Yamato Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar

Not sure why the negative reviews-we love this place! Went last night for my dad's 70th birthday and the food was incredible! Our chef, Chandler, was hands down one of the best I've had. The filet was perfection! He was so fun and entertaining for both the adults and the kids. Highly recommend.

Visited a month ago

The server was very accommodating and patient with us. We were a bit of a hassle with not truly knowing our party size and having several kids. She made sure everyone was taken care of the whole time. The food was delicious and just as ordered.

Visited a month ago

Food was great. Happy hour is a solid deal!

Visited a month ago

Apparently there's some negative reviews for Yamato online. I don't know why, as you visit this place for a specific experience -- the cook preparing food in front of you with a certain flair, lots of food which is actually tasty and freshly prepared. Overall a experience I'll remember.

Visited 2 years ago

Honestly, the bad reviews almost deterred my party of 6 from coming here, but i am SO glad we decided to come anyways! Mitch was our chef and he was PHENOMENAL! He kept us entertained the whole time and our food was delicious! I don’t know what his salary is but he needs a RAISE (and a big one at that!!). We had such a wonderful experience. Everyone on the staff was so delightful and I would absolutely come back again. If you are undecided about coming to Yamato, I would 100% recommend! Mitch definitely made our night one to remember.

Visited 7 months ago

Ate here yesterday and have been here a few times. Service is always good but yesterday i got exceptional service by a new server who said her name was rebeka! she was fast, and was understanding whenever we had additional requests. Will be requesting her in the future!

Visited 5 months ago

Typical of all of these "Japanese" steak houses. The show is much the same, these chefs often travel from place to place. The "Japanese" here is about the same as Taco Bell is to Mexico, but the food was delicious, the service more than satisfactory, and a great time was had by all. Worth the experience.

Visited 3 months ago

Went here with the family for dinner and we really loved the experience. There was no wait for a table and staff was very attentive. Our chef was great and did an excellent job of entertaining us throughout the meal. He was the GM and made sure we all were enjoying ourselves. Food was very well prepared and was spot-on with temperature, which I always appreciate. Would definitely visit again.

Visited 3 years ago

Superb across the board. Wonderful experience and delicious food. Excellent value. Went here with 2 adults and 2 kids and booked reservations for 4:30 on a Sat because we like to eat early and for my 14yo birthday. Seated promptly and everyone from the hostess to the waitstaff and cook were all very nice. I'm not cheap, but expect value for my money and was not disappointed. Overall Excellent! Everything tastes great and it just keeps coming. We didn't try the sushi, but had 4 hibachi with a mix of NY strip, Filet Mignon, Shrimp, and Teriyaki Chicken. Beef spring rolls as an appetizer were excellent. The mushroom and green onion soup that comes before the dinner was outstanding as was the fresh salad. The follow-on was even better.
Showtime... Then the Chef arrives and puts on the cooking show. The slicing, the dicing, the onion volcano and other flames, tossing of shrimp in peoples mouths, the funny jokes, etc... All good fun you never get in other restaurants where the Chef is in backroom and not cooking right in front of you. The appetizer shrimps were so tasty. Then the fried rice and vegetables were awesome and plentiful. My son could not stop eating the fried rice and veggies. Then came the mainstay chicken, steak, and shrimp depending on order and it was all fantastic. Way more food than we could eat and had to get take home containers. We also ordered the fried cheesecake which was excellent.
Since it was my son's 14th birthday the staff even surprised him with a drum march and happy birthday song. Loved it!
We loved everything and all left with smiles on our faces. Staff of Yamato should note that your efforts bring significant joy to your patrons and it is something to be proud of. Customer service was outstanding. Food taste and good lord the volume was triple outstanding. What an excellent meal and dinner experience.
Did I mention that the steak, chicken, and shrimp tasted awesome? So awesome!!!!!!!!! Everything was awesome. Thanks to all the staff there for such a wonderful dinner and entertaining time along with your help celebrating a birthday!

Visited a month ago

Not sure why the negative reviews-we love this place! Went last night for my dad's 70th birthday and the food was incredible! Our chef, Chandler, was hands down one of the best I've had. The filet was perfection! He was so fun and entertaining for both the adults and the kids. Highly recommend.

Visited a month ago

The server was very accommodating and patient with us. We were a bit of a hassle with not truly knowing our party size and having several kids. She made sure everyone was taken care of the whole time. The food was delicious and just as ordered.

Visited a month ago

Food was great. Happy hour is a solid deal!

Visited a month ago

Visited 3 months ago

Food greasy

Visited 3 months ago

Typical of all of these "Japanese" steak houses. The show is much the same, these chefs often travel from place to place. The "Japanese" here is about the same as Taco Bell is to Mexico, but the food was delicious, the service more than satisfactory, and a great time was had by all. Worth the experience.

Visited 3 months ago

We sat down and waited an hour and the cooks didn’t come out for an hour and a half. The service was terrible

Visited 4 months ago

Visited 5 months ago

Visited 5 months ago

Ate here yesterday and have been here a few times. Service is always good but yesterday i got exceptional service by a new server who said her name was rebeka! she was fast, and was understanding whenever we had additional requests. Will be requesting her in the future!

Visited 5 months ago

For the love of God, cut the grass. And pick up the trash in your parking lot. This property is a blight on the SSF community. It looks like you’ve been closed for business for years

Visited 6 months ago

Visited 7 months ago

Cannot describe how disappointed I am with this restaurant. Waited an hour and ten minutes and still no food served, no chef on site, other tables served out of order. Poorly run and managed.

Visited 7 months ago

Loved Mitch and loved the food! He slayed

Visited 7 months ago

Visited 7 months ago

Honestly, the bad reviews almost deterred my party of 6 from coming here, but i am SO glad we decided to come anyways! Mitch was our chef and he was PHENOMENAL! He kept us entertained the whole time and our food was delicious! I don’t know what his salary is but he needs a RAISE (and a big one at that!!). We had such a wonderful experience. Everyone on the staff was so delightful and I would absolutely come back again. If you are undecided about coming to Yamato, I would 100% recommend! Mitch definitely made our night one to remember.

Visited 7 months ago

Visited 7 months ago

My family and I went for a fulfilling and fun dinner and this place did not disappoint! Abby was our server and did a fantastic job of taking our orders, making sure they were correct, and filling our drinks up any time they got low. Mitch, our chef, did an out-of-this-world job at cooking! Very fun and lively guy. Thank you Mitch and Abby 😁

Visited 8 months ago

Amazing. Great taste, big portions, awesome chef and staff.

Visited 8 months ago

Haven’t been a Yamoto in a couple years. So good. The scallops were cooked to perfection as was the other meats and vegggies. My grandkids loved it so much.

Visited 8 months ago

Food off the grill was great, service was good, I eat a lot of sushi and this time i wasn't over the moon about it.

Visited 8 months ago

Visited 8 months ago

i took my 3 grandchildren here for a celebration of the end of school. It has been their family favorite. The very good part of this experience was the Chef Lambert (sp?) and the food. I really don't like to have to link these two.

First, we were seated - all well - then forgotten. Took 25 minutes to see a waitress. Another family was seated at the same station with us. Still no service. Finally, the waitress took our drink orders and food orders and we got them in good time, Except, across from us another 2 groups were seated, their drinks were taken immediately and they had theirs before ours. Then the chef arrived but low and behold he was not for us. I asked for the manager on duty. She said she had no idea what was wrong and she would find out. Meanwhile, the other couple with infant and 2 children left because the children couldn't wait for an hour or more to eat. The manager said they were prepping the Chef's cart. After she left we didn't see her again. We were told we'd get a substantial reduction of our bill. We waited. After 1 hour and 15 min. Chef arrived and the meal was great.

He left. We waited for waitress. Got boxes finally but no bill. When we received the bill the reduction was less than 25% - not that I was ungrateful but for the aggravation there should have been more. The waitress also promised 1 lava cake on the house. We asked for it to go since it was now almost 2 hours. The waitress never came back. we stood at the table for 10 more minutes then walked out.

The kids have been here many times and couldn't believe what was going on. I don't typically leave bad reviews but this one was a doozie. The other people who were served first were long gone except for the couple of talkers.

There may be good food but to pay their prices and get the worst service I've experienced, nope, not me, not again. There are too many other wonderful and appreciative restauranteurs in Mount Pleasant.

Visited 8 months ago

Visited 8 months ago

They increased their prices by A LOT. They only serve you zucchini and onions with your food and decide which other vegetable you get based on your meat choice instead of serving mixed vegetables for everyone, which everyone was very disappointed with. THEY DO NOT DEVEIN THE SHRIMP so we get to eat shrimp poop that taints the shrimps flavor and is grainy. Waitresses there usually dont come around as often as needed.

*New edit review*: I found out they have new ownership which is why so much had changed and they weren't allowed to sell certain things anymore due to that change. The hibachi is usually* great as long as you are okay with a bit of a harsh price for it, I come here less often now because of it but its a nice treat every couple months ♡

Newest review: The quality is much better now, more consistant. The prices are still high but more worth it with the quality and experience given. The waitresses still dont like to come around too often so you might have to grab one if you need anything. Oh and they started serving sushi again which is amazing! 🤘 The appetizers are great so I would *highly* recommend you start your meal with some! Great work guys!

Visited 8 months ago

Visited 8 months ago

Great family experience. Food was awesome!

Visited 9 months ago

We had a wonderful time from beginning to end. The ladies at the hostess stand were very nice and accommodating. The bartender was super friendly and very helpful. Our server and our chef were fun for the 2 birthdays at our table!! It was great

Visited 9 months ago

Always a good time

Visited 9 months ago

We had THE BEST experience! The food was amazing, the chef was hilarious! All around wonderful time! Highly recommend!

Visited 9 months ago

Place was filthy. I guess they don’t clean between seating because the floor around my chair and where the chef was standing was littered with food scraps and lemons. Then you look up and see the walls and the vents and you begin to wonder what the prep kitchen must look like if this is what the dining room looks like.

Took a while to get seated as well. The food was ok but we agreed that it might be best to not go back.

Visited 9 months ago

At the time of our visit, the door had a notice that the sushi bar was closed, and they were not serving sushi either. When asked about the notice, I was informed that there were no sushi chefs, which was not a big problem. We have been there a few times and the staff, cook's and the service have been very good, very enjoyable and entertaining. I removed 1 star for not having a sushi chef, and I can forsee more visits in the future.

Visited 9 months ago

Visited 10 months ago

Visited 10 months ago

Visited a year ago

So we actually didn’t eat the food
We had a drink at the bar which was sticky and gross
When o asked to have it cleaned the bartender said oh she hasn’t gotten to it
So we wait !
We sit and we look straight ahead and there is a piece of chicken laying on the kitchen floor and the place looks filthy
There are no standards and a bunch of young people that haven’t been trained running the place

Visited a year ago

Everything was exceptional!!!!

Visited a year ago

I wanted to come on here and give a good review after the great dinner my husband and I just had. The bad reviews some people left in the past almost deterred us, but we’re really glad we came here. It was quick, a lot of really good food, and the service was amazing. The staff was extremely friendly and nice. We’ll definitely be back!

Visited a year ago

Restaurant was closed despite what was on the website, priority seating reservations, and confirmation earlier in the week.

Visited a year ago

Our family went to Yamato last night for our daughter's birthday.
The food tasted great and there was a lot of it. The service from our server Adrianna B. and from our chef were outstanding.

Visited a year ago

So Fun Fir Kids. Food is great but pricey!
You pay for the show!

Visited a year ago

So fun ! Salad dressing is great ! And they have plum wine

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Beeindruckend alles faszienierend 1A Service tolles Essen sehr empfehlenswert

Visited a year ago

Best hibachi I have add in a long time. Mark (the chef) and Hailey (the server) were amazing! Amazing!

Visited a year ago

Overall, a fun evening. Waited awhile for a chef which we expected. Shrimp was excellent, filet was good, chicken was decent, though you need to ask for white meat. Good soup, ok salad. Fun atmosphere. Recommend adding vegetables and/or eggs to the fried rice for more flavor.

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

My family and I went in for sushi. It was absolutely delicious. The sushi chef was amazing. The wait staff was also amazing.

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Always a wonderful experience

Visited a year ago

Supertrevlig ställe med enorma portioner. Roliga kockar o trevlig personal.

Visited a year ago

Good not great. Highlight was our chef, he was great. Service was slow and a bit overly casual. We've been going here for years. Seems they are trying to cut costs in ways that negatively affect the experience.

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Fun place to eat!! Good food!

Visited a year ago

Our chef was so much fun !!! He just moved from California and it was one of my favorite yomato experiences! Food was 10/10

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Are you kidding me drive all the way there and the place says they are not doing sushi at the moment. What the hell!

Visited a year ago

Never never with "gal pals " have a bad time They make every meal a lot of fun the employees with cooking throwing shrimp at our mouths such a hoot! They have a happy hour too! Love , love the place ! Lighten up do not look to close for perfection and you will have fun !!!

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Plenty of food and a good show.

Visited 2 years ago

My whole family loved it. Our waitress Anna was attentive and engaging; made the experience enjoyable. Our chef, Shady\Gage, was awesome he was great with the kids! We had several with food allergies at the table and he took great care to try to accommodate all of them while making us aware that if severe allergies cross contamination might happen... Food was excellent, cooked to perfection and large portions, had to get take home bags...this is going on our list of stops next time we are here.

Visited 2 years ago

Absolutely the worst experience I have ever had at any restaurant in Charleston ever in my life. Doesn’t even deserve one start

Visited 2 years ago

The food is awesome and the dishes were exceptionally clean. Rarely are dishes so clean in a public facility.

Visited 2 years ago

This used to be my favorite restaurant when I was younger. I'd pick to go here for every special occasion. I had not been in over 10 years and was excited to bring my kids and share the same experiences. I was extremely disappointed in the atmosphere, cleanliness, quality of food, and the prices. The restaurant is not well maintained at all anymore. The bathrooms are disgusting, the grout is black, and it's not been deep cleaned in what seems like years. Many tables were left with dirty plates from previous customers and were still not cleaned up by the time we left.

The chef was awesome - very friendly, kind, and put on a nice show. The food was just ok. The prices are insane for the quality you get!

I will not go back.

Visited 2 years ago

Chef Shady & Seth killed it. Fire service and food. Cool dudes.

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Great staff! Made our visit fun and enjoyable and the food was great! Don’t let a few bad reviews keep you from giving them a try.

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

A lot of food

Visited 2 years ago

No one there…hostess was clueless. Somehow a 45 minute wait.

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Sat over an hour for a table. Waited at the table for an hour with no chef. No apologies. They don’t care. Go somewhere else to eat.

Visited 2 years ago

Me and my family were there celebrating birthdays, our server was Elizabeth and our cook was Austin. We bonded over working for the yokosos/Yamato company. I really enjoyed the experience and had an amazing time.

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Haven't been here in a few years. The quality isn't what it was from my last visit. Not the assortment of veggies as last time. This time consisted of onions and squash, no broccoli or other vegetables. I orderd steak and chicken. If you wanted chicken breast there was an upcharge of $3. Load you up with lots of rice, no egg in the rice No ginger ice cream for desert. Took 90 minutes from the time we sat to finishing the meal.Very disappointed with the quality, and value for the price. Cut corners which definitely brought the quality of the meal from great to poor, not worth the money. Unfortunately I won't be back.

Visited 2 years ago

Great time at Yamato, we had a very large group and they took excellent care of all of us.

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Good Food and Service! Shout out to Victoria she gave awesome service!!!!

Visited 2 years ago

I went with my boyfriend on 5/7/23 for dinner. We ordered a bottle of Sake, and the waitress proceeded to deny both of our IDs. We are both over the age of 21, and they had no reason to deny us without being able to check a new way. I would not recommend this place simply because of the management.

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Have been going to Yamato since moving to Charelston in 2015. It was always our go to place for a family night out and in particular my sons favorite for his birthday. This will be last birthday and more than likely last visit that we or I will make to Yamato.

After arriving early for a reservation the hostess greeted us with "ok your checked in I will call you when your table is ready." We waited there for the next 50 minutes until it was actually past our reservation time before we were seated. As I had plenty of time waiting for our reservation sitting in the lobby with 6 restless and hungry teenagers I watched her greet customer after customer with an air of negativity that was clearly visible to anyone that notices that kind of thing. I really don't think the girl was even capable of a smile as one ever showed up the whole time I watched her try to do her job to the best of her ability.

I probably shouldn't be blaming this all on her as she was clearly very young and really just did not have the personality for the job as a greeter and certainly lacked any communication skills or the ability to manage a welcoming environment for guests coming to spend money at a restaurant. This negative review is more aimed at ownership and management who should be held responsible for putting her in this position but I didn't see anyone else during our visit that may have appeared to be a manger or owner so I guess as the person who seemed to be in charge she gets the blame. Guess this is how they run the place now.

The timing of service for our meal was also off tonight and not as predictable as it used to be waiting for an extended period of time before our chef turned up making the whole experience even more disappointing never mind the bad timing of the Happy Birthday song that did not happen.

I will be taking my $250 that I spent there tonight somewhere else in the future and advise the girl that was working there tonight to look for another job that better matches with her personality preferably not in hospitality.

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Shady was a tremendous chef.

Visited 2 years ago

Our cook was amazing, the service was great and our family can't wait to go back again.

Visited 2 years ago

Food was good, portions large. The chef could have been more engaging and entertaining.

Visited 2 years ago

No sushi despite name and advertising and online menu. Hibachi experience was fun but pretty low grade experience overall. Restaurant is generally pretty run down and lacking in professional management. Servers and chef were nice and kids had fun.

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

The only good thing was our cook was very polite. Food was not at all worth the money. Rice was sticky and had no egg in it. $200 for 4 people and only one alcoholic beverage that was made with the wrong liquor and they still made me pay for it. They forgot one of our steaks. They forgot my daughter's Birthday. The cook even asked her and we said yes. She was even wearing a sash. It was her Sweet 16 and we would have loved to buy her dessert and sing but was never asked by the waiter. We were there for 2 1/2 hours and it wasn't even busy. Our waiter was not listening it was like he was stoned or something. We could have gone somewhere else and had an amazing meal for $200, where they treated my daughter to the dinner she deserved and that and we paid for!!

Oh and another cook at another table kept high pitch screaming and banging things around. It was super annoying!! This was the worst place to go for a Sweet 16 Birthday dinner. Will NEVER return!!

Visited 2 years ago

there's literally no sushi and they got 2 of our orders wrong just ok food

Visited 2 years ago

Waited 45 mins after chef was done cooking and us eating for a check!

Visited 2 years ago

Chef Lou is the best! He made sure my son had a great first experience tonight and cooked a great dinner!

Visited 2 years ago

Chef Lou crushed it. Great experience with my girlfriend and her 6 year old son for his first hibachi experience. Great friendly atmosphere and exceptional service

Visited 2 years ago

Food and service is on point every time! Pay no attention to the future Karen and Ken that posted a review 6 days prior to mine. I sat across from those kids and they loved being upset.

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Steak was raw and horrible. Chef was unprofessional.

Visited 2 years ago

2 hour wait. Steak was raw. Not medium rare. RAW! Server was dope tho.

Visited 2 years ago

Terrible.

Visited 2 years ago

I loved the experience of Yamato. Servers were attentive without being intrusive. The chef was entertaining, and kept the whole company involved in what he was doing. This is a great place for a celebration.

Visited 2 years ago

Apparently there's some negative reviews for Yamato online. I don't know why, as you visit this place for a specific experience -- the cook preparing food in front of you with a certain flair, lots of food which is actually tasty and freshly prepared. Overall a experience I'll remember.

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Foods delish!!! Atmosphere is wonderful! Chef was funny and entertaining!

Visited 2 years ago

Little bit expensive but the people there are awesome!

Visited 2 years ago

The rice was very good. But I got food poisoning from something I ate there. I had the shrimp and chicken and I usually get the steak so it had to be one of those. I was throwing up all night because of it. I would not recommend getting the chicken

Visited 2 years ago

The service was amazing!! Especially the server Adriana, the chef Cesar, and the dinner manager, Hayley and abbey!! I would recommend this place to anybody in the Mt. pleasant area. Food was perfectly seasoned and the entertainment was great.

Visited 2 years ago

love this place !!! our server austin was amazing and knowledgeable. Super funny

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Altogether just awful. Ordered filet mignon and when served it was raw. Luckily, our waitress took it off our bill but still was completely disappointed.

Visited 2 years ago

Horrible to say the least. If u like half cooked chicken and waiting 2 hours to eat after you've sat down then def go here. Make sure you're close to a bathroom. Didn't even get a discount after all that. We didn't even get and sherbert but I'm not sure that's safe to eat either.

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

The exhaust fans were hardly pulling any air so we were all coughing and choking through most of the meal. They used an excessive amount of lemon on our shrimp which made it almost inedible. If it wasn't for the sauce, most of the food would have been impossible to choke down.

Visited 2 years ago

Bottom line… not as good as it used to be. Maybe we just hit a bad night. But chef, food, and atmosphere wasn’t as good. Normally this place is a 5 star for me when we go.

Visited 2 years ago

Poor service, highly salted over cooked filets and long delays on chefs appearance were tonight's experience. The large family were offered seconds due to the niggardly portions we received. . I would not recommend tonight's dining experience . . We were the last table served and it was less than enjoyable.

Visited 2 years ago

Witness one of the hostess talking about my daughter. Bc we made a reservation for her birthday! What’s the purpose of a reservation if it not fulfilled??? She complained to the bartender about someone being missing in our party so we couldn’t be seated anyway so she didn’t know why she was mad about the wait.We was trying to cheer her up after buring my mother her grandmother the day before my daughters bday! We Waited an extra hour to be seated! Waited another hour to be served! 4 of us got sick after eating the food! Not sure if it was mold or dust in the building. This place needs a deep cleaning! Nevertheless Mojo (great performance) was awesome!!!!! Spent over $600 for our entire party. Outside lighting was horrible

Visited 2 years ago

TERRIBLE!

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

I would not even give them one star. This was the worst experience ever. We have been to ever Yamotos possible. Worst food. They need to change the name. This is not Yamatos. They do not go by the same menu. They don’t cook the veggies or the rice the same. This is a knock off. The manager was a 20 year old that could only apologize and say this is just a “different restaurant.” Then it does not need to be called Yamatos…….

Visited 3 years ago

This has been one of my favorite restaurants for 20 years, but recent changes and poor management have ruined the experience. Despite charging higher prices, they've lost all of their sushi and hibachi chefs. They no longer have any sushi, and the hibachi experience is clearly suffering. Hopefully they can get things back on track.

Visited 3 years ago

do not order white rice here

Visited 3 years ago

Visited 3 years ago

Tasty food and talented chef, but what kind of a teppanyaki style restaurant doesn't offer any kind of noodles on its menu??? No yakisoba noodle options at all! This place is 100% all about the rice! Other than that, good soup, salad, and meat options for the entrees.

Visited 3 years ago

Soo disappointed. Not the same place it once was. Have been going here and the Myrtle Beach location for years. Not at all the same product that built its name upon. Never again.

Visited 3 years ago

Went here with the family for dinner and we really loved the experience. There was no wait for a table and staff was very attentive. Our chef was great and did an excellent job of entertaining us throughout the meal. He was the GM and made sure we all were enjoying ourselves. Food was very well prepared and was spot-on with temperature, which I always appreciate. Would definitely visit again.

Visited 3 years ago

Came here with my kids who absolutely loved it. We have lived in mtp for 9 years and this was our first visit. We found out they were short staffed and would have never known- food was delicious and staff/chefs were fun, attentive, and timely! Keep up the good work, as I know everyone is working hard and it shows!

Visited 3 years ago

Absolute disappointment. After ordering in the dining area the three of us waited 1.5 hours for cold rice and lukewarm chicken. I never write reviews, but this experience was truly terrible.

Visited 3 years ago

Visited hoping to just get a quick fix of habachi without the hassle of sitting in front of the chef; The three of us decided to sit in the table area. Ended up waiting 1 hour and 30 minutes for food to arrive at the table, the waiter only refilled our drinks once in that period. We discussed leaving to find somewhere else to eat when the bartender across the room (who was listening to us unbeknownst) rudely said your food will be out soon. 10 minutes later we were greeted with cold vegetables and shrimp. Not sure if this was a service issue or kitchen issue but regardless there should have been some apology, which there wasn’t, only more condescending statements. 1 star

Visited 3 years ago

Great experience! The service is always great and enthusiastic.

Visited 3 years ago

Visited 3 years ago

Good food presented ininteresting way.

Visited 3 years ago

Excellent choice. Great food great entertainment!

Visited 3 years ago

We have eaten here many times and normally the food is on Point. Tonight however we had a bad experience the Gentlemen that did our cooking was not into it very much , he asked if we wanted the show or him just to cook well we had new people with us so we wanted the show. the only show we got was him throwing shrimp at us . Our food was burnt and shrimp were so overpowered with lemon that they could not be eaten. The New York strip steak that my wife and I got was tough and full of gristle. He did a good job on the rice. Just think for for $380.00 the food should have been at the least editable. Not sure when we will visit here again it's a shame because my family normally eats here at least twice a month.

Visited 3 years ago

We were seated tonight with a family that had an 8:30pm reservation. We sat for over 1 hour and 15 minutes waiting on a chef. After we addressed the circumstances a couple times with our waitress and the manager, the chef arrived at our table at about 9:50pm... 10 minutes before closing time. We actually hustled to finish our food, and we left the restaurant, empty of any other dining customers, at around 10:30. No concession for the horrible service was offered until we asked, at which time the manager offered to cover our drinks(all 4 of them... tea and soda, lol). She insisted that we only waited 35 minutes from the time our order was put in, and that the wait was customary for that type of dining... as if we had never been to a Japanese steakhouse before. What?! Anyway, it was the worst "manager" handling of customers' bad dining experience that both of our families have experienced in a long time. We approached it kindly, having already insisted that we were tipping the waitress in full regardless of any concession/discount offered, as it was clearly not her fault. The manager actually continued to speak over us and argue with everyone at our table. I finally told the manager that we had heard enough, and that I would personally pay for the entire table's ticket in full, but would never be back to Yamato. She seemed fine with that. What she likely failed to consider is the cost of poor and arrogant managerial decisions from a social influence perspective.
If an owner chooses to address this issue and, specifically, this particular manager in a proper manner, this rating will be removed, as it is not our intention to ever do any business owner harm from the inconsiderate and unacceptable actions of one of their trusted employees.

Visited 3 years ago

Visited 3 years ago

Food was pretty good, but not mind blowing. Compared to other hibachi performances, our chef’s performance was a little underwhelming. Overall, a positive experience.

Visited 3 years ago

I’m Joe B and I am a long-time regular customer. I feel I am in a unique position since I have been going to Yamatos since they opened. There have been some changes to the style and food offerings. The recent "menu" changes have been quite a change to me – at first. But, after several outings over the last few months the verdict is in – it’s great! They have done an excellent job in working out the kinks pretty quickly. I will admit the change from the white chicken meat to dark meat raised my eyebrows at first. In fact, I did not think it was good at all the 1st time, the 2nd time was better, and now they have all the kinks worked out. The dark meat is more tender and juicier with a great taste. They changed the sauce they cook the chicken in a little and it took them a little bit to get it perfected with all chefs – but they have! I think it’s better than the white meat. The dark meat cuts are good, large and contain just a minimum amount of fat. But, here’s the good news: they now offer white meat as a substitute. The rice changed, but the only change is that they no longer have peas, carrots or eggs. However, the rice itself tastes the same; it’s still very good (I will admit though that I did like the eggs, but that’s minor). The big thing for me are the sauces, which haven’t changed. They offer a variety of sauces (eg. ginger, white, mustard and hot sauces), which many Japanese steak house don’t offer – and the sauces are better than anywhere else. The ginger dressing for the salad has changed a little, and at first, I didn’t like it. But here again they have perfected it. Although I still prefer the old recipe, but the new recipe is still good. With the different meats you get different vegetables, which is great! You can also add, delete, or substitute vegetables. You can pretty much customize your meal, which is a huge plus.

The chefs: They are excellent. They all are very consistent, but each has their own unique show, which is nice because you can count on seeing something a little different each time. They are very personable and make the experience fun – especially for the kids (or the kid in you). They are not boring that is for sure.

Service: This is one of the best parts. The servers are excellent! They have a very well-trained staff and they are extremely helpful, friendly – and quick! Your drinks, soup, salad come one right after the other perfectly timed. They are patient and have a good sense of humor and always have a pleasant smile. What amazes me is how cool they remain under pressure, even with “crappy” customers (I’ve see many times when some customers are totally unreasonable and rude). They do a wonderful job of taking care of you. It is not well known, but the servers have to share a certain percentage of the price of the bill, no matter how much the tip is. So, tip them generously, at least the standard 20%. The hostesses are very efficient, professional, and extremely friendly. You can walk in without calling ahead and probably get a seat pretty quick.

Atmosphere: It has definitely improved. If you haven’t been in a while you will see a drastic difference: all new tables and grills. Carpet is relatively new and clean. The restaurant is very well maintained, clean and orderly.

Cost: Very reasonable. You do get a great bang for your buck. You get enough food for 2 meals. They are not skimpy on their portions.

Bar: The bar tenders really have their act together and can do just about anything, quickly. They give a very good pour of wine! They are all extremely nice, and the service is always great. It’s easy to strike up a conversation with them.

This restaurant is obviously very well managed. There is no shortage of staff, and the morale of the staff seems excellent, which is displayed in how friendly they interact with customers. It’s very customer oriented.

Visited 3 years ago

When you go you pay fir an experience. Unfortunately the chef did not put on any kind of show. Food was mediocre at best. The chef literally poured an entire bottle of soy sauce on the rice making it way to salty. I do not recommend

Visited 3 years ago

I used to go here every year for birthdays! Not anymore. You dont get the same quality, entertainment, or feel as the old Yamato was like. You are also paying more for less food too! I do not recommend going there anymore!

Visited 3 years ago

Terrible service, waited 20min to order and the place was not busy. I was my waitresses third table. Place is not clean!

Visited 3 years ago

They changed the menu, service is awful, way they prepare the food is awful. Avoid this place. We came here for years. Not anymore. You know when you walk up to the restaurant and there are signs posted everywhere about menu changing you shouldn’t go inside. Why change something that was working just right?

Visited 3 years ago

When old Bill Shakespeare wrote "What's in a name?" there's a good chance he was a lover of Hibachi, mercurial onions emulating Krakatoa, hot Saki and cold sushi - and then he re-visited Yamato after it was RUINED by the Yokoso company that bought it out.

RESTAURANT PEOPLE - HINT: People will PAY MORE for QUALITY! They'll never come back when you charge them the same (or more) for LOW QUALITY!

Old Yamato: Chicken Breast
New Yamato: Chicken Thighs (menu says simply "Teriyaki chicken")

Old Yamato: Rice, peas, carrots, onions, eggs
New Yamato: Rice, soy sauce, MSG powder (according to the cook and my wife's headache)

Old Yamato: Sherbet
New Yamato: Nothing

These are the obvious ploys to squeeze out a nickel. I imagine there are many more we don't know.

If you do intend to visit, watch the cook's spatula closely. The routine is as follows:

1. Place raw shrimp on the grill
2. Wipe on a cotton towel
3. Scrape raw chicken thighs off an aluminum platter - place on grill
4. Wipe on a cotton towel
5. Serve MSG rice to customers with the same spatula.

I predict the owner of Yokoso will be visited by thee ghosts this Christmas - unless the ghosts call in sick after eating at the new Yamato.

Visited 3 years ago

Absolutely outstanding service from Maria, Joel, Mariana, and Louis! Our service from the waitresses was impeccable and our chefs were amazing- particularly with the young children in our party! Thank you so much for such a wonderful night out for my FIL's birthday!

Visited 3 years ago

Visited 3 years ago

Food was significantly depleted in quality than when we went here a couple months ago. The food tasted all frozen. I wouldn’t recommend. There was also a giant crack/damage to the wall near the back right corner above the painting.

Visited 3 years ago

Visited 3 years ago

Food was excellent, staff was responsive and funny, wait time was terrible. Put in a reservation for 8pm, and waited until 9:30 to be seated

Visited 3 years ago

This place was crowded on a Thursday night! Came for some sushi with my dad - there were two open tables and plenty of seats at the bar. Service was nice and the rolls were great! My dad pretty much always sticks to what he knows - spicy tuna rolls. I pointed out the dynamite roll (lightly fried spicy tuna) and he was in love! My personal fave here is the tako (spicy octopus) roll. Prices are average/comparable to anywhere else in town. Definitely prefer Yamato's sushi to most other places, but for hibachi there are better options as my dad says their teriyaki chicken has tasted freezer burnt on multiple occasions.

Visited 3 years ago

Visited 3 years ago

They have unfortunately changed the portion sizes, the way they prepare the proteins, and the overall flavors of the food. I was in complete shock after dining here this evening. I ordered the chicken and shrimp, upgrading to the appetizer shrimp...as I always do, and the portion of my shrimp was so small. Like 2 shrimp. I'm very disappointed and even though we used to come ALL the time for every birthday, celebration, anniversary....I don't know if I want to come back. I typically don't ever write reviews, but I was so taken back by the extreme changes, that I felt the need to inform others so they don't have the same experience as I did tonight. It's very unfortunate.

Visited 3 years ago

Visited 3 years ago

Great food . But..go back to white chicken meat…the dark meat does not taste good..

Visited 3 years ago

Visited 3 years ago

Visited 3 years ago

Great service and experience!

Visited 3 years ago

Serious amazing!

My husband and I just moved to the area and were lucky to have come across this restaurant in our search for good hibachi (we frequented them often in our old city). The food was delicious and the staff was amazing. Chef Vanilla Rice was absolutely hilarious and left us in tears. When we left my husband said “well we will never have a better experience ever at a hibachi restaurant again.” Five stars don’t even cover the rating this place should have. Do yourselves a favor and go go go.

Visited 3 years ago

I really do keep trying but after they forgot my son's birthday and tonight the pitiful 15. Veggie takeout dinner! Wish i had taken pic but pitiful flavorless! Greasy rice. Overcooked mushy
vegetables just really disappointing overrated at best. Only reason this place still open kids still have bdays! UPDATE got sick!

Visited 3 years ago

Outstanding dining! Great customer service and very good food. Highly recommended! We were on vacation and found this gem online!

Visited 3 years ago

We had a 20+ people birthday dinner occupying 3 tables. It was great! We had 6pm priority seating and were seated as soon as all our guests arrived. The chefs were great and entertaining. The food was delicious! Will definitely come back.

Visited 3 years ago

Very nice and good food

Visited 3 years ago

Absolutley amazing service by Vanilla Rice! I havent laughed that hard in a long time, the food was delicious and the waitress was such a delight. If I didnt live in another city, I would likley come here at least once a month for the fun and food. 10/10 would recommend!

Visited 3 years ago

Everything here from food to service to the chefs performance was absolutely spectacular. Eliana was very quick and attentive with serving us, she had a great attitude. Luis our cook was amazing and his food was DELICIOUS! 10/10 would totally recommend🤤

Visited 3 years ago

Was very delicious

Visited 3 years ago

Visited 3 years ago

Service was great. Steak was tough.

Visited 3 years ago

This was absolutely the best dining experience I’ve had in a very long time! Our chef was Vanilla Rice and he was absolutely amazing! He made it worth while and the food was absolutely amazing! There was plenty of food and more than enough to take some with you! I would absolutely recommend! Thank you Vanilla Rice for an amazing experience!

Visited 3 years ago

Yamato of Mount Pleasant has the absolute best filet mignon steak hibachi around. I've done the extended research and over the years probably have eaten dozens of pounds of fried rice and hibachi meals. Fun atmosphere too. Great place for a special occasion with friends and you can also call ahead and pick it up. Love this place.

Visited 3 years ago

Visited 3 years ago

Awesome experience.

Visited 3 years ago

Visited 3 years ago

Not as good as it used to be.

Visited 3 years ago

Worst experience ever! We have been going there since the year 2000. My husband and I actually started dating at your restaurant and have a sweet spot for Yamato’s but whatever is going on right now is not working. Love that some of the chef tables have a new countertops but if you could please wipe the mildew off the walls I may not be as grossed out as we were. Horrible experience. Gross

Visited 3 years ago

Visited 3 years ago

Visited 3 years ago

Good time
👍👍😃😃

Visited 3 years ago

It was okay - as expected, chef was not as entertaining as others, but okay - food okay - like the whole thing was “okay”.

Visited 4 years ago

Visited 4 years ago

Visited 4 years ago

Waited for 45 minutes to be seated then took another 45 and cook never came out so got up and left!!!

Visited 4 years ago

I love this place. Like Benihana but cooks are friendlier and seem a lot more engaging. And I love The fresh seafood options. And they have lobster! We had a blast. It was well worth the wait!

Visited 4 years ago

Don't know yet... But we had an 8:00 reservation and it's 8:46 and we haven't been served yet... But we were finally seated 5 minutes ago. 🤦‍♂️

Update: Ok, our chef dude was fantastic! The food was also pretty darn good! Probably my favorite fried rice, and the spicy soy dressing was great (try it on your rice too!) Maybe worth the wait. The wait staff was a little slow so still only three stars. If I were from the area, I'd try again... Maybe it's a one-off bad night.

Visited 4 years ago

It was awesome

Visited 4 years ago

Had fun at the hibachi, good food, bartender did not make good drinks so just stuck with the sake and beer

Visited 4 years ago

Awesome

Visited 4 years ago

Perfect for kids. It's really a kids restaurant.. we decided to eat at the sushi bar. Service was beyond slow. Staff too busy to care. Noisy with kids screaming and yelling. Remindedmeofacircus. . removed re

Visited 4 years ago

Always a good time. Fun. Entertaining and food is amazing

Visited 4 years ago

Fabulous teppanyaki show! Lots of fun and the food was excellent.

Visited 4 years ago

Visited 4 years ago

Good food friendly staff, and the chef did a great job.

Visited 4 years ago

Visited 4 years ago

Good food

Visited 4 years ago

Visited 4 years ago