Akiyo and Nathan Lowey opened Dosanko restaurant in July of 2017. Located at 566 Powell Street, Dosanko serves a selection of home-style, seasonally inspired yōshoku and classic Hokkaido plates with an emphasis on fresh housemade ingredients and a mottainai or “no waste” philosophy. With Akiyo’s experience with authentic Japanese cooking and Nathan’s formal culinary training, the duo opened Dosanko to share their passion and food with the world.

What inspired you to open this restaurant?

My husband and chef, Nathan, has over 15 years of experience specializing in French and Italian cuisine. He mentioned that one day he wanted to open a restaurant, but we didn’t know what kind of restaurant. I made homestyle Japanese meals, and posted photos of the meals on social media, and people started to ask where they could get this food. Nathan said that it tasted like it was made by the Japanese grandmother he never had. That inspired us to open a Japanese homestyle restaurant. 

Why did you choose to open your restaurant in Strathcona?

We looked at other areas in Vancouver, but the space here was ready to move into and we liked the space. Everywhere else in Vancouver was also very expensive. There is a lot of Japanese history on Powell Street, so it feels right to have our restaurant in this area. 

What are the main opportunities and challenges being located in Strathcona?

Most of the time it’s pretty good around here. The people around here care about each other and watch out for each other. We are pretty centrally located – not quite downtown, but central enough that a lot of people can access us easily. It’s hard to get this kind of space downtown. But there are still challenges in the area. 

How do you interact with the surrounding community?

We try to be kind to everyone and encourage people to be kind to others. When we moved in here, we didn’t want to be a snotty restaurant that moved into the area. We are a part of this community just as much as everyone else here is.

Last summer the restaurant had to close for several months due to a building fire. What kind of support did you receive from the community?

We had a lot of support from the community. A friend of ours gave us the idea to start a GoFundMe fundraiser where we were able to raise $10,000 for our staff. We sponsored our staff for working visas so we used that money to pay our staff during our closure. The support from the community helped a lot. 

Is there anything you want the community to know about you that they might not know?

On Tuesday nights we have Jazz nights, where we have live Jazz musicians play during dinner service. (Check Dosanko’s website for more information and dates) 

Visit Dosanko Restaurant for amazing authentic food and a great atmosphere.  Located at 566 Powell St.