I've eaten here three times. Each time has been subpar at best. Not inedible by any means, but should you pay the expensive price? I won't be any more. Twice I had the sushi which was served relatively quickly and was made fresh, but it didn't taste all that great and was served very warm which made me a little wary about the fish. Once I had the bento box and everything in it was greasy, including the rice, and it was served to me luke-warm, almost cold. The chicken was unpleasant and I had to pick it out of my leftovers the next day. In short, I wouldn't recommend this place, but I have friends who enjoy it. Maybe it's just because I've had plenty of other Japanese Hibachi that blows this out of the water, but this is Berea, Kentucky, so what can you expect? I was disappointed, but others might not be. read more

Yamato, I wanted to like you I really did. I have driven past this place many many times and it always seems to be an empty parking lot with the exception of the same 2-3 cars which I assume are the workers/owners cars. I looked on YELP to see the reviews as me and fiance both have been wanting to try something different. As we both like hibachi we finally decided to give it a try. We got the hibachi chicken and steak which include rice , veggies, and there form of yum yum sauce. This was a to go order and I am glad because upon entering into the restraunt it is not what I would expect from a hibachi restaurant. It was more of a sad sad diner vide to it, but I wasn't there for the looks of the inside as I said it was a. to go order, so I over looked it. So now the moment we been waiting for. When I opened the box it was packed to the top, and all mixed in. I first tried the rice, I am not going to beat a restaurant up about there rice, but I have had rice that's alot better. Then to the chicken, which would have been good if it wasn't so slimy and rubbery. The juicey sauce mixture in the bottom of the tray of the chicken had a decent taste. On to the steak, I had to take a couple of bites to get the flavor, then I realized there want a flavor, but no fear I have yum yum sauce to the rescue. So I dipped the steak into the yum yum and....no... just no.. It was more of a pudding thickness to it and it was just not good even in the least bit. So I'm looking at my tray thinking veggies? The only veggies are onions and sliced zucchini. I'm sorry but that's a little ridiculous. I wouldn't tell someone that I had some veggies for them and only give them onion and zucchini... none the less the zucchini was the star of the dish. The unflavored zucchini. I'm sorry I really tried. I understand now why the parking lot is always empty. Also its should be noted that I got 2 steak and chicken hibachi meals no drinks no extras stuff and it was 32 dollars and some change. For that price I would rather go to a actually hibachi and eat food that is literally 10 times better and a way better atmosphere and vibe. A 1 star is friendly, but unfortunately that's the lowest I can give as I tried to post the review and just give no stars at all. Very very disappointed and a flat out waist of 32$ not even my animal's would eat the chicken nor steak. read more

Tried this place while passing through Berea. The sushi was delicious. The rice was cooked perfectly and the ingredients were fresh. The staff was very friendly and attentive. I would definitely stop here again. read more

Delicious! If you like Japanese food you should definitely check this place out. I recommend the teriyaki chicken or their yakisoba. Great service and they also serve alcohol ;) (This town used to be dry until recently, so not many places do). If you're in Berea I highly recommend Yamato. read more

Ordered online with future pick up time of 30 minutes. Arrived on time and order hadn't even been started. Waited 27 minutes. Website states soup and salad were included but I had to ask for them. Then I watched the person go back and reach into a 5 gallon bucket with unclean hands to put the iceberg lettuce in the container. Yuck! Ordered filet cooked medium rare and it was well done. Chicken and filet were so over cooked they were dried out and inedible. After spending $31 it was definitely NOT worth the money. I would not recommend this place. read more

Good food! Steak was cooked and seasoned well and was very tender. Great taste all around.

First the pros. We thought the food was great. Compared to some other Japanese places in the area, we thought this was the best, and also a lot cheaper. Plus being so close to our house is a huge bonus. There is a wide variety on the menu. We got some lobster & shrimp hibachi. The lobster and shrimp were both cooked perfectly. The fried rice also tasted better than other places. And we also got the filet yakisoba. Again the meat was cooked perfectly. The noodles were just the right texture and very delicious. And the miso soup was good. Now on to the cons. The yum yum sauce was not great. Didn't really taste like most yum yum sauce I've ever had. And it was in a squirt bottle on the table. Might be better if it were kept cold and brought out with the meal. Also the ginger dressing on the salad was not great. It was yellow, and didn't really taste like ginger to me. Again, probably ok for some people, but not really what I'm used to. They should consider changing that and also offer it as a second dipping sauce. We might try take out next time, just so we can use our store bought dressing and yum yum sauce. As for the service, we could tell our server was new and still training. He forgot to bring our soup and salad which didn't bother us since it was his first day. He was pleasant and courteous. The one thing I would tell their servers though, is don't stand at the table and wait for the guest to fill in the tip and sign the receipt. He also made sure he pointed out where to include the tip on the receipt. That is a cardinal sin for a server. Leave the check on the table once the guest has signed it and do not pick it up until they have left. You should never, ever see what the guest has tipped you until they are gone. I would have given all 5 stars, but I feel that they have room for improvement with a couple of things. Hopefully they will get those straightened out. Then they could easily get 5 stars from me. read more

Really wanted to love this place but the food is just okay and the service is often really terrible. There are some good employees there but a few are downright rude. Hopefully it will get better with age and as they figure out how to run it properly since it is still fairly new. read more

Excellent! My husband and I are sushi snobs and this was great. We usually split 3-4 rolls. Yamato's rolls are larger than we are used too. Very good. Thank you. We will be back! read more

Tried this for the first time, the food was good, excellent presentation. Nice and cozy atmosphere, the reason I only gave them 3 stars is because the service is seriously lacking. There was plenty of help I counted 6 servers, only 2 tables with customers. Our servers attitude made it clear she was going to fulfill the minimal requirements of her job. She wasn't rude but she wasn't friendly either. She couldn't answer any of the questions I had about the menu, I had to flag someones attention to get my check, I live in Berea so I will give them another try, but perhaps opt for the take out so I don't have to deal with a sour attitude. read more

Tried Yamato for the first time this evening-had a great time! Service was attentive, and we visited when they were slammed on a Friday evening. Food was great (yum-yum sauce was a stellar find), excellent meal for the price, looking forward to trying other options. The only surprise was the wasabi wasn't as spicy as we were used to, but still good. So happy to have such a great option here in town! Looking forward to see if they will be adding sake as well. Looking forward to bringing friends and family! read more