I get into ruts and dine in the same places. Well I broke out of my shell and went here with my husband for dinner. I wish with all my heart I'd been here sooner, the food is amazing. The first visit here we left, because the host told us (despite open tables) the kitchen was an hour out for incoming orders; nice to know since we had somewhere to be at 7:30. The interior smelled so great we made a point to come back for dinner as soon as our schedules allowed. The restaurant is tucked away in a strip mall and a bit tricky getting into off crowded Grant Rd if coming from the freeway. Our next visit to Yamato, we both ordered sukiyaki. After ordering it took a good long while to come out (30-40minutes), during which time we were served soup and (a great!) salad. The food was so very good and the long wait was immediately forgiven. I've since been twice for ramen and sushi. The place is an open room with a sushi bar with a flat screen TV playing sports on the wall above the sushi bar and on the opposite wall; so if you don't like TV playing you are out of luck. There are tables to accommodate large groups and the service is consistently good. At present this is my favorite Japanese place on Tucson. read more

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In my humble opinion and having traveled the world to compare, there are only two sushi places worth going to in Tucson and Yamato is one of them. Yamato doesn't have good sushi, they have SUPERB sushi. Sushi that never ever disappoints. The kind of fish that melts in your mouth and is always, always fresh! It's a small, simple, QUIET place so if you get there when it's crowded, you'll have to wait and staff will give you a wait time as well for sushi prep as the only person making it is the owner (hence the beauty and perfection of this place). Tucson people, if you want quality sushi, every time, there is no other place but Yamato. read more

I'll start off this review by stating that I'm biased. I have been coming to Yamato since I moved to Tucson 8 years ago and in my opinion, they have the best sushi you will find in Arizona. Whenever my Japanese mother visits from Phoenix, this is the place we always go. I don't want to discredit the other negative reviews, I understand that bad dining experiences can happen anywhere. But to be specific: I have had the chirashi sushi dozens of times and the hamachi countless times more and I have not once been disappointed with the quality of the fish or the service. The neighborhood, as others have said, is very shady but all concerns are erased when you step in the door. It's always a warming sight to see the owner and chef, Noboru, manning the sushi bar. The only thing I have ever been disappointed with here is the gyoza, only because it is not as good as my mom makes it. The rice is amazing. The miso soup just as ethereal. It reminds me of home. The sukiyaki dinner is a personal favorite, although when I dine alone, I usually head straight for the sushi bar and order the Chef's choice sashimi platter and an order of unagi or shiitake nigiri. His unagi is quickly broiled before serving, and the sauce, according to him, is cooked for 4 days and has no added thickening agent. The shiitake is so buttery that it makes your cheeks hurt. Every piece of sashimi I have been served has been fresh and delicious, and he also serves you homemade gems such as his cured salmon (absolutely amazing). His soft shell crab roll has become a verb in my vocabulary: to soft-shell-crab-roll something is to stuff a large food item into your mouth whole. The $18 an order toro comes with gold leaf on top and is surprisingly easy to order after a few bottles of sake. As others have said, the bill can run high, but in all honesty is not that bad, considering anything cheaper is usually of far less quality. $50-60 of sushi is about what I average when I take my lady friend on our monthly excursion. read more

Update: I actually gave this place a second try, at least I tried to. I went in intending to try their deluxe chirashi this time. The waitress told me it is much better than the lunch chirashi when I was here the first time. OK, lunch time again, walked in, only one other customer in the place, sitting at the bar, plus the white waitress and the Japanese sushi chef, same as last time. I sat at the bar and told the chef I'd like the deluxe chirashi please. Barely even condescending to look my way, he replied that I need to sit at a table. He said only people ordering "pieces" can sit at the bar. Did anybody ever hear anything like that before? I never did. I usually sit at the bar in sushi joints, and i usually order chirashi. Anyway, I just left and went next door to good old Sher-e-Punjab instead. Minus 1 star rounded up to 1 star because that's as low as I can go. read more

I do not want to write this review... because then you would all figure out what you have been missing and crowd this place! I have been twice, both on weekdays, and have been so pleased with the food. They have a wide selection on the menu, although I have gotten the Sushi Combination #1 every time - the sushi chef provides whatever piece of nigiri he feels like as well as a california and tuna roll. The quality of the fish is just outstanding. I also greatly enjoy their green tea. Smaller, simpler elements also shine: the dressing on the salad, whatever salt soak or other magic they do to the edamame, the depth of flavor in the miso soup, the slightest hint of wasabi in the tuna roll. The decor is great, which is helpful, since you will likely be here for a long time. Each time I have gone, the place has been 75% full, and we are warned that sushi will take between 30-45 minutes. This is because the owner is the (only) master sushi chef, so your special creations will take a while. My first time, our appetizers were delivered impossibly slowly. The second time, the pacing was much better. I have never been in a hurry while there, but note that it's likely you cannot just get in, get sushi, and get out. Also, I can't even begin to imagine what this place is like on the weekend. Despite the mild inconvenience of waiting/choosing off days, this place is far and away my favorite sushi place in Tucson. I can't wait to try their soba bowls! read more

Most Authentic Japanese Restaurant in Tucson. Take it from a Japanese person. Also brought people in from Japan, they couldn't believe how the food at Yamato tasted so much like Japan. The decor may feel dated, but it adds to the experience. Try it, he's been serving Sushi there for over 30 year's. read more

Just got a to go order and at first I was unsure as they don't have a Vegas roll, however, upon trying their soft shell crab roll, sashimi , shrimp heads and dynamite , I must say I am throughly impressed. Will be coming her again! read more

Sometimes I take people here and the first thing people ask is wow... are you sure a sushi joint is good in this sketchy parking lot? and I always tell them YES! sometimes I sit at the bar and talk to the owner he is really nice, and talks to you about how it was in Japan. Anyways, their ramen is also really good, really like this place its pretty authentic for how tucson goes ! read more

Absolute best sushi in Tucson. Hands down. The location is central in a crap strip mall, but inside lies the freshest and best tasting fish in town. Don't judge the book by the cover when it comes to this place. My typical order is: nigiri yellowtail, nigiri salmon, spicy tuna roll, and soft-shell crab roll. The spicy tuna is something that everyone must try, it is insanely better than any other spicy tuna I've had. The owner is the sushi chef, and he is also super friendly. What NOT to expect: crazy roll concoctions. This is much more authentic style, and less funky roll combinations(see Ra's specialty roll menu). There are also no free extra's, everything will cost you money(miso/edamame/etc). read more

Excellent! Fresh sushi in every bite! The surf clam was so yummy and fresh. I recommend the sunset roll it was delicious and the staff is very friendly and super nice! read more

This is the WORST sushi place in Tucson Arizona. I've had a lot of sushi here in Tucson, but this place, Yamato was the absolute worst. Starting with $3 soda's and horrible hot green tea, we ordered appetizers and sushi. We ordered the two drinks, 3 sushi rolls, and an appetizer and the bill came to $45. The sushi was not as fresh as everyone on here keeps claiming. The table cover were sticky. There was a piece of rice in the middle of a piece of ice in my drink. There was no atmosphere because they do not have air conditioning. It was hotter than hell in there. The only GOOD thing about it was the cured Salmon nigiri, but I do not recommend going there just to try it. It was covered in capers that left a lot to be desired. If I could give this place ZERO stars I would. read more

This is not a four star sushi joint. The food is overpriced and unexceptional. A bowl of donburi, a small plate of chirashi sushi and a couple of rolls should not run $70+ tip. I took offense that their concept for "chirashi" and mine are completely different. I think chirashi should look like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chirashi_zushi_by_Marshall_Astor_in_Gardena,_CA.jpg Doesn't that look good? Some choice cuts of sashimi placed over a bed of sushi rice (usually mixed with bits of fish cake and egg for good measure)? Yamato feels that chirashi sushi is a small order of sashimi next to a pile of rice decorated to look like a volcano. I was unimpressed. We also ordered the chicken donburi which was huge but not particularly tasty. The chicken was overly breaded and overcooked. The egg was merely mehhhh and the broth wasn't particularly scintillating. We ordered their soft shell crab roll and that was another disappointing dish. The crab was also overly breaded and fashioned into a massive loose roll that fell apart as I tried to eat it. The service was pretty good though and our server was attentive. The post-script to this entirely mediocre meal is that 12 hours later, a 5 AM I was forced from my bed and into the bathroom where I remained the better part of half an hour. Apparently my digestive system liked the meal even less than I did. Now it is entirely possible something else wrecked my insides but I wouldn't be surprised at this point. read more

Ah, the disappointment. ... the ahi was pulverized and it wasn't even spicy. the hamachi was so very fishy. Thank god the green tea was good, washed everything down. The chef looked cute tho. Nobu. He's very friendly and looks like a Japanese Mario bros. Too bad I don't think I'll ever go back here for sushi. read more

EXPENSIVE But worth it. The Torro was amazing. The cured Salmon was awesome. Everything tasted great but even with thos two amazing dishes I could not justify the cost of the bill. read more

The waitress and the owner are rude to me and my friends, they told me the sashimi was going to have way much bigger size that I got. But after I got the meal, they said that all of my friends and I "misunderstood" them. And they refuse to return it and they didn't even say they are sorry. The sashimi is not really fresh, and the Roman is pretty salty, and the size is really small, even for a girl like me. I would not recommend this restaurant and would not come back again. read more

Best Sushi in Tucson! If you're looking for Asian fusion then this is not your place... But if you're looking for authentic sushi or Asian cuisine then this is your place!! It is an unassuming place tucked away in a strip mall but don't let that fool you; this place is excellent! The sushi was excellent; it was excellently prepared and of very high quality. The presentation was equally as nice and sitting at the quaint sushi bar was a nice experience! The chef has excellent knife skills and his attention to detail was obvious. We regularly hear from other sushi restaurants that they cannot source Aji or Uni yet Yamato has it as a standard on their menu. If you're looking for great sushi or authentic Japanese cuisine then do yourself a favor and try Yamato (you won't be disappointed). read more

Seriously a hidden gem! The food feels authentic and the staff is incredibly nice. I noticed how a lot of customers were happy to be there and knew some of the staff/chefs by name which I imagine happens when a spot becomes a regular place to be. Definitely coming back. read more

The sushi gets 4 stars for the freshness and quality. The rolls were very traditional (on the smaller side, and only the classics are offered). The saba was probably the best I've had in Tucson - I'll be coming back for that alone. Very fresh, delicate, moist and the right amount of that mackerel taste and non of the 'fishiness'. I also got spicy albacore, yellowtail, unagi and california. The yellowtail and albacore were both very fresh as well. The albacore was the most plentiful roll I ordered, but everything was on the small Japanese portioned side. The california and unagi rolls were no-frills-standards that were average overall. Compared to other sushi-joints the ambiance is also the non-frills basics. I'll be back when I'm in the mood for quick service and just the high quality basics. read more

I haven't been to Yamato in about 15 years.. Growing up this was my father's go to place for sushi.. We were literally there once a week. My brother and I decided to head to Yamato for lunch and to check in.. Turns out the owner is still standing behind the sushi bar making the same amazing rolls. We ordered egg rolls, Philadelphia roll, California roll, salmon and a shrimp tempura roll. Everything was delicious and the way it is presented makes you feel good about spending the money. I should note we only had sushi on the with th egg rolls, but they do have an extensive menu for lunch and dinner. This is not your typical sushi bar.. This is somewhere you want to go when you want really good sushi or a true Japanese meal. I will Definitely make it a point to go back and enjoy their food again soon. read more

I think this is tied for best sushi in town, and might just eek out a win because of the awesome fellow who prepares all the sushi. I've never had a more of a disconnect between my expectations based on a restaurant's exterior, compared to its interior. I mean, it's in a run-down 70s strip mall, silvered-out windows, panhandlers wandering about, and a Walgreens whose specialty seems to be its endless parade of people walking out with 30-packs of beer and vodka. Doesn't anyone need, you know, milk or Advil or something? But I digress. It's simple: Walk past the homeless guy and liquored up frat boys, go inside, and enjoy the really nice, relaxing color palette and decorations. And order sushi. My one experience with an udon soup wasn't overly impressive (overcooked noodles, just average otherwise). Try the sushi. read more

Excellent, friendly service and very good food are my reason for giving Yamato an excellent rating. I had iced green tea, an avocado roll and a shrimp tempura bowl over rice. One friend had a spicy tuna roll, the other had teriyaki salmon. We started with miso soup. The restaurant, including bathrooms, was very clean. It was our first visit and I look forward to returning for many more meals there. read more

Food served for our party of four one dish at a time, 15 mins in between each, with my dish having egg rolls that hadn't even been cooked, much less fully thawed. And those prices though- ouch! Skip this place and head to Cher e Punjab next door for amazing Indian food. Update! Pretty sure the horrible stomach illness I had the next dat had something to do with the food I ate here. Thanks, Yamato. read more

Another place we've been meaning to try for years (but never got around to because we are so very fond of the Indian place next door), Yamato offers a good selection of nigiri, along with some roll and sashimi, plus noodles, soup, sake, and so on. Upon entering, we were greeted immediately and offered our choice of tables, but told that it would be a 30-40 minute wait for sushi, which did not seem outrageous, although it did seem weird that they only had one guy behind the sushi counter on a Friday night. We ordered a few appetizers. Edamame and miso cost extra here, although my husband said it looked like they didn't charge us for the soup, which was nice. My husband and I enjoyed the chicken skewers, which came with a tasty sauce. We were much less impressed with the fried squid, which was tough and rubbery--the bane of calamari--and greasy to boot. In fact, all the fried parts of the meal, tempura and soft shelled crab, were greasy. The fryer was not turned up hot enough is my guess. In addition, the spider roll was HUGE. Like, it took me four bites to eat one piece and of course it was a crumbled mess by the end. Usually, this is my favorite kind of roll, but it was a bit disappointing here. We mostly ordered nigiri, since that seemed to be the orientation of the sushi list (not a lot of rolls or types of sashimi offered) and found it decent. Our friends ordered off the menu as well--pork broth ramen and udon noodles, and both seemed happy with their choices. We thought the sushi was OK but were not overwhelmed by any of it. read more

Small, peaceful space, with absolutely fabulous sushi fashioned by a master. No Americanised gimmicky combos, just clean flavours and beautiful presentation. The house cured salmon is a special treat. Full of regular customers, many of whom are Japanese, with a friendly staff. read more

Ate here once and had take out once. For take out, I had gotten the soft shell crab roll which was cute and tasty. When I ate here, it was pretty bad. The prices had gone up, and the food was unappetizing. The teriyaki chicken was dry and overcooked. The California roll had a weird flavor to it. The slices of fish were small. The sushi was overpowered by the wasabi. Service was ok but it wasn't busy. read more

I had some quality Curry Udon. The sushi is quite good but curry soup and big thick noodles quite possibly might be a winning lunch combination for the forseeable future. Many lunch specials can be had for less than $10. Both times I've been have been pretty slow, though, so don't go if you are in a hurry. You'll also want to dodge the hobos on the way to and from your car. read more

Yamato has wonderfully fresh sushi and a beef udon soup that I would give my left arm for. Ok not really, but it's delicious. A well balanced, savory broth that comes with tender flavorful beef, greens, shiitake mushroom, fish cake and udon noodles (maybe the only thing it could improve on is the noodles. I like mine extra chewy, and though these noodles are good, they aren't nearly as chewy as I'd like them to be). I am salivating just writing this review. A must visit for really delicious and healthy Japanese food! read more

Yamato - Rainbow roll topped with generous fresh fish (assorted) - Japanese Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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The sushi is wonderfully fresh! The atmosphere is small, intimate, clean, and has a welcoming glow when you enter. I definitely plan on returning for more sushi. I would have done 5 stars but, the service was lacking a bit. They were very nice, but were very casual in their approach. By this I mean my water glass took a while to be filled and toward the end of our meal the servers had switched. The woman who helped us initially was unfamiliar with the menu, and when we asked about the Toro, and what the difference was between the blue fin tuna and the other tunas, she fumbled with a response, and stated that she didn't know what the difference was. (Yes, yes we learned the importance and appeal of Toro when we got the bill...the gold flakes should have tipped us off to the price). Sooo we ordered the Toro, under the impression that it was going to be around the same price as some of the other tuna nigiri. Well when we got our bill for $85, we were shocked, possibly a math error...when we asked the gentleman server if it was $20 for one order of Toro or $20 for the both...he replied that it was in fact $20 for each order. He apologized and said he usually gives a speech about their Toro, where it's from, what it is, cost....our initial female server failed to mention any of this when we asked. Despite this lack of explanation, it was a very lovely meal. I would definitely recommend Yamato...just please know the Toro is literally $10 a piece, essentially $10 a bite. read more

I go to U of A for 3 years now, this is the first time I try Yamato. Whenever I go to the plaza where Yamato is at, I am for the Indian food next door. The look from outside of the restaurant was a bit dissappointing, the inside was clean and very japanese style. Despite the look from outside the restaurant, the food was great! I saw many comments on how the sushi wasn't good enough. I agree with them, Sushi was just ok because my boyfriend ordered the salmon nigiri sushi and the shrimp sushi, both of them were just ok, very average. However, I had the soft shell carb as appertizer, and it was great. Then my boyfriend and I had the Pork Ramen and Curry Katsu (fried pork) as main dish, these tradtional Japanese meals were great! So I recommand to order Curry, udon, and Ramen! especially the Ramen! they are really good ! the soup of Ramen was phenomenal ! read more

Yamato pretty good and okay price. Service is okay. Kind of small store and more like family. I recommend maguro, sake, saba, and hamachi. If you want teriyaki and garbage food then maybe you go somewhere else. Thank you. read more

Yamato is awesome. It feels as if you're in Jiro Dreams of Sushi or something, as the chef has been making sushi for over 45 years. The quality shows this as well--every piece has a powerful and lasting flavor. I tried the philly role and an eel hand roll today and it was as great as always. The price is definitely a premium and you aren't getting a ton of food--but the quality is worth it. read more

This place was just as good the second time around. In addition to sushi we tried a bowl up udon soup, which was very tasty.

I love how traditional the food is here. As a college student myself would think that the price is a little too high but I think it's worth the money. Menu doesn't have much fluff in terms of having different varieties of sushi. Totally recommend this place! read more

Yamato - Japanese Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

The Best Sushi in Tucson. They have many fish selections that you won't find at any other, and the sushi chef is very knowledgeable. It is definitely worth the minimum charge to sit at the sushi bar and converse with the chef. Small place, near hole in the wall. Inside is nicely done and very comfortable. read more

Absolutely dreadful experience. Husband and I ordered appetizers, an egg roll for him and spiced salmon sushi for me. His egg roll was soggy, tasteless and overpriced (4$ for a burnt frozen egg roll). My spiced salmon was decent, no more no less. We sipped on our sodas while waiting for our meals. I ordered a Diet Coke, him a Coke... both had the distinct taste of RC Cola. Husband had ordered curry chicken rice, the waitress came out to inform us that there was no chicken rice in the kitchen. I had ordered beef curry udon noodles, he decided to go with chicken curry udon instead. Our bowls came and we were already slightly concerned. Japanese curry is typically very close to a stew, served over noodles, rice or bread (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_curry) but this was neither. This was a soup, though no mention of that was made in the menu and the price was quite steep. For 10$ per bowl, we got a watered down broth made from granules and Madras curry powder, with a few frozen carrots floating around boiled, unseasoned meat. We both had a single sip and figured that was our cue to exit. We returned our bowls, paid for our appetizers and drinks, left a generous tip for the waitress (who was very understanding and in no way responsible for the dreadful food). No wonder this place was empty on a Friday evening! read more

Beyond a doubt best sushi in town! Always impeccable quality. Chef is true master ! And great guy. Remembers my preferences and havent been down this way in 1 year!. Support this master read more

Well I have been going here for many years now and I can say it is the BEST place in Tucson to get sushi. I am never unhappy with service there or the food. read more

Rainbow roll, eel roll, spicy tuna roll, California roll and shrimp tempura roll. Everything was average. Nothing impressive or creative. read more

I only come here for one thing only: Tempura Udon. Sometimes I get a nigiri or two though which is good. Their udon broth is the best imo, in Tucson. Aside from eating Pho a lot I can tell when a broth has depth to the flavor and it's not just water with seasnonings. Their udon broth has a nice deep flavor to it. I enjoy the fact that they add seaweed and a mushroom in it as well with tempura flakes. I wish the noodles were bigger and thicker though. My only real compliant is the service. It's not that they're bad, it's just a lot of the times the place only has one person working and during lunch time you could be waiting for your food for more than 20 mins. The place isn't very big either so it can become packed easily. I came once for a quick lunch and ended up waiting an hour for food and check. Good go to place, just be careful of rush times because they have limited waiters/waitresses. Your lunch break could end up being more than you wanted it to be. read more

For some reason I have been visiting good places these days Food: 5 price: 2 (expensive) Service: 3 I almost give out a 5 to this place. The food is great, best Sushi in Tucson (for all these places I have been to). But services are not the best, and it is a little bit expensive (watch out!) But if you really want sushi, this is the only place I would go in Tucson now. read more