Uchida Eatery / Shokudo

This store is only open 4 days a week, 3 hours a day, anyway, WED-SAT at noon in the DT area LUNCH TIME have the opportunity not to miss ah Japanese cafeteria style, not a lot of choices, but each are Japanese people seriously do, the whole atmosphere is very Japanese family style, the meal is mainly a simple, the taste of the original!
sashimi donburi island is one of the best, sashimi super super fresh, rice quality is also extremely high, the balance of seasoning is particularly good, salty and light suitable, even mustard are extremely fresh and delicious!
The miso soup was also excellent, not the chickeny presence of other Japanese restaurants (of course so they confidently sell a small bowl for $4 I think, but still recommended!)
vegetable salad even meat-eaters such as me are very favorite (vegetables are a Japanese farm on the island UMI NAMI FARM fresh delivery), love natto friends say natto is also very tasty (but the first two days to go to the temporary absence)
The disadvantage is that the portion is also very "authentic", very Japanese, a meal is not very top full ...... but its own pricing and quality and other Japanese restaurants LUNCH SPECIAL compared to, still value for money!

We ordered the last order of their special (Rockfish Collars) only 15 minutes after opening. They had already run out of salmon and mackerel sushi. Packed! Portions were good and everything was deliciously fresh. My party also got the miso soup which was alright (4/5), and the tuna don (4.5/5).

Donburi was amazing, with very fresh sashimi and generous portion at that. They served local kombucha - light, tasty and refreshing!

A small restaurant with limited hours but worth seeking out! We were lucky to be the last customers allowed in on the day we went. The food was delicious and very nicely prepared and served. Highly recommended!

We happened upon this take out only Japanese eatery by happenstance while walking to the bug zoo - the classic wood sign and hole in the wall atmosphere immediately drew our attention and I placed online orders for our food. We stopped by a little before our pickup time and saw the chef painstakingly preparing each of our dishes with attention to detail. We were amazed by how beautiful the presentation was when we opened up our take out containers and the taste was incredible. The fresh fish melted in our mouths and was on par with market fresh sashimi in Japan. The price was extremely reasonable for the quality. Would love to come back and support this amazing restaurant again next time we're in Victoria!

Really cute, charming Japanese place with hole in the wall vibes but high quality. Maybe cause it's a bit tucked away. The area it's in is nice though, there's a little courtyard with semi benches you can eat nearby. I tried the assorted sashimi plate and grilled mackerel. The mackerel was so tender and steaming hot and easy to tear, yum. The sashimi was good, I really liked the seaweed on the rice. Bonus points to the owner who was apologetic about not having enough rice and giving extra fish instead. He was so sweet.

Was super excited to try this place because of the good reviews, but overall was fairly unimpressed.
Quick version: small space, good food but nothing amazing, a little pricey for their small dishes and they sell out FAST. Not sure I'd come back, but if you're in the area and arriving early, not a bad place to eat. I would skip this place if you arrive more than 30-45 minutes after opening.
Long version: I arrived here on a Monday morning at around 11:20am and three or four of their six tables were already taken and seats quickly filled up after that. They were kind enough to let me sit at a table for 4 without the rest of my party being present yet. I made the mistake of not ordering the toro immediately and within 5 minutes it had sold out. Thankfully, another party left and my group of 6 people was able to commandeer the corner booth with the help of the very kind guy behind the counter.
We tried their tuna don, salmon don, chicken teriyaki don, green bean side (special of the day with sesame), grilled mackerel, hako sushi with mackerel (salmon was sold out), chicken wings, and rockfish collar. In all of this there were no real wow dishes and I was a little annoyed about the wings and the collar. The "wings" are actually one wing, one neck, and one chicken butt, which are very cheap cuts with minimal meat on them (a neck has almost no meat at all). The rockfish collar for $14 (or $12? I forget) was not just the tender neck meat, but was the head, so again minimal protein, mostly bone. This seemed a high price for a very cheap cut of fish that was not filling. The mackerel sushi was completely uninspired. The bowls / dons were fairly small and not very filling. The best part of the meal was the small portion of green beans, which mixed with black sesame and were very tasty.
Service is relatively fast.
I emphasize again, they sell out FAST. By the time we finished eating (maybe 12:30pm), they had sold out of everything except for the salmon don, chicken teriyaki don, and green beans.

A friend of mine was told by her Japanese friend this is the best Japanese restaurant in Victoria.
We went there on Tuesday 13:30, only a few people in there, no waiting time. I was a bit disappointed that they don't have ramen, very few choices( 3 or 4 different Don, sushi, miso soup, etc)I had Tuna Don, onsen egg and tea. I didn't like the rice. It is not as chewy as sushi rice I had before so I didn't finish it even it's just small portion. However, the Tuna was really good!!! You don't really chew it, It's melting in your mouth. I wish they put more Tuna on the rice. I'm not going back as there's not much to choose.

Finally was in Victoria at the right timing to try this Shokudo!
The photos and the reviews had given me an inkling that this would be a superb authentic Japanese Eatery. I was not disappointed. The food here is a true pure Japanese cuisine, not "a Japanese restaurant" abroad.

We ordered a grilled mackerel, a croquet of the day made with kabocha pumpkin, mackerel hako sushi, Daily special which was a miso grilled rockfish, and miso soups.
They were all superb. Both grilled fish were perfectly grilled, tender not over cooked, kabocha croquet was huge and with delicious bark miso sauce, mackerel sushi was absolutely amazing. And miso soup was very good with real strong stock.

My Canadian husband who has visited Japan many times when I visit my family there, said "OMG! This is like back in Japan!" Well the ambience and the delicately prepared food are both authentic!
It is a bold and courageous move as a restaurant owner to limit the menu to the select few as this restaurant does. But it works here as they seem to use only the best ingredients and the each dish is inspired.

We have moved to Nanaimo from Vancouver, and are delighted to find this true gem here in Victoria. I think that this is the best Japanese restaurant in Victoria. We look forward to your daily special at our next visit.

Do go early. When we arrived today, Friday, at the restaurant 10 minutes before their opening, there was already another couple waiting in front of the restaurant, and in 30 minutes, all the tables were full.

I haven't been to Japan yet, however, this cozy, petit, cute, semi hidden gem made me feel in one of those Antony Bourdain episodes.

It took me several attempts to finally find Uchida open (Mon-Sat from 11- 2). My advice: arrive before 12 if you want to catch the specials, they erase those words pretty soon...

Since the place is always busy, you'll need to be patient once you pay and are given a number with your tray (10 min waiting aprox). You won't care about time once you're indulging.

There is a bar with water for you to auto hydrate. I'd order the roasted green tea if I were you!

The miso soup is deliciously tick, it simply tastes stronger than in other places.

I had a miso salad with extremely fresh and crunchy veggies. A perfect appetizer that closed my first meal in there with a golden ribbon: the grilled mackerel!!! Won't try to describe the juiciness and smokey flavour, just have it.

The second time we were waiting at the door at 11:00 3:) We picked our table, were 2nd to pay, had everything on stock. I ordered that day's special: Mapo tofu Don. Such a good combination of ingredients, so glad I wasn't one of the ppl who was told they ran out of the special!!!

I though to go today again... it was 2:15 already... :(