Yamato II

This is my 6^th time here and I’ve always had a great experience with the food and service. Today I went with four of my friends and our initial server (don’t know his name) gave us the sheets to order. After he took our order we waited about 40min before I decided to get the attention of another server. The initial server never checked in on us.
This new server, Serge, gave us new sheets to order food and said our other ones were misplaced. He assured us that our order would be on high priority. About 5min later our appetizers came out (crab Rangoon, edamame, ramen, miso soup, and seaweed salad). Not even 10min passed and we got our main order! 50 pcs of salmon sashimi, 4 pcs of mackerel, 2 pcs of tomago egg, 10pcs of eel sushi. Serge was hustling and cleared many tables of their dirty dishes. He was really attentive and ready to provide premium customer service with a smile on his face. He stopped by our table to make sure everything was ok and filled our glasses of water consistently. Yamato II is really lucky to have his guy as an employee. Stars are for Serge! :)

Great service, not bad for an eat all you can place that is affordable. Aside from the usual rolls, the hand rolls are delicious. Try the spicy salmon roll for something different which is crispy and not overwhelmingly fishy. For those who gravitate to sweet cocktails try their french piña colada and green tea shake which was a pleasant surprise. the only disappointing dish we had was dessert. Typical fried banana, which tastes the same in most sushi places.

The fish is so flesh and it’s like real Japanese food haha if you get hungry and ready to eat a lot of sushi, I really recommend!

Whenever I travel for work by myself, I eat at a Japanese restaurant and stay at the sushi bar so it’s not awkward. Since I have nobody to talk to, I was able to see and observe everything that happened in this restaurant the night I was there… I’ll tell you all. So I was sitting in the bar facing 7 busy sushi chef doing their thing and on my left I can see the kitchen from a distant and on my right the busy table section. There’s relevance why I mentioned what I can see from where I was seating later.
The bar is not kept tidy. Left over straws, bowl and glass marks on the bar, so I asked my server to wipe my area. Food was great, I highly recommend this place.
While I was eating my meal, the server started arguing with the sushi chef on the right side of the bar because he did order wrong, and they were going at it back and forth then finally the chef pulled the order form and turned out the server filled it out incorrectly. That was entertaining.
5 min later the server picked up a big sushi order with about 20 rolls that was freshly made by the other chef on my left, and she dropped it all on the floor and the face of the chef looks like he was about to get his samurai sword and cut her into pieces, that was entertaining.
Couple min later, the head chef was raising his voice and asking who left sea weed wraps in the oven and it was burnt, I wish I could understand Japanese but he started asking everybody who left it, but it turned out to be him by their actions, that was entertaining
Finishing up my meal, on my left where the kitchen is the door was open, I heard a long bang sound, when I looked I saw one server on the ground, turned out she slipped, hit her head on the big rice cooker and she quickly got up run towards the restroom, she was fine, that was entertaining.
It was 925p and the head chef told all the servers to tell all customers that the sushi bar is closing at 930. At 935 the server gave the chef sushi order, the chef got mad and asked the server to tell the customer that it’s close but the server won’t do it. So the chef end up doing it anyways but with an attitude. That was entertaining…
Food wise it is great but lack or management and cleanliness in the bar is an issue

Let’s start with the good things (even though they are slim to none), food price is average for a place slapped in the middle of Boston, and the food is average enough to get by.
So now it’s time for the negatives: (let me just take a quick finger stretch…)
First, the service here is so sooooo bad, I mean they don’t even have the basics down. I have to ask for more water every time, I have to ask for more ordering paper every time, I have to hold up the ordering paper for like 10 minutes before anyone would take it from me, i have to ask for plates because they didn’t have enough plates on the table in the first place. This list goes on and on but you get the idea.
So let’s get to the wait, we were here on a Friday night with my grandma, we wanted her to have a good time. But instead, every time we order, it takes about 20 mins before the food would come. I mean this is AYCE! If we have a two hour limit, shouldn’t you have a 2 minute delivery limit too? Grandma has went from hungry to full and back to hungry again. The fact that she’s mad made us feel even worse!
And please don’t tell me every time that I have to make sure I order just enough and I need to finish my food, seriously? Are we like 5? Obviously we have to finish our food, should we just order a table full of food and just leave it there so that we can watch it rot away?
There was four of us, and we have ordered 3 rounds of sushi, but at the end we still didn’t have enough wasabi to share between the 4 of us?!
We got here at around 6:30, and by 8:30, we had only got our 2^nd round of food, I thought I was fine dining for a second. DO NOT go to this place during the weekend for dinner, it is not worth the wait!!!
I mean they don’t even have the basics down as a fully functional AYCE sushi place. How can you live up to the Boylston street standard.
Can we give out 0 stars here?

I like this location much better than the Brighton location. Staff is friendly and attentive and the sushi just has an all around better quality. The fact that the staff is so much better makes a worlds of a difference.
The only gripe I have (and I know it’s because they don’t want you to waste and people would get mad when they have to pay extra) But… when they remind you just how many pieces you have ordered and they ask if you can eat it all… yea…we can eat IT ALL! haha There isn’t any other way to phrase it without telling someone they don’t look like they can eat all of what they ordered. but it just bothers me

By far, my favorite sushi buffet restaurant to go to. Compared to their original restaurant, the seating area is spacious and accommodates big and small groups. Service is great there and everything that you order truly does come out on the table. Once, we ordered almost 25+ pieces of sashimi and they happily served it to us. We had visitors eating with us who said that the quality was almost comparable to the sushi they had when they lived in Japan (a bit exaggerated but you get the picture). Great sushi buffet to go to!

Had the AYCE menu for a friend’s birthday. We were seated quickly even though we were a large party (nine).
Food:
I was really impressed by the sushi here! The rolls we had were consistently wrapped, neatly packed, and tasted sooo good. There were so many good rolls that I don’t even remember them all, but my favorite was definitely the dragon roll, which had a nice, crunchy texture from the tempura flakes and came with a delicious sauce. For dessert, I tried the green tea and red bean ice cream, both of which were delicious.
Service:
The one possible knock on Yamato for us was that the service was a bit slow (20 – 30 minutes between rounds), but it was a packed house and for buffet style-​dining it’s hard to reasonably expect much better.
Overall, I thought the experience was very enjoyable and the quantity/​quality of the food we had more than justified the price. I don’t regularly have AYCE sushi so I can’t say how our experience compares, but if other places offer as good an experience as what we had at Yamato, you can’t go wrong!

This was my first visit to Yamato II but I have spent many meals at the original location in Brighton. After having Yamato for the first time I never looked at sushi restaurants the same again. The service is always very good, the quality of the fish is fantastic and always fresh and the price for all you can eat is such a deal.
I rarely eat sushi since being spoiled by Yamato, so when I had some time to spend in Boston before the holidays it was a must to have lunch in their new location. Like the original, Yamato II left both my stomach and my wallet satisfied. Their specialty rolls only add $ 1 or $ 2 to the bill if you choose all you can eat (which is a no brainer here). I love the spicy salmon hand rolls and plenty of fresh sushi and shashimi. They have great apps too, shrimp tempura and shumai are delicious.

Sun-​Thurs Lunch $ 17.50
Sun-​Thurs Dinner $ 24.99
Fri-​Sat Lunch $ 17.50
Fri-​Sat Dinner $ 26.99
I’ve ripped too many pants in my life, but I can’t turn down a challenge.
Me: Can I get… Agedashi Tofu, Fried Calamari, Katsu Pork, Crispy Chicken… and Spicy Seafood Fried Rice?
Waitress: We charge for left over food.
Me: Oh. Can I get the steak too?
Yes, I was alone, but that just means I was on business.
The same rules apply here for any other AYCE — limit the carbs and try to maximize your money. Choose either an udon or rice dish if you must, but don’t get both. Instead, keep with the meats. If you are a sushi lover (I am not), then go for whatever rolls give the best bang for the buck.
Of the dishes I tried, none were particularly outstanding. Flavor and quality of the appetizers and entrees were mediocre, and even the fried ice cream was unremarkable. The spicy seafood fried rice barely had any seafood (refer to my picture), and had only 1 or 2 shrimps. It is definitely better as a side dish and meant to be shared. It is clear that their focus is on sushi, and based on the reactions from other patrons, they do at least a decent job at that.
The venue is actually quite large and is suitable for groups both large and small. Servers are very nice and attentive — even if they may underestimate one’s appetite.
The food here won’t win any awards, but it’s good enough for an AYCE. For Bostonians, the option for a feast without having to venture to surrounding towns is hard to turn down. Unless you are going for dishes that are specific to dinner, you are better off going for lunch and enjoying dessert elsewhere. Finally, be sure you can gauge your appetite prior to ordering.
(^_​^) Venue
(^_​^) Service
(^_​-​) Options
(^_​-​) Quality
(^_​-​) Bang for buck
Glad I came. I’d come back with a group.

We had a fantastic dinner here. The food is awesome and the price is right for all you can eat. You can choose off the sushi and the kitchen menu. The tuna and salmon sashimi were amazing, as were the rangoon, dumplings, tempura and rolls. We loved everything we had.
My only disappointment were that we did’t have a designated server, so it was a little confusing when the bartender brought us drinks but said he couldn’t serve us. We just filled out our sheets and passed them over the sushi bar.
The other concern was that escolar (white tuna) is on the menu. Escolar is banned in Japan and other countries because it can make you really sick (stomach cramps and an emergency trip to the bathroom). Supposedly it is delicious and really buttery. I had heard of this when a local paper did an expose on local fish markets mislabeling fish. My husband wanted to order some, and we googled it to confirm it won’t hurt you, but can cause some discomfort. Caveat Emptor.
Otherwise we had a fantastic dinner. All you can eat is a great deal and the food is delicious.

Love the fact that we don’t have to trod to Allston for AYCE sushi. Went here for lunch but opted for dinner AYCE $ 26.95 so we can have sashimi. That’s what we like anyways.
The sashimi were fresh albeit on the skinny side but that doesn’t bother me. It’s AYCE, I’ll just order another round.
Our server is nice but the interaction with him when we placed our first order was strange. We went all out with our sashimi order and he asked us to change our order to add more sushi rolls instead. No, Thanks. We are here for the sashimi. They did not try to dissuade us at Yamato in Allston.
Other than that, everything was good. We were served promptly. Got in before the crowd, we got a nice seat. I like the fact that they have a good crowd. More diners, faster turnaround of their inventories. That spells fresh fish.
My sister ordered a special roll for $ 1 extra. Hot Volcano, I think. It came with a hard crust of baked mayo with crabmeat underneath. It was uneventful. Save yourself $ 1 and just stick with good fresh sashimi and their regular rolls.
They do not offer gluten free tamari. Make sure you bring your own if you are celiac or sensitive to gluten.

Come here for the AYCE sushi at lunch time. For $ 17.5 a person, you get to eat to your heart’s content. Well so long as it isn’t one of the restrictions (sashimi, special rolls, dessert etc.). Plus, if you come during a later lunch, you can probably get away with not eating dinner. So really it’s $ 17.50 for 2 meals.
I much prefer this location to the one in Brighton. The inside space is larger and it is super convenient to get to (right off Copley T stop). I thought the food was great, although a bit heavy on the rice side. My favorites include: edamame, seaweed salad, caterpillar, rainbow, and dragon roll. Don’t waste your stomach space on the noodles or fried foods.
Tip: Order a little at a time (they charge if you have too much leftover). When they bring out your first plate of food, ask for a ordering sheet so you don’t have to wait too long in between.

It’s great that they have AYCE but sushi is only okay. The Philly Roll is surprisingly disappointing. I’ve tried a sweet potato roll in Genki Ya, which is so yummy, but is my undercooked and gross here.
The salmon sashimi is very good. The Dragon Roll is also really good. Those, I can order over and over again.
I believe it’s $ 17 ayce for lunch. Order moderately because they charge extra if you have leftovers.
Nice and spacious interior. Located across Copley Square and the beautiful Boston Public Library, next door to a Wendy’s.
Service is very good. I had leftovers and asked how much they would charge for what I had left. The waitress said if I just eat the cheaper maki rolls (which was only four) then she wouldn’t charge me for the rest of it. Lovely girl. I really appreciated that.
I’d come back if I’m with a big group of people and out celebrating something. Otherwise, I’m not in love with the place and wouldn’t be back in a hurry.

As far as AYCE sushi goes, Yamato II is pretty great for its price ($ 24.99 dinner on weekdays, $ 26.99 on weekends) and location but the service knocks it down to a 3.5÷4. My boyfriend and I came with empty stomachs on a Thursday night and were seated promptly. There are a ton of different sushi options and appetizers to choose from and I love that they also offer sashimi, combos, and ice cream during dinner service. They don’t normally have at these items at lunch so it definitely justifies the higher price if you’re a fan of them. However, it was off-​putting when we ordered a ton of things that we knew we’d be able to finish but the server rudely told us that we ordered too much food and then asked if we were aware that we ordered the handroll version as well as the normal roll. I definitely understand that they don’t want food to be wasted, but she was impolite about it and also curtly said, «you know we’re gonna charge you double for food that you don’t finish right?» Not the best way to start our meal.
As for the food, the sushi is fresh and the cooked food is pretty good too. The sushi is standard so get all your favorites and try some new ones too. The rice in their rolls is quite generous though, so it does fill you up quicker. The seaweed wrapping the handrolls was also very chewy and not crispy at all. My favorites from the night are probably the Japanese ramen and the green tea ice cream! I loved that the ramen came with half an egg and a slice of pork belly along with a bottle of chili flakes that you can add at your own discretion. The noodles were the perfect firmness. I had two bowls of it. The ice cream was also very rich and fragrant with green tea flavor. I would also recommend getting the steak because it was cooked medium and was very tasty.
AYCE sushi is always about the experience and their large selection definitely does not disappoint. Come with an empty stomach — I’m looking forward to coming back soon.

I was so happy to finally try AYCE sushi in Boston! The price ($ 25 for weeknight dinner) doesn’t seem to bad when you realize that you can eat as much sushi and cooked dishes.
Food: Sushi was so fresh! I am picky when it comes to my sushi and I definitely was impressed. Try to get as much nigiri and sashimi as possible. The sushi rolls were good, but could have been rolled better, it was falling apart. Their ramen is also worth a try, it’s a small maybe a quarter portion bowl and it is delicious.
Drinks: If you haven’t had Sapporo at a Japanese restaurant, you should definitely try it. It’s a great Japanese beer. I actually got a «Green Tea Smoothie,» which had irish cream, vodka, and green tea ice cream, because I’m a huge green tea fan. It was good, but very strong and heavy (so if you want more room for sushi, probably should avoid it).
Service: I know it’s a buffet and I shouldn’t expect any better, but service definitely was pretty bad. The server was not very familiar with the menu and was not very friendly. Also, I felt very uncomfortable, because she would just stand and stare at us the whole time while we were eating (but we couldn’t get her attention when we needed something). BUT she was nice enough to warn us that if we don’t finish our food, we’d have to pay more money and paced our orders instead of putting everything in at once (even though we knew we could finish everything).

Finally couldn’t resist the temptation of all you can eat sushi. So the four of us decided to come eat on a Friday so that we can happily crash in food coma post lunch at work.
The restaurant management seems to be inundated and/​or inexperienced. It took us a good 10 min to get someone to give the buffet ordering form and another 5 to get water. Then after turning our sheet with all the meat we want to stuff down, they kept on mixing I our orders with the other tables.
When the food finally did come, we noticed that some items were missing and we had to remind them repeatedly to get them (they didn’t forget any item with lots of rice though, which makes sense since rice would fill you up, and they can charge you extra if you don’t finish the said rice!)
Sushi was mediocre at best. Wasabi was not sharp at all. I had to pretty much dip the entire serving portion to get the oh my god I’m crying reaction. The sushi was also literally just slabs of meat on rice — no decency to put any wasabi or vinegar under the meat! Meat was okay, but too much rice!
Overall, for the price, great deal. Don’t come looking for great sushi though. Expect to be treated with lots of rice and filler food.

Came here on a Tuesday night and they got a decent crowd in there.
They offer plenty of sushi and hot items for AYCE. Food options ranging from sashimi, teriyaki to udon noodles. Fancy makis are available at an additional $ 1.
Service was attentive but not intrusive. Food came out fairly quickly and the quality was pretty decent. Definitely, a good dining option for Back Bay without breaking the piggybank.

Came here with a friend last week because Yamato (same owner as that in Brighton) just opened up. Came here for lunch. Convenient location, definitely easier to get to then Brighton but parking obviously would suck. The price is a couple of bucks more for their buffet with the exact menu. Their sushi is actually nigiri and I was a bit confused why wouldn’t they just wrote that.
Food was good. We ordered a bunch of apps, some rolls and nigiri because sashimi is not part of their lunch menu for buffet.
Everything was pretty good except for the seaweed salad. It was pretty salty so I couldn’t finish it.
Probably won’t come back here much for lunch at $ 17.95/per person rounding to at least $ 23 with tips.

ATTENTION BACK BAY: AYCE SUSHI HAS ARRIVED!
Yamato’s new location in the old Vlora space is so much nicer than the original Allston/​Brighton location. The décor, cleanliness, ambiance, and staff all got an upgrade — thank goodness, otherwise I’m not sure they’d survive with the Back Bay clientele.
Food wise — pretty standard and menu offerings are in line with it’s original Allston location. I continue to be impressed with the fish quality considering AYCE places tend to serve fish where you can taste the mercury before it’s even hit your tongue. For the price — details listed below — it’s a steal!
Sunday — Thursday
Lunch: $ 17.50
Dinner: $ 24.99
Friday — Saturday:
Lunch: $ 17.50
Dinner: $ 26.99
Note: Dinner menu is slightly more extensive than lunch with it’s sashimi and sushi box offerings.
PRO-​TIP: Come hungry, obviously. This is AYCE we’re talking about here.