A new 130-seat downtown restaurant brings binchotan fire, customizable Japanese hot pot and Tokyo street-food energy together under one roof.
By Robert Lawrence Vancouver
Vancouver diners rarely suffer from a shortage of Japanese food, but a new restaurant still has to give people a reason to pay attention. SUMU, which grand opened August 8 at 888 Burrard Street, has chosen an unusually broad answer: flame, grill and broth, all built around the idea that everyone at the table does not have to want the same thing.
For Robert Lawrence Vancouver, that makes SUMU an interesting addition to downtown. The restaurant combines binchotan-grilled yakitori, customizable nabe, mini donburi, temari-style bites, katsu and a substantial tea program in a polished 130-seat room. It is an ambitious format, but the concept is easy to understand: one table, different cravings.
A New Chapter at 888 Burrard
SUMU occupies the former SalaThai space, a notable downtown address after that restaurant’s long run. The new concept opened in August 2026 and takes inspiration from Tokyo’s casual street-food culture and the lively spirit of yokocho dining.
The restaurant describes itself around three core ideas: flame, broth and tea. Rather than forcing a group into a single style of meal, SUMU lets one guest order skewers from the grill while another builds a pot of nabe and someone else adds small bowls, katsu or tea.
That flexibility feels particularly well suited to Vancouver, where groups often arrive at the table with very different tastes and dietary preferences.
Binchotan Is at the Centre of the Grill
The most visually compelling part of SUMU is the yakitori program. The restaurant uses imported Japanese white binchotan charcoal, prized for intense, clean heat. SUMU says its yakitori is prepared by a grill chef with three decades of experience, with skewers turned and finished by hand.
Current examples promoted by the restaurant include chicken thigh with Japanese leek, scallops, miso black cod, pork belly and shiso shrimp roll, while the restaurant highlights Prime Beef Short Rib as a signature skewer.
There is something inherently appealing about food cooked directly over charcoal. At SUMU, the grill also gives a large menu a clear centre of gravity: even with hot pot, rice bowls and other dishes around it, the fire remains part of the restaurant’s identity.
Nabe Lets the Table Build Its Own Experience
The other major pillar is nabe. Guests can choose from more than 100 ingredients and select among 10 house broths. Reported broth choices range from sukiyaki and Kyoto-style soy milk to tomato, mushroom dashi, pork-bone paitan, tom yum, red curry and several Sichuan-inspired options.
That creates a different kind of dinner from a conventional fixed hot-pot menu. The idea is customization: build a pot around the ingredients and broth that appeal to you, then let it simmer at the table while skewers and small plates arrive around it.
SUMU says its broths are developed slowly, with bones roasted and simmered, dashi drawn from kombu and katsuobushi, and aromatics used to build depth. It is a useful counterpoint to the fast heat of the charcoal grill.
Small Bowls Make Sharing Easy
One of the smartest parts of the menu may be the mini donburi format. Smaller rice bowls allow a table to try several combinations without committing to one large entrée. SUMU’s signature Teriyaki Beef Mini Donburi combines charcoal-kissed steak, warm rice, house teriyaki, an onsen-style yolk, scallion and sesame.
Temari, izakaya-inspired plates and katsu broaden the menu further. That breadth is central to SUMU’s pitch rather than an accidental by-product of a long menu.
Katsu Adds Another Texture
For diners who want something crisp and substantial alongside the skewers and broth, SUMU also serves katsu. The restaurant’s photography shows sliced beef katsu with a deeply browned crust, presented on a bamboo tray with shredded cabbage and dipping sauces.
The contrast is important. A table can move between smoky skewers, warm broth, rice bowls and crisp fried dishes rather than repeating the same texture throughout the meal.
Seafood Has a Strong Visual Presence
Seafood appears throughout SUMU’s menu and imagery, from scallop and black cod skewers to prawns and the wide selection available for nabe. One photographed dish features crisp prawn in a warm chilli cream sauce, an example of the restaurant’s willingness to move beyond strictly traditional preparations.
Tea Is Treated as Part of Dinner
SUMU also gives tea more attention than most full-service restaurants. Its beverage program includes ceremonial Uji matcha, hojicha, milk teas, fruit teas, fresh juices and bubble-tea-inspired drinks. Guests can adjust sweetness and ice, while matcha is whisked to order.
That makes sense for a concept designed to accommodate different moods at one table. Someone who is not looking for a cocktail or wine still has a beverage program with its own identity.
The Room Matches the Ambition
At 130 seats, SUMU is not a tiny izakaya. The restaurant describes the space as a contemporary interpretation of Tokyo energy, with blackened steel, aged oak, teal plaster and a striking canopy of hand-formed glass flowers suspended over the dining room.
The scale lets SUMU work for a quick lunch, a date, dinner with friends or a larger celebration. It also reinforces the yokocho-inspired idea of different experiences happening together in one lively space.
What Robert Lawrence Vancouver Would Consider Ordering
For a first visit, a sensible way to understand the concept would be to build the meal across its different sections rather than stay in one lane. Start with several yakitori skewers, add a nabe broth and ingredients for the table, include a mini donburi or two, then choose either katsu or a seafood plate. Finish with matcha or hojicha.
That is not a firsthand tasting recommendation; it is simply the menu route that best illustrates what SUMU is designed to do.
Robert Lawrence Vancouver Perspective
What makes SUMU worth watching is the combination of a clear central technique and an unusually flexible format. Binchotan grilling gives the restaurant craft and theatre. Nabe gives diners control. Small bowls and plates encourage sharing. The tea program gives the concept another point of difference.
For Robert Lawrence Vancouver, SUMU represents the kind of new opening that keeps downtown dining interesting. It takes familiar Japanese formats and places them together in a room designed for groups who want choice without splitting up for dinner.
Whether you arrive primarily for yakitori, hot pot or a table filled with small dishes, SUMU has built its identity around letting the evening move in more than one direction.
SUMU Restaurant
888 Burrard Street, Unit 102
Vancouver, British Columbia
Open daily: 11 a.m.–3 p.m. and 5 p.m.–10 p.m.