Yamato

Great sushi. Great service. I wasn’t expecting much in this area but I was surprised by how good this was. Very clean also.

Best Sushi around! Friendly staff and Experienced Sushi Chef! Everything is always perfect!

Visited with a dear friend and thoroughly enjoyed this comfortable and casual eatery. Standouts would include the onion soup and the stellar service. The sushi is on par with the average restaurant of this sort, and prices commensurate with average sushi joint. Upbeat atmosphere and excellent company made for an enjoyable experience!

As a local of Lake City, I have come here quite a few times because decent Asian food is hard to come by in this city. When Yamato first opened a few years ago, their portions were nicely sized, their food was close to comparable as the restaurant in Gainesville and I was satisfied with my dishes.
Recently visited this on a visit back home and they have really lowered their expectations. I ordered the filet mignon and the volcano roll. The volcano roll was one of their most popular and it was very poorly made. The sushi roll did not stay in tack and the sauce absolutely drenched the roll and just made it a soggy plate.
The filet mignon came with a choice of salad or soup and the dish came with stir fried vegetables and fried rice. I ordered the onion soup and it was okay, I’ve had tastier and more flavorful onion soups.
The meat was very dry, was not medium well as I had asked, and the vegetables were overcooked.
I was a little less than satisfied with my dish and really loved this place when it first opened. Think it needs some TLC to keep up with its brand and it’s name since it is modeled after the hibachi grill in Gainesville.

I moved here to Lake City from Spring Hill which had an amazing place for sushi and Japanese food. Yamatos is one of the only options to fill that gap for us. I came to Yamatos for lunch, we were seated quickly and were giving the list of sushi with full descriptions of each roll. I thought that was a really n I’ve addition if we wanted to try something different. The soup was mediocre but nothing too good. Then the sushi came out, we were impressed but it wasn’t anything mind blowing. The best part for us was the Chicken bowl. It’s a bowl with rice, veggies and chicken. For ~$ 7.50 my mom and I both had a bowl of food that we could not even finish. But that’s not because we didn’t like, but it was really good and super filling. Will return here for lunch again.

We came here during what we were told was their «lunch rush». It was pretty empty outside (not to mention it looks run down) and only two tables inside were in use. The soup was horrible as was my veggie sushi, my 3 son’s egg rolls were almost burnt, my chicken on a stick WAS burnt. My husband was the only one who had an OK meal. I don’t think we will return.

Best sushi in Lake City! Although there aren’t many options in this smallish town. I come here a few times a year to visit my mom and we always make a stop at Yamato to get our sashimi fix. The owner is Korean and is also the sushi chef so he doesn’t cut the fish like a real sushi chef would but it’s fresh and it’s good with all things considered. Freshness is what counts the most in my book and the service is also excellent. Everyone is friendly and polite and bonus points for the waitress wearing a kimono. The best part about this place is hands down the consistency of the sushi rice. It’s harder than you would assume to get it perfect and this place does a better job than most of the places back in Baltimore which is almost embarrassing. The food is prepared with care and the place is clean.
We ordered a sushi lunch box, sunomono salad, baked mussel appetizer, sashimi lunch special and a pot of green tea. My go-​to is the sashimi and the baked mussels. They always get it right. The baked mussels come out on stoneware that is lit on fire and is really pretty to look at but if you don’t like Japanese mayo I would pass on this one. I love how the rolls are cut into the appropriate bite-​size pieces which is also a trait hard to come by in Japanese restaurants. You can actually taste the fish!
Pros:
–Sashimi was so fresh it made me want to cry but in a good way.
–Fried rice in the lunch box was cooked to perfection and not drenched in soy like most Asian places.
–Service is quick, friendly and facility is clean.
Cons:
–Miso soup had no tofu but replaced by mushrooms (?!) which is almost unforgivable but I’ll let it slide. Opt for the salad instead with ginger dressing.
–The sunomono salad was a little too non-​traditional for me so I won’t be ordering this again.
Tip: order a Cali roll and put the baked mussels on top yumm!

I usually like this place but just tried calling for the past 30 minutes and no answer. As far as I know they are open until 9 so maybe they are out of buissness. Either that or they just don’t care or avoid carry out.

I ordered lunch portion of shrimp and chicken along with steamed rice, ginger salad. They ended up truly tasty. Cooked just right. Rice is beefy than usual out there. Quick service and very friendly. I definitely will stop by here again the next time I am here in town. Appetizer of edamame was not perfect but decent. It needs more sea salt on it, otherwise nicely done you guys.

Ate there tonight while in town. We arrived around 8 and were seated immediately. There were about 3 other tables with customers so the place was not packed. We expected to be served in a reasonable amount of time. Some in our party ordered sweet tea. The waitress overheard us talking about ho horrible it tasted and she said «we are making more now», like they knew it was bad but served it anyway. The eggplant app was tasteless and soggy. The sushi took over an hour and was poorly constructed. This place serves more Americanized sushi– asparagus, bacon, jalapeños, It took us 2 hours from walking in to walking out and they were no where near packed. I couldn’t imagine how slow service would be if they were packed. When our entrees finally arrived (5mins behind our sushi), it was cold– almost if the cooks made it and it sat around waiting on the sushi to get ready. For all of the reviewers who gave this place 5 stars, go out of town for real hibachi and sushi. It’ll be worth the drive for decent sushi. The hostess and our waitress were both pleasant. Our waitress gave us great service. I think the issue lies solely in the kitchen– poor food and service.

Delicious — always YUMmY
The sushi delicious — try a volcano roll.
They have lunch specials — really great value.

Portions are small
Excellent miso soup
Fried rice was delicious
Noodles were sweet
Nice location
Good service
Prices are reasonable
No reservations unless you are having a party of 6 or more.

It’s ok nothing super special. I’ve been two times and pass by it on my way to someplace else

Very good food! You must try the honey pig sushi roll! It’s my favorite and it may become yours too. Definitely one of the best places in which to dine in Lake City.

A little scared by the outward appearance. But finally tried it and loved it. Very clean inside. And great food!

We stopped here on a road trip from Florida to Georgia. It’s 2.5 miles off I-​75, but was well worth it.
Seaweed salad: don’t miss it
Miso & Onion soups: both fair for the lunch special (but next time I’ll choose the salads)
Ginger Salad: very fresh, non-​sweet ginger dressing (which is delicious!)
Lunch boxes: nigiri isn’t very filling, but is of high quality. Shrimp and steak are both delicious.
The service here was quick and friendly. We were in and out in 40 minutes, and our food was delicious. Fair prices, friendly faces, great food. I’d go here. The atmosphere is strange because it doesn’t seem very Japanese, but that didn’t matter to us!

Lunch time and this place only had 4 patrons dining… WHY??? I stopped in here with my kid because I was craving Japanese and I didn’t feel like driving all the way to Gainesville. The food was amazing! I’m a fan of Soba. so I ordered chicken Soba, salad, and some soup (Soba was delicious) They had a special going on Sangria for $ 3 too. The American girls were dressed like little Geishas and everything! I’m convinced that the only reason this place doesn’t stay busy is because the people in Lake City are not cultured enough to enjoy different cuisines. This is my new fav place for lunch.

Food and service were both a solid 7 out if 10. After having spent significant time in Japan, California, and New York it’s hard to find a place that breaks the mold. The food was good, but not great. The atmosphere was very cute and the people were really nice. A little more focus on the soup broth and the rice this place could be really special. For the price it’s a little high, but manageable.

Service; table service was friendly and efficient. Hostess could have put a smile on her face.
Food: Chicken teriyaki dinner ($ 9) came with salad, soup, white rice & veg. Miso soup tasted like it came from a tin. Salad was not washed property or cut to bite size. Chicken teriyaki tasted OK but was a bit skimpy on portion size. Two nigiri ordered and flavor was a bit bland. Sushi rice was good but the fish wasn’t cut property. Gyoza were pan-​seared nicely an tasted like standard JFC supply (which I happen to like…)
Ambience/​cleanliness: Dining in a Japanese restaurant with Red Hot Chili Peppers blaring seems to be a bit of a cultural juxtaposition. Background music should be there to enhance the experience, not let the staff rock out. The bathrooms need a good cleaning; door edges were dirty, paper towel dispenser not working property.
Management needs to step up their game.

Finally braved this place because of how it looks on the outside. The inside seemed very clean and the food was excellent! It is a tad pricey but I guess you get what you
Pay for!