This place is excellent. Will 100% be back to try some rolls again and to try others for the first time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
James C
Wife and i snuck out of the house for an impromptu snack and we happened upon Yoni. Not really a roll person as I don’t like the compact feeling of my ingredients. Doesn’t really let the ingredients shine, especially delicate ingredients. But hey this $100 quarterly resy credit was expiring so why not. However at yoni Handrolls it’s different the rice isn’t smashed in with the ingredients. Not only can the ingredients shine but the rice pellet itself still retains that soft texture like in a nigiri. Excellent. Will try again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Japhy Altenhein
Best hand rolls in east bay. Fire.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Negihama Hand Roll
Meredith Bell
Awesome food, but the surprisingly bad service put a damper on what would otherwise be a special experience. The first roll came out before our beer and sake were brought to the table, and someone (not our server) brought us our check with a stiff “thank you for joining us today” before our dessert had even been served! The place wasn’t even full and it created a weird transactional vibe to pay before even finishing the nice meal we were splurging on together.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 2
Colin Ransdell
Very surprised how amazing the food was. Service was superior, food delicious, and drinks were great. The hand roll options were really fun!
Party Bloop
Beyond thrilled that this location has opened in Albany! Fish quality is great, house made soy sauce is delicious, and everyone who works here is warm, friendly and helpful. Note that rolls are intentionally spaced ~5 minutes apart to make sure you have time to enjoy and appreciate each one! If all of them were brought at the same time, your seaweed would be soggy/chewy so time your dining and plan accordingly. Drinks are wonderful! The lunch set is a great value at $20/$27 depending on your selections. Easily one of the best restaurants in Albany! 🍣🍣🍣
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eddie Ashley
My wife and I visited here a few years back when we tried the Oakland location. We absolutely loved their OG omaka-set! I think the Zuke Maguro (soy-cured ahi tuna) and Negihama (yellowtail with green onions) were the absolute best. We’ve also had the Yonsei set before, and if you’re new to it, I’d suggest adding the Black Cod to the OG for a truly amazing experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
E LaMouria
Great food at a great price. So fresh and tasty!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ann Van Brunt
The hand rolls were delicious. The service was great. I am returning today
We really love the hand rolls here and will surely be coming in regularly. Have had some service hiccups recently but nothing major (appetizer didn’t come until we asked again, for example). The biggest challenge is that they have a lot of western facing windows and it can get balmy in there.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Nic Smith
Amazing hand rolls and cocktails available at different budget ranges. Friendly service, rolls came out at a good pace.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Javad Kouchakzadeh
Decent rolls. Good fish.
The Aged tuna was great, Probably my favorite. I was let down by the crab roll, it was way too creamy. I regret not getting the Black Cod. The Yellowtail was diced, which I found weird, but the flavor was fine. There's not much to say about the Salmon, taste was good, texture was good. Spicy tuna with panko (not pictured) was an unexpected hit.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
Jay Gauthier
TLDR: Great food, great service, quality fish, and reasonable prices!
- - - I’ve been twice now, both times without a reservation (for 2 people) on Saturday evenings. The first time, there was no wait. The second time, the wait was ~10 minutes. We were advised by the server to go next door to the wine bar while we wait (Best Friends) and we wouldn’t be charged corkage if we brought a bottle over - so that’s exactly what we did!
Both times that I came to this restaurant, I had a really pleasant experience. The lighting is a good ambient level and perfect for an intimate dinner. The handrolls menu is either a set 5 courses (3 levels depending on how much you want to splurge) or you can order a la carte from the handrolls menu.
The first time I ate here, I chose their classic OG 5- course menu ($36) and added on the black cod with truffle butter($10) - totaling 6 handrolls. It was a bit too much food for me, but everything was fantastic. The second time I came, I ordered 4 rolls a la carte, which was more reasonable for my appetite.
They bring each roll one at a time, and with so much intention. They think about which roll would be better first versus last for the full palate experience.*
My favorite rolls from the OG included the negihama, the zuke maguro, and the black cod with truffle butter.
My favorites from the a la carte menu were the uni (which is absolutely worth the splurge) and the salmon belly.
I haven’t had cocktails, appetizers, or dessert, but I really enjoyed every handroll that I ate! I will definitely be back to try more items from the menu.
*Some of the mixed reviews mention the service being slow due to each hand roll arriving one at a time. To me, that was a plus! I do /not/ want my handrolls getting soggy, and I love enjoying each one as it is freshly made. Yonsei - please don’t ever stop bringing the rolls one at a time!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Andrew Levit
Open till 9:30 but wouldn’t seat us at 8:50. Thanks!
This place is excellent. Will 100% be back to try some rolls again and to try others for the first time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wife and i snuck out of the house for an impromptu snack and we happened upon Yoni. Not really a roll person as I don’t like the compact feeling of my ingredients. Doesn’t really let the ingredients shine, especially delicate ingredients. But hey this $100 quarterly resy credit was expiring so why not. However at yoni Handrolls it’s different the rice isn’t smashed in with the ingredients. Not only can the ingredients shine but the rice pellet itself still retains that soft texture like in a nigiri. Excellent. Will try again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best hand rolls in east bay. Fire.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Negihama Hand Roll
Awesome food, but the surprisingly bad service put a damper on what would otherwise be a special experience. The first roll came out before our beer and sake were brought to the table, and someone (not our server) brought us our check with a stiff “thank you for joining us today” before our dessert had even been served! The place wasn’t even full and it created a weird transactional vibe to pay before even finishing the nice meal we were splurging on together.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 2
Very surprised how amazing the food was. Service was superior, food delicious, and drinks were great. The hand roll options were really fun!
Beyond thrilled that this location has opened in Albany! Fish quality is great, house made soy sauce is delicious, and everyone who works here is warm, friendly and helpful. Note that rolls are intentionally spaced ~5 minutes apart to make sure you have time to enjoy and appreciate each one! If all of them were brought at the same time, your seaweed would be soggy/chewy so time your dining and plan accordingly. Drinks are wonderful! The lunch set is a great value at $20/$27 depending on your selections. Easily one of the best restaurants in Albany! 🍣🍣🍣
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My wife and I visited here a few years back when we tried the Oakland location. We absolutely loved their OG omaka-set! I think the Zuke Maguro (soy-cured ahi tuna) and Negihama (yellowtail with green onions) were the absolute best. We’ve also had the Yonsei set before, and if you’re new to it, I’d suggest adding the Black Cod to the OG for a truly amazing experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food at a great price. So fresh and tasty!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
The hand rolls were delicious. The service was great. I am returning today
Amazing!!!! A regular spot for sure!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
We really love the hand rolls here and will surely be coming in regularly. Have had some service hiccups recently but nothing major (appetizer didn’t come until we asked again, for example). The biggest challenge is that they have a lot of western facing windows and it can get balmy in there.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Amazing hand rolls and cocktails available at different budget ranges. Friendly service, rolls came out at a good pace.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Decent rolls. Good fish.
The Aged tuna was great, Probably my favorite. I was let down by the crab roll, it was way too creamy. I regret not getting the Black Cod. The Yellowtail was diced, which I found weird, but the flavor was fine. There's not much to say about the Salmon, taste was good, texture was good. Spicy tuna with panko (not pictured) was an unexpected hit.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
TLDR: Great food, great service, quality fish, and reasonable prices!
- - -
I’ve been twice now, both times without a reservation (for 2 people) on Saturday evenings. The first time, there was no wait. The second time, the wait was ~10 minutes. We were advised by the server to go next door to the wine bar while we wait (Best Friends) and we wouldn’t be charged corkage if we brought a bottle over - so that’s exactly what we did!
Both times that I came to this restaurant, I had a really pleasant experience. The lighting is a good ambient level and perfect for an intimate dinner. The handrolls menu is either a set 5 courses (3 levels depending on how much you want to splurge) or you can order a la carte from the handrolls menu.
The first time I ate here, I chose their classic OG 5- course menu ($36) and added on the black cod with truffle butter($10) - totaling 6 handrolls. It was a bit too much food for me, but everything was fantastic. The second time I came, I ordered 4 rolls a la carte, which was more reasonable for my appetite.
They bring each roll one at a time, and with so much intention. They think about which roll would be better first versus last for the full palate experience.*
My favorite rolls from the OG included the negihama, the zuke maguro, and the black cod with truffle butter.
My favorites from the a la carte menu were the uni (which is absolutely worth the splurge) and the salmon belly.
I haven’t had cocktails, appetizers, or dessert, but I really enjoyed every handroll that I ate! I will definitely be back to try more items from the menu.
*Some of the mixed reviews mention the service being slow due to each hand roll arriving one at a time. To me, that was a plus! I do /not/ want my handrolls getting soggy, and I love enjoying each one as it is freshly made. Yonsei - please don’t ever stop bringing the rolls one at a time!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Open till 9:30 but wouldn’t seat us at 8:50. Thanks!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
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