I've had some of the best sushi in Charlotte here, originating at the South Park location and then in Ballantyne as well. Excellent specialty options and everything I've ever tasted has been delectable. Quick service, excellent food and always reliable. read more

On the tail end of my NC trip, my friend and I were looking for Sushi. The spot we both really wanted was closed which is how we ended up here at Yama. Parking was really easy. And FREE. Pretty good size shopping plaza and it's a standalone building. Don't have to walk thru the plaza dealing with people. Park and walk right in. For me, service is what made it just an OK experience. It was a little late for dinner but the restaurant was still open. I understand the side work for closing as I've been in the field before but if you have a table, it should be a focus on the guests not the other way around. There was a mix up on the bill and the annoyance on her face seemed as if she felt it was my fault. But she did fix the issue almost seeming begrudgingly. I'll also mention that I had to flag down other staff for refills, as well as the bill. And you know how it goes - one thing is off and it makes for a forgettable experience. But I will say that dinner was fine. See pics. Can't complain about prices or portions but when I was annoyed, I was just eating to eat. I don't know anyone out here whose tastes for Sushi/Sashimi aligns with mine so it's hard to say whether I'd go back or not. First, obviously I don't live there and second, more places I'd probably want to try before I go back for service like I experienced that night. But it's probably not likely read more

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Food was delicious. Service was great. Drinks also great. Would've given 5 stars but the bathroom was an atrocity. read more

Yama - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I had a positive dining experience at Yama. I ordered the teriyaki steak - it was tender and flavorful - and also the Naruto, which was a sushi roll wrapped in cucumber instead of rice--a low-carb option that I really appreciated! Everyone else in my group was also happy with their dishes. Two had sushi and one had the chicken teriyaki - only one of our group got dessert: a green tea cheesecake. I do wish they offered more fancy cocktail options and I also I wish that a few menu items had that "wow" factor (for instance, the other YAMA location in Southpark has a big sushi love boat on the menu). That being said, the drinks and menu they have are perfectly fine. The place is clean and tastefully decorated. Service was friendly and efficient, making the overall experience even better. read more

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Sushi and service in one place, who could expect more! Fish was tasty and fresh, menu diverse and easy to digest. Sat at sushi bar and enjoyed the view. read more

I was a little put off by the long wait despite seeing several empty tables. Ended up sitting at the bar (which was packed) but the service was still good. The bartender was alone trying to serve everyone at the bar plus make drinks for the whole restaurant which I thought was ridiculous but she still did a nice job. All of the sushi was excellent as were the spring rolls! I tried two cocktails and both were tasty. The prices were very fair and the experience overall was good! read more

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Great food, great drinks, and an overall enjoyable dining experience. We really loved the sake and sushi -- everything tasted fresh and high quality. The ambiance was stylish and welcoming, making it a nice spot to relax and enjoy a meal. Even though it's a busy location, the service was fast, efficient, and attentive. Our waitress was friendly and made excellent drink recommendations that we ended up loving. There was no wait when we arrived on a Saturday afternoon, and the portion sizes were generous for the price. We left satisfied and impressed. We would definitely return and recommend it to anyone looking for fresh sushi, good drinks, and a great dining vibe. read more

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We've only been here twice, but there's nothing bad i can say about this place. We had the same waitress both times; Allison/ Alli was friendly, she knew the menu & she was attentive to us. We live in Columbia but WILL TRAVEL FOR GOOD FOOD! And right now it's our favorite sushi spot in Charlotte. read more

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This was a favorite in our family. We have been many times. We went for lunch today and were unable to order a side of steak for our daughter (only thing she will eat) so we asked for the check for our drinks and apps to go somewhere else. Not enough to leave a bad review but then as we got up from our table my 8 year old said she wanted a mint. The hostess almost knocked her over to get to the host stand before her to take the mint bowl down to keep her from getting one. She acted like she was refilling it but it was completely full. I sent my daughter outside and asked if we could please have one to avoid a meltdown and she handed me an empty wrapper. I said this is empty and she handed me another. As soon as we walked out she put the bowl back in the counter. read more

Across the street from my company's office, went here for lunch with the team. Place was busy but got seated right away and service was quick. Had the bento box lunch special which included shrimp tempura and veggies, gyoza, California roll, soup, and salad. Good value for the amount of food. Overall food is good! read more

Yama - Bento Box C with shrimp tempura - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I've been a couple of times in the last month or so and each time was great. On time I had the sushi/sashimi combination platter and the other I had just sashimi. Every bite was melt in your mouth good. Service is excellent. read more

Wonderful food, drinks and service was great!! I surely enjoyed it and look forward to returning!!!

We visited Yama sushi as a last minute decision and were 100% pleased from start to finish. We were greeted and seated immediately and the Server and Staff were Excellent. Food was fresh and served quickly. Prices were low and the menu had a large variety of options. Highly recommend read more

Food was absolutely amazing Best sushi in Charlotte area I've had since moving here from Los Angeles. Highly recommend read more

Yama - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Came here with a friend for dinner on a Sunday night. They were pretty busy and notified us that it would be a 30-minute wait for a table or immediate seating at the sushi bar, so we opted for the sushi bar. Unlike mini sushi bars, this one is well-spaced with great comfortable chairs. The ambiance is much like any other sushi restaurant with few notable decorative enhancements. We were promptly acknowledged by our server, who was friendly and gave terrific suggestions. For drinks, we ordered the blushing geisha and the Tokyo Mue. We both enjoyed our drinks, and they were strong. We started our meal with the gyoza, which came out quickly, was served piping hot and was very flavorful. We each ordered one sushi roll. I got the Naughty Akami, which was delicious and a great mixture of textures and flavors with exceptional culinary execution. The other roles on the menu didn't seem as complex, which I tend to go for when looking for a particular roll. I was still a bit hungry after the roll, and ordered the calamari, which also came out promptly, and we were piping hot season and well portioned. The only criticism I'd have is that it was all rings and no tentacles which I'm not as much of a fan of but it was still really good. All in all, we had a great experience, and I will definitely return . read more

Food and service is amazing!! I love sitting at the bar, the bartender is my girl and she makes an amazing Lychee Martini! read more

Yama - Lychee Martini - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I defiantly would like more flavor in the food and maybe shouldn't have ordered tempura style veggies. I envisioned something else in mind and the batter on the veggies filled me very fast. I ended up giving up on the veggies and went for my sushi roll which was delicious. I love Sake and the bartender recommended a nice smooth one for us. I will go check out other locations in town. read more

Yama - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Fantastic sushi at a great price. We had the chefs selection, which is a nice touch. We weren't sure what we were eating, but the fish melted in our mouth. Highly recommend. read more

We came here for lunch on a Friday and it was decently busy. They have a patio, but unfortunately, they only put a few tables out there even though it's mostly empty and there is plenty of space for more. This seems like an odd choice when there is nice weather and there's a pandemic that makes eating outside safer. We ate inside since the few tables outside were full when we got there. Three of us split: - Snow Roll - Lobster Roll - Totoro Roll - Naughty Akami Roll I really enjoyed the Lobster Roll and Totoro Roll. The Naughty Akami Roll was pretty good too. The Snow Roll was pretty boring to me. The fish was fresh though. The sushi rolls were pretty small. If you're looking for a light lunch this would work, but we were all hungry after we left. read more

Yama - Snow Roll, Lobster Roll, Totoro Roll, Naughty Akami Roll | Instagram: @telephonesmoothie - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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: average food, slightly overpriced entrees, modern ambience, un-noteworthy service. I've been to the Waverly Yama three times: the first time, I was fairly impressed with their Spider Roll, the star being the fried soft-shell crab. There was size pieces of sushi, which made for a light lunch. I enjoyed the fragrant chunks of fried crab and the crunchy batter. If I hadn't come back, I would've given it 4/5 stars. The second time I went, I was extremely disappointed by the stir-fried chicken udon: it was ~$20 and so salty I couldn't finish the dish. The dish felt really oily overall and gave me acid reflux for the next hour. The spider roll portion was also significantly smaller. We also got hamachi kama (yellowtail collar) for an appetizer. The fish was tender and well-fried, but not worth $18. The third time, I got a Totoro roll. It tasted good and was decently portioned. Was it worth $18? Meh. Sushi is expensive, so it's expected. Overall, wouldn't go out of my way to eat here, but am not opposed to it either. read more

Yama - hamachi kama -- $18 - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

My wife and I tried four of Yama's specialty sushi rolls: Snow roll, Lobster roll, Totoro roll and Naughty Akami roll . I would highly recommend ordering the Totoro roll and the lobster roll. If I had to pick just one I would suggest the Totoro roll. The interior is beautiful and modern. The outdoor patio is nice but small. If you want to eat outside, I would suggest placing a reservation. When my wife and I came for lunch on a Friday, all outdoors seats were already taken. read more

Yama - Left to right: Snow, Lobster, Totoro, Naughty Akami - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Bartender Aaron is an Amazing bartender!!!! He suggested King crab nigiri , salmon belly ... this is the best I ever had . There's an off menu special that he ordered and I highly recommend it ! It's tuna on top of a light and crispy Korean pancakes. Filet mignon was soo good it melted in my mouth . Will definitely be back w friends for the top tier service at the bar & quality of the food read more

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Great amazing food. The inside is pleasant and welcoming. One of my favorite places to eat. Deserves 5 stars.

I revisited with a friend for an early lunch today...and here's the deal. As always, I loved the clean, open ambiance of this place...and as expected, the service was on point. This time, I ordered their Brussel Sprouts and Tori Kara-Age for appetizers... then the Lobster Roll. My favorite was the Brussel Sprouts...it was possibly the tastiest Brussel Sprouts I've ever had. SO Good!! Tori Kara-Age was good too, but I hoped that it'd be a tad crispier. Now I must fess up the biggest disappointment...in their Lobster Roll. First of all, they were out of the black caviar, so they replaced it with red caviar. The least they could have done was give me a decent amount of the red caviar...but nope. If you look at the picture of their Lobster Roll in Yelp, I had maybe one third of the caviar in mine. The roll in itself was rather small...8 small rolls. Plus, they just didn't taste too great. For a 20-dollar roll, it was a HUGE disappointment. If they were at least a tad more generous with the caviar (and I would have preferred their usual black caviar at that!), I could have let this go...but honestly, I felt ripped off by the end of it. My friend ordered a 15-piece Sashimi Plate...and she seemed to enjoy it. Although I'm more into Nigiri and Sushi Rolls, her raw fish plate did look quite snazzy. Loved the stylish dish presentation! As much as Iove this restaurant (as you can see from many 5-star reviews before today!), I must lower it to at least a 3 for today's under-served Lobster Roll. For me, at least, it just wasn't worth 20 bucks. It just didn't taste too good...and again, the skimpy sprinkle of red caviar sure didn't help! At least I loved their Brussel Sprouts...so it wasn't all a loss. I'll probably revisit, and hopefully I won't feel so ripped next time? read more

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Bright airy modern Japanese Sushi bar. Dropped in right at open time 5pm to beat the crowd. Wait staff and managers were pleasant and inviting. Diverse menu including appetizers, soup/salad, Teriyaki grill, and Sushi rolls. Started with the Gyoza dumplings and Korean Short Ribs (Kalbi). We ordered the Waverly, Morrison, and the Magic rolls. All were delicious, the Morrison in particular comes with filet mignon on top and this could have been more seasoned. A separate entree of Teriyaki Steak with veggies was also ordered. This dish was a crowd pleasing as well. Glad to have finally tried Yama. We will definitely keep this as an dining option in our rotation. We noticed they have Bento box lunch specials that look worth checking out next time. read more

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This was my first visit to this location, and I would say that it wasn't as good as their other location. Maybe it was an off day, but I'm not sure. They weren't too busy, so I would have expected a bit better. Our server (I don't remember her name, sorry) was fantastic though! We were seated quickly and got our drinks and apps quickly (those were tasty!). Unfortunately once we received our sushi, that's where I could tell the difference. The taste was good, but the execution was not. The rolls were not staying together and just fell apart. The quality of the fish (nigiri) didn't seem to be as the same quality or standard of the other location as well. We do consider ourselves a bit of sushi buffs and frequent sushi spots often. This location is near family (which we went with), and I'm more than happy to give it another try (it was my husband's third trip and he felt the same way each time), because maybe it was an off visit. I will give an update after my next time. We didn't feel anything was under par where we needed to speak to a manager, either. read more

Best and freshest sushi in Charlotte! Blue fin tuna and all of the many other sushi specialties shipped in fresh! No other sushi place has it this fresh period! Definitely get the crispy Brussels Sprouts! read more

Friendly lunch service and a delicious specialty roll! Everything was fresh and tasty. Ginger salad was plentiful and crunchy, Brussels were next level with the soy glaze, and my friend and I each loved our rolls. read more

My husband and I were in the area for a doctor's appointment, and this place was in my saved folder for a while. Our server was very sweet and pretty soft spoken. I asked for his opinion on which lunch special box to order. We ordered two hand rolls: One salmon skin roll and one eel roll. Both were great, but the salmon skin was definitely the winner here. The eel was little cold for my liking. I ordered the bento box with tempura. The shrimp was delicious - nice and crispy but also a good size! All of the veggies were good. One thing that I really enjoyed was the salad - Usually I am not a fan of the ginger dressing, but theirs was really light and fresh. Hubby ordered a hibachi chicken plate + veg, with added shrimp. He also got fried rice. One thing that I was actually surprised of is that the fried rice had an added upcharge! I was shocked to see how much more his plate was after the shrimp and rice. Definitely not a lunch special price anymore. read more

Yama - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Great spot for lunch! Recommend a bento box and the gyoza is so yummy. The dipping sauce is more than just standard dumpling sauce. Service was on point as well. We will be back for sure! read more

I genuinely had high hopes for this place, but as soon as I walked in, I noticed a 94 point health rating. That rating alone is not considerably bad, but we're talking about raw fish here. Moreover, our server was very nice and soft-spoken, but everything took way too long. We waited for about 25 minutes for our entrées. They weren't even short staffed. The appetizers came out quickly. We ordered Gyoza and edamame for the table. The edamame needed an additional, generous sprinkling of coarse salt. It's like they just threw it on top instead of tossing them in it so there was just one big pile of salt on the top of the bowl. The Gyoza was actually pretty good. It was well fried, but definitely not enough. You would think that in a restaurant full of four top tables they would have it so that a full table could have two pieces each. We also ended up ordering some specialty rolls and wow was I displeased. The restaurant itself had an ambient temperature that just seems way too hot to be enjoyable, especially in a place where you are supposed to have room-temperature, raw food. The rice was mushy and felt like I had no shape of its own. For the price that you're paying for the specialty rolls, I would at least expect decent rice. For my entrée, I ordered the Katsu curry that had more of that mushy rice. The chicken was extremely tough, but surprisingly had really good taste. The curry itself was a joke. Nowhere in my time in Japan have I seen a curry so thick you're better off, avoiding this dish altogether. Conceptually this place looks and smells great, but it really feels to bring any kind of atmosphere to the building. The decor felt like it came out of what you would see at an all you can eat buffet. In conclusion, I would not come back here and waste my money. You're better off going to Foxcroft Wine Co. located in the same plaza. read more

Yama - Curry Katsu - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Yama delivers. I like coming back here. The sushi we tried from their off the menu selection were fantastic, as well as the calamari, agedashi tofu and sushi bowl were all delicious! The service was excellent. read more

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Yama Bowl is the best! The food is fresh and the sauces blends so well. You want find a better sushi bowl anywhere.

The food is fresh and delicious. Great portions. Service is stellar. The platings are edible art. The Chief (Cao) is amazing. Soooo dialed in to his craft. I love this place. Can't wait for my next meal here. CH read more

The crispy calamari was the best I've had in a long time, fresh and crispy. All 3 rolls were delicious. And the service was good. read more

Yama - Calamari with a lemon drop - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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We came here on a Sunday night and it was pretty crowded. That said, we were able to get a table for 4 people outside with no wait. They had heat lamps if we needed the but we ended up not using them. Our server was good and knew the menu well, answering all of our questions without hesitation and with accuracy. We started with the gyoza, which was average. For my rolls, I got the Niigata and the Ballantyne rolls. The Niigata was my favorite as the little jalapenos they were topped with were the perfect touch that added that kick putting this roll over the top. The Ballantyne is a roll commonly found at other sushi restaurants (under a different name of course) and they did a good job executing it. Everything tasted fresh and we were satisfied. read more

Mya (blonde hair waitress) is amazing! Great service! Absolutely loved her. Food was good. Drinks were strong. Great ambiance.

Every visit is an amazing, Aaron the bartender is so professional and attentive to everyone's needs. If you like the bar scene I definitely recommend sitting at the bar with him! Sushi is always so fresh and the perfect light lunch! Will definitely come back again. Thank you for taking care of us YAMA! One of the best Asian Restaurants in South Charlotte!! read more

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If you are looking for an incredible meal at a restaurant who understands service, presentation, and quality then YAMA is the place to go. From initial greeting to our server Catherine, everyone was welcoming and took great care of us. We started with a Sashimi Bluefin tuna tasting of Akami, Chu Toro, and Oh Toro...all were delicious but really loved the Chu Toro. The shaved ginger and fresh ground wasabi were perfect accompaniments. A special treat of A5 Wagyu Nigiri...incredibly marbled and melt in your mouth flavors. The California Roll...extremely fresh and great flavors for something considered a standard in the sushi world. An order of Pan Fried Gyoza were good and nicely fried while the Trumpet Mushrooms had a very meaty bite, earthy flavors, and a spicy kick. The Ginger Salad is probably the best rendition I have had with all of the vegetables fresh and crisp and the ginger dressing impressive. Love how the Steak Teriyaki was presented and the flavors were perfectly balanced and did not overpower the dish. There was a nice char to the steak, the vegetables were well cooked but still crisp and tender and the rice was solid. Our exceptional waitress also brought out a beautiful chocolate birthday cake to celebrate the occasion, an excellent touch to a phenomenal meal. If you are looking for exceptional meal and great service...you will find it here. read more

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Super bummed because we've been ordering weekly from Yama. Food quality is sometimes uneven, but tonight the tuna in the rolls was visibly off. The spicy tuna was also bad, but hard to see any discoloration due the preparation. The Miso soup was also not their usual - almost no miso and substituted lower quality chopped mushrooms compared to the usual ingredients. I ordered through Postmates after an issue in ordering from the website meant my order had been lost when I arrived on way home from work. It happens, not a big deal. We loved Yama so we decided to eat a snack and wait an hour to get it. I decided to call Yama directly since this was a food issue. The manager could not have been less interested in talking to me. I told him I wasn't as worried about getting my money back or whatever. I genuinely wanted to them to know that something was wrong in the kitchen. He said he doubted that and just kept telling me to "call" Postmates... I guess we will have to find a different option for Friday dinners. $120 is too much to spend and not only get a bad meal, which happens, but then zero concern from the manager. Can't trust this place. read more

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