Sushi Yama — Restaurant in Brandon

I really wanted to like this place. I was a server for a couple of years (both low end and high end places) and I don’t think I’ve experienced more disappointment until I came into this place tonight. This is also the first review I’ve ever written, which speaks to how much I’ve ever complained about an establishment.

We had a 35 min wait but I didn’t mind because the picture reviews seemed worth it. We waited about 10 minutes until we got greeted by our server. We sat on the booths to the right of the restaurant, and the server had about 5-6 tables at her section. What I noticed is that she came to her other tables multiple times before she ever came to ours. General rule of thumb is that servers should greet their tables within 90 seconds of them being seated.

Now I know that the server was probably busy, however she could have sequenced better. Greet your table that just sat, and get them their drinks so that you can make your rounds with enough time to give them to decide what they want. I don’t know if this server was new or if she was truly picking and choosing who to cater to more.

When she greeted us, I expected her to be more empathetic to the fact that we had been waiting for her to greet us. She took our orders so we felt more pleasant than earlier. My drink, sushi roll, and two salads came. My husband only received his avocado salad, and he got his drink after we finished this first round (like wtf how did his drink arrive way after I got mine? It was just so ????)

Not gonna lie, the rolls we ordered saved them. Their quality is pretty good, but their service was so lackluster I probably will think twice if it’s worth it to come back if my experience is only going to be dejavu.

Every-time our server Isabella came up to us, she was nonchalant and not as attentive. I didn’t expect her to get on her hands and knees and acknowledge that they were busy to keep us waiting. Buuuut I at least expected for her to be cognizant that we were waiting for a while to get greeted, so she should be more warm to ease our mind and make us feel seen. I don’t know if it was because we were the only colored people in her section but…. Ima shrug to that.

I don’t know how long they have been open for, if they are a newer establishment I would recommend to be consistent in how you train all your servers / communication of timing with the kitchen. I was observing other tables and their experiences, and it seemed up to par with how it should be. Their servers greeted them right away, got their drinks, made their rounds, and they were sequenced appropriately so they received their food in a timely manner. No one is left with an empty dish while others were still eating. There were moments that I had received my orders while my husband sat with nothing in front of him. I tried to enjoy a nice dinner together, but it didn’t feel right during the moments that he had no food in front of him while I was already eating.

For $80 for two, I was disappointed. I don’t know if it was just our server, but I wish that I sat at a different section so that I didn’t feel like I had to be so expressive in my disappointment. Of course always still tip your servers 25%, I just hope...

Sushi Yama is a sushi "buffet," yes, but not the "serve yourself food that's been sitting out all day." It is made fresh and brought to your table, and you can order refills as often as you like. Their buffet menu is also very comprehensive and includes way more than just sushi, so if you have non-sushi friends that are with you, there's plenty for them to choose from. Also, this food is exceptional, and they will make any custom orders or changes you might want. I am not a fan of cream cheese with my sushi. But they have several rolls available that include cream cheese, and I always request to have it made without and they do a great job of accommodating that request.

Two things to note about Sushi Yama: They have a lovely cocktail menu, and their cocktails are tasty and beautiful. Their presentation is top tier. You will just have to experience yourself. I can't even describe it here, so see pics below. They pay a lot of attention to making your food beautiful. It's way above and beyond what you would expect from someplace that calls themselves a buffet.

This restaurant is definitely wheelchair friendly. There's plenty of room for wheelies to get around. Also, it tends to run a bit chilly, so if you are a person who tends to be on the cold side, definitely bring a wrap.

Final note: They've recently made a change to their table policies. In the past, each person at your table could order off the alacart menu, or you could order off the buffet menu. The new change is that now the whole table has to have the same so everyone at the table can either order from the Buffet menu or they can order from the alacart menu, but you can not mix. While I understand the necessity of this change because of rude people taking advantage and sharing food when they shouldn't be, it makes things difficult for people like me who are very small eaters that often attend with big eaters. Because they like the buffet, I end up having to pay the full buffet price when I only eat 1 roll, and that's...

Overall, this place could be the best, if not one of the best, sushi buffets in the Brandon area, one one of the best I have visited. The place has great food and drinks, a nice atmosphere, and good staff.

This buffet is order-to-eat kind of buffet; instead of having pre-made food for customers to serve themselves, people order items from the menu and they will prepare it and serve it. If waiting for the food to come is not a big issue, then this place is good. Furthermore, the quality of some of their dishes makes up for the wait. The price and items of the buffet varies between lunch and dinner. The dinner buffet is, in general, 10 dollars more expensive but has more menu items. Personally speaking, I prefer the dinner menu when I'm really hungry and would like to have a variety of things to taste.

As I said before, the food and drinks are really good. This is the kind of buffet that places quality above quantity; the quality of their specialty rolls is steps above most sushi buffets or sushi places in general. They have a roll with crab and sweet potato that was unexpectedly good. I really recommend that one. The drinks are also very varied and enjoyable. They sell some Japanese beer brands like Sapporo, and they also serve sake.

The interior of the establishment is rather good-looking, and the staff is very friendly. The interior is always looks clean and well maintained, even on their busiest hours. There is a lot of open space to walk around, so being with a crowd doesn't feel to uncomfortable. The staff is very attentive and friendly. The servers will check every once in a while to see how you are doing and if you want to order more. The like to converse when the place is not too busy, especially the bar tenders. On that note, the place is at it's busiest during the night time, and on the weekends, so if you plan to go there at those times, make sure you have a...