A really great restaurant. Yamada focuses on Japanese kaiseki and does an admirable job bringing a form a dining that you can only find in Japan. The food at Yamada follows a traditional kaiseki path: featuring a variety of traditional cooking techniques from steaming, frying, poaching and grilling. The plating is a work of art, and the ingredients are as fresh as can be. Serious technique is featured here, and the food is authentic (but may be a bit bolder than what you normally find in Japan). The service and warm and friendly, and the servers do a great job making you feel at home. The restaurant is small and features around 10 or so seats, surrounding where all cooking happens. Yamada is a pricey meal, but it's memorable. If you're deciding on a kaiseki spot in NYC, it's as good an option as any. read more

See all

Yamada has excellent service and is inside what we used to call "the tunnel" in Chinatown--totally different now, all high-end Michelin-type spots instead of the small restaurants back in the day. Food was good and presentation was nice (could be better), but honestly... pricey lol. Didn't feel 100% satisfied for what we paid. We did order extra uni on top of the omakase (+$75) and it was just ok for that price. The Maine lobster clay pot at the end was actually delicious, and you can get refills--but by then we were already pretty full. Would've been nice if they let us take it home My sister did go for a second bowl though and she was happy. Also wish they had mocktails--seems like only tea options for non-alcoholic drinks. They did give us a little matcha powder package to take home, which was a nice touch. Overall, glad we tried it once read more

See all

We celebrated our 5-year anniversary at Yamada and it was absolutely unforgettable. The food was spectacular -- unique, beautifully presented, and truly authentic to its Japanese origins. Every dish felt thoughtfully composed, and you could tell the chef poured heart and care into each bite. What made the evening even more special was the incredible service. The staff was warm, welcoming, and attentive throughout, topping off our glasses multiple times during the wine pairing and checking in to make sure each pour suited our tastes. They were so knowledgeable and flexible, adjusting the wine pairings based on our preferences, which made the experience feel personalized and thoughtful. We also loved the chef's personal touches -- the sake glasses from his own collection and the beautiful cloth placemats that changed with each dish added an elegant, curated touch to the tasting. From start to finish, it was a perfect, memorable anniversary dinner. Yamada is a must-visit for anyone seeking authentic Japanese cuisine paired with thoughtful, expert service in NYC. read more

We dined at Yamada this past Friday. WE had the best meal to date in NYC. In addition, it was the best Japanese meal outside of Japan that we have experienced. The service and pairing were exceptional. Chef Yamada kaiseki had all the heart and soul in it. I would also make a comment on the reviewer who also dined at Yamada who left a pathetic review about the servers taking his glass. Alec R was asked twice by the servers if he would like another beverage. They NEVER tried to remove his glass of whisky which was completely EMPTY. I rarely write reviews, but i strongly felt i should this time. Its an injustice that foolish patrons try to ruin the evening of others by making a scene. He is probably from a rival restaurant since he knows about the profit margins lol. i am a whisky connoisseur and the Toki bottle which was presented by the lovely team retails for $30 a bottle. SHAME ON FOOLISH ALEC R Restaurant staff are not Professor Xavier, who can read minds!!! They asked you if you wanted another beverage. read more

Great food and service but at $500/person I didn't expect a waiter taking my drink away when I was still drinking it. When I told the waitress she told me "we are trained at anticipating what the customer wants even before they know it". Oh weel, sure, I didn't anticipate wanteng my drink taken away when there was still liquid. read more

Great kaiseki option in the city. Portions were pretty sizable and I left very full. The wine pairing was decent and the courses themselves were very good but nothing stood out as memorable. Still recommend coming to try it out! read more

See all

Best meal of my life. Most expensive meal of my life. Beverage pairing was one of my favorite parts of the meal. Worth it!

Congratulations to Chef Isao Yamada on your new restaurant and Michelin star! So happy for him, Chef Gavins, Ms. Scott, Mr. Andia and Kooth Hospitality. Known Chef Yamada san since he was at Michelin star Brushstroke in Tribeca. Been rooting for him to get the Michelin star again since Brushstroke closed. He's a master of kaiseki, one of the highest form of culinary art in Japan. It's one of my favorite restaurants in NYC. Hope to dine again soon. Wonderful service. Highest recommendation : 10 kaiseki read more

See all

Superb sake & wine pairing to go along with such an amazing meal. Everything from beginning to end was perfect. The entire team was so warm and friendly. Fleur, the sommelier, was on point! They offer a standard pairing for $300 and a premium pairing for $400, and you can choose to have all sake or a mix of sake, wine, tea, etc. My favorite dishes were the sashimi and the basket of little seasonal dishes to go along with the Spring theme. Added on a bafun uni supplement and it was so worth it. AND THE DESSERT! Loved the amazake ice cream. And the end with Chef Yamada's tea ceremony! Thoroughly enjoyed the minimalist intimate setting and the beautiful glassware & ceramics. Highly recommend! read more

Yamada is the same chef from Kaiseki Room. The place is much warmer and more inviting though, while the food remains elevated. It's tucked away in an alleyway in Chinatown. The interior design reminds me of Lanserring, with beautiful stone and wood contrast. Chef Yamada and his team provide an amazing Kaiseki experience, which can be hard to find in NYC. You will be full by the end of the meal and throughout, you'll be served a colorful display of seasonal ingredients. At the end you'll have his signature of rice bowl, which you can see in my photos. You can ask for seconds of the rice bowl if you're not full. The food is seasoned lightly and not overpowering. Every dish is beautiful and full of different textures and flavors. I highly recommend this if you want to take a break from all of the Korean fine dining and revisit some traditional kaiseki. It's well worth the visit! read more

See all

Great keiseki omakase by chef Yamada. The room is stunning. The staff is 1:1 with diners. I wish they would have kept our sake chilled throughout the evening. Chef Yamada is a warm, friendly man. The chawanmushi was delicious. read more

See all

Yamada is a great kaiseki in a cozy alleyway in Chinatown that looks out of place in NYC and featuring restaurants of the same hospitality group (Nakaji and Kono). Chef Yamada is a jovial guy warmly greeting all the guests and staff match the friendliness and attention too. The venue is an articulately designed chefs counter with minimalism but warm lighting and relaxing decor, almost like eating at home. The meal proceeded with efficient preparation and service and just the right amount of time between courses without waiting too long. Courses reflected autumn well in presentation and ingredients. We started with a delicious ankimo, custard and uni. Then a seasonal assortment with leaves and beautifully representing autumn including a cute crab that I ate. A tea-soup broth with shrimp was next that was fine. The Wagyu was divine, smoked well with pine needles. The sashimi was fine, but not memorable as well as rice in clay pot. Dessert was fine as well but not too sweet. Overall I had a very good dinner and experience and would definitely return to try future seasonal menus! read more

See all

Yamada and Yafada should come ova. Haha! K, jokes aside, I celebrated a special birthday here with my favorite people in the world and couldn't have asked for a more perfect place. Actually, the place was a surprise. But they chose well. They chose, very, very well. You can read about my specific kaiseki menu below*, but if you know kaiseki, you know any given meal changes with the season and its produce, so take everything with a grain of shio. I'll cut to the chase and explain why Yamada is probably the best kaiseki in NYC now, why it's five-star-worthy, and why you should come here before the eyeroll-inducing "content creators" and the sheep who follow them destroy this place with a post: - The entrance is in a secret but lovely alley/throughway on a side street of Chinatown. When I say lovely, I mean lovely: warm wood paneling and soft light line one side of the alley, and it wouldn't be out of place in most Japanese cities. - The service is attentive, warm and friendly without being overly obsequious (bleh) or overly cold (double bleh). - Speaking of friendly, Chef Isao Yamada himself comes across as quite the warm personal himself. Considering his pedigree--being one of the first to introduce kaiseki to NYC--that's almost surprising. But he was really lovely to us and all the other diners. - At $300pp, Yamada isn't the most affordable kaiseki option in the city--but the menu we had included several unique, luxury or rare ingredients that absolutely justified the price--among them: shizuoka melon (retails for $120 per melon, and everyone got a big slice with dessert), kimone (uncommon herb) and barafu (uncommon edible succulent). - Each course perfectly showcased the best of the season's bounty, the diversity of Japanese cuisine, the creativity of Yamada's cooking, and the artistic skills of his staff. All this to say: the dishes were delicious, nutritious and super 'grammable. .............................................................................................................. Kaiseki Menu - 05/03/2025 Sakizuke - Asparagus tofu, Hokkaido bafun uni, trout caviar Chawanmushi - Steamed abalone, Mediterranean red shrimp, dried scallop dashi Otsukuri - Seasonal sashimi, special squid Otoro - Kyushu wild bluefin fatty tuna Owan - Maine lobster mousse, zucchini blossom, suzuki seabass, white asparagus, smoked bonito broth Hassun - Soft shell crab tempura in potato mousse, shiso-wrapped daikon and egg, agedashi tofu, monkfish liver and scallop, mountain yam, octopus and octopus eggs Akamutsu - Rosy seabass, wild garlic green puree Wagyu - Sakura leaf-aged A5 wagyu a la Eda Farm (one of the few organic Japanese wagyu farms in the world) Donabe - Alaskan king crab, ikura, ramps, rice Dessert I / Palate Cleanser - Amazake ice-cream with shizuoka melon Dessert II: Wagashi (peach-filled mochi), gold-flecked peach jelly, matcha and hojicha tiramisu Usucha - Isuzu Kyoto uji matcha Take-home gift: Two kinds of Japanese teas read more

See all

A new kaiseki chef counter from Chef Yamada just opened up in Chinatown! The 10-course tasting was a great experience - this included: +Sakizuke - torigai, aoyagi, Hokkaido ankimo, and Mediterranean red shrimp +Chawanmushi - a savory custard with Taraba king crab and Hokkaido uni +Otsukuri - seasonal sashimi +Otoro - bluefin fatty tuna gyokuro tea sushi +Owan - tsuhima anago, Nantucket Bay scallop cake, and hamaguri clam broth +Hassun +Menuke - yelloweye rockfish and sora mame puree +Wagyu - sakura leave-aged A5 wagyu from Eda Farm +Donabe - hotaru ika, ikura, and rice cooked in a clay pot +Dessert - amazake ice cream with awayuki strawberries and tochiotome strawberries +and, Usucha - isuzu Kyoto uji matcha to finish the meal The seating was intimate, and the decor was light wood. Staff were kind! Online reservations was a seamless process. +10-course kaiseki tasting +seamless reservation process +friendly service read more

Always an amazing time! I initially had chef yamada's food at another location, but it seems like every time I go back it just gets better! I've eaten at a lot of omakase and kaiseki's around nyc/San Francisco area ... and still always want to go back ! It's not cheap but it's definitely worth it ! Special ingredients, innovative dishes, and always a fun experience read more

See all

I read the review in the ny times and they gave it 4 stars and since I go to every 4 star times and 3 star Michelin in nyc I had to go and it lives up to its hype . Very inventive I went when he was at brushstroke and loved him then . I can't tell you what I has but I'll put the days menu in the pics . read more

See all

ok so i finally tried Yamada and let me tell you, the food was amazing! chef knew what he was doing. it's giving luxury, it's giving intimacy, and it's giving worth every penny! The highlight was when Chef casually pulled out a horse hair crab. it tasted super sweet and flavorful. The wagyu was giving rich and buttery. The omakase was verrrrrryy fresh. This was truly a memorable experience with exceptional service. i will definitely be back. read more

See all

Best dining experience in all of NYC. Every course is beautiful and delicious. Can't wait to come back. read more

See all