Drinking and Eating at Vancouver Izakayas

A raucous crawl through Japanese small-plates-and-beer joints. (By Lessley Anderson)

Sozai is a real Japanese pub with creative flair. (By Cicely Wedgeworth)

Perfectly executed Japanese at the Open Door. (By C. Thi Nguyen)

Turns out the restaurant’s just as talented with the grilled, baked, and fried pub fare as it is with sushi. (By C. Thi Nguyen)

It’s not cheap, but Kan Yuzen is the best izakaya around, says gachimai, who places it miles ahead of places like Honda-ya. (By Cicely Wedgeworth)

Japan: Land of "I Ate What?"

An Atlantic blog contributor accidentally tried some whale in Japan. Bad news for his conscience, but good fodder for us. (By James Norton)

At Shin Okinawa Izakaya. (By C. Thi Nguyen)

Greasy, spicy izakaya fare at Hamakaze. (By C. Thi Nguyen)

Home-style chow for drinking at Kappa. (By Mark Hokoda)

Yakitori, ramen, and Japanese pub food. (By Cicely Wedgeworth)

Sagami launches a new izakaya menu. (By C. Thi Nguyen)

Nami Nami an izakaya-style restaurant, the kind of place to drink sake or beer and eat Japanese drinking snacks, which are some of the best bar food in the world. (By C. Thi Nguyen)

The gargantuan restaurant’s yakitori shows flashes of brilliance, although the traditional sushi disappoints. (By Cicely Wedgeworth)

Chika specializes in Japanese Western-style food, like meat sauce pasta. And they do it well. Mushroom (kinoko) pasta is better than any Wendy_san tasted in Japan, with noodles cooked perfectly al dente. ... (By C. Thi Nguyen)

Here’s a hound-worthy brunch bite at Park Slope’s Sakura Cafe: ebi-tama, a nicely seasoned, well-made omelette with a few shrimp inside. (By C. Thi Nguyen)