Yama
(212) 475-0969
49 Irving Pl
New York,
NY
10003
40.7358
-73.9877
Neighborhoods: Midtown, Gramercy Park
Reviews & Ratings for Yama
39 reviews
What users are saying:
Showing 1-10 of 39 reviews
Best sushie!
by CSMobileUser2
March 06, 2009
Love this place! Great service. Amazing sushie. Creative rolls no one else has.
I'm a Regular--and its so good I hate to promote it
by nybapfood
August 18, 2008
I have been in love with Yama for quite a long time now. The sashimi/nigiri sushi comes with quite a big piece of delicately cut fish - custom that I've heard is from a particular region in Japanese. The fish is always fresh and I have never been disappointed with it. The eel here is also quite delicious, they prepare it extremely well, with minimal bones. I oftentimes get my sushi to-go on the way home and savour it there, but the cramped style within the restaurant is just part of its personality. Lunches are as busy as dinner, and its much easier to get a table, with the same menu plus the lunch specials. Yes, you can hear the conversations all around you because of its tiny-proportions, but so many a times people have joined into my table's conversations, and it's all in good fun. Its not a restaurant for romance, its a restaurant for good food. The waitresses and sushi chefs are not all Japanese, but then again, are they ever in today's sushi restaurants? Its getting fewer and fewer. Actually, I know the origins of most of the staff, and I can't at the moment think of any particular Japanese staff member.
mediocre
by oshioshi
May 19, 2008
I have been a devout fan of Yama and have ONLY eaten sushi here for years - my last visit here, however, I realized that the quality of the food as well as the service is diminishing. The sushi presentation is, without a doubt, unique and interesting compared to an average sushi restaurant - but the space is VERY small and cramped. If you sit at a table you can hear your neighbor's conversation. My boyfriend and I spent over a $100 for food alone (we did not order drinks or dessert - just an appetizer and sushi) and walked out of the restaurant dissatisfied. This past weekend we tried Matsuri and this is our new favorite sushi spot - the food, service, and ambiance was great!
- Pros: large sushi portions
- Cons: cramped space, bland sushi, expensive
Bland and expensive
by alee201
May 07, 2008
I?ve been to Yama a couple of times but I think the appeal of it being hard to find over shadowed the fact that this place has very poor service, bland fish, and mediocre rolls that are not at all creative. This place is also completely over priced for the quality and for the location (in the lower level of the building). Prices reflect the fact that the rolls are big but only because it?s filled with rice, not fish. I will not be returning for this tasteless, expensive sushi.
- Pros: filling
- Cons: price, taste and service
Great Sushi, Great Service, Hard to Find
by gambit023
April 04, 2008
Just went there yesterday with my wife. I couldn't find the place so I called them. someone came outside and actually looked for me. The service is great..the sushi is awesome. very fresh.
i also had the fried green tea ice cream.. it was the best i've had. the center it was nice and frozen while the outside was puffy. some places i've been to over cook it and the center turns out too melted.
Absolutely wonderful Sushi
by 1city1search
November 21, 2007
I had to create a citysearch account just to refute the recent complaints about Yama. I eat sushi at least once a week and Yama is still the best sushi I've found in New York for the price. The quality of the fish is extremely high, and the size of the pieces is unbelievable. Go to Yama if you appreciate good fish and well prepared rice; that's where it is best--in nigiri and sashimi. Many other places make flamboyant Americanized rolls, with elaborate sauces and presentation, but that's not true Japanese sushi, and it masks the flavor of the fish. Yama is authentic, and the quality of the fish can't be beat unless you're willing to break your pocketbook.
horrible service for average sushi
by gooselicious
October 26, 2007
Okay, I used to be a BIG fan of Yama, but something been happening with the place this past year or so. I agree with the other poster that said that we should removed outdated reviews 'cause Yama is definitely not the way it was.
Yes, the sushi is a big chunk of fish, but you are paying for it, they just don't cut it up in little pieces like the other sushi restaurants. But you are still paying for it. And the fish is just not as fresh or buttery or whatever as it used to me. I feel like they are using a lower grade sushi, but I don't know for sure.
Even given all that, I would still go back except now the service is so bad. Well, waiting for a table has always been a pain. They don't take reservations and you can't call and leave your name on the waiting list. You have to physically be there to put your name on the list and wait 45 to 1 hour for a table. I am sorry, but the food is NOT worth the wait.
Once you get in, they are just nice to you and get upset if you ask them too many questions. They rush you the whole entire time so you can't even enjoy your meal. And of course when you see the bill, you just want to run out of the restaurant anyways.
Never again, I hope more people update their reviews so maybe
- Cons: poor service, expect to wait a long time outside during the busy times, average sushi
Worst Sushi place in the entire World Universe
by mdaoudi
September 13, 2007
they deserve 5 starts for attitude but 0 for food quality and service
My friend ordered Yuni, it was fresh at all. so we decided to return it and they everything went downhill.
Stay away from this place. Not worth a penny.
No one smiles in that place, they presented the bill even before we even looked @ deserts... like you get the message
They should be evicted from NY.
YAMA you are the WORST!
- Pros: None
- Cons: ALL
"the best sushi in manhattan" oh so true!
by bumpyroad371
July 18, 2007
I was walking up Irving Place one day, and I heard some guy say to his friend "that place over there is the best sushi in Manhattan". I had never been there, my Uncle is a Sushi Guru. So I mentioned it to him, and he agreed- that it was the best Sushi in Manhattan. He picked me up this past Thursday to take me out to his house in the Hamptons. He said he wanted to make one little detour. We stopped at Yama, he has some amazing connections. There was an hour wait, and we were seated right away. The sushi was AMAZING... espically the Spicy Tuna Hand Roll!!!! A MUST TRY!!!!!
- Pros: sushi is amazing.
- Cons: I expected the ambience to be more sophisticated, it's very "Plain Jane".
You Would Not Want to go to Yama if You Have any Taste for Quality Sushi
by cje123
March 30, 2007
I went to Yama last evening, and I was surprised at how awful it's become. I had last been to Yama about 6 years ago. This time, as back then, there was a line to get in - I would have thought that this was a sign of quality. Well, after waiting the half hour to get in (no big deal) and sitting in a dull interior room that had little decor (still no big deal because you come for the sushi) - we were served extremely sub-par food. The only "positive" about the experience is that the sushi rolls were big - but the fish itself was fatty and did not go down like "butter" - the rolls were poorly made (they fell apart consistently - no joke! - you'll see) - the spicy mayo had little taste. The entire experience was lame. Now, the problem with Yama is that if you know good sushi, you will be very disappointed because other than size of the rolls (which were just large, uneven cut chunks of fish) a place like Yama has no redeeming qualities -- lines to get in, a dull interior, a very limited selection of rolls, so when the Sushi fails, it's noticeable.
Now if you don't know good sushi, perhaps Yama will pull off something in appearances -- they make large rolls and there really is a line to get in. But if you've had enough sushi to have any sort of discriminating palate, you will be really disappointed!
By the way, I've read the other reviews here. Yama, on this site, seems to get a relatively high rating. So, you're going to have a tough choice to make whether to go. I do see that many of the reviews are years old -perhaps Citysearch should remove reviews when they're more than a few years old. I think before going to Yama, you should decide (a) that you're going just for sushi (Yama never offered anything but its sushi ); and then (b) that you (and your company) are not particularly selective when it comes to sushi :)
- Pros: large portions, so you won't go hungry
- Cons: limited selection of rolls; rolls that fall apart; poor quality sushi (chunks, fatty); a poorly coordinated line to get in; loud environment; seating close to other tables; no decor; minimal service
