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Yaya's Cookbook

4.1 (586 reviews)
ModerateAsian Fusion, Thai
Open • 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

Yaya's Cookbook Photos

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YAYA'S COOKBOOK ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Loud
Casual
Trendy
Dogs allowed

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Whole crispy fish - $38 portion
Lisa B.

It's very popular, I'll give it that. I'm not quite sure why. The food was, meh? We stopped in early on a Friday evening, and it's obviously popular for its happy hour. We got a table outside. The service was good, and our server did a good job. The best thing we had was the crispy brussels sprouts, which we got a second order of since it was our favorite. We shared a crispy bronzino fish, that did not look or taste like bronzino, and was not really large enough to share between people, despite being $38 for the largest portion. We also shared a dragon type sushi roll, where the sushi rice was way overcooked. Same thing for the Vegetable Gyoza, where it was over steamed, so soft and mushy. The rice that came with the crispy fish was also over done, and soft and mushy. That's pretty much a no-no in any kind of Asian cooking. We got an order of papaya salad, which though supposedly mild had quite a kick. All in all, the atmosphere was good, but we were three people, and none of us would be interested in going back. There seem to be a lot of Asian restaurants in this area, so I think you can find better.

Surf & Turf roll
Ashley W.

First of all Yayas never ever misses! This is my absolute favorite place to go in Short Pump.

Bulgogi and fried rice
Whitney B.

Yayas has always been great since the first time I've visited. They consistently have given me great service and great food!

Pork Gyoza
Hannah S.

Yaya's Cookbook is one of my absolute favorite local Thai restaurants. My daughter & I ventured out there for Lunch this week & per usual we were not disappointed. The food was delicious. The service welcoming & attentive & the ambiance was boisterous but not overwhelming. We were seated in the Back dining area, which was quieter than the main dining room & we found being seated in this area worked well for us as we just wanted to relax, hang & talk. Every dining experience I have had at Yaya's has been enjoyable & this experience was no exception. I definitely recommend checking them out if you like Thai food & Sushi options. Their menu is quite expansive and overall very budget friendly.

Dried beef
Kathleen D.

I really enjoyed my experience at Yaya's last Thursday. We popped in around dinnertime before a nearby comedy show and sat at the bar. It's well-decorated for the holidays and feels cozy. Do note you'll probably need to keep your coat on sitting at the bar, as the door opens right on it without a buffer. Bartenders were so nice. They were out of our first choice for a cookie shot, so we ordered the peppermint patty shot. Well-named, very good. We also ordered two of their holiday cocktails, the drunken beef app, and later, pork fried rice to go (me, on a whim ha). The fried rice lasted me three meals and was soooo good. Prices were reasonable given the quality. I'd definitely stop back sometime!

Vicky V.

The Thai food and cocktails are still really good! However, the quality of the sushi has went downhill

Orange Chicken and Yaya's Roll
Candace

I come here often (I love to stop in after a good movie). The YaYas roll is my absolute favorite. The Orange Chicken is also really good and when I recommended to a friend, they also really enjoyed it. This place is popular and can get very crowded. Ordering delivery will run you the risk of your order sitting out for an hour (happened to me twice, but I love that roll!) Don't order out, eat in and enjoy the ambiance.

Jambalaya Roll
Beau M.

Yaya's has always been a favorite when I travel through Richmond. Today I had a Sidecar cocktail and the Dumplings as an appetizer. I normally order the Drunken Noodles, but I wanted something lighter. I was going to do one of the basic sushi rolls, but my server, Sydney, recommended the Jambalaya Roll. I'm glad I followed her recommendation. Delicious and a beautiful presentation. Sydney was very attentive and kind with a contagious smile, which is hard to find in Richmond sometimes. The staff at Ya Ya's is great, and the food/drinks are incredible.

Candy cane shooter!
Rita R.

A few friends and I came here after the movies for drinks. This was my first time here and I really appreciate that they let us come in despite the fact they were about to close soon so thank you guys! First of all I love the Christmas decor adorable! I had the margarita which was just how I like it, and shout out to the bartender for not watering it down as some places do. They also have Christmas themed shooters I had the candy cane which was not only visually appealing but absolutely delicious! I hope to come back and try the food, I was spying on the table next to us and whatever they had looked and smelled amazing! I'll be back!

Sushi with a fun drink
Michele F.

I finally made it to Yaya's and I can't believe I waited so long to try it. Some friends and I met for dinner on a Saturday night. We arrived before 5pm and got seated right away. I got a Rainbow roll and a Philly roll, and washed it down with a delicious drink that had a flower in the ice cube, so cool! The server was friendly and even though the restaurant was busy, she checked in with us often. By the time we left, the amount of people waiting to be seated was huge so it's best to get there early like we did.

Yaya's Roll - 10/10
Wolf P.

Excellent choice for Thai classics and sushi options with a unique spin. We tried a variety of dishes and they were all delicious. The cocktails aren't too complex but complement the food extremely well.

Miss Me Mexico - mezcal cocktail - $11 during HH! SO GOOD.
P.K. S.

one of the best (asian) meals and cocktails i've had in rva! everything from the sushi to the brussel sprouts to the thai curry was fantastic. every dish we had was flavored extremely well and was served hot and fresh. the service was also excellent - malaya was attentive and super friendly! my only complaint was the space is super small and a bit crowded - i got there at 4:15 and by 5pm it was packed and people were waiting in line to be seated which made the already tight space feel even more claustrophobic. the wait staff kept eyeing our table and made us feel rushed. however, the food quality and taste made it all worth it!

Drunken Noodle sub flat noodle for rice noodle add chicken
megan d.

How have I missed this gem right in my neighborhood??? I visited yaya's for the first time on a Friday night where I typically avoid Shortpump. We met for our girls night gift exchange and happy hour around 5pm. We were greeted by two amazing host and a bartender who welcome us with such an awesome spirit. Also.... You wanna talk about Christmas spirit??? This definitely needs to be on your stop for Christmas bars in RVA! The decor is the cutest! We were sat and our server greeted us immediately with a Christmas inspired drink menu and ready to explain their menu to us as two of us were first timers. When in doubt I always order a Espresso martini with tequila and this did not fail me. I also enjoyed the Spanish mule and hot tea at the end with a shot of Burbon. I definitely thanked the bartender when I left. We had sushi as our apps and quickly found out why YaYa's is top rated in RVA for its sushi. When I say FRESH! We had the chicken tempura and the jambalaya rolls. For dinner some ordered rolls again which from the chatter at the table the YaYa roll with the flame cooked Filet Mignon on top is an instant Yes! I have a tree nut allergy so Thai and Asian food can be Tricky. I had the drunken noodles that I subbed the flat noodle for a rice noodle and added chicken and did level 3 spice. This was so delicious I've gone back twice this week for this order. The service and the food were amazing and I am most likely going to become a regular here! Can't wait to sit in the swing seats at the sushi bar. I highly suggest you add YaYa's to your RVA eats!

Chicken drunken noodles, Thai deviled eggs, spicy shrimp roll....margarita and a Mean Girl!!!

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8 months ago

The best Thai fried rice I have ever had! The sushi is simply amazing as well .... Happy hour on the weekend as well

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28 days ago

The food staff and atmosphere is why we continue to come back. I love the popcorn chicken and crab fried rice WE LOVE YAYAS!

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4 months ago

Staff has knowledgeable about vegan options. Food is always good here and the service and ambience my family and I love.

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2 months ago

JT is the best, best recommendations, service, and person- he needs to run this place!!!!

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5 months ago

I ordered the curry duck. The sauce was incredibly rich, fragrant, and delicious. The portion was also generous - highly recommend.

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2 years ago

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2 months ago

Great food and atmosphere. One of our go-to spots for lunch and dinner. I like to try something new every time I go.

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3 months ago

I did not like the sushi. the sushi taste like fish like seriously fish!!!! who makes sushi that taste like fish completely gross.

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Liu's Kitchen

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Oh yeah. The real deal…read more Got takeout here and it exceeded my expectations. Had tried these dishes before at Peter's Fredericksburg location years ago. I got these for the road: Dry-Fried Eggplant Crispy with a touch of savory spice plus cilantro, really good. Grandma Noodles Wavy noodles in a savory brown sauce with dried pepper and cilantro. Spicy but good spicy. Much better than the last time I had them, they hadn't congealed yet. When I mixed everything together it was great. Pork in Spicy Garlic Sauce Oh yeah. Even with just one spice pepper, this rocks. This is what I remember enjoying from years back. Tender shredded pork in a spicy sauce with garlic and multiple kinds of peppers. Would definitely go back if in the area. Parking was easy in the strip mall next to Walmart. Ordering online was easy and pickup was friendly and quick.

The lamb was great, but they only give 3 lamb lollipops for $35. It wasn't worth it…read more The rest of the food was not great. We ate the combination fried rice. It had too much soy sauce and you couldn't taste anything else. The white rice was dry and undercooked. I feel like this is an utter travesty. I was at least expecting good rice. The golden mountain had great flavor but I think it was a mistake to eat it at home. It was mushy by the time we ate it. You can taste the spite in general Tso's chicken. It's like they don't want you to order it. The flavor is just sweet without any complexity. I've had better flavored general Tso sauce from grocery store brands. It was also mushy by the time we ate it. I would never order this again from them.

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Gogi BiBimBap

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I needed a boost and Gogi BiBimBap filled my need with Mandoo dumplings. They got me moving along…read morein a delicious quick way. The bistro is clean, attractive, and welcoming. The staff is friendly and provides efficient service. I want to go back.

Food Exciting to have authentic Korean food in Richmond and…read moreone with such an extensive vegan menu. They even have vegan kimchi and were so nice to bring out vegan gochujang because the one they have on the table is not vegan. We got the dolsat bibimbap and I always say the stone bowl is absolutely worth the extra money. The best part is always the crispy rice. Tteokbokki Having a vegan option without seafood was a great find. Most of the time the sauces have shellfish in them and I don't have the patience to make it from scratch. The noodles were cooked perfectly and they give you two vegetable dumplings on top. The sauce was nice and spicy without being too overwhelming. Kimchi pancakes: wish they had a bit more kimchi in them than the batter, but still good. Japchae with tofu, nice and almost beefy tasting. The black pepper was a nice punch. Korean fried tofu so nice and crispy with a really good sauce. I have been missing KFC since I turned vegan and good to know they have a good substitute for it. Service A good sized family run place where you can sit down or get take out. You order at the counter and they have a screen or you can be like us and take their paper menu to a table. A few four sized tables and some smaller two seaters. There was plenty of take out and delivery while we were seated. The person at the front was super helpful and patient as we tried to figure out what to order. They seemed busy and did not stop for too long the entire time. They came to bring us things and check in on us. Please use reusable cups for dining in and not styrofoam cups though! They have reusable utensils which is nice. Ambiance It's a fast casual place, but in a little strip mall in the county. They have K-pop playing and a stream of music videos so I didn't mind.

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Gogi BiBimBap - Inside

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Genghis Grill - My daughters is so different than mine! This is white rice bowl with steak, potato, carrot, black beans and corn mix, sweet and sour sauce.

Genghis Grill

3.1(239 reviews)
0.5 mi
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The best food and always has the best service all ways ask if u need anything make sure u have…read moredrinks all time really recommend coming u won't regret it

I used to absolutely love this restaurant when I lived in the neighborhood about five years ago…read more Being able to walk there was a huge plus, and it was a place I genuinely enjoyed visiting. Unfortunately, this location now feels like it has been on a steady downward spiral. On this most recent visit, one of the first things I noticed was that they no longer appear to sell alcohol, as they don't currently have an alcohol license. That alone wasn't a dealbreaker, but it was noticeable. What concerned me more was the lack of attention to hygiene in the kitchen. Watching the cooks prepare food without hairnets and seeing some of their food-handling practices was surprising and honestly uncomfortable. That said, I do want to give credit where it's due. The employee working behind the buffet bar was doing a very good job of keeping his area clean and organized. Everything on the buffet line looked fresh, and there was a good variety of options available. The bathrooms were also clean, which I appreciated. Another ongoing issue has been menu availability. They never seem to have the sauces or items listed on the menu. Each time I've asked, the response has been that they're "waiting on the truck." The first time, that was understandable. After hearing the same excuse multiple times over several visits, it no longer feels believable. One thing I will say I still enjoy is the trivia game they run on the TVs. You can download an app on your phone and play along, which is a fun touch. My little brother and I really enjoyed that feature, and it's one of the few highlights that still stands out. As for service, I want to be fair the waitress herself was doing her best. However, it was clear she was overwhelmed. The restaurant seemed understaffed, with only one waitress managing the entire place. She was trying to seat guests, take orders, run food, clean tables, make drinks, and handle online orders and pickups all at once. That's simply too much for one person, especially when the restaurant could have easily scheduled at least one additional staff member. Overall, this location no longer feels like the restaurant I once loved. I hope they're able to turn things around, because it used to be a great spot but right now, it's hard to recommend.

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Yaya's Cookbook - asianfusion - Updated October 2026

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