Yamaguchi’s Sake and Tapas

To the good folks of Tokyo,
It’s not often that a small American city is able to bestow an exquisite gift to the largest city in the world. But this will soon happen when Yamaguchi’s leaves the beautiful horses, fine bourbon, rolling hills, limestone fences and southern hospitality for the bright lights, skyscrapers, bullet trains and some of the best food on the plane in your fine city.
Simplicity, complexity, purity… one experiences all of these at Yamaguchi’s, often simultaneously.
For the past eleven years this immensely talented (and friendly) husband-​wife team have treated a subset of Lexingtonians to food so meticulously conceived and executed that even the most seasoned foodies felt privileged to come across such a gem. We felt transported, if for only a few hours to NYC, Paris, Singapore or your city, and we realized how thoroughly sensational a dining experience can be when prepared by a true shokunin.
It may take some time for Yamaguchi’s to adapt to their new settings there – on the other side of the world. But once they do, the folks at Michelin may want to take notice of the little sake and tapas restaurant that took root and sprouted in the bluegrass.
Enjoy!

Still my favorite special occassion, totally indulgent, place. Spent my birthday dinner here with great friends who had not yet had the pleasure of an evening at Yamaguchi’s. It’s always a joy to introduce friends to this place. They were blown away. Spectacular food served at a leisurely pace. Truly could ask the waitress to bring what she thinks you should have and would be pleased. Highly recommend that you treat yourself if you haven’t yet been here. The best dining experience in town

Abandon hope, all ye who enter. For if you come with three friends and smile, or if you come, perhaps and want to talk or engage in any quiet merriment, you shall not be fed. Yamaguchi’s is a food temple, and one must respect the sanctity of this space. Japanese tapas is, apparently, a very serious business. Who knew? Yamaguchi’s is not so much a «restaurant», as a shrine for food, well camouflaged in a suburban mini-​mall. Here’s what you can expect upon entering Yamaguchi’s. You will be «greeted» at the door with a condescending scowl, seated begrudgingly, and not given a menu. You will wait an hour to be served a beverage, and then another half hour devoid of eye-​contact, only to be told that the food you wish to order is no longer available. Yes, this is an «alternate realty» as other reviewers have commented. A «unique» experience, most akin to the famous Seinfeld «Soup Nazi» episode. But without the laugh track. I cannot review the food, because I was denied a morsel, nay, a tapas tiny plate-​like scrap. I would have taken a singular edamame, a delicate and delicious bit of something. As a friend commented, this is the perfect place to come if you have self-​esteem issues and enjoy being abused or ignored. I guess it would also work for you if you are trying to lose weight and having a tough time saying no to food. Yamaguchi will say «no» for you. If you come in docile pairs only, do not talk or smile, do not ask for anything but comply, accept and obey the rules, you may have soup… I mean, tapas.

What can i say about this place more than it is amazing and if you have not tried it yet you should make a plan to visit asap. Amazing husband and wife team i love what they offer to Lexington’s culinary scene!

Best place to eat in Lexington. The atmosphere is very nice for a romantic dinner and great selection of sake, the owner and his wife are super sweet. It is tapas so just be prepared for adorably cute and small amounts of food but it will be the best food you’ve ever had. Very professional and well done. Just an amazing establishment.

After visiting the restaurant with friends, I chose to return to celebrate a very special birthday. Eating at Yamaguchi’s is like entering an alternate reality. Tucked away in a dimly lit booth, I enjoyed round after round of delicious Japanese flavors and plates. My personal favorite is always shishito peppers! Excellent sake collection with an ample selection of nigoris and other delights.

Amazing food with real authentic taste since i have eaten lots of Japanese food in real good restaurants but this food is just out of the world. Pork Joul was amazing. Chicken nuggets melted in our mouth. The best food and will be back soon:))))

This is one of the best, if not the best, restaurant in Lexington. If you have been for dinner, but haven’t tried the Chef’s choices for lunch on the days they are open (check the Facebook page) then you are still missing out-​lunch is different and delicious. It’s a shame Unilocal only has five stars, considering that this town mistakingly thinks that 1 star places (I’m looking at you Bella Notte, et al.) deserve 4. So consider this a 10 star as a comparison with the rest of town.

This is, hands down, the most unique dining experience that I’ve ever encountered. It’s not your run of the mill, Japanese Hibachi restaurant. Because I’m an early eater and this place doesn’t open until 8:00 pm, I just hadn’t gotten around to trying it. This is our fellow Unilocal Elite, David and Kathryn’s favorite place to eat. In fact, I was fairly convinced that they had to own some sort of stock in the place, they check-​in so much. This is a good thing, and so I knew this place must be.
Finally, my fellow Unilocalers organized an UYE here. For those of you don’t know what an UYE is: it stands for Unofficial Unilocal Event, and it’s a small get together that Unilocalers, other than myself, organize. In other words, I get to sit back and enjoy my fellow Unilocalers and not organize or plan anything… it’s great! So thanks Halide and Chad for putting this one together. It was also great to get to know Naz and Ernie.
Onto the experience… The bench seat booths are unique and cool at the same time. The atmosphere is sophisticated and classy. We went on a Tuesday, during their half off of glasses and bottles of sake special. We tried two different kinds of sake. It was the third time that I’d tried the fermented rice concoction that they call sake, and I must say that I liked it. It adds to the Japanese restaurant experience. If you refuse sake and want local beer, they have Kentucky Ale Bourbon Barrel beer too.
I will admit that I didn’t eat much. I tried a few bites of the others tapas though, and just looking at all of the unique things that everyone else ordered, was an experience. Halide ate an eyeball and I was intrigued. I did try a few things, and nothing was really anything that I usually order or enjoy. I won’t knock them for that at all though. The menu indicated that the plates were shareable, usually when I hear that, I think it’s big portions. In an American fat girl kind of way, the portions aren’t that big.
Overall, I dislike the fact that they don’t open until 8, but maybe there is a market for those late eaters that I know nothing about. The husband and wife team who own the place, seem to be on to something.

Very good and many great dishes. Great spot to go eat. Like small tapas and all were great. Very reasonable price. Excellent experience.

Some of the most delightful and fascinating food I’ve ever tasted, and it’s here in Lexington. This is the sort of environment you would expect from a Michelin rated place in San Francisco, but instead it is nestled in a rather strange series of storefronts off Richmond Road. I actually thought I was going to a doctors appointment instead of a meal… But once you find this place you will be forever changed.
I don’t usually drink sake, and my fiancé and I ordered a $ 45 bottle. It was great, but I remember the food more than the drinks. Every single dish was cooked to perfection and with the best ingredients and the best preparation I could have imagined. So many unique flavors and so much apparent freshness and every step of the process. The barracuda was mind blowing (we loved sitting there for 15 or 20 minutes with a little fork getting every single piece of that fish separated from the bones — such a cool experience). The sashimi and sushi is off the charts, and the pork and rib plates are savory… Just make sure that you order them as soon as you arrive, because all of the other guests know to do the same thing! They run out of supply pretty quickly here because everything is bought fresh daily.
It was a three hour experience total from the time we sat down, and we did not even notice it… Very well paced and intimate. Not for large groups or loud conversations, and absolutely perfect for romantic dates or to take a guest from out of town who needs their expectations exceeded.

Quite frankly. some of the best food ever produced on a plate in Lexington. If you knock a star because they don’t have sushi rolls.again.quite frankly. you’re an idiot. I’ve eaten here many many many times and always worn a t shirt so I don’t know where these types of experiences come from. the pork jowl with miso is to die for. fresh specials when the Japanese shipment comes in. love this place. if you don’t like it don’t go. just means more for me.

Tiny, hidden gem! A great place to relax and spend time with friends. Make no mistake, this is a tapas restaurant and bar — small plates of exquisite food and a wonderful selection of sake. Order a couple at a time and you will receive freshly made, beautifully plated dishes. This is not your typical Japanese restaurant — it is an adventure. The couple who own and run the restaurant are kind and helpful. The menu changes frequently, but the favorite dishes remain. Note: leave the kids at home.

3 – 4 months of living in Lexington and hearing about Yamaguchi’s passed before we finally made the decision to go. Such a big mistake. Should’ve gone the second I heard about it! I have to be honest– for the first few months, when debating on whether or not to try, the website made me feel like it was too ritzy/​exclusive for us.
For the past 9 months, it’s been (and will always be) the place we get soooooo excited when get time to go.
Everything. Is. Perfect.
All the reviews that mention that this sort of establishment should be in a major city are spot on. The owners care SO MUCH about your experience. Not only is the food pure excellence… the atmosphere (while you can’t explain why) is exactly what you deserve. No phones ringing, nosy waiters, or distracting TV’s.
Like mentioned, the food is PERFECTION! Please don’t be scared to try something because it’s ‘weird’. It’s flown in fresh from japan and on the menu, because it’s the best. Just ‘take the leap’ and try it! They never disappoint. Ever. Plus, you can’t get Sake like this anywhere. Seriously, try it. You won’t find it.
By far my favorite restaurant (USA, Mexico, Panama, Jamaica, Bahamas, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji) I’ve EVER experienced.
Do yourself a favor and stop reading reviews/​debating before going. Put your phone down now and go!

This place was a bit of a shocker for me. The quality and attention to detail is really worth of a major metropolitan city like Chicago or New York but it’s in a small strip mall in Lexington, KY.
Clearly it is catering to Japanese clientele from the surrounding automotive industry. It can be slightly awkward to walk in. Luckily, I’m half Japanese and speaking the language seemed to help.
Portion sizes are small and prices are high but I think one has to understand that many of these dishes are made from scratch (down to the sauce) with a lot of painstaking detail. Many familiar Japanese flavors done right from flavor, presentation, temperature, atmosphere, and delivery. This is place to relax, drink, and taste. Don’t go hangry and wanting robust heavy food – unless you are rich and can order tons of it. The labor around some of these entrees makes it hard to knock the price point down. Be critical because of that, but make sure you are familiar with the cuisine so you know what you are talking about. My fear is that people will misconstrue this food to be merely expensive for no reason…
We had a delicious perfectly grilled marinated black cod, blistered shishito peppers with slivers of garlic and baby silver anchovy in a house ponzu sauce, baked mushrooms and much more. Everything was really delicious but the cod was the most memorable. Grilled to perfect, it was slightly crisp just on the edges while the fish stayed aromatic, moist and rich with a slight caramelized glaze all over. I’m salivating just thinking about it and it was weeks ago.

Yeah so this place is pretty special. It feels like it should be in the West Village or SoHo in NYC and not in Lexington. Regardless, Lexington is lucky to have this restaurant. There was not a single thing we ordered that we didn’t like. The one thing I will tell you is that on Tuesday they do have ½ priced Sake which was great to try. I went off our hostess /​owner’s recommendation and they were all great. I’m pretty sure we just worked our way down the list but it still was incredible. Also, try anything with the house made Miso. It is life changing.
Things that we tried which was practically the entire menu:
* Wafu Caprese Salad
* Tontoro Misoyaki (Pork Jowl broiled w/​garlic miso). We ordered this twice actually. It was that amazing
* Ika Tempura
* Karrage (Chicken) — make sure you squeeze the lemon on top
* Cucumber & Miso — we ordered this twice as well. Refreshing chunks of cucumber dipped in Miso. Sounds simple, it is but it is also amazing
* Spare rib with Daikon — fell off the bone good. We had a vegetarian with us and thank god because I crushed this with the other meat eater on my team
I know we had more but this is all I can remember. We went at 8PM on a Tuesday and no one showed up until after we were leaving at around 10PM. I could see how this place would be difficult to get into during the weekends. Again, the food is incredible and the experience was amazing.

Authentic Japanese! …except there aren’t sushi roll on the menu (well, at least not the sushi roll which I’m familiar). It is literally what the name says sake and tapas. The hostess is charming and provides superb service (she doubles as the waitress). The restaurant is small but eloquently decorated.
We ordered 4 tapas and two samples of sake.
Ike Mentaiko: (squid sashimi with cod caviar and yuzu citrus) taste was delicious with hints of salty squid and citrus. The semi slimy yet tough chewy texture got to me so I allowed my husband to finish the dish.
Takana Itame: (pickled mustard leaf) as a girl from the south I grew up on mustard greens — these we’re some of the best I’ve had and were served cold.
Asparagus & Bacon: ample bacon and salty. Only 2 sprigs of asparagus so not worth the price. Make at home and order something else on the menu.
Tobiuo Tataki: flying fish chopped with scallions and grated ginger. Warning the entire fish carcass including wings and eye balls is served in the bowl with the chopped fish meat. Dish was tasty! And added bonus is the chef will fry the fish bones for you as an extra treat.

After a long wait, I made it to Yamaguchi’s and even went back for a second visit!
Located in probably one of the most discreet locations in town, Yamaguchi’s provides a very calm and serene atmosphere.
We got to try some delicious sake on their Tuesday night special (½ price sake night). The small cups placed in the little wooden holders were literally overflowing with delicious sake. As the designated driver of the night, I could not finish my sake and had to watch my friends to finish it for me but what I tasted was still delicious!!!
Three of us ordered a variety of dishes to try including the japanese fried chicken, the pork jowls, squid with marinated cod roe. They were served slowly, cold dishes coming first, followed by the cooked dishes in a logical progression. This allowed us to taste everything at the ideal temperature and enjoy them thoroughly without rushing to the next item. I was so amazed by the taste and simplicity of everything we ordered.
I can’t wait to go back again!

The Most Fabulous place I have had the pleasure to dine in. Just like coming home. This is Real Japanese cuisine not twisted to the American palate. A unique experience. The chef is a true Shokunin

i can’t believe this place is in Kentucky of all places! This place should be in a big city like SF or NY. Classy, elegant, and delicious are the words that best describe this place.
This place is small and very quaint. You feel like you are walking into an exclusive club. They keep the atmosphere chill and calm. Elegant and romantic. You feel so cool just by eating here. They keep their phones off so it doesn’t disturb the customers. When you eat there, you get their full attention, and expect to pay more than an average Japanese restaurant.
Sake is what they specialize it and they have a WIDE selection of it. You can order each type in different sizes. I ordered the tasting size since I can’t handle that much alcohol, plus I wanted to try other kinds as well.
They import their seafood from Japan so it’s fresh and expensive. I haven’t tried it, but I’m sure it’s really good if they are willing to do all that.
The food is just fantastic. They serve tapas style dishes. I ordered the spare ribs with diakon and the karagge for the savory courses. Cooked perfectly. Meat fell of the bone for the spare ribs. So tender and moist. The karagge was not dry at all even though it was deep fried. Think of it as the Japanese version of chicken nuggets.
My favorite part was the dessert. Green tea flan with red beans and vanilla bean ice cream. I thought the flan would be the best, but it turned out that the beans were. So sweet and scrumptious. I finished all of it. Everything was balanced out so nice. Light and refreshing, yet not overly sweet.
I still can’t believe one of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to is in Kentucky.