Restaurant in Vancouver, Canada
Vancouver's hardest yakitori reservation. Book early.

Sumibiyaki Arashi is the hardest reservation in Vancouver right now, and it earns that status. Chef Pete Ho's 14-seat Mount Pleasant counter serves a multicourse yakitori omakase — heritage breed chicken grilled over binchotan, seasoned with a decades-old tare — that delivers a level of technical precision rarely found at this format. Book well ahead; walk-ins are not realistic.
If you want to understand what Vancouver's counter-dining scene is capable of, Sumibiyaki Arashi is the reservation to make. Chef Pete Ho's 14-seat Mount Pleasant room is where a multicourse omakase built around charcoal-grilled chicken skewers quietly became the hardest table in the city to secure. For a special occasion where the food needs to do the work, book here before you look anywhere else.
Fourteen seats is not a gimmick — it is the architecture of the experience. At a counter this size, the kitchen is the room. You are watching every skewer come off the binchotan grill, which means the spatial relationship between diner and cook is closer here than at almost any comparable venue in Vancouver. There are no tables competing for attention, no ambient noise from a dining room behind you. The format is focused to the point of being meditative, which makes it a genuinely strong choice for a date or celebration where the evening itself should feel considered rather than incidental.
That intimacy also has practical consequences. A 14-seat room fills completely on any given service, and there is no casual overflow. If you are hoping to walk in, this is not the venue for it.
The omakase at Arashi moves through a multicourse format that uses the skewer as its anchor but does not restrict itself to it. Dishes like red crab chawanmushi with yuzu and crispy tofu with sweet soy provide counterpoint to the grill work, giving the meal range without losing its identity. The centerpiece remains the chicken: heritage breed birds, sourced specifically for this kitchen, butchered with evident care, and seasoned in part with a tare that has been maintained over decades. That tare is worth pausing on — it is one of the concrete markers of a kitchen that is operating with a level of intention you do not often find at this price tier.
The skewer progression covers both familiar and less conventional cuts. Crispy-skinned breast and thigh sit alongside chicken oysters and heart, and the kitchen's handling of each piece demonstrates real technical range. The results read as simple on the plate but are the product of precise technique , which is exactly what casual excellence looks like when it is done well. For context, this is the same discipline that drives the leading yakitori counters in Tokyo, applied to a 14-seat room on East Broadway.
Vancouver has a genuinely strong Japanese dining scene. Masayoshi and Okeya Kyujiro operate in the omakase tier with different focal points , sushi and kaiseki respectively , while Sushi Masuda and Sushi Bar Maumi cover the higher end of the nigiri format. Octopus Garden handles a broader Japanese menu at a different price point. Arashi sits apart from all of them because its specialisation is narrow and its execution within that specialisation is unusually high. If grilled chicken is the focus, there is no direct competitor in the city doing this at this level.
For Canadian comparison context, the closest analogue in ambition and format is Kaiseki Yu-zen Hashimoto in Toronto , a similarly intimate counter where the gap between apparent simplicity and actual craft is the entire point. If you have eaten at Alo in Toronto or Tanière³ in Quebec City and found the format works for you, Arashi will feel like a natural fit.
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| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sumibiyaki Arashi | $$$$ · Japanese | With this understated 14-seat Mount Pleasant counter, Chef Pete Ho has ushered in a new gold standard of yakitori to Vancouver. The multicourse omakase spans dishes like red crab chawanmushi with yuzu, or crispy, delicately fried tofu accented with sweet soy, but the centerpiece of the menu is meticulously prepared skewers of chicken grilled over binchotan coals. Combining specially sourced heritage breed birds, skillful butchery, masterful seasoning (including with a special tare maintained over decades) and brilliant use of the grill, the results are uncomplicated yet profound. From impeccably cooked crisp-skinned breast and thigh to less conventional cuts like chicken “oysters” and heart, each piece is revelatory—no wonder it’s the most hotly in-demand reservation in town. | Easy | — | |
| Kissa Tanto | $$$$ · Fusion | $$$$ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| AnnaLena | $$$$ · Contemporary | $$$$ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Masayoshi | $$$$ · Japanese | $$$$ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| iDen & QuanJuDe Beijing Duck House | $$$$ · Chinese | $$$$ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Published on Main | $$$ · Contemporary | $$$ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
There is no menu to choose from — Chef Pete Ho's omakase decides for you. The binchotan-grilled chicken skewers are the centrepiece, with cuts ranging from breast and thigh to lesser-used pieces like chicken oysters and heart. Dishes like red crab chawanmushi with yuzu appear as supporting courses. The skewers, seasoned with a tare maintained over decades, are the reason to come.
Book as far in advance as possible — Arashi is described as the most in-demand reservation in Vancouver, and at 14 seats, availability disappears fast. Treat this like a Michelin-level omakase in terms of lead time: a month or more ahead is a reasonable starting point. Do not expect to walk in.
This is a counter-only, multicourse omakase — you surrender the menu and follow Chef Pete Ho's format for the evening. The 14-seat room means the kitchen is directly in front of you the entire time. Arashi is not a casual drop-in yakitori spot; it is a structured, intimate dining experience built around chicken grilled over binchotan coals.
Yes — the fixed omakase format, intimate counter setting, and the restaurant's reputation as Vancouver's most sought-after yakitori booking make it a natural fit for a celebration or anniversary dinner. The experience has a clear beginning and end, which suits occasions where the meal itself is the event. Confirm your booking lead time; missing the reservation window is the main risk.
For Japanese omakase with a different focus, Masayoshi runs a sushi-led counter format and operates at a comparable tier. Okeya Kyujiro is another omakase option worth knowing. If you want chef-driven tasting menus outside the Japanese category, Published on Main and AnnaLena both deliver multicourse formats with serious kitchen credentials. Kissa Tanto is the best comparison for intimate counter dining with a strong culinary point of view, though its focus is Italian-Japanese.
The counter seats 14 in total, so larger groups are difficult. A party of four or five could potentially be seated together if timing and availability align, but this is not a venue designed for big celebrations. For groups of six or more, you will likely need to split across multiple bookings or choose a different format.
Counter-only seating makes solo dining genuinely comfortable here — you have a direct sightline to the kitchen and the full omakase experience without needing a companion. At 14 seats, a solo diner is not an afterthought. If solo counter dining appeals to you, Arashi is among the better-suited venues in Vancouver for it.
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