The sushi chain that ate up most of my high school allowance is about to plant a second flag downtown.
Sushi California is building a new location on Seymour Street, right on the ground floor of the VSO School of Music building across from the Hmart on Robson Street.
We have been watching this unit for a while now and the renovation finally looks close to done.
A peek through the glass shows a space that is way schmancier than the Sushi California I grew up with.
Textured white stone walls, arched niches with wall sconces, a curved wood-slat counter, and black marble tile running floor to ceiling.
The ceiling even drops into a big curved bulkhead over the service area, and there is a twisted-branch art piece set right into that stone wall.
Booths and banquettes are already in, the chairs are still stacked on the tables, and there were ladders out when we walked by.
Every time we have passed, the space looked a little further along, and it has now crossed into looking nearly finished.
There is no signage up yet, and the chain just added the address onto our website.
For anyone who did not grow up here, Sushi California is one of those names most locals just know.
It is the spot for decent, affordable sushi rolls when the group chat cannot agree on anything fancier.
I have lost count of how many post-class dinners I had there through high school and university, and the spicy salmon sashimi was ALWAYS on the table.
The W Broadway shop has anchored the corner at Broadway and Yukon since 2014.
The chain now counts seven locations across Metro Vancouver, stretching from Vancouver out to Coquitlam, Surrey, and Langley.
Downtown, though, has only had one, the Melville Street shop.
A Seymour Street unit would double that downtown footprint in one move.
It is a smart block for it too, with office lunch crowds on weekdays and Orpheum show traffic at night to keep those new booths busy.
No opening date yet, and nothing official from the chain, so file this one under keep-an-eye-on-it.
We will update as soon as signage or an announcement lands.
Sushi California Seymour joins other upcoming Vancouver food spots like Eggslut on Alberni Street, Rosalia Osteria in Yaletown, and Honest to Pete downtown.
For more new and upcoming food spots in Metro Vancouver, take a peek at our tracker here, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
Address: 827 Seymour Street, Vancouver, BC