Sai Woo

Very lovely décor with the super friendly staff (Thank you Alicia for all the great recommendations and making the dining experience fun and lively!). It has a modern chic vibe with Asian inspired décor & fusion dishes. It’s located on East Pender in downtown, close to East Hastings & Chinatown, so the area is a little sketchy, but the restaurant itself is very comfortable with a casual & relaxing atmosphere. Food/drink presentation was amazing overall. I was very impressed overall, and the flavour combinations were amazing. My order: Galbi Fettuccine: You HAVE to try the Galbi Fettuccine (with truffle cream sauce & oyster king mushrooms). The Korean-fusion styled Galbi meatballs were delicious and slightly sweet. I loved this so much, I would come back just to order this one dish. Comes with some Asian greens/vegi’s as well. Very filling too. Sun Yet Sen Garden (Vegan): This was a super flavourful and filling vegan dish with grilled gai-lan, baked potato, pickled beets & roasted sunchokes. It was my first time trying sunchokes and it’s so good. Lot’s of textures in the dish too, so I enjoyed it a lot even though I’m a meat lover. Dim Sum (Pork): I’d pass on this, as it was quite mediocre. It’s basically pork dumplings, nothing special. Beef Amuse Tartare: small and cute (bite-size). A little bland in terms of flavour/sauce, but the beef was very soft & tender. Presentation was beautiful and delicate on the tiny spoon, with lots of little details and arrangements. 10/10 for effort. Orenji Passion (Aperol, passionfruit): my favourite drink out of the 2 as I’m a fan of Aperol. This drink was sparkling as well, so it was very refreshing and easy to drink. Sai Woo Sour (Gin, Bitters & Strawberry): super strong drink, and definitely for gin lovers. Not a very strong strawberry flavour, so I’d say it tasted very strongly of gin with a subtly/muted fruit aftertaste.

What an amazing restaurant In the heart of old Vancouver Chinatown on Pender street. From the cosy ambiance to the culinary vision of Korean Chef Han, and the premier signature cocktails crafted by Chelsea and Dylan. Everything stands out. I love how Chef Han adapted his home traditions to make them accessible to Canadians, it’s definitely a win. I suggest you try the Asian Paella for main course, the Sai Toast for desert, and try any of the delicious appies. They also offer a wine pairing if you order the Chef menu of 7 courses (Minimum 2 pax) for seven courses, there’s also a vegetarian option. And let the bar prepare you suggested pairing with your dishes for $40. They also have a room on basement to host parties and can make it more a night club if you wanna celebrate in style. It’s definitely the kind of place you wanna bring your date on or a large group of friends to spend quality time in style. Korean food is just incredible at this location +++++

This place gets five stars and if there was an option to give more, I would. For starters, you walk and immediately you are struck by the decor, you don’t expect that from the outside. For food we did the chefs menu ($50/person) minimum two. I would say it was an excellent deal as we got more than we bargained for! I wish the sai woo chicken was also part of the menu but if ordering individual entrees the chicken is a must. The cocktail menu is noteworthy, the Sai Woo sour is a must try. Overall this is a must try Asian-fusion cuisine. Chef de Han knows what he is doing!! A special shout out to the “Galbi Meatball Pasta” was my favourite.

Nice resto lounge vibe. Good food for either snacking or having a full Entrée. Nice mix of house cocktails as well. A bit on the pricier side though for the appetizers.

If you come here for drinks, you can't really go wrong. They have a fantastic cocktail and drink menu. The food is decent. I enjoyed the amuse tartares (for individual) and the crispy Sai Woo spice chicken. As a main I got the galbi meatball pasta which was nice and creamy but the meatballs were too sweet and didn't complement the dish. My partner got the flat iron steak and although nothing was wrong with the steak itself, the dish wasn't filling enough to be advertised as a main (pictured). I would recommend getting more appies first if you want that as a main, or a starchier dish.

First time trying out this place, I have to say food are delicious. I missed the dine out, but thankfully Sai Woo extended it for another week, so friends and I had a chance to go and try it. Great asian fusion place with lots of cocktails! I enjoyed everything except the Paella - mussel weren’t very fresh and taste wise - I’ve had better. Fried chicken and fried rice were all very flavorful. The server we had was awesome, she knows the menu, knows what to recommend, service a bit slow though, I think they need more people especially Friday and weekend. The soju was different than the typical korean ones I’ve had, very smooth! I will definitely go back and try other stuff that’s on the menu.

This was my second visit to Sami Woo, and I wasn’t disappointed at all. Sai Woo is a unique and one of the oldest restaurants in Vancouver. I think history and modern touches really work there now. It almost feels like this is my most favourite restaurant in Vancouver. You will agree with me with the photos below. The service is incredible, the food was excellent, great cocktails and wine collection. I would definitely go back, and I will highly recommend this fantastic restaurant for you to try and you won't be disappointed!!

Came here for the first time during dine out. I've always heard mixed reviews about this place but have always been intrigued to try it out for myself. The dine out menu consisted of a choice of 3 appetizers, 3 mains, and 2 desserts. I came here with a friend and ordered different things to try more of the menu. 2 out of the 3 mains were rice dishes. The portions were generous to my surprise! The reason why I gave this 4 stars is not that I don't think it is worth coming. I believe that the food was yummy and the atmosphere alone is worth the visit. I feel like I should come back and try out the rest of their menu to give it more of a fair rating. The service was good, and the food came quickly. (Probably because it was the dine out menu) I will definitely come back to try this place again. The parking situation is street parking if you're lucky. We got the chicken salad and beef tartar as starters, duck rice and truffle fried rice.