. For dinner, earlier in the week (Tuesday or Wednesday) may offer slightly more flexibility on reservation availability than Friday or Saturday, though all nights are in demand.
No dress code is formally published for Masayoshi, but a Michelin-starred omakase at $$$$ commands smart-casual at minimum. In practice, guests at this price point in Vancouver tend to dress up. Avoid anything that would read as underdressed at a serious restaurant , think the equivalent of what you would wear to a tasting menu dinner at Kissa Tanto or Published on Main. There is no upside to testing the lower limit of acceptability at this tier.
It is one of the better solo dining options in Vancouver's fine-dining tier. The counter format is well-suited to a single diner , you are engaged with the chef and the progression of courses throughout the meal rather than holding a two-leading conversation. Solo diners should book early, as single counter seats can be easier to secure than a pair on a specific date. The $$$$ price range applies regardless of party size, so solo dining here is still a material spend, but the format justifies it.
The restaurant has four tables in addition to the counter, which gives some capacity for small groups. Larger parties are harder to accommodate at an omakase counter format, and there is no confirmed private dining room in the available data. For a group of four to six, request the tables and book well in advance , six to eight weeks for a party. Groups larger than six should contact the restaurant directly to discuss feasibility. If the group size requires a more flexible setting, iDen & QuanJuDe Beijing Duck House at $$$$ handles larger parties more naturally by format.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masayoshi | Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in North America Ranked #286 (2025); Chef Masayoshi Baba brings Japan's luxurious, jewel-box sushi counters to Vancouver with this eponymous restaurant. The best seats are always at the counter, and guests seated there are in for a treat as the chef ceremoniously crafts each course. Fret not if you're seated at one of the four tables though, as the meal will be equally enjoyable. Chef Baba lets British Columbia's bounty guide this omakase, spotlighting locally sourced fish in his Edomae-style nigiri. But first, a chilled dish of uni, junsai, mountain yam, crab and tomato dashi gel starts things off. Supple sea bass folded over snappy wakame; steamed monkfish in a tart broth; and abalone rendered soft as pudding—it's one hit after the next.; Michelin 1 Star (2024); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in North America Recommended (2023) | $$$$ | — |
| AnnaLena | Michelin 1 Star | $$$$ | — |
| iDen & QuanJuDe Beijing Duck House | Michelin 1 Star | $$$$ | — |
| Kissa Tanto | Michelin 1 Star | $$$$ | — |
| Published on Main | Michelin 1 Star | $$$ | — |
| Sushi Masuda | Michelin 1 Star | $$$$ | — |
Comparing your options in Vancouver for this tier.
There are no à la carte options — the kitchen runs a single omakase menu, so the question is really about the seat you book. The counter is the format to choose: Chef Masayoshi Baba presents each course directly in front of you, which changes how the meal lands. Based on OAD reviewer descriptions, expect Edomae-style nigiri built around BC-sourced fish, alongside cooked courses before the nigiri sequence begins.
At the $$$$ price point, yes — provided omakase is the format you want. Masayoshi holds a Michelin star (2024) and ranked #286 on Opinionated About Dining's North America list in 2025, which puts it in documented company at this price level in Vancouver. If you prefer to order à la carte or want flexibility mid-meal, this isn't the right room; the format is fixed and the kitchen sets the pace.
The restaurant is on Fraser Street, not in a neighbourhood associated with fine dining, so don't let the address create doubt. Service runs Tuesday through Saturday, 6 PM to 10 PM only — no lunch, no Sunday or Monday sittings. Booking is hard to secure, so plan several weeks ahead. Counter seats deliver the most direct interaction with Chef Baba's work; the four tables are a solid alternative but a different experience.
Specific dietary accommodation policies are not documented in the available venue data. For an omakase format at this price level, contacting the restaurant directly before booking is the practical step — restrictions that affect the fish-forward menu structure are worth flagging well in advance, not on the night.
Dinner is your only option. Masayoshi operates Tuesday through Saturday from 6 PM to 10 PM exclusively — there is no lunch service. Plan accordingly when building your Vancouver itinerary.
The venue data doesn't specify a dress code, but a Michelin-starred omakase counter at $$$$ pricing in Vancouver typically calls for smart, understated clothing. Treat it like a formal dinner: avoid casual sportswear. If you're unsure, err toward business casual — it's a counter-seat experience where you're in close proximity to the chef.
Counter seating makes Masayoshi a genuinely good solo option. Chef Baba works directly in front of counter guests, and the paced omakase format removes the social pressure of choosing dishes or filling conversation gaps. Solo diners at omakase counters often get more direct interaction with the kitchen than larger parties do — this format suits one person well.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
