Ryuko West - Japanese Kitchen Bar

The service at this restaurant was exceptionally attentive and warm. All the dining options were distinct and delicious, each with its own unique appeal. The ambiance was excellent—though the place was fully occupied, the clever layout kept the noise level pleasantly low. We had a wonderful experience at Ryoku West! The staff greeted us promptly with bright, cheerful smiles. The restaurant features an open kitchen design, with the counter wrapped by bar seating. It was a delight to witness and catch the aromas of the bustling activity behind the counter. The food was both flavorful and comforting. You could truly sense their strict standards for ingredients—the use of high-quality, fresh components resulted in deeply satisfying dishes! Will definitely be back! :)

Such a great dining experience! We tried a variety of dishes, including the udon with tempura, katsu set, and one of their specialty rolls, everything was fresh, well-balanced, and beautifully presented. The roll was especially delicious with its crispy topping and flavorful sauce. The udon broth was light and comforting, and the katsu was perfectly crispy on the outside and tender inside. Service was very friendly and attentive, and the overall atmosphere was calm and inviting. A comfortable place to enjoy good Japanese food with family. Definitely coming back!

Had a great experience at Ryoku West! Staff welcomed us attentively and with a warm happy smiles. They have an open kitchen concept with a bar wrapping around it. It was nice to see and smell the action behind the counters. The food was delicious and comforting. I felt the ingredients they used were high quality and fresh resulting in tasty dishes! Definitely would come again :)

We've been to the south location many times, but this was our first visit to the West shop. We came for the weekend Omakase. Just as a pre-note, our experience with most Omakase in Calgary has been neutral to negative, mostly the latter. It seems to be mostly uninspired, non seasonal dishes served to an unsuspecting, inexperienced Calgtary audience at outrageous prices. (See some of my previous reviews). Today at Ryuko West, it was a very good experience. There was a mixture of textures, temperatures, techniques and serving styles across a variety of dishes, mostly prepared by and served to each guest by chef Taira. All the guests were seated at he bar and could observe and interact with the chef. Fun! Food: Appy was a piece of marinated Tuna (little rough but delicious), a grilled piece of Gindara Saikyoyaki (10/10), and a simple Chawan Mushi (wonderful texture with a layer of thickened dashi on top). Really nice combo of contrasts. The sushi started with Hamachi, Maguro, both good, not surprising. The spot prawn that followed was an eyeopener, garnished with sea salt and lemon. Winner! Maybe the best piece of sushi all year. The piece of Makizushi that followed was the only real disappointment. Nori was mush to the point that chef couldn't cut it properly and we couldn't pick it up to eat it. I think one of his team prepped it far too early. Too bad. The Toro-temaki was perfect: crispy, seasoned well. The simple grilled Hotate scallop was perfectly cooked, butter seasoned and nori-wrapped in a fun way. The ricebomb was just that, a flavor/texture bomb. Fish, raw duck egg, pickles, black tobiko. Creamy, crunchy, pop'y. Kind of thing we just don't see often in Calgary. Delicious too. The tiramisu was a great conclusion, uniquely topped with Matcha powder. Even with the couple of misses, we were impressed that chef could pull this all out for 10 guests in under an hour, and for $50. Very worthwhile. Nice job chef! We learned something too, that each location of Ryuko has a slightly different menu, curated by their local chef. With that in mind, we will soon try the Omakase at the south location to see how it reflects the chef.

Been wanted to try Ryuko since their first restaurant opened but never got a chance, finally decided to go to celebrate my wife’s birthday. Drink, I tried the yuzu lager, quite refreshing and I quite like it. My wife got the “Memories of Kaede”, she really likes it, it has a really strong whisky taste and a slight hokicha taste. Food, Surf & Turf roll(6pcs, we ate two before photo ). Looks good, tastes good but I could not taste the wagyu at all, it’s definitely there as you can see in the photo. I can taste the avocado, the shrimp and the sauce, but not the wagyu beef. Udon with ebi katsu, ebi katsu is standard, nothing to write home about, udon I find a little bit on the south side, the broth we really like Kaisen Don, we like it a lot, sashimi is fresh and we love it, especially hamachi and scallop. We ordered 2 nigiri on the side, seared hamachi and seared tuna toro nigiri. They are ok, not too many Japanese restaurants in Calgary offers seared sushi. Atmosphere/service, nicely decorated restaurant, servers are friendly. Will we go again? If we are craving for nigiri, yes. If we crave for other Japanese dishes, udon, katsu and such, I believe there are better options in Calgary. It's still a very good restaurant, I believe I have hyped myself too much because I have heard so many good things.

Love the food here! All the fish was fresh and tasty. The interior and service was very good. The carpaccio was delicious, it had a nice acidity to it and the pieces of fish were pretty big. Also really enjoyed the nigiris and agedashi tofu. I probably won’t get the beef oshizushi again, since it wasn’t my personal style but others might love it. The dessert was a great combination of crunch, creamy but still pretty light and fresh. Will definitely be back to try other menu items along with the ones I enjoyed this visit.

Ryuko was absolutely incredible. We went for my husband’s birthday and it truly felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. From the moment we were greeted, the service was flawless - our server was warm, attentive, and never let our water glasses get close to half empty. Chef John Lee’s hand roll was unlike anything I’ve ever tasted, and Chef Jun Young Park’s nigiri was unforgettable. He even walked us to the door at the end of the night to say thank you and goodnight, which made the evening feel even more special. We did the dinner reserve omakase ($210), and it was worth every single dollar. This is the kind of place that makes any celebration feel even more meaningful. We’re already looking forward to our next visit.

Been to here for few times and they never disappointed us. Love their sashimi the most as they tasted so fresh and all were “thick-cut” lol The interior is cozy with excellent servers. Definitely recommend dining here , reservation is always recommended as you won’t have luck if you walk-in.