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Yoshi's Japanese Restaurant & World Class Jazz

spuguru
spuguru
First Reviewer
3 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
3
Reviews
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Small Portions; Over-Inflated Prices; Second-Rate Quality

  • December 30, 2007
  • Rated 1 of 5 by cheerytiger from OAKLAND, California
I've been a patron at Yoshi'd for over 20 years, although we are more often there for the music.

Recently, we celebrated a friend's birthday with both dinner and jazz. I was shocked at how expensive the sushi had become. When we sat down, the waitress told us that our orders would arrive as they are ready. Two hours later, we still had not received all of our order and barely made it to the show! The portions were less than half the size and the price was twice as much! I spent $150 and came away still hungry because the portions were so tiny. $16 for an O-toro roll for 5 pieces - that is more than $3 a piece and the quality was not even close to being worth it.

The sashimi used to be a nice fat slice, now is less than 1/2 its previous size! It was severely disappointed. I wrote to Yoshi's about this and the answer I received was that they had redesigned their menu "to bring forth (the new executice chef's) philosophy of 'Seasonal, Simple and Surprise'. (They) have taken the quality of (their) product to a new level."

"Surprise" certainly described my experience. I was surprised at the tiny portions, the incredibly jacked up prices, and the lack of quality.The demise of once-great establishments is inevitable.

Go there if you want to pay the exorbitant price for overrated sushi. You'd get a better deal almost anywhere else. Try Kai's in Alameda, for example. A $10 salmon roll is the size of a small loaf of bread and yummy and fresh to boot!
Editor Pick

Yoshi's

  • July 13, 2001
  • Rated 3 of 5 by Ally from New York City, New York, Afghanistan
Yoshi's is probably one of the nicest places to dine on Japanese eats. The combination lunch platter that I ordered included a generous portion of terriyaki salmon and crunchy (not the thick gooey battered) tempura which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Unfortunately, the service is SLOW and not reliable. Our server forgot requests for water and neglected to check back with us. I'd heard from friends, who had been there previously, that one woman's sushi order took 45 minutes to get served, way after everyone else had already finished eating. That's why when I went, no one ordered sushi! But it is telling, that my friends keep going back for more.

In the end, I highly recommend Yoshi's if you go at a really dead hour to eat, else, go and expect to receive poor service. Another item to keep in mind - Yoshi's sometimes offers live jazz/other music on the weekend nights.

From journal Oak-town - the Bay Area city w/the "real" people

Yoshi's

  • December 7, 2000
  • Rated 4 of 5 by spuguru from Bay Area, California
The food at this revamped waterfront district restaurant is outstanding, offering a wide array of sushi and selections for those who prefer their food cooked as well. The service is excellent top to bottom, from the hostess to the Sushi bar chef to the wait staff. To top it off, a jazz club is connected to the restaurant (noise somehow does NOT disturb the meal).

Eastern style seating is available. A huge parking lot is very close by, but a bit pricey.

From journal Oakland, a hidden gem

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