Where do I begin? For starters, If the blonde woman is your server just get up and leave or ask for someone else. My roommates and I ordered hand rolls and normal sushi rolls, specifically spicy tuna and spicy salmon. The salmon was fine but I cannot say the same for the TUNA. The tuna itself had an odd aroma and the pink color was faded/dark. The texture was gritty and dry. As for the taste, it tasted old and fishy and YES I KNOW ITS FISH. The same goes for the rainbow roll and all the fish on top. Aside from the questionable sushi, the waitress we got was rude and demeaning to me when I kindly brought the fish issue to her attention. I told her it tasted fishy (which sushi should not have a gross fish taste) she responded with "Well, it is fish." THANK YOU CAPTAIN OBVIOUS. Shocked, I said "okay." And then she decided to respond to me and say, "If you're looking for a discount I cannot give you one." That never came out of my mouth and I was not asking for a discount. I was just trying to inform her that the fish smelled like cat food and gave me cotton mouth. Just because I am a college student and I am younger than her does not mean that I do not know what good sushi tastes like or that I am cheap. I have never been treated so poorly at a restaurant before and I WILL NOT be returning. I advise you to choose somewhere else for dinner. I'm just hoping I don't get sick after dining here. I was there with 3 other people who felt the same way about the food and the service. DO NOT GO HERE. read more

I had tried this restaurant years ago and hadn't been very impressed. The sushi had come out room temperature and it just wasn't very appealing. After their write up and raving in the Caliente I decided to give them another shot. The inside is very small and when we arrived there were a handful of tables already seated. As we sat and waited for menus and drinks the rest of the restaurant filled up. Several tables sat for a minute and after looking around, got up and left. That should have been our cue. Service was SLOW. There was only one girl waiting tables and although nice, just didn't seem to have it together and was frantically buzzing about the tiny place. She wasn't very efficient which seemed to be putting her further and further behind. Once we finally started getting our food we were ravenous. The sushi menu is tiny and we ordered a couple of basic rolls, some ramen which was the highlight - delicious! We also had the green mussels and those were ok. It took close to an hour and a half to complete the whole experience here and while the food was good nothing blew me away or left me wanting to come back. They had a great write up though and I wish them continued success as so many people seem to enjoy them, I will be sticking to Kazoku. read more

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The sushi here was okay. The best was the scallop (my all time favorite, try it and I am sure you will love it!) and the salmon, which was soft and delicate. Not many people in there, and the service was quick and friendly. Usually one of my favorites is the yellowtail but I thought it tasted a little "off", not gross, just not normal. But this was my first sushi in Tucson so maybe it is to be expected. The tuna roll was also a little off. Miso soup was bland and tasted old. I wish the sushi specials were more visible. I didn't see them until after we ordered posted behind the bar hidden behind the chef. Also, the final down point (hey I gave the good points first!) was the really pathetic/sad decor and atmosphere. Dancing with the Stars was on the TV with the sound on. Dancing with the Stars, really?!? read more

Excellent, sparkling fresh sushi at a reasonable price. Some of the dishes are traditional and some are delightfully creative. Even the miso soup was deeply satisfying. An all around great Japanese dining experience. read more

The sushi is good. The service was lacking when I went. I am not expecting kikubari but I want the waitstaff to take action and solve problems rather than making excuses. read more

I do recommend cured salmon and Katsudon! Also, the Japanese Sparkling juice is good.

Good sushi for the desert. Chef is an amazing man. He works every hour the restaurant is open. Been doing sushi for 30 years. Great service, and right near my house too! read more

Excellent and fresh sushi. Not a large selection but very tasty and fresh. The service at the sushi bar is much better and the chef is super friendly. read more

Great chef. Average food. Average price. A good meal for me (male) will cost $20~30 It cost more if you order lots of sashimi (40~50+ per person) About $3~5 dollar for soda and green tea VERY VERY VERY annoying waiter/ waitresses The service was lacking a bit. Meanwhile, They keep asking me how's the food. Seriously, they asked me 5 times within 45 min. They asked me 3 times while I am eating (Same guy asked me twice{within 20min}) Such a pain in the butt They really need some training... read more

This place isn't about the bells and whistles as much as it is about food quality. Very fresh sashimi...wonderful staff with great attention to detail. The $10 tuna don lunch special is a really great deal considering how much food you get. read more

I have been to sushi places all over the United States and I have never had sushi like this before! Toro. . which is a rare and exquisite piece of the fish, came serve topped with gold flakes! my boyfriend really made me special by taking me here. There was a seared role as well that I was highly impressed with as I like my Sushi Raw the color of the tuna was perfect the taste of the sushi was perfect I'm going to need to Google who the chef was because this is not a normal chef you are dealing with a real professional sushi chef. It is located in a small little area and we just so happen to check it out I don't ever want any other Sushi anywhere else in town not even Mr An! read more

Yamato - Japanese Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

I have never had a bad experience here and always trust that I can try something new and different. There is one sushi chef that is always there and will chat with you if you sit at the sushi bar. Some of the best fresh spicy tuna rolls in town. Try the Tamago as an appetizer or for dessert, they have a special recipe and it won't let your taste buds down. Never had the Chirashi that everyone's complaining about.... but I'm sure if they told the sushi chef he would have made things right, he's a stand up guy as far as I can tell. Been going here for years and no one has ever been dissatisfied. read more

This place is awesome! My Senior prom date took me here and I was very disappointed at first because I've never liked sushi and the place didn't look very popular (Strip mall location, I guess I'm judgmental) I've learned my lesson because this restaurant was his favorite and is currently mine! Very good sushi. He and I go as often as we can. Even on a Saturday night the service is quick and the food is fresh! All the sushi and rolls are super delicious, tempura is pretty good too. Green muscles are my favorite thing to get there! They're a bit spicy but AWESOME. The prices are reasonable, my boyfriend and I are college students and not rolling in cash but we still manage to eat here often. The two of us usually get a combined bill of 40 dollars. Try the green muscles! read more

OMG. Best sushi in Tucson, hands down. Trust me people I have looked.

It's really quite simple . . . Yamato is the best sushi/sashimi restaurant in Tucson. There are others with more glitzy atmosphere, even fancier looking preparations but Noburo is the real deal. Very fresh and honest proportions. read more

Sushi was very amazing. Was told about this place from a friend and loved it. Got the sashimi platter and ate every bite. Staff was very friendly and loved the small feel to it. read more

Good Japanese food especially nigiri and sashimi is hard to find when you are deep inland and far from the oceans. I was in town for a job interview and want to seek out to see if there are any good Japanese cuisine in town knowing that if I do end up taking the job in Tucson I will need a go to place for some good sashimi. I was surprised to find Yamato. The decor was dated but the restaurant was packed. To me, this is a sign that this place serve great food irregardless of how it is decorated. I sat at the sushi bar. The sushi chef greeted me. He was very nice and friendly. He gave me a hot towel to freshen up and served me complementary edamame. I ordered 5 sets of nigiri: tuna, salmon, yellow tail, red snapper, and striped bass. I was surprised how fresh and flavorful fish were. The sushi rice was cooked and seasoned perfected. I sat at the sushi bar so unfortunately I was not able to see other menu items. If I do end up in Tucson I will definitely be back. read more

Took the family there for dinner as the two other neighborhood Japanese restaurants were out-of-business. This one is poor, with a loud air conditioner and annoying blasting TV, crappy decor of trashy calendars, beer posters, excessive number of small landers and a few charming Japanese print reproductions, very slow service and poor quality. The steak I had was fatty and poor quality. The portions were small. The service provider failed to offer an appetizer. our orders for three adults were several several minutes apart. Best thing about the place: plenty of asphalt parking and close to CVS and McDonalds. read more

Hands down, best sushi in Tucson. Beware high prices.

This was a wonderful find! In a world of wannabe Sushi places where they slap hunks of cold fish on your plate and call it Sushi, this place is the real deal. The Owner is from and trained in Japan and adheres to true Sushi dining. You can taste it in the cut and quality of the fish. Definitely worth a visit....you will be coming back!!! read more

I have tried every sushi restaurant in Tucson and Yamato is the most authentic, freshest & cleanest sushi around. Owner/sushi chef is very nice as well as staff. I am glad tucson has a REAL sushi bar now. I would not waste my time going anywhere else(Including MIAN, Obon, etc.) read more

They have the best Tonkotsu ramen in town! Their sashimi is fresh and yummy!!! I come here at least twice a month:)! I will definitely miss the yummy food at Yamato after I move next month. read more

Food was good , ordered the nabeyaki soba. But it took a long time to arrive.

Nestled between the best Indian Food in Tucson and Al's Barber shop this is the best sushi in Tucson by far. Don't be in a hurry and order a little of everything! The taste and freshness cannot be beat. My son begs to go here and loves the Spicy Tuna Don (sushi bowl). Im partial to the Spicy Tuna Roll. Try them out and you won't be disappointed!! read more

Have been here twice now. First experience was fine, would have rated it 4 stars, but last night's was poor service, very poor. So - am not sure what to make of it. I love the decor, the authenticity, and the flavor of the food (sushi and other items). I love that it's quiet. There is no music playing, which is almost impossible to find in a restaurant these days. The sushi bar is really cute, the owner/chef works away steadily and happily and that's where my love and reverence ends. There are two waitresses, one who seems to just bring out food, and was silent and the other (who was our server both times) is clearly very new to her profession. Last night, we went with friends. I ordered two sushi rolls (vegetable and the shiitake mushroom) and they ordered chicken teriyaki, salmon teriyaki and ramen. My husband and I also shared the veggie gyoza and I had a cucumber salad as appetizer. Got the cucumber salad within about 10 minutes, and my sushi in about 20 minutes. Didn't start eating right away because I wanted to wait for others to get their food, and figured that would be 5 or 10 minutes. Time passed, more time passed. After about fifteen more minutes (because I was hungry) I slowly ate the sushi. Ten minutes later, the veggie gyoza arrives. Naturally, my husband (who is very hungry by now) and I share it. Over a half hour (more) passes before finally get the rest of the food. Our waitress did not come to check on us once during this time, except for delivery of the food, which was dropped off without a word by waitress (deliverer?) #1. No refills on our green tea, no apology for how long it was taking - and the restaurant has give other tables full. Five. About 45 minutes into this debacle, manage to flag down our waitress, "we've been waiting an hour, where's our food?" She said - let me check. She comes back five minutes later -- and it's not a long walk from the kitchen - and says "they're preparing it now." Fifteen minutes later we ask again. She goes into the kitchen, comes back five minutes later and says, as she's walking by, "they're about halfway through." There was zero apology, no attention to the fact that this is not normal, nor any attention to us at all. I understand lack of training in waitressing, but it seems like common sense to APOLOGIZE when customers have been waiting a really long time. The food finally comes out, literally over an hour after it was ordered, again no ability to acknowledge the problem. When I ask for more green tea she gets snippy, but finally brought a pot out in some sort of act of conciliation, I guess. Needless to say, we couldn't leave a tip. It was just too absurd. The food is delicious, but that level of bad service makes it hard to return. read more

The finest sushi in town in my humble opinion can be found at Yamato's Japanese Restaurant. The sushi chef is a one man show and he delivers great sushi every time. The restaurant is family owned and operated, so I really appreciate their efforts cause they have stiff competition (Sakura and Sushi Garden to be a few). The restaurant is small but it has a "homelike" feeling to it. You feel like your at home when you visit Yamato's cause they are very nice and respectful to all their guests. I suggest you try the spicy crab rolls, the yummy rolls, and the green mussels. read more

After seeing the reviews on here i had to visit. It was very good and fresh and wasn't disappointing, only complaint is the price.

Mackerel was excellent, 5 stars. Not very fishy, and a great blend of roasted skin and tasty meat. Excellent Miso soup (not a standard flavor, a uniquely special recipe) The Tonkatsu Ramen- awesome ramen with meaty flavor. Finally, the California roll (a $2 combo with Ramen)- the presentation was the first surprise- it was beautiful. Rice/sesame on the outside. The rice was freshly pressed and the taste was great. Huge surprise for the roll. read more

Pretty cute little Japanese food and sushi restaurant hidden away in the plaza at 1st and Grant. The food's pretty decent as are the prices. The service is okay-- not super friendly but not terrible either. The inside isn't extravagant, but is nice and comfortable. We've been here several times and it's always been a decent experience-- nothing extraordinary, but enjoyable with good food and good prices. It's one of our "go-to" places for sushi. The only warning-- be careful in that parking lot! It can be kind of dangerous. read more

One of my favorite places for sushi. I always order chef's special and Yamato never disappointed me. This fish is always fresh and melts in your mouth. The location is very modest, but I promise you you won't be disappointed. read more

The hand rolls are stuffed and fresh! Overall I'm disappointed they charged me for extra ginger and overall there prices are pretty high! Your probably better off going to QQ Sushi as far as value. read more

Absolutely the best sushi in Tucson. The chef is Japanese and professionally trained. Located in a strip mall. Don't go there if you're looking for valet parking and you want to be seen. The restaurant is small, the service is so so but the sushi is unbelievable. read more

So I live in the neighborhood and have been coming here for years, and want to take a moment to review. We went for dinner here last Monday and were impressed, as always. Look past the location and exterior, it's worth it. The sushi here is amazing. Fresh, well presented and incredibly tasty. The chef is fantastic, and the service has always been efficient. It can get pricey, but I'd rather pay extra for amazing fish in the desert than nickle and dime my way through seafood in Tucson. While they have TVs here, it's not distracting and in fact I enjoyed catching a bit of the D-Backs game while eating. However, if you want sake bombs, American style rolls and piles of sushi served in boats (there's a time and a place for everything) I'd head elsewhere. If you want authentic, delicious sushi, I highly recommend Yamato. read more

Visiting for a couple days, I did my online research and found the Tucson sushi scene to be difficult to figure out from the reviews. I chose Yamato for location near UofA campus but without the eat all the rolls you can environment. The strip mall location is par for the course and the interior is that of an old school sushi restaurant, thus not appealing to the campus crowd (?). Glad to say that the selection and quality of fish are superior to much of what I find in Phoenix...forget about my home town of Albuquerque. Surprises included the fresh Aji (spanish mackerel) which was worth the premium and the chef obliged with a free frying of the skeleton once finished. Seeing toro on the board I was tempted, but the price point was beyond my travel budget. All other standards... hamachi, saba, tako, unagi ... were up to par. So you pay something for quality and in that regard the value was right. Glad to have a place to return to on my next visit...go Cats. read more

This is top-tier sushi, some of the best you will find in town. Yamato is NOT a $1-all-you-can-eat-sushi place for college partiers. The sushi chef here is a master of his craft, and if you appreciate excellent susish and sashimi, you'll love Yamato. The chirashi set is well worth it.Try the cured salmon sashimi -- he makes it himself! Dishes from the kitchen are all quite good. They have excellent sukiyaki and tempura, plus an assortment of Japanese appetizers such as cold tofu, pickled vegetables, and jellyfish. If you like Japanese food, you will like Yamato. The restaurant is small, so you may have to wait for a table at peak times, and handmade sushi takes time. The service is very courteous but do not expect your orders to come out quickly. I have overheard first-timers at Yamato complaining that the food was taking too long to come out. If you're in a hurry, you'd best go somewhere else, really. Oh, don't forget about lunch. This place has GREAT lunch specials. The spicy tuna donburi (lunch only!) is an amazing meal especially for the price. read more

I attended Yamato tonight and am dissapointed to say the least. To be honest it was so bad that I created a Yelp account in order to review my experience. The two waitresses running the restaurant were not in any way attentive or service focused. I ordered the chicken teriyaki chicken and waited 45 minutes only to be told that the order had not been placed yet. I understand mistakes happen, but to walk by our table multiple times in the span of 45 minutes and not check in on us is ridiculous. I didn't even receive my order of miso soup, yet saw multiple other customers who arrived later receive theirs promptly. I will not be attending Yamato again. There are plenty of other great sushi restaurants with a similar atmosphere. I recommend Sushi Cho, or perhaps grab some sushi from the gas station across the street. Anything would top Yamato. read more

Absolutely the best sushi in Tucson! Try the big scallop or rep snapper, not everywhere has them and they are the best here!

This is the best sushi in town. The owner makes it fresh to order. The only down side is that when it's busy you have to wate a long time. It's worth the time because the sushi is out of this world. Try it you won't regret it, I promise. read more

Do not go to Yamato Japanese Restaurant if: - the only sushi you like is california rolls. - you want fusion rolls deep fried and smothered in mayonnaise or whatever. - you're a finnicky crybaby who is terrified of trying new things. - you regularly complain at restaurants until they comp your meal. - you think that the customer is always right. If none of that applies to you, if you think of a great meal out as an experience more than a transaction, if you want high quality ingredients carefully prepared and artfully presented - then this is the place for you. Sit at the bar, ask sushi chef Noboru to recommend something, and forget special orders; he may or may not do it, but I guarantee you that whatever he was going to give you is better than what you think you want. As for downsides, the sushi isn't cheap (you gotta pay for quality), the location is not pleasant, and the table service and kitchen menu can be hit-and-miss. If you have to bring one of the aforementioned finnicky crybabies who won't touch fish, steer them away from the teriyaki and towards some of the much better Japanese comfort food on the menu: ramen, sukiyaki, curry rice, or any of the donburi (including the off-menu tanin don). Overall, I cannot emphasize this enough: this is the best sushi in town, highly under-appreciated, and a Tucson treasure. read more

After being introduced to Yamato by a friend years ago, it is still by far my favorite sushi place in Tucson. From the outside, you may never give it a second look . It is kinda tucked back in a corner in an old strip mall. I probably would have never gone unless a friend brought me. Everything I have ever had there is amazing!!! There is only one sushi chef who is the owner which some times makes for a long wait during busy times but it is well worth it, I promise. Everything I have ever had there is fresh and always made consistently . You won' be disappointed. read more