Restaurant

Kissa Tanto

Name: Kissa Tanto
Address: 263 E Pender St, Vancouver, BC, V6A 1T8, CA
Telephone: (778) 379-8078
Price range: moderate

Italian•Vancouver•moderate•Check restaurant site

MICHELIN ★

Kissa Tanto is one of the best italian restaurants in Vancouver for date night, especially if you want a strong option in Vancouver.

Kissa Tanto is the Bao Bei team's Japanese-Italian restaurant in Vancouver's Chinatown, and by most serious accounts one of the more conceptually coherent fusion projects in the country.

Editorial review updated•Jul 28, 2026

Kissa Tanto is the Bao Bei team's Japanese-Italian restaurant in Vancouver's Chinatown, and by most serious accounts one of the more conceptually coherent fusion projects in the country. The premise — Japanese ingredient sensibility applied to Italian structural logic — reads like a pitch that could collapse into gimmickry. That it apparently hasn't is the central fact worth understanding before you book. The room is described consistently as intimate and dark-warm, designed for a slower, occasion-weighted evening rather than a rapid turn. The dishes that have built the restaurant's reputation are worth naming specifically. The koji butter pasta is the one that appears most reliably in critical accounts: koji-fermented butter carries the kind of layered umami that fermentation produces, applied to fresh pasta with a reported restraint that lets the single technique justify the course rather than crowd it. The hiramasa crudo is the other anchor — hiramasa being a Pacific yellowtail that holds up to the precision cutting and acidic dressing the kitchen is known for, the result positioned as distinctly coastal rather than a transplanted Japanese or Italian reference point. The seasonal fresh pasta and Pacific seafood antipasto round out what diners and critics frequently identify as the menu's Italian skeleton dressed in Japanese ingredient thinking. Kissa Tanto holds a Michelin distinction and carries a mid-to-upper price point consistent with a tasting-menu-adjacent experience, though it operates as an à la carte room. Reservations are competitive — booking well in advance is a practical necessity, not a suggestion. If the occasion calls for a restaurant that has developed a specific culinary identity over time rather than a broad one, this is where that argument is being made in Vancouver.

Giovanni Ricci, Italian Food Editor

In our guides:6 Best Fine Dining in Vancouver6 Best Date-Night Restaurants in Vancouver8 Best Italian Restaurants in Vancouver

Methodology•Vancouver guides•Editorial team•Report outdated information

Date Night Chinatown dinner lunch dinner historic cool

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Michelin ★

Taste Score 9.8/10

Rating (Google) 9.0

1,721 reviews

Vancouver

At a glance

The fastest read on whether this place fits tonight.

9.8/10

Taste Score

Google 9.0 from 1,721 reviews

Michelin

MICHELIN ★

Best for

Date Night and dinner

Price and pace

moderate | Check restaurant site

Neighborhood

Vancouver | 263 E Pender St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1T8, Canada

Hours

Check restaurant site

Price

moderate

Taste Score

9.8/10

Phone

(778) 379-8078

Inside the restaurant

Photos of Kissa Tanto

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TastyPals Editorial Pick

TastyPals Editors

“Kissa Tanto is worth putting on the shortlist for Esquimalt Vino Miele Limoncello and Casamigos Blanco Tequila—the two orders to build a first visit around.”

As featured in6 Best Fine Dining in Vancouver →

Menu and ordering

Kissa Tanto menu: what to order

Kissa Tanto is listed in the moderate price range. Check the restaurant's current menu for available dishes and prices. Menus, availability, and prices can change, so confirm current details before visiting.

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Why go

What makes Kissa Tanto worth the move

Kissa Tanto is a strong italian option in Vancouver when you want somewhere that already has a solid public track record. Esquimalt Vino Miele Limoncello and Casamigos Blanco Tequila also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.0 rating across 1,721 Google reviews.

What to know fast

Public rating

9.0 from 1,721 Google reviews

Best for

Date Night and dinner

Style

Italian in Vancouver

Spend

moderate | Check restaurant site

Best for

Date Night Chinatown dinner lunch dinner historic cool

Know before you go

Google rating: 9.0 from 1,721 reviews

Price point: moderate

Popular dishes: Esquimalt Vino Miele Limoncello, Casamigos Blanco Tequila, Hibiki Harmony Japanese Whisky

Website linked on this page

TastyPals Reviews

What diners are saying

0 diner reviews · reviewed by TastyPals Team for Kissa Tanto

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Google snapshot

9.0 from 1,721 reviews

TastyPals notes

Editorial review by TastyPals Team

No diner notes for Kissa Tanto yet.

There's a small ceremony to eating here that most Vancouver hot pot rooms skip: the cloisonné copper pots, the charcoal glowing underneath, the sense that dinner is an event rather than a transaction.

group dinnerdinnerhot pot

2726 reviews

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Plan the visit

Quick details

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Address: 263 E Pender St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1T8, Canada
Phone: (778) 379-8078
Price: moderate
TastyPals score: 9.8/10
Hours: Check restaurant site
Google rating: 9.0 (1,721 reviews)
Cuisine: Italian
Michelin: MICHELIN ★
Neighborhood: Vancouver

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Frequently asked questions

What cuisine does Kissa Tanto serve?

Kissa Tanto is a Italian restaurant located in Vancouver, Vancouver. Kissa Tanto is the Bao Bei team's Japanese-Italian restaurant in Vancouver's Chinatown, and by most serious accounts one of the more conceptually coherent fusion projects in the country.

What is Kissa Tanto best for?

Kissa Tanto is best for date night, chinatown dinner, lunch, dinner, historic, cool. Kissa Tanto is a strong italian option in Vancouver when you want somewhere that already has a solid public track record. Esquimalt Vino Miele Limoncello and Casamigos Blanco Tequila also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.0 rating across 1,721 Google reviews.

How much does it cost to eat at Kissa Tanto?

Kissa Tanto is in the moderate price range (moderate). Google rating: 9.0 from 1,721 reviews

Is Kissa Tanto worth visiting?

Kissa Tanto holds a 9.0 Google rating from 1,721 reviews. Kissa Tanto is a strong italian option in Vancouver when you want somewhere that already has a solid public track record. Esquimalt Vino Miele Limoncello and Casamigos Blanco Tequila also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.0 rating across 1,721 Google reviews.

Where is Kissa Tanto located?

Kissa Tanto is located at 263 E Pender St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1T8, Canada. Directions are available via Google Maps.

What are Kissa Tanto's hours?

Kissa Tanto's listed hours are Check restaurant site. We recommend checking directly before visiting as hours may vary on holidays.

Does Kissa Tanto take reservations?

Yes, Kissa Tanto accepts reservations. You can book a table online through their reservations page.

Is Kissa Tanto good for a date night?

Yes — Kissa Tanto is tagged for date night dining. Kissa Tanto is a strong italian option in Vancouver when you want somewhere that already has a solid public track record. Esquimalt Vino Miele Limoncello and Casamigos Blanco Tequila also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.0 rating across 1,721 Google reviews.

Explore more in Vancouver

Best Italian Restaurants in VancouverMore italian spots worth comparing.6 Best Fine Dining in VancouverKissa Tanto appears in this TastyPals guide.6 Best Date-Night Restaurants in VancouverKissa Tanto appears in this TastyPals guide.Best New Openings in VancouverSource-checked recent openings worth knowing now.

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