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Yakko Japanese Restaurant

3 star rating
based on 82 reviews

Categories: Japanese, Sushi Bars  [Edit]

975 W Dana St
Mountain View, CA 94041
(650) 960-0626
Price Range:
$$
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Parking:
Street
Attire:
Casual
Good for Groups:
Yes
Good for Kids:
Yes
Takes Reservations:
Yes
Delivery:
No
Take-out:
Yes
Waiter Service:
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes
Outdoor Seating:
Yes
Good for:
Dinner
Alcohol:
Beer & Wine Only

82 reviews for Yakko Japanese Restaurant

Review Highlights   

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"The Screaming Orgasm (tuna sashimi) -- while embarrassing to order by name…" (in 5 reviews)
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"I had the spicy salmon roll and it was the perfect amount of heat." (in 26 reviews)
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"The Yum Yum Roll was spicy and nice in flavor." (in 10 reviews)
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Photo of jennifer c.

Elite '09

118

182

jennifer c.

Mountain View, CA

3 star rating
10/20/2009

Average rolls and sashimi. The bartenders though, are entertaining. They have small private rooms where you have to take your shoes off and sit on the floor. Although beneath the table, there is space to dangle your feet.

We ran into a few regulars and we all shared sakes. Fun environment.

People thought this was:

  • Useful (2)
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  • Cool (1)
Photo of Brent A.

Elite '09

66

375

Brent A.

Mountain View, CA

5 star rating
Updated - 9/16/2009

I love this place.  I've started coming here on a regular basis and absolutely love it.  I now sit at the sushi bar and order directly from the chef.  I think on my next visit, he's just going to make food for me without me ordering.  

Over my past couple of visits I've ordered sashimi and a roll or nigiri to supplement it.  Everything has been extremely fresh, and any issues I've had have been resolved promptly.  I'll say for the area, the food here is probably some of the best around.

The chef, although Korean, steers away from Korean influences as much as possible to stay true to Japanese flavors.  He and I were actually talking about him creating a new menu tonight.

I suppose for me, this place is great because when I go, I'll order my sashimi, and then will get a couple extra things from the chef and then we'll have soju or sake together.  How awesome is that?  A chef who is going to make food for me and give me alcohol?  I can't pass that up.  I'm already looking forward to going back and having him make a meal for me as he's been learning my tastes.

For those who aren't close to the chef, the maki is fairly standard, but some of the rolls stand about above the rest.  The Hot Night, for example, is pretty amazing.  If you're in the area, check it out.

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1 Previous Review: Show all »

  • 3 star rating
    10/26/2008

    I thought the food was great.  We sampled the beef udon and various sushi dishes.  The maki rolls… Read more »

Photo of Ken K.

Elite '09

726

1090

Ken K.

Foster City, CA

2 star rating
7/2/2009

Dr Seuss really really wanted to give Seusshi boats and conveyor belt restaurants (and his O-ring) a rest.

One day some years ago he ventured into a former Japanese owned place in Mountain View called Yakko. Apparently the original first owner J-chef left, the 2nd J-chef there hated sushi, left and started Hattoriya, focusing on yoshoku, cooked dishes, light fusion, and comfort food offerings (ie he found his fulfillment in life and not excitement). Read James K's writeup for more information.

The good doctor had a passable first experience during the 2nd Chinese ownership (he missed the boat on the real deal), but the last time was when Yakko changed hands a THIRD (or even FOURTH)  time and then funny and big ugly things were all over the map.

This unpublished draft in his journal recently unearthed, offered us a rare glimpse of things to come in his repertoire.

Oh, the Crap You'll Eat!

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to eat Seusshi!
You're off and away!

You have fish in your mind.
You have vinegar in your shoes
You can steer your wallet
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. Go with your 2 feet.
And YOU are the dood who'll decide where to eat.

You'll look around the seusshi joints. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of fish and your stomach full of grit,
you're too smart to wolf down not-so-good su$hit.

And you may not find any
then you'll go wacko.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight to Yakko.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and foolish as you.

And when $hit starts to happen,
don't worry. Don't spew.
Just go right along.
You'll start worrying too.

OH!
THE CRAP YOU'LL EAT!

You'll get supermarket style seusshi!
You'll be seeing great sights!
Good portions but not so good taste...
guaranteed to give frights!

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
and F**k-ups
can happen to you.

And when you're eating, there's a very good chance
you'll eat things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are things, between the chef, the counter, and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the feeling be foul
On you will go
though your stomach growl
On you will go
though the miso soup bowl
Onward up many
of the offerings meek,
though your jaws may get sore
and your O-ring may leak.

You can get all choked up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your dolla billz will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be taking a dump.

And when you're taking a dump,
you're not in for much fun.
Cleaning after yourself
is not easily done.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3 / 4 percent guaranteed.)

NO!
That's not for you!

DUDE YOU'LL FIND A BETTER PLACE!

So...
be your name Noboo or Toro or Ken K
or Doctor Seusshi, or my name is Mushi,
you're off to Better Sushi!
Today is hopefully your day!
Your real good sushi is waiting.
So...get on your way!

Oh, the crap you may eat! There are reviews to be done!
There are stars to be scored. there are FUCs to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that gall
will make you the craziest reviewer of all.

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Photo of Nancy B.

Elite '09

64

157

Nancy B.

Mountain View, CA

1 star rating
7/22/2009

1 star is being too kind! More like negative all the number of stars that exist in the universe!!!

This place is more like YUCKY sushi. I'm familiar with the idea that Asian restaurants aren't known for their service, but this was a sushi establishment and I was spending about $30 for a meal. I expect great service and some sort of attention. We did not receive any attention. As soon as we set down, we had to flag the waitress down for her to take our order. We asked for water with our meal. She brought out my bf's order and I was so hungry waiting for my food that I started fishing at his's. He already finished his food and the water we asked for plus my order did not come out yet. Our original waitress comes out dressed in regular clothes and bolts for the door. I'm guessing her shift had ended and now someone else was taking over.

This next waitress refused to make eye contact with me. I was extremely thirsty and was in dire need of water. She finally comes by and I ask her for some water. More time goes by. Still no water. Even less eye contact or even a physical presence around the area where we are sitting. What irked me the most was that the place was virtually empty. We came here on a Wednesday night---it was not busy at all! The place was dead! Then, my bf had to call her over to ask for ice water. She brings us a jug of water and two glasses. She makes no mention of when my food was coming out. My oasis shell comes out and it's the crappiest sorry for clam/squid that I've ever seen in my life. I think, all right, redemption time...we ordered ice cream with our meal...that maybe will make up for it. SHE DOES NOT EVEN BRING OUT OUR ICE CREAM!!

Finally, the bill comes and I put my credit card down. I waited 10 minutes and the waitress does not come by to get it. I walk the bill over to the register and I get a really dirty look from another waitress. WOW, just unbelievable.

DO NOT COME TO THIS SUSHI PLACE. You are better off eating the sushi from the 7-eleven. At least at the 7-eleven, they'll say "thank you come again." You'll get no such luck from YUCKY Sushi.

P.S. the sushi was overpriced and bland!

Photo of Sara F.

Elite '09

182

220

Sara F.

Oakland, CA

4 star rating
6/23/2009

I liked this place however I'm probably retarded when it comes to Japanese food so I wouldn't trust me on this. Japanese food is the one cuisine I wasn't really exposed to as a kid. Going to Breads of India as a kid? Check. Chez Panisse when I was 12? Yep. Pho? Oh yeah. Japanese? Not so much.

I feel the whitest eating this particular cuisine than any other cuisine. Sashimi? What's that? I think I'm scared.

I dicked out and got the Alaska Roll. BBQ'd salmon with cucumber. It was very tasty. Some random dude who paid for dinner got Sashimi. Was I into it? I don't know. Maybe? Maybe I'd like a decent specimen of Sashimi?

I'd go back however not before I got a proper education on Japanese food. Preferably by a hot guy in a loincloth. That's just how I roll.

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Photo of Dang-Khoa H.

 

32

142

Dang-Khoa H.

San Jose, CA

1 star rating
7/28/2009

It was lunch time on a beautiful weekday. I met up my friend that works in the area and we walked around. We ended up at this sushi location. He actually ate here before and thought it was good. His definition of good is not my definition of good. We had a few different rolls, and I have to say... I was not thrilled by the taste. The prices was a bit higher than other places, and the portion and taste did not make up for it.

The only cool thing was the booth, but you had to take off your shoes. Because we were in the booth, they never saw that I was trying to get their attention.

All in all, I am a bit disappointed.

Photo of Musashi M.

 

0

50

Musashi M.

Sunnyvale, CA

3 star rating
9/20/2009

Screaming Orgasm Roll? Loud bar patrons? Guys think this is cool. Your girlfriend won't.

Photo of Hannah K.

 

14

29

Hannah K.

Mountain View, CA

2 star rating
6/22/2009

Sushi's not that great. Prices are too high. Service is barely there. I don't recommend this place.

Gets 2 stars because the sushi was decent (not great, but edible).

Photo of Jean T.

 

3

35

Jean T.

San Francisco, CA

2 star rating
6/12/2009

I am a big sushi fan. When it comes with sushi and Japanese food, I am a picky eater. I gave two stars for the service since the servers are pretty attentive. However, the food here is really disappointed.

First, we ordered saba shioyaki as appetizer and the fish was over cook, too burn and dry. we ordered Aji sushi and Chef recommended Aji sashimi instead. Well, Aji is one of my favorite fish so when they put too many soy sauce, garlic and spices with Aji sashimi, it totally ruins my stomach. The fresh fish should always have great taste without additional spices. They used all the soy sauces mixed with onions and garlic with Aji sashimi to cover its flavor or freshness. I am totally not buying this. The amount of the fish and sushi rice is wrong. Fishes are too thick and big on the top of the sushi rice. NO NO NO!!!!!

I will never come back here again.

Photo of Valerie H.

 

4

20

Valerie H.

Mountain View, CA

5 star rating
7/23/2009

Most delicious shrimp and vegetable tempura you will ever have in the bay area ... fresh ... crisp ... hot.  Just delicious.

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Photo of Vivian J.

Elite '09

51

254

Vivian J.

Campbell, CA

3 star rating
7/12/2009

Ok super cute little place but the sushi was just ok.  I was not blown away at all.  We got chicken, sashimi, CA rolls, Tempura and miso soup and salad. The portions were huge but it was just alright. The service was prompt and very quick.  Sashimi needed something more not sure what!  CA Rolls were large and again ok.  Prices were a bit high for what you got.  I may try again but maybe just for lunch not dinner.

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Photo of Tim H.

 

19

180

Tim H.

Monterey, CA

4 star rating
3/18/2009

This place used to be a lunchtime staple a few years ago when I worked in Mountain View.

I met an old friend today, and we decided to go old school and meet at our old hangout.

Thankfully, it was just as I remembered it - I'm pretty sure the menus were the same menus from about five years ago - it was like stepping back in time, except we both now have a lot more gray hair.

As I've stated before, when presented with the choice of two item or three item lunch, the choice is always which three items. However, today I was struggling as there were four items that really appealed.

In the end I went back to what I used to order - beef teriyaki, gyoza (this place always had great gyoza) and deep fried squid. They came with a salad with a really nice dressing, various dipping sauces and miso soup.

All good stuff.

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Photo of Ayelet B.

Elite '09

28

253

Ayelet B.

Danville, CA

3 star rating
2/13/2009

I used to come here all the time when I lived 5 minutes away.  I was just in Mountain View recently and went back to check it out.

Not surprisingly, I used to know everyone who worked here especially the waitresses who were super.  Like anything, they are all gone and I knew no one.  I found the service slow and it could have been my past expectations.

The sushi was ok but not super.  I used to just love their spicy tuna but no more.  I guess it's true what they say" "you can't go back!"

Photo of Elizabeth H.

 

17

161

Elizabeth H.

San Francisco, CA

3 star rating
1/26/2009

I've been taken here three different times over the years but I never remember the name and it's only when I'm walking up Dana that I go "OOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! The place where you have to take your shoes off!!"

Except you don't really -- only if you want to sit in the little booth things. The first time I came here was on a first date and I didn't want to jump right into being barefoot together (and pssst...I wouldn't have worn stinky shoes if I'd KNOWN) so we sat at a regular table, but I'm pretty sure he pegged me as high maintenance because of it and I don't believe I saw him again. THANKS FOR RUINING MY CHANCE AT TRUE LOVE, YAKKO!

But now that I think about it, THANKS FOR SAVING ME FROM THAT TRAINWRECK, YAKKO!

Anyhooters: Friendly service, good food. The specialty rolls are kind of on the spendy side, but I like that they're an option.

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Photo of Liz L.

Elite '09

192

442

Liz L.

Sunnyvale, CA

3 star rating
10/26/2008

I rather enjoyed Yakko, but nothing was spectacular.  My complaint is that they put too much sugar in foods that shouldn't really have that much of it, i.e. the teppan beef and the salmon teriyaki.

But their tempura is really good as is the miso soup.  Service is friendly and prompt, and the decor is really nice.  We got to sit in one of those Japanese style booths.  Oh, and excellent green tea and strawberry ice cream as dessert!  I recommend the combo dinners.  Excellent value, and it comes with ice cream.  How could you go wrong?

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Photo of Joy P.

 

1

8

Joy P.

Mountain View, CA

2 star rating
6/27/2009

This place had horrible service! I felt we were mainly ignored by the servers. I'm giving this place 2 stars for the the combination dinner since it was pretty good, and it was at a decent price.

Photo of peter l.

 

0

7

peter l.

Sunnyvale, CA

5 star rating
2/3/2009

I'm a big fan, but I think most people don't know how to get the best out of a sushi place.

What I like about Yakko is that you can get one you want here, if you know what to do.

Sushi is about the quality of the chef (assuming the fish is good) and this place allows you an intimacy with the sushi chefs.  They will drink with you and customize the food -- that's service.  

Sushi noobs however go by the menu and don't interact with the chefs.  L2sushi!

Photo of Brian U.

 

11

30

Brian U.

Santa Clara, CA

5 star rating
12/22/2008

While my favorite sushi places are still in Alameda, I could tell by my one visit that this one could well crack my top 5. Return visits are required to verify. Hopefully many, many return visits.

(Really rates between 4 and 5 stars, but I'll round up to offset dated bad reviews.)

Photo of Matt S.

 

30

160

Matt S.

San Francisco, CA

3 star rating
9/30/2008

Went here for lunch with a client a couple weeks back and it was just OK.  The fish was great and fresh but the specialty rolls were a little odd.  

Sorry Kevin - I think you've been out of the city too long, this place is just average.

Photo of Seila K.

 

33

65

Seila K.

Santa Clara, CA

2 star rating
9/3/2008

This is actually a favorite of a couple of my good friends, Leo and Craig. I came here the other night expecting quite a bit.

Service: It wasn't too bad, it was just really slow. At one point all of us turned our heads and just looked over at the sushi bar with our mouths open looking like sad puppies waiting for food. Maybe the big group had something to do with it, maybe the new sushi chef had something to do with it.

Food: Pretty good rolls. We had the Washington roll (spicy salmon topped with salmon) and the Hawaii roll (spicy tuna topped with tuna). Pretty good rolls, but it would be interesting to see how good their nigiri tastes. The sushi chef made a mistake and put hamachi on top of the Washington roll (instead of salmon) so we spent some time explaining to them that we didn't receive a Washington roll. While we thought that we would just get comped for the roll, they went on to make us a full order of Washington rolls (even though we were full). Not only that but they didn't give us any wasabi with our last set of rolls and when we asked for it, we never received it. My friends had to share their leftover wasabi/soy sauce mix with me. That was pretty inexcusable. A quick meal turned into alot of waiting.

It may have been a bad night, but sometimes you only get one chance. In an area with a variety of sushi restaurants, I don't think I'll be heading back to Yakko anytime soon.

Photo of n h.

 

0

49

n h.

Palo Alto, CA

1 star rating
8/8/2009

Kind of rare find. Bad quality of food with no authenticity. Yet, pricing is outrageous.

Photo of Eric C.

 

0

9

Eric C.

Mountain View, CA

2 star rating
5/29/2009

Had lunch there for the 2nd time, 1st time wasn't that great, but wanted to try it out again to see if it is better the 2nd time around.

Not much better this time either. Ordered 3 item lunch box and James Bond roll. Lunch box had teriyaki beef, tuna sashimi, and tempura. Tempura came with one shrimp tempura. Tempura doesn't taste crispy enough. Beef looks good, but doesn't have much favor other than the sauce. Three pieces of tuna sashmi are kinda small.

James Bond roll is a let down too, on the menu it says crab meat, shrimp, etc. It's no more than cooked shrimp on top of California roll.

Sushi Tomi on the same street, but other side of Castro is much better.

Photo of Bill M.

 

0

50

Bill M.

Los Altos, CA

3 star rating
8/2/2009

I usually drop by for lunch on occasion for their bento box special. The family was originally going to go to Maruichi's but its 8:55 on Sunday. We stopped into Yakko since they are open until 9:30. Had the Beef Niku, Negihama, Kids chicken teriyaki, maguro, hamachi kama, seafood salad, sake sampler. Both the food and service was very good. They continued to make us comfortable and made sure we knew it was ok to stay and eat. The staff was very nice and the food was all good. Mixed between 3 & 4 stars, but this really is not one of my goto places.

Photo of Van N.

 

6

14

Van N.

Mountain View, CA

4 star rating
10/23/2008

Well I ate there twice so it's on the good list. Good job on the sushi names. I thought the fish and rolls were good, though the Tako (squid) just wasn't right.  The portions are pretty big for sushi, at least the poki salad anyways, that one order can looks more like it was for 3.

Service guys were friendly and treat you like buddies.

Photo of Anne P.

 

21

60

Anne P.

Sunnyvale, CA

3 star rating
2/20/2008 1 photo

In my opinion, the perfect chirashi would contain the following ingredients:
*multiple slices of sake, hamachi, saba, hotate, maguro, unagi, amaebi, tamago, white tuna
*ikura (salmon roe)
*slices of sweeten braised shiitake mushroom
*pickled radish or daikon
*seaweed salad (optional)

This restaurant's chirashi had the following pros and cons, relative to my notion of the perfect chirashi:

Pros: Huge portions (Deluxe Chirashi), hamachi was very tasty, some very white fish (don't know name of it, but it was tasty)

Cons: Not much variety - only maguro, hamachi, sake, squid, shrimp, tobiko and unagi.  No hotate, saba, white tuna, tamago, ikura, daikons, shittakes.  Deluxe comes with uni (poor service..they forgot to take it off even after I explicitedly requested that).  Regular chirashi is big enough next time.

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Photo of Erin O.

Elite '09

27

181

Erin O.

San Jose, CA

1 star rating
1/23/2009

This is really a 1.5 review, but I was disappointed by this meal.

First, I HATE giving bad reviews. I feel like a mean, vindictive woman by doing it, and I'm not. People like me! I like people! I love food! However, there were just too many things wrong with it.

The good: It was possibly the most enthusiastic greeting I've gotten at a Japanese restaurant in a long time, and the service was very attentive. They also have very tasty salad dressing, and the tables were stocked with low-sodium soy sauce. The prices were very reasonable, and the portions were good.

The rest: The sushi had okay, but not good rice. The ratio of fish to rice was way off, with too much fish on the nigiri, and not enough in the maki.
I ordered the agedashi nasubi, and saba shioyaki.

The nasubi (eggplant) was first and foremost, Italian eggplant! Who on earth serves Italian eggplant at a Japanese restaurant. 2nd, sometimes, eggplant is bitter, it's just the way it goes. This was one of those eggplants. I expected the eggplant to be tempura fried, and it was just fried as a whole, gigantic 3.5"x3.5"x3" block of eggplant, so it came out in one huge, squishy mess. Maybe I was expecting something else, but it wasn't right.

The saba shioyaki was wrong. It's one of the most simple dishes in the world. Take mackerel, salt it, grill it, serve it with lemon, suru daikon, and soy sauce on the side. Eat over rice, and really taste the fish. It's an oily fish, so you're going to taste it, right? This fish had lemon pepper on it. Again, this isn't right. Maybe I'm a traditional person, but really, taking what tasted like seasoning salt from a super market, and dousing a nice piece of fish with it was such an inexcusable waste. I was super hungry, but couldn't force myself to finish it. The flavor was just wrong. I tried to drown the flavor in tea (which tasted more like the Korean rice tea than a Japanese green tea, again, just not quite right), but I couldn't. Gum couldn't make the taste go away afterwards. I just had the completely wrong scent of mackerel with lemon pepper stuck in my sinuses for another 3 hours. Anyone who has eaten saba shioyaki can explain how long that smell and taste stick with you anyway... picture it as a broken thing. It was just not right. The rice bowls were very lightly packed as well.

I repeated my order 3 times to the waitress, and she nodded, and then had to come back, after she took our order, to ask what I had actually said again. I was surprised she had to ask, as I said what the item was and then pointed to it on the menu, to make sure she knew exactly what I was talking about. There is an appetizer and entree version of my entree, which is why I pointed to the entree version, on the page marked entree, but I guess that didn't actually come through.

I don't think I'm going back, which is a shame, because I used to go here as a kid all the time, and loved the place when I was growing up, but man... times, they have a-changed.

Photo of Suzanne A.

 

5

21

Suzanne A.

Mountain View, CA

4 star rating
8/10/2008

I can always rely on Yakko for a good, well-priced sushi meal, with good service and a nice setting.  Went there last night and, although there was a big party going on in the back (they set off little fire crackers if it's your birthday, btw!), we had good, consistent service all night.

I love getting one of the bento meals because they are such a great deal.  $18 for salmon teriyaki, tempura, tuna sashimi, and a small roll, plus soup, salad, and ice cream?  Can't really beat that.  

The sushi is quality fish and the miso tastes good.  I've been several times and will return again soon.

Photo of Jack T.

 

10

50

Jack T.

San Jose, CA

5 star rating
6/1/2008

This place is my favorite Mountain View sushi restaurant. I personally have never been disappointed by any meals and have gone here for my birthday for two consecutive years.

Service is nice, attentive, traditional and just quick enough so it doesn't feel slow or rushed. Price is average for a sit-down sushi restaurant, they have a good amount of menu options for any budget.

I've had a roll-based dinner, box-based dinner, singleorder-random-based dinner... all of them left me full and satisfied. The sushi is fresh, tempura is some of the best I've tasted and their bento is big and packed with a variety of goodies.

I like everything about this place and love going here.

Photo of Sandra S.

 

22

83

Sandra S.

Mill Valley, CA

4 star rating
3/2/2009

My boyfriend and I tried the Hamachi Spicy Sashimi plate and it was fabulous! Twelve slices of hamachi came presented on shaved daikon with a wonderfully spicy green sauce. For onlyy $13, that was a great deal. We got a few other rolls which were good but the Spicy Sashima plate definitely stood out in taste and value. The waitress was very sweet but slow (maybe it was a busier night??). The ambiance was nice and cozy and casual. I can't wait to go back to try the salmon version of the Spicy Sashima plate!

Photo of Keiko S.

Elite '09

354

741

Keiko S.

San Mateo, CA

2 star rating
1/9/2007 1 photo

Went here twice, and there's not going to be a third time. The food is perfectly edible, of course, but their sushi looks and tastes like those prepackaged ones sold in grocery stores. And at least the ones at Whole Foods come in brown rice. The sushi rice is icky, and the miso soup clearly lacks the much needed dashi. Stay away from the hot tea, it's not what you'd expect from a Japanese restaurant. And as others have mentioned, the service is indeed slow.

Summary: for the real stuff, head to Sushitomi down the street. OR go to Nijiya market (on El Camino Real, MV) for the packaged sushi and get your money's worth.

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Photo of Tim H.

 

1

6

Tim H.

Sunnyvale, CA

3 star rating
7/31/2009

I eat here often and have had not one bad meal yet. The service is kinda of slow but the foods well worth it.

Photo of Sabrina A.

Elite '09

121

500

Sabrina A.

San Jose, CA

5 star rating
5/23/2007

This place was truely an awesome sushi place.  I went for dinner last night and felt that I was completely satisfied from my experience.

The outside looks like nothing much, but the inside is clean, quaint, cute and I was greeted immediately and seated.

The service I will say got them the fifth star, though 4 for the food.  We were given just the perfect amount of attentiveness without it being annoying.  The drinks (plum wine and green tea) were quick to be ready and at our table.  Along with free edamame and cold water.  The presentation of just even setting the drinks out was very good.

The sushi, I order a spicey hamachi roll with hamachi on top and sake nigri.  Both were incredibly fresh, the spicy was just the perfect amount, the rice was fresh, the presentation of the service and food was great.  My friend order some other nigri sushi and really liked their food as well.  

The prices were reasonable, the service was excellent, the place was cute and the food is some of the best that I've tasted out in the San Jose and surrounding areas.

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80

Tony W.

Fremont, CA

3 star rating
2/21/2009 8 photos

I like this place. I have been there a few times. the uni is very very fresh and huge! Looks at the pics! It usually take more than a mouthful or 2 bites to take in one uni roll. I usually order as much uni until they run out! Usually its about 4-5 orders. Then other rolls like dragon roll and spicy tuna are ok. The hamachi was kinda dry but still ok. I tried the yosenabe and that was just alright. But go here if you like big UNI !

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MunKey Z.

San Francisco, CA

2 star rating
7/16/2006

We were disappointed.  The tuna apetizer was not good at all, the crab and salmon apetizer was tasty but too rich.
The chicken and beef teriaki fared better and was probably the best part of the meal.  The tempura was dry and tasteless.  Service was very good, and staff very polite....but overall we sadly had hoped for better, especially considering the hefty prices.

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Amy O.

Santa Clara, CA

3 star rating
1/2/2008

Hmmm....yakko has yucko rolls.

All ewwey and gooey as California Rolls filled with massive amounts of mayo are the base of almost every roll. The rolls hardly stay together while they mush in your mouth. The other rolls were mostly based on "spicey". My personal preference are rolls that you can taste the fresh fish rather than mayo or artifical spice flavoring.

But...that may be what you like or just order the sashimi...because the fish was excellent (when I ate it separately from the roll). The ambiance is comfy and the people are friendly. And....the miso soup is one of the best that I've ever had.

I'll order the sashimi and miso next time...as the fish was awesome and so was the soup!! Nummy!

Also, the location is off Castro so you don't have to mess with parking.

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22

Alex G.

Sunnyvale, CA

3 star rating
2/9/2006

I had dinner at Yakko's the other night, the second time I've only been there.  The food we had was good.  We ordered two sushi dishes - the Yum Yum Roll and the California Roll.

The Yum Yum Roll was spicy and nice in flavor.  The California Roll had ting of tangy flavor to it.  I don't eat California rolls often, but I didn't find this to be particularly pleasant.

My wife had the Tonkatsu which she loved.  I had the Beef Teri with assorted tempura.  My beef wasn't over done and was very tender.  Service wasn't slow, though we had to prompt the waiter to get the check.

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614

Daryll H.

New York, NY

2 star rating
5/7/2006

Sorry, just not a fan.  The decor and atmosphere are pretty cool/funky, service was fine.  I had a Chirashi, and the sushi seemed to be of.. mixed quality.  I didn't finish it.  

Probably won't be back next time I'm in town.

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James K.

Menlo Park, CA

1 star rating
7/15/2006

Years ago, Yakko was owned and run by a genuine Japanese sushi chef, Okio Motoyama.  He was a talented chef, an excellent restauranteur, and apparently a blackbelt in karate (several dan, I forget how many now). At that time, Yakko was the best sushi bar and all-around Japanese restaurant on the Peninsula. I still remember the following review, with its provocative headline "Better Than Sex", framed on the wall by the sushi bar:

http://www.metroactive...

Anyhow, the rest of the story is predictable: the Motoyama-sensei decided to sell (I hear he moved back to Japan). Not know this, I show up at Yakko one day to find that the staff is all different, the service is inefficient, and the food has dropped from "orgasmic" to "barely passable". (To add insult to injury, they later added a huge lit-up sign to what had always been a quiet, reserved restaurant.) It may have stabilized since then into a "decent" sushi experience, but I'll never go back.

As a side note, the second-in-command sushi chef (his name escapes me) actually hated sushi (he told me this himself). When Yakko's owners changed, he left and started Hattoriya homestyle Japanese restaurant:

http://www.yelp.com/bi...

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Elite '09

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eric k.

Hayward, CA

4 star rating
5/28/2007

This is another "better than average" place to get some sushi.  

I thought the prices here were slightly higher than others, but it actually does have a slightly better setting.

A long time ago we went with a bunch of friends, and were generally paired off in couples except for 2 of my guy friends.  When it came time for desert, the waitress brought them a single bowl of ice cream with 2 spoons in it!!  A classic moment... amusingly, neither of my 2 disgruntled guy friends dared to touch the ice cream in protest ;)

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Elite '09

55

224

Ling H.

San Jose, CA

4 star rating
Updated - 9/22/2008

Been back several times after my first visit. Mediocre service still there, but finally tried the rolls, which were fresh and decently sized. We ordered 4 sushi roll dishes, which were MORE than enough for two people considering the size of the dishes. Still one of the best sushi restuarants in the Mountain View area.

1 Previous Review: Show all »

  • 4 star rating
    4/25/2008

    Just went here for lunch after trying out a few other Japanese restaurants on Castro previously.… Read more »

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