Sushi On: Hidden gem sushi spot in Burnaby

I know the term “hidden gem” gets thrown around a lot from foodies, but I try my best not to call a restaurant this unless I truly think they are underappreciated. And today I bring to you a spot I truly think is a hidden gem and I am not gatekeeping it any longer 🤫 … Sushi On!

Sushi On has 3 locations: Port Coquitlam, Burnaby and Surrey. The Burnaby location has a 4.8 star rating with 1,400+ reviews. I honestly don’t even know why it took me so long to try this place out considering it’s not far from where I live 🤯. They are not a fancy or upscale Japanese restaurant – more casual and classic like your regular Sushi Town or Sushi Oyama or Sushi Garden… except better!

Here are some of the things I’ve tried and my usual go-to orders.

Sushi On
7617 Edmonds St, Burnaby, BC V3N 1B6

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The vibe

Sushi On has a pretty decent interior imo. The space is large but the tables are quite spaced out and they don’t have smaller seating for just tables of 2. I think if they re-arrange their table layout and offer more 2-person seating, they can actually seat more people.

The space is well lit with a lot of light wooden divider details. Chairs are comfy with either wooden chairs with plush seating or booth seating, and table space is also spacious.

The parking is a little limited but it’s free and you can find other free street parking around the area.

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Food review

Prices are listed in CAD and rounded to the nearest dollar for simplicity.

Salmon sashimi ($16 for 5pcs/$21 for 8pcs)

The first menu item that really blew me over and I knew I was going to enjoy my meal was as simple as it can be – just regular ol’ salmon sashimi.

BC has amazing salmon so you can get pretty good salmon sashimi at many sushi restaurants, but what stood out for me was how thick the slices are at Sushi On 🤩! Every bite of this was fatty and fresh – so yummy and with bigger portions than most sushi spots. For the price and quality, I think it’s super worth it.

Magma roll ($14)

Sushi On has over 40 rolls for you to choose from, but our favourite so far has been this magma roll. This roll is drizzled with spicy mayo and teriyaki sauce. Inside, there’s avocado and crab meat and on top, there is a mountain of seared chopped scallop and masago.

Again, we think for the price point, this is really worth it, especially for the amount of chopped scallop you get! Each piece is a burst of flavour 🥰 and it’s also quite filling.

Crispy tuna volcano ($9 for 3 pcs)

This little appetizer caught our attention the first time we visited. The crispy tuna volcano has seared spicy tuna on rectangles of crispy rice. We like crispy rice so we ordered 6 to make it kind of like a roll.

While it was yummy, we did feel the rice to tuna ratio was a bit off – the crispy rice was a lot and it can be spicy. After ordering it the first time, we haven’t ordered it again.

Nigiri ($3-5 each)

Looking at their individual sushi list, prices are not too bad since everything is under $5. In terms of what we like to eat and also what we think is the most worth it, we usually order the following nigiri:

• Toro ($3.95)
• Aburi salmon ($3.50)
• Chopped scallop ($3.50) – but if we order the magma roll, we usually don’t order this because the roll comes with a lot of chopped scallop already!
• Ikura ($4.25) – we like to order this and add some ikura onto our other items
• Hamachi ($3.95) – really worth it! Prices for hamachi have been increasing steadily

The nigiri are all fresh and again, I find it a little bit bigger than other restaurants. The slices of fish are on the thicker side!

Appetizer tempura ($11)

If we are craving something deep-fried or we just want to add on something at the end to round up our meal, the appetizer tempura is a solid choice. It comes with 2 prawn, 2 yam and 2 vegetable tempura. Everything is fried well and not that oily.

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Final thoughts

Loewe’s rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sushi On is fast becoming one of my favourite local spots for simple and affordable sushi 😍. And judging by how busy the restaurant is on weekdays, I feel a lot of neighbourhood folks also really like to come here.

For a reasonable price point, all of their sashimi, sushi and rolls are fresh, generous portions and good quality! I highly recommend their regular sashimi, nigiri sushi and to try one of their many special rolls. Since sushi usually travels well, I also gather their takeout will be good.

Service is also quite attentive for how busy it can get sometimes.

Make sure you check this place out if you are in the area!

Sincerely, Loewe