Tojo's Restaurant

Tojo's Restaurant occupies a singular place in North American Japanese-food history. Chef Hidekazu Tojo opened the original Tojo's on West Broadway in 1988 (the current location has been the 1133 West Broadway address for the relevant long run) and is widely credited as the inventor of the inside-out California Roll — a dish he created in the 1970s as a way to ease North American diners into nigiri-rice-and-seaweed sushi. He was among the first North American sushi chefs to popularize the omakase format where diners sit at the counter and the chef feeds them chef-selection courses rather than ordering from a menu.

The dinner format is primarily omakase-led, with seasonal multi-course menus using a mix of imported Japanese and Pacific-coast BC ingredients. Chef Tojo has received a Order of the Rising Sun from the Government of Japan — one of the highest civilian decorations in Japanese cultural honours — recognizing his contribution to Japanese food culture abroad. The restaurant has received consistent Vancouver-press best-of nominations for 30+ years running.

Hours are dinner-only, Tuesday through Saturday, 5 pm to 10 pm (10:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays). Sunday and Monday closed. Reservations are essential via OpenTable and often need to be booked 2–4 weeks out for the counter omakase. Walk-in seating at non-counter tables is sometimes possible on weekday early dinners.

This is a destination-dinner restaurant with destination pricing — expect $250–400 per head for omakase with drinks and service. For travellers visiting Vancouver who want a single Japanese dinner that's both historically significant and still contemporarily excellent, Tojo's is the pick.