Sushi Yama

I was so sad to learn sushi Yama has closed. I had dinner there once and the food was phenomenal!

This place was by far the best sushi in Providence. We just tried to go yesterday and there was a sign saying that the restaurant was closed and a voicemail message saying the same! What happened?!?

But from this area so we went off reviews to come here. Meh…
Slooooooow service to get our food. Ordered a few things to get started and waited almost an hour for three rolls, plus waited 20 min to get my tea. The roll were nothing to get excited about. Just as good from Wegman’s down in Philly. selection was limited. Waited so long for the first set, we left.

Place was so awesome! Highly recommend. Although there are not fancy sushi rolls with crazy sauces and what not, they do not need it. Even a simple California roll was better than average. The sweet potato roll was my favorite! The seaweed salad had unbelievable flavor. I LOVE miso soup, and theirs is on point! $ 3.50 a bowl, but worth it in taste, and portion size, it a big bowl with mushrooms and onions. So good!
I dined with my mother and boyfriend, and wanted to try the mushroom asparagus hand roll, which is one to an order. Chef wanted all three of us to try it, so he gave us two complimentary! Again, very flavorful.
The place is small and cozy. We sat at the counter, in front of the open kitchen, which was great to watch the chefs work. Both were very friendly, and customer service oriented.
It is not your typical sushi spot. It is however a fantastic eat, and I would highly recommend it.

This is the best quality sushi I have found in Providence and believe me I have searched. The restaurant is small and oddly oriented. Not a great place for more than 2 as you either have to sit at the sushi bar or small nook and cranny tables. The menu is extremely limited and the place has the strangest hours. They either seem to always be closed or doing a private event. Worth a try if you are craving fresh fish. Service fairly slow and disorganized.
TL/​DR: go for the quality fish.

Usually when a new restaurant opens up in Providence I start to hear rumbles of reviews come towards me as people start to test the new places out. I mentioned that I was very impressed with the sushi in Boston and I was immediately met with comments saying that I haven’t thoroughly explored the new restaurants that Providence had to offer and one of these was Sushi Yama.
From what I gather (I’m not as in the know as some of the previous reviewers on here!), the chef who opened this restaurant has had successful opening of restaurants in the area that are regarded as the freshest most authentic Japanese foods in town. Consistent with what you expect for a restaurant gathering such reviews I step into this small little restaurant in downtown Providence and was pleasantly surprised.
Sushi Yama is located downtown in a part of Providence that is just picking up in terms of new restaurants. I really hope that this area continues to develop. The inner décor is much like that of Birch which is cozy, modern and limited seating. For me that means that each customer experience is detail oriented and each dish prepared is created with every i dotted and t crossed. They have a very small menu but emphasizing that each dish is an extraordinary experience in itself.
What you find online for their menu is exactly what you will get in the restaurant with the exception of a few specials that change day to day. They are only open from Wed to Sun and generally have a constant flow of people in and out of the building. You can sit by the bar or at the window. You are instantly greeted with a one page menu with appetizers, small dishes and the sushi/​sashimi/​maki entrees. We started off with the wakame salad which was refreshing and an awesome way to start off our trip here. This was followed by savory and slightly crispy pork gyoza. I went with the sashimi platter which has been well documented in the pictures. The fish of the day was mackerel. While I’m more of a tuna/​salmon person, the mackerel, a more oily fish, was actually quite tasty. Each piece of fish was perfectly cut and absolutely delicious. They were definitely of the highest quality that you can expect from a place like this. I topped off my entrée with tobiko nigiri and Hawaiian sweet potato maki. While the maki was simple, it was a burst of flavor that I didn’t expect. The sweetness of the potato with the slightly spicy sauce that was tucked away in the roll and topped off with a tab of soy sauce is enough to make anyone happy at the end of their meal.
They aren’t that unreasonably expensive for sashimi. The one thing I wish they would change is have a more extensive sashimi list. What they do is A+ top notch excellent and delicious deserving of the highest praise but if they did the same while also walking me through the tastes of other types of raw fish I would say that this was THE place to be. For now, it will be 4 stars in my book and I will continue to come here whenever I want a refreshing dash of sashimi.

If I could give 10 stars, I would. This place is the best place for sushi in all of Rhode Island — and I don’t say that lightly since I’m Japanese. We tried the three salads sampler — which is hijiki salad (a darker root vegetable), daikon pickles with carrots, and wakame (seaweed) salad. The daikon salad was beautifully orchestrated with well sliced daikon & carrots pickled with the right amount of sugar. The wakame was extremely fresh and within the ponzu sauce made for an amazing pairing. Edamame was also tasty — not too much salt and the salt that was used was exactly the right size and texture.
I’ve had a lot of sashimi in my day, including sashimi that’s freshly caught off a deep sea fishing boat. And the sashimi here was absolutely AMAZING, I’ve never tasted sashimi in a restaurant that was so fresh, where the salmon was so buttery, and the tuna was deliciously rich. And the sizing of the sashimi pieces was gigantic — so that you could feel the whole texture of the fish. And the slicing of the fish was done beautifully and the temperature was just right when plated. Alongside the sashimi, the daikon raddish garnish was very tasty & pickled nicely. And the wasabi tasted quite fresh and I think was real wasabi root – nothing like what you buy in a tube or is served at other restaurants. Price wise, the sashimi platter was extremely reasonable with so much fish.
Service wise, they were some of the nicest waitstaff that I’ve ever met. Very attuned to the customers and presenting the specials very thoroughly. This place is simply amazing! Definitely try it.

WOW. ON POINT AND LISTEN TO ME BECAUSE I AM ASIAN. THIS IS WHAT I’M ABOUT.
Look, I could not find a good sushi place in Providence until now because of Sushi Yama. I have been eating sushi all of my life and I can honestly say that Sushi Yama is the best sushi you are gonna get in Providence. The rice is done really well. The fish could be better but I have been VERY spoiled with fish, as I get it right out of the sea since my father is a sushi chef.
Not too expensive. For a dinner for two, the bill came less than $ 50. That’s pretty solid. Very clean.
Interior and ambience is just beautiful. Lots of wood, like how a Japanese sushi restaurant should be. One thing awkward is the chair and bar table height. Chairs need to be higher.

This is elite sushi.
Please take my word for it. In my years of being a chef, I learned from a master how to butcher a tuna as big as I was, and another on how to present it. As someone who knows how to do this, it’s obvious that these guys have an amazing quality of technique and product.
I haven’t been to every sushi place on the east coast, but I’ve been to a lot of the places known as the best. The only thing I’ve had that came close to this quality was in the Bay Area out west, and Sushi Yama is better.
The reason I like sushi is because I was introduced at a really spectacular place. If you like sushi, go here. If you want someone to like sushi, bring them here.

Sushi Yama has the best sushi and sashimi in providence hands down. If you enjoy fresh sushi and sashimi this is the place. Smaller location consisting of mainly the sushi bar with seating along the walls. Not a full service bar but have a selection of beer and wine along with a very good selection of sake. panda cup and otter fest sake are my current favorites. service is excellent and sushi is consistently fresh and delicious. if they are offering local catch be sure to try it. they allow BYOB but I would recommend trying some of the sake.

Tried this place last night and really enjoyed it. The menu is significantly pared down from your typical sushi joint — think fewer than 5 makis, a handful of nigiri, and assorted small plates. Lots of locally sourced ingredients, if that’s your thing. We tried the cold tofu, the gyoza and the sashimi/​maki combo plate. Everything was tasty and prices were reasonable/​in line with other restaurants. I’d come back again but I likely won’t be craving it enough to rush back.

This is easily the best sushi in Providence. The food is not fancy or Americanized. Instead, it’s just high-​quality, delicious fish. It’s strange, but I even thought the rice was the best I had had in a long time, which I had honestly not even considered a factor before.
The room was small, but that really just contributed to the ambiance. It was a lot of fun to be able to watch my food get made. The service was great and the chefs were friendly.

Our family was so happy to learn that Chef Hiyama was cooking in Providence again! We dropped in early on a Saturday night. The space is small, there is room for maybe 20 people. There is a small list of wine and beer and a much larger offering of sake. I believe that you can also do BYOB which makes the location next to nice wine store convenient.
The food of course was amazing, I wish I could have tried it all.. We did sample many items from the menu. From the small plates we tried the pickles, mushrooms, gyoza and Koji chicken. The gyoza was even better than I remembered. We also had the Sashimi and roll combo with the beets and cream cheese and the spicy shrimp. Delicious! I don’t think I have the vocabulary to describe it.
My sons (5 & 8) had edamame, miso soup and the Koji chicken. They sampled our gyoza and sushi. They loved it so much they demanded seconds of edamame and Koji chicken and begged for more. My younger son ate a beet that had fallen on the table, that’s how much he liked the food. We are so happy that the restaurant is here and will be back often.

I’ll start with some background history for those who are completely new to both Sushi Yama and its master chef.
Master Chef Yukio Hiyama-​san extraordinaire of New Japan fame (i.e., 29+ year history that shuttered its doors 7+ years ago when the building was sold) has returned to his culinary passion of preparing his fabulous, heavenly dishes using the best and freshest ingredients once again — this time under the auspices of Enos proprietors Jerry and Roberta. I thank them dearly — especially Jerry, who said during the final open weeks of New Japan that he would find a way for Chef Hiyama-​san to continue cooking for his lengthy and extensive list of loyal customers. Jerry did it. Yes, it took several years, but, he MADE it happen. Again — THANK YOU!!!
As a quick aside here, it’s important to note that Jerry’s family are fourth generation customers of Chef Hiyama-​san. He ate at New Japan with his parents. He ate there with his own family. His children ate there. Now, his grandchildren eat at Sushi Yama. The same can be said for his sister, her husband and their children as well. Multi-​generational families like this made up at least 87% of Chef Hiyama-san’s loyal following that kept New Japan in business just shy of 3 decades. These folks (like me) are now discovering that there isn’t a new master chef in town, but, rather — a local renowned chef who recently came out of retirement to please us once again — TOTALLY AWESOME!!!
For the past several years, I conducted online searches for Chef Hiyama-​san a few times a year in hopes that Jerry found a way to make our collective desire happen (meaning, the loyal fans who did NOT want to say goodbye to the celebrated and distinguished dishes of our beloved Chef Hiyama-​san). Much to my thrill and surprise, my recent online search finally paid off and provided exactly what I hoped to find — Chef Hiyama-​san back in action and in DownCity, no less!
I LOVE the layout of Sushi Yama. It’s small, streamlined, intimate and clearly reminiscent of eateries in Japan with the open kitchen bordered with a counter for side-​by-​side seating. There’s additional seating in similar counter side-​by-​side fashion facing out the front window, or, as some Woonsocket Rhode Islanders with French Canadian roots might say: side by each. This type of seating is inherently intimate as folks lean in and over to speak with each other throughout their dining experience.
While I didn’t arrive hungry, I did enter Sushi Yama with a mission — to try a couple or few dishes new to me and am so glad I did. I started with a handroll — the mushroom and asparagus soy mirin glaze, to be exact. WOW, the complementary flavors of the different sauteed Japanese mushrooms made my heart swoon and my palate sing ~ WOW ~ this is better than manna from heaven!!! Then, the beautifully presented crispy salmon skin special atop Japanese sweet potatoes arrived. I thought to myself, this isn’t salmon skin, this is a solid serving of a gorgeous salmon steak — what are these people thinking? This salmon was the absolute best, most delicious, incredibly tender melt-​in-​your-​mouth I have ever eaten in my entire five-​plus generations of being alive — no kidding!!!
This salmon was nothing local or even regional — NO, this salmon was imported fresh from the Faroe Islands. The texture, color and flavor are absolute in its total and complete perfection. I was a huge fan of Copper River Salmon from Alaska for years, of which is only available a couple months each year. This Faroese Salmon puts Copper River Salmon to shame, which I formerly believed could not and would not ever happen — but, it did. This salmon set a new standard for me that no other salmon will ever beat or match. For those who love salmon, this Faroese Salmon on its own merit (the way Chef Hiyama-​san prepares it, of course) is reason enough to dine at Sushi Yama.
I also ordered a tried-​and-​true Hiyama staple — the handmade pork Gyoza. It was just as delicious as I remember. I ordered it to go and am glad I did, because I had no room left after eating my awesome handroll and entrée, and, I had it for a very late-​night snack before sitting down to write this review.
I had water and hot tea with my meal; thus, I did not review the beer/​wine menu. On my way out, Jerry treated me to 3 tasting samples of incredible French liqueurs by Giffard — all of which are astounding. My favorite is Lichi-​Li (Lychee) followed by Pink Grapefruit (crème de pamplemousse rose), with the 3^rd being Premium Ginger of the Indies. These are so amazingly delicious that I immediately went next door to Enos and purchased their 4 flavors of Giffard liqueurs on hand: Ginger, Pink Grapefruit, Peach (peche de pigne) and Premium Vanille de Madagascar.
Sushi Yama is now my FAVORITE restaurant with a dining experience far beyond wonderful. No doubt I will be a regular here. This is upscale dining in a laid-​back venue with moderate prices for the discerning palate. ***** for sure!!!

Hiyama is back!
After a long hiatus, the former owner of New Japan and best sushi master in RI is back doing what he does best… preparing the freshest and best sushi and sashimi around. The new place is cozy and intimate. The next-​door proximity to Eno gives you a chance to get whatever libation will complement the food, although the restaurant has a decent selection of wines and sakes.
Don’t miss it.

I went here by myself on Halloween night and had a great meal!
The bottle of warm saki was really good too.
Staff was friendly and the décor was simple and chic. I am definitely coming back here.

Best sushi place in Providence (although admittedly the competition isnt too stiff on that front). The décor and atmosphere is great. The sashimi appetizer was excellent, and the rolls were also quite good. The appetizers were slightly less satisfying — the miso soup could have been a tad hotter (temperature-​wise), and the seaweed salad was not as I’d expected. And the hot sake was good. Although its not the best sushi place I’ve ever been in my life, I liked it and will go back.

Best sushi place in all of Rhode Island !! Gyoza dumplings are straight fire as well as the avocado and lobster salad but if your looking for a dish like no other get the entrée with miso rice surrounded with a beautiful presentation of fresh local mussels, but wait just when you thought the dish couldn’t get any better the center is topped off with fresh salmon and lobster. Please go to sushi Yama. This place is new so give it a shot and I promise you will have a great time. Go now!

The toro here was as fresh as what I tasted after the morning’s first tuna actions in Tsukiji Fish Markets in Tokyo.

I visited this Sushi Yama on their opening night. We ordered several appetizers, some rolls, and a couple pieces of sashimi to get a good sense of the menu. Overall, the meal was very enjoyable. The salmon sashimi we had was extremely fresh, not quite so fresh it melts in your mouth, but close. The menu is rather small compared to typical sushi restaurants, but they seem to be focusing more on quality dishes than a plethora of fancy rolls.
The hiyako tofu with sesame ginger was very tasty but difficult to eat with chopsticks, as the tofu was incredibly soft. Vegetable gyoza were great. The wakame salad was not the best. Its different from your traditional seaweed salad, which would be fine, but it just lacked flavor. The rolls we ate were good, with very fresh fish.
I’ll definitely visit again after they’ve had a few weeks to perfect the dishes. Looking forward to see how this place develops.