We were seated and given menus. Then we waited, ignored, for over 10 minutes without even being offered water. The restaurant was not busy and several servers were milling about. After 15 minutes we got up and left. No one said a word to us as we left the restaurant.
V W
Spacious sitting area. Great art work. The chicken Katsu was lightly breaded and very tender inside. Tempura was tasty. Lots of options for combos. Ramen was tasty but wish the soup a little hotter temperature. The miso soup was also not hot and only lukewarm. Best thing was the cream donuts as desserts on the house. It was so good that I bought several more bigger size donuts to go. The strawberry flavor ones were excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Darren Brown
This is the 2nd Yojimbo in Alameda as the original is still on Park Street. It is a massive space in the former Black Oak space across from Stones Cyclery. Like the smaller Yojimbo, Japanese popular culture features throughout the space. Outside there is seating under the awning / roof exterior.
It was a Saturday evening. There was an overflow of waiting customers and only two waitresses when I attended for my 51st birthday. The line was chaotic and multiple staff kept informing us of the wait time. I noticed we weren’t the only ones waiting as many customers seemed tired waiting for the meals.
It took a good 15 minutes to be seated followed by another 15 minutes for the waitress to actually take our order. When our food came it wasn’t together. So out of respect I didn’t touch my curry ramen with gyoza topping until my friend received her bento. The sushi came, also my order, and she still didn’t receive her food. Simple questions as to where her food was - were met with clueless helplessness. I felt bad for the wait staff.
The manager just walked around with cool Buddhist detachment and didn’t seem to delegate any responsibility as if he didn’t know how to save a sinking ship!
There was a robot to take orders that just moved around the floor and to my knowledge didn’t take orders which would’ve helped the overwhelmed staff.
My friend finally received her food and then I began to eat my curry. Bad choice. This was unlike any curry ramen I had before - super lazy Japanese curry rice. Sauce as a broth(??!!) with a cold hard boiled egg and gyoza thrown inside. It was pretty upsetting to eat what was considered “ramen” for this price. It reminded me of food one would make out of desparation when one is drunk or high.
To add insult to injury all tables in our area received donuts (one per customer) as a weird passive aggressive “thank you” for a chaotic and confusing evening.
My friend was so hesitant to leave a 15% tip because the entire experience sucked. Not a good birthday experience.
So if you go here, expect to wait not just for a seat, but for service and your order all coming out at odd times and then wait again for your check.
In the end all flash (the environment and ambiance) and zero substance.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Alex Shon
From the moment we stepped into this Japanese restaurant, we were welcomed with warm hospitality. The service was impeccable—attentive yet not overwhelming. The food was a true masterpiece; the sushi was fresh, with a perfect balance of flavor, and the ramen had an authentic depth of taste. The ambiance was serene, with minimalist décor and soothing music, creating a perfect environment to enjoy the meal. This place definitely delivers a traditional Japanese dining experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork Bun
Mason Albert
Such a great, low-key sushi joint for my family. We bring people here who visit from out of town to highlight that cool, Alameda vibe. We love the art and the studio Ghibli films that stay on loop. Solid quality and probably the best value on the island. Cannot recommend enough.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Todd Postma
Best Japanese food in the East Bay! The sushi is delicious with some creative options, but I always go back for the Oyako Donburi which is amazing. You cannot beat the atmosphere with superb servers and savage manga on all the walls.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Catherine Miller
The best sushi restaurant in the Bay Area! The price is good and the food is always fresh and tasty. Since I moved to the Bay Area 5 years ago I’ve never had a bad experience at this place!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Miso Soup, Chicken Teriyaki
Dave Wong
This review is for the Yojimbo & Gallery location. Absolutely worth coming for the food alone. Portion sizes and flavor are excellent -- my family ordered a variety of items including ramen, sushi, and noodle- and rice-based dishes. But it's the decor that absolutely sends this establishment into the stratosphere. Anime / pop culture figurines, multiple video screens showing Studio Ghibli classics, and insanely great paintings depicting Akira, Evangelion, Kurosawa movies. This will be a must-go for my future Alameda visits.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Mariya Snazina
This restaurant has character, the food is delicious AND the pastry at the end is SO good!!! Dont miss out if you are ever in
I ordered to go for my family ,not only was all of our food delicious but they threw in a bunch of dessert rolls for free . I 100% recommend We got 2 pork ramens 1 chicken , a Philly roll and a ponyo roll . All delicious
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork Bun, Pork Ramen with Miso Broth
Ethan Aberg
Yet to find anything on the menu that is not excellent. Both locations seem consistently great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
sainbileg ganbold
Soo clean place, clean means everithing is fresh and clean 😃 😊
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
T Ngoc Anh Nguyen (ixxi)
i’ll give the service 1/10. food 8/10.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
Shelbey Ballantyne Neil
Loved this restaurant! Delicious nigiri, gyoza, and sushi. I love the ambience as well—it feels cozy yet spacious and I love the Studio Ghibli theme and plants everywhere. When service was a bit slow, they provided free donuts and ice cream. Will be back!
This place is such a gem!! The food was oishi!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We were seated and given menus. Then we waited, ignored, for over 10 minutes without even being offered water. The restaurant was not busy and several servers were milling about. After 15 minutes we got up and left. No one said a word to us as we left the restaurant.
Spacious sitting area. Great art work. The chicken Katsu was lightly breaded and very tender inside. Tempura was tasty. Lots of options for combos. Ramen was tasty but wish the soup a little hotter temperature. The miso soup was also not hot and only lukewarm. Best thing was the cream donuts as desserts on the house. It was so good that I bought several more bigger size donuts to go. The strawberry flavor ones were excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
This is the 2nd Yojimbo in Alameda as the original is still on Park Street. It is a massive space in the former Black Oak space across from Stones Cyclery. Like the smaller Yojimbo, Japanese popular culture features throughout the space. Outside there is seating under the awning / roof exterior.
It was a Saturday evening. There was an overflow of waiting customers and only two waitresses when I attended for my 51st birthday. The line was chaotic and multiple staff kept informing us of the wait time. I noticed we weren’t the only ones waiting as many customers seemed tired waiting for the meals.
It took a good 15 minutes to be seated followed by another 15 minutes for the waitress to actually take our order. When our food came it wasn’t together. So out of respect I didn’t touch my curry ramen with gyoza topping until my friend received her bento. The sushi came, also my order, and she still didn’t receive her food. Simple questions as to where her food was - were met with clueless helplessness. I felt bad for the wait staff.
The manager just walked around with cool Buddhist detachment and didn’t seem to delegate any responsibility as if he didn’t know how to save a sinking ship!
There was a robot to take orders that just moved around the floor and to my knowledge didn’t take orders which would’ve helped the overwhelmed staff.
My friend finally received her food and then I began to eat my curry. Bad choice. This was unlike any curry ramen I had before - super lazy Japanese curry rice. Sauce as a broth(??!!) with a cold hard boiled egg and gyoza thrown inside. It was pretty upsetting to eat what was considered “ramen” for this price. It reminded me of food one would make out of desparation when one is drunk or high.
To add insult to injury all tables in our area received donuts (one per customer) as a weird passive aggressive “thank you” for a chaotic and confusing evening.
My friend was so hesitant to leave a 15% tip because the entire experience sucked. Not a good birthday experience.
So if you go here, expect to wait not just for a seat, but for service and your order all coming out at odd times and then wait again for your check.
In the end all flash (the environment and ambiance) and zero substance.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
From the moment we stepped into this Japanese restaurant, we were welcomed with warm hospitality. The service was impeccable—attentive yet not overwhelming. The food was a true masterpiece; the sushi was fresh, with a perfect balance of flavor, and the ramen had an authentic depth of taste. The ambiance was serene, with minimalist décor and soothing music, creating a perfect environment to enjoy the meal. This place definitely delivers a traditional Japanese dining experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork Bun
Such a great, low-key sushi joint for my family. We bring people here who visit from out of town to highlight that cool, Alameda vibe. We love the art and the studio Ghibli films that stay on loop. Solid quality and probably the best value on the island. Cannot recommend enough.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best Japanese food in the East Bay! The sushi is delicious with some creative options, but I always go back for the Oyako Donburi which is amazing. You cannot beat the atmosphere with superb servers and savage manga on all the walls.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The best sushi restaurant in the Bay Area! The price is good and the food is always fresh and tasty. Since I moved to the Bay Area 5 years ago I’ve never had a bad experience at this place!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Miso Soup, Chicken Teriyaki
This review is for the Yojimbo & Gallery location. Absolutely worth coming for the food alone. Portion sizes and flavor are excellent -- my family ordered a variety of items including ramen, sushi, and noodle- and rice-based dishes. But it's the decor that absolutely sends this establishment into the stratosphere. Anime / pop culture figurines, multiple video screens showing Studio Ghibli classics, and insanely great paintings depicting Akira, Evangelion, Kurosawa movies. This will be a must-go for my future Alameda visits.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
This restaurant has character, the food is delicious AND the pastry at the end is SO good!!! Dont miss out if you are ever in
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
I ordered to go for my family ,not only was all of our food delicious but they threw in a bunch of dessert rolls for free . I 100% recommend
We got 2 pork ramens 1 chicken , a Philly roll and a ponyo roll . All delicious
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork Bun, Pork Ramen with Miso Broth
Yet to find anything on the menu that is not excellent. Both locations seem consistently great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Soo clean place, clean means everithing is fresh and clean 😃 😊
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
i’ll give the service 1/10. food 8/10.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
Loved this restaurant! Delicious nigiri, gyoza, and sushi. I love the ambience as well—it feels cozy yet spacious and I love the Studio Ghibli theme and plants everywhere. When service was a bit slow, they provided free donuts and ice cream. Will be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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