Yokohamaya — Restaurant in Cypress

It's good to know there is a good Japanese restaurant in the Cypress area. A friend and I stopped for lunch. I ordered the Chirashi bowl and my friend got the Sashimi Bento box. All the sashimi was fresh and tasty. The miso was worth the trip. I'll be back.

Back again 2 months later and I added a 5th star. I grew up eating at Ginza Ben Kay when it was a new restaurant and Tokyo Garden when it 1st opened. I can do without the chef playing with my food and launching shrimp around the room. I do appreciate good sushi !! I went to a private party catered by Kata Robata which was very good but I probably would have winced at the bill? Yokohamaya was 95% as good lacking 5% because the demand for sushi in Cypress is much less than in Upper Kirby and the variety in the menu reflects this. Given an equal pantry to prepare from and the sushi chef at Yokohamaya would be neck and neck with the chef from Kata Robata, the man knows what he is doing and you are able to taste it. From the miso and the seaweed salad (which was delicious) to the fresh tasting fish and the sushimeshi the meal was excellent. I'm sorry that my night vision has become an issue with my driving or there would be an imprint of my seat at the sushi bar at Yokohamaya. The waitress was attractive kind and helpful. Life will be better and easier when we can speak to each other again without masks. Until then I'll return as often as possible to enjoy...

Went with a friend to grab some sushi and we saw that it was new and so we figured we’d give it a shot.

I was remarkably surprised by the ambience - it was warm and inviting.

I also liked their menus: they were sturdy, legible print, and had fantastic pictures:

Also, I appreciated having cloth napkins and real chopsticks - it adds a significant touch of luxury. I’m going to keep this in mind whenever I go on a date.

I was also grateful for our server - he had a tattoo of numbers with a colon in the middle (I couldn’t really see it clearly). He was very hospitable and pleasant to talk to, and he had excellent recommendations when I couldn’t decide what to get.

I really enjoyed the Salmon Skin special roll and Dragon Rolls. My friend had the Christmas roll. We also got other rolls but I forgot their names.

Let me just say - ALL of it were well made and delicious; my friend and I were glad it wasn’t a lot of rice since having too much would just dampen the experience of the fish and other flavours.

My favourite was Salmon Skin special rolls - it takes a while to make but I would def get 2 orders of that. It had umami and warmth, and just perfect in balance of ingredients.

We’re def coming back here; my friend and I like to watch our carbs so this was perfect...

The sashimi cuts were notably thicker and uneven, which deviated from the traditional delicacy of sashimi. If you're looking for sizeable portions and chunks of fish, this option could be more appealing.

The spicy tuna seemed to be more of a puréed or blended fish. The general sentiment at our table was that it was “meaty” and was met with a humorous response that a spicy tuna roll from H-E-B Sushiya would be a better choice, funny but true.

Lastly, I couldn't help but notice the server's long fingernails, which unfortunately came quite close to the food, even inside the bowl. It was a bit puzzling why her placement of a single bowl on to the table would involve her fingernails inside the bowl. I watched her fingernails go inside of several dishes throughout the night. I’ve noticed long nails is becoming quite popular within the service industry. (Or at least for restaurants that don’t make short nails a requirement for their staff). Her personality was interesting, leaning towards quiet and stoic, often responding with silence when thanked for service on numerous occasions. The only time she had energy and was slightly more responsive was when it was time to bring out the checkbook, and...