Yamabuki Restaurant & Bar

I sometimes go here for lunch its kind of quiet and empty, but the sushi is always fresh. I want to try the chirashi bowl next time. I only been here for lunch so maybe at night it gets packed.

I am very saddened to see that this place is not getting better reviews! I have definitely noticed less of a crowd here the last few times I ate here with my parents and was wondering the decline…
Disclaimer: I do not order the sushi here, and perhaps that’s why I have no reservations about giving this place 5 stars. My parents and I always order the lunch specials: they get the salmon (I think it’s special A?) and I order the teriyaki chicken (special C). The meal starts off with a miso soup (which I personally think is delicious), a small salad with a peanut-​y dressing, and tea. The bento itself comes with tempura, a bowl of rice (refilled for free upon request – at least, whenever we’ve asked), sashimi, 4-​piece California roll, and your chosen entrée. Because my mom and I are not huge fans of California rolls, we sometimes substitute them for an extra miso soup. The waitress will check back in periodically to see if you need a tea refill and check that everything is satisfactory.
I’ve always thought the food here was good – the tempura is always crispy, the chicken very lean, the rice cooked properly, the miso soup *not* too salty, and the service prompt. In other words, no problems, and my family will continue to come here especially with the
coupon!

This review is mainly about the service on Friday night 6÷29÷12.
My friend and I arrived at the restaurant around 8p. No hostess that night. My friend talked with the waitress, I sort of heard she said we could sit anywhere we like, so I sat at one of the table and my friend walked to the restroom. After a min or so, the waitress came and snapped at me «I SAID BOOTH!» She was loud and the customers at two tables down could hear her and they looked at me, i was so embarrassed and I went blank. The waitress continued when she saw me not getting up and said «THIS TABLE HAS BEEN TAKEN!». she made me feel I have done something terrible. Well, I was so upset but there is no point to argue with her. I moved to the to the booth and waited for my friend came out from the restroom, and then we decided not eating there.
I have been to this restaurant a couple of times, but after this incident, I will not go to this restaurant again. This could be the reason why this restaurant is getting less and less customer every time we go.

I used to come to Yamabuki all the time, and I remember it being quite delicious. I started to hear that this place is no longer delicious, but I decided to give it a try all these years later because I found a great deal on
We came in around 9pm on Thursday. There was only one other patron in the restaurant. This definitely sent some red flags up, but the lady kept telling us how great Yamabuki was and how it is «the BEST RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD.»
I don’t think this woman has eaten any where else before. I’m pretty sure the Carl’s Jr. across the street has better food than Yamabuki!
What we ordered
Seasame chicken+ Tempura Dinner combo: The Seasame chicken was really tasty (probably the best thing we had all night). It was served with rice, miso soup (too salty!), salad, and some other veggies. The tempura was not bad, but not great either.
Sushi Dinner: Good portion. The fish seemed fresh, but the rice was not good. It was undercooked!
Mini Pork Katsu bowl + cold udon: GROSS. The Katsu bowl was way too salty, and the katsu wasn’t all that remarkable. The udon was disgusting; way too soggy. The dipping sauce for the udon was terrible. It had no flavor, and left a weird after taste in my mouth!
It makes me sad to see this place in such bad shape now. It used to be one of my favorite places to eat. The service is still excellent, but the food needs so much work.
If you are looking for a great Japanese restaurant with awesome sushi, I highly recommend going to Honda Sushi, located in the Best Buy Plaza across the street from Yamabuki!

I am very conflicted with this restaurant, perhaps because I was starving when we got here but dinner definitely fizzed towards the end.
Anyhow, we came on a Friday night because my sister had a
gift certificate. Made reservations for 8:30 and coming in, there was not a soul in the restaurant, which of course sent red flags a’flyin.
Food:
*Uni, calamari steak, udon, surf clam, miso black cod were delicious. The uni was fresh and creamy, calamari steak cooked perfectly (not chewy), miso black cod very well marinated and buttery.
–Oysters (they only had 4 puny ones left, but we got them anyway, since I am an addict. Good sauce and condiments on the oysters)
–Sushi rolls were average (spider, spicy salmon, salmon skin). The rice had a very nice citrus kick to it which definitely brightened the rolls up.
–Tuna tataki was very fishy (yuckk)
I don’t recommend the desserts either. There is a soupy one which tasted like sugar water with some mochi pieces floating inside. And a bowl of what looked like an inverted shaved ice thing was also way too sweet.
Service: Our waitress stopped serving us once her friends came in for drinks and Karaōke (which starts at 9pm i think) and the little old woman had to shuffle in and out of the kitchen, which I felt very bad for. But, you can’t expect much from a small mom&pop restaurant.
Overall, while some dishes were good I don’t think this place is memorable enough to warrant a second visit.

Meh. I’ll pass on this sushi restaurant. Thanks.
Biggest reason why? Well, I’ve been here a few times and the quality of staff is always up to par — kind, patient, traditional Japanese hospitality.
BUT what is up with the food? To be more specific, the freshness of the sushi isn’t very high. I mean, I could tell that it wasn’t fresh, just by the color of the sushi from the moment they set it down on the table. In other words, the color looked bland. It tasted even worse and I couldn’t appreciate the rest of my dish. Not to mention but theyre very stingy on the mediocre sushi. I won’t be going there anymore– not unless I was forced. Sorry.

Nothing too special here. Used the
gift certificate they offer and ended up getting some pretty small portion sizes of their teriyaki chicken bento meal. Good thing I wasn’t really hungry that night. The place was empty for a Sunday dinner so I assume this place may not be along for that much longer. On the positive side, our service was quick.
If you want good sushi… go to RA at Del Amo. If you want good Japanese food… go to Azuma in Gardena.

The food is great. The place is cool.
It looks much better inside than outside. First i was thinking it’s small as seen from outside but when you are in it’s much better feeling.:)
I just read from some reviews and one i got with myself also is «I don’t know» from waitress. I did order to go and i asked how much it will be then she said «I don’t know» but in the end she told me how much it is. I think it’s much better to say ok hold on please i will tell you how much it will be instead of «I don’t know» If you don’t know so who will knows?

Yamabuki. I want to like you. I realllly do. I would be more than happy to throw 5 stars your way just because of our history together. I have fond memories of coming here back when I was younger and my parents would take me here to eat on their way to the bank next door. For some reason I remember feeling it was more alive, fresh and yummy back then. Perhaps I was just eating with a youthful naïveté???
Alas…what has happened? The years have not been kind to you. I returned after maybe 10+ years of not eating here when I took my Dad to the bank (oh how the roles have reversed) and we decided to grab lunch at Yamabuki.
First — when did it become a garden? It’s fine but clearly someone there loves their plants because the outside and interior are filled up with lots of interesting foliage. A little weird… yet it does add a certain homey charm to the place.
Second — So. Quiet. It was a 12:30 on a Wednesday or Thursday but it was depressingly quiet. Only one other older couple were there — silently eating their bento boxes while reading the newspaper. Not exactly the image of good times.
Third– Food was… questionable. I decided to take a chance and ordered the chirashi. My Dad was the wiser and settled on the curry plate. We got our complimentary miso soup and salad. OK. Then our dishes came out. Curry was a bit… coagulated? But overall the flavor and quality was fine. The chirashi though was seriously fishy. I ate the cooked shrimp and rice and pickles and kinda moved around the rest of the fish after biting into a very fishy piece of albacore. I guess I should have known turnover here wasn’t exactly high but I had hoped to be surprised… and surprised in a good way. Not surprised in a «Oh man my stomach is hurting and I need to become best friends with my toilet now.»
Fourth — Service was ok. They certainly try but it pains me to see the little, older Japanese woman scurrying around cooking, taking orders, and cleaning things up. I actually felt bad for making her work so hard preparing our meal.
I guess how Yamabuki is now could be due to the economic downturn or just an aging ownership. I dunno. Either way I hope some thing turns around. I would hate to see this place go down further. And call me a sucker but I will be back to support and try the cooked food in hopes it is better.

This place is pretty bad. We arrived at 9:03 and were told we couldn’t sit at the (empty) sushi bar, even tho the restaurant closes at 10. Apparently, 9 PM is cut-​off for sushi bar-​sitting. There were about 8 people there, but they were just drinking. We were essentially alone as far as dining goes. Yet one would have thought we’d arrived during the rush-​hour, as we were left adrift many times, and the waitress simply forgot what we’d ordered on at least three different occasions. Water? Ha. You have to ask three times. Edamame? Oops. Yellowtail roll? Oh, right.
That’s all bad enough but the quality of the sushi was sub-​par. It wasn’t «bad.» I’ve had «bad» sushi, unfortunately. This was just more below-​mediocre. And for the money they charge (on the lower-​end of average, actually), I’d hope for more. What I’m saying is, I’ve had much better sushi at much lower prices. I can’t believe this place is still operating.
The only bright spots: Draft Japanese beer & fried tofu in a delicate & delicious sauce.
But really: Don’t go there.

Another
review.
Daimyo dinner: your choice of grilled salmon or black cod, assorted tempura, sesame chicken, sashimi, nimono, rice. It also came with salad, miso soup and chawan mushi. The restaurant recommended black cod.
One thing I noticed about the food was the size of the tray. That was the biggest bento box/​tray I’ve ever seen. I forced myself eating the food because I was hungry. It’s actually expensive for $ 20.99 for the quality and quantity of the food. Even with the coupon!
The waitress was super sweet and friendly. Clean restroom! The place itself looked more like a garden than a restaurant. It had a bar and a sushi bar as well. There was also a DJ area in case you want to book your party @ this restaurant.
2 stars! The food itself is only 1 star.
Yamabuki is not yummylicious!

Whenever I am really craving sushi, I always find myself at Yamabuki for their seafood bowl. For ~$ 10 for lunch or $ 12 for dinner, you get a bowl filled with different kinds of fish over a bed of seasoned rice. The seafood bowl is never the same twice. It always has a random combination of whatever seafood they have leftover. Sometimes it seems more fresh than others. The last time I went with my family for dinner, my bowl had a scallop! But usually, the fish is in small pieces and drenched in sauce.
My mom ordered the salmon teriyaki. Very small piece of salmon, but it does taste good. My sister ordered tempura udon and she didn’t complain.
For dessert, they brought us out complimentary slices of fruit.
Note: they are pretty strict on the fine print for the
certificates. I’ve gotten irritated a few times.
Overall, kinda pricey, but the
coupons surely helps! Also, if you are on their email list, they send a 10% coupon every month if you don’t want to bother with

Nice lady hostess, great happy hour specials ($ 1 draft), full bar and flat screens all around? The menu sports a diverse selection from bentos to sushi. They have a great coupon on
. Also, very decorative flowers and plants garnish the inside with a warm home-​style touch.
I ordered a large combo bento box. The cod was good.

Another
gift certificate lunch:
We needed to order $ 35 dollars worth of food. Not an easy task, given the very reasonable lunch options.
The order:
2 Nigiri Specials — consists of yellowtail, salmon, tuna, mackeral, eel, shrimp, whitefish, tamago sushi with 4 pieces of california roll. The special also came with a small salad and miso soup. The 2 Nigiris got us up to $ 30, so we added 2 spicy tuna rolls (8 pieces ea).
Freshness of the sushi was above fast food grade, but short of the best sushi places out there. Slices of fish were generous and nicely presented.
Service:
The older woman (i’m guessing about 65) was hustling between tables all by herself. She apologized a few times, stating that their 2 waitresses didn’t show up for work. Although service was slow, I give her 5 stars for effort.
Definitely a pretty good deal in the end, after the $ 25 certificate is applied.
Parking is easy with their own personal lot.

So I came here because of a
gift certificate. I always pass Yamabuki when driving on Hawthorne but I’ve never actually stopped by and had their food. I saw that they were even open on Christmas day!
I got the mini lunch combination with the chicken teriyaki and tempura. It also came with a salad, miso soup, and rice. My mom got the salmon teriyaki and tempura. Then we got the spicy tuna roll to split.
So, how did it taste? Well, none of the food was bad. But none of it was amazing either. I’ve definitely had better elsewhere though. The tempura vegetables and shrimp were a little skimpy. No big deal though, they tasted good. The spicy tuna was pretty fresh and so were the cucumbers. Always a good sign, freshness. I like their salad dressing though. I’m tired of the same Costco-​tasting sesame dressing and this was good. It’s a peanuty sesame type of deal.
Our server was sweet and super nice, so that was a plus as well. But overall, just decent.

When my husband and I first came here we had a very pleasant experience. We had the Sukiyaki and the Sashimi. The Sashimi was not the best and for the price you didn’t get that much. The Sukiyaki was wonderful and we thought we had to bring our mother here as we always beg her to make us Sukiyaki. I’d say that time we had a 4 star experience with service and the Sukiyaki!
Then we brought our mother and were embarrassed for bringing her. We ordered the Sukiyaki again, as well as the Shabu-​Shabu and a rainbow roll. The older woman who was our server was awful. She would never smile and looked irritated any time she came over. We tried to ask about a menu item and she would reply «Are you ready to order?!» Then my mother in law asked politely «is this all the meat for the Shabu-​Shabu?» meaning is this meat on the plate in front of me for just the Shabu-​Shabu or also for the Sukiyaki. The lady responded «The Shabu-​Shabu is for one person, what do you expect for $ 20?» That aside, drinks were never refilled, plates never cleared, just not good service at all. So this last time I give it a 1 star experience.
So 4 star Sukiyaki and 1 star service equals 2 stars. And now I don’t think I’ll go back.

we ordered:
FRIED CHICKEN WINGS– do not order this. they give you 3 little wings that didn’t look or even tasted fried… and not very flavorful… 3 little pieces for $ 3.99.
COD: this was ok
SPIDER ROLL: this was ok
SPICY TUNA ROLL– this was the best out of the dinner we ordered, but it was not great
TEMPURA UDON– they udon was meh. and the 2 shrimp tempuras they give with it was so~ tiny
UNI– you could tell that it was frozen
This was really pricey for the quality we got. I didn’t like that they tagged on an 18% gratuity when we were a party of 4?!
The waitress was really nice… but did not make up for the cost and quality of food. :o/

First time the other night here. Not bad. Should have given ourselves more time to savor it but anyway; I liked it. Favorite dish had to be the spicy spider (?) roll. VERY tasty. Perhaps the shrimp tempura was a bit small for our tastes (I mean shrimp is shrimp, but these suckers were really dinky — )
Yellowtail was slightly burned on edges. Wife liked mackerel sushi the best. Salmon eggs were also cool.
I can recommend it and we would return again. I would say it is right between high end, and mediocre. Not bad, but not super great.
Adequate customer service, and a very well-​kept spacious bathroom.
Good enough for me and the mrs! :)

Decided to give it another try after my previous poor experience. Nothing is changed. There were 6 tables waited by two people and the service was slow. We ordered one of the sushi sets, udon, edamame, grilled egg plants, and fried chicken wings. Nothing was above par. Even the edamame was bad (bit over cooked). How can you go wrong with edamame??? The chicken wings still had feathers. Sushi and udon was no better than the sushi and udon at ayce ONami down the street. $ 55 for the food (no alcohol). It would of been cheaper to go ayce.
There is an older waitress there and I’m guessing she is the wife of the owner. Few constructive suggestions for you — 1) smile and 2) don’t ask if we are done when the plate is full and we are still chewing.

I came here twice for happy hour. Seriously unbeatable prices:
$ 1 beer
$ 1 spicy rolls
$ 3 well drinks
WATCH OUT for their spicy $ 1 roll. They don’t let you choose the type of fish because they basically take all the leftover bits and pieces and mix it up to stuff into a roll. Don’t get me wrong, it’s absolutely delicious, but I think they make it extra spicy to cover up the lack of quality.
BE PREPARED for the worst case of spicy shits you’ll ever experience. I’m talking about on-​your-​back-​legs-​up-​trying-​to-​air-​out-​your-​tushy-​super-​intense-​style spicy shits. And for that, I’m going to dock one star.