Yamato Japanese Steak House — Restaurant in Frostburg

i really really wish i could give a full 5 stars because i love this place for many reasons which i’ll comment on but there has been one constant issue specifically this week when i’ve tried to place an order with them. i always call in for pick up usually because i don’t live in frostburg but i’m willing to make the drive because the food is just that good even though there are other hibachi places closer, this one is my favorite and i’d rather drive all the way there than go somewhere closer that i do not like as much. first off, on a positive note(s) they give you so much food whether you eat in or pick up. their prices even in this economy are really not bad at all, especially given how much food they give you. sure, there isn’t a hibachi grill so you don’t get that experience but i think their kind staff and delicious well priced and quickly made food makes up for that and really the grill experience is more or less the same i’ve found out at any hibachi location you go to so you’re not missing out if you’ve seen it before. with all of that being said, there is one constant issue and that is trying to actually make the call to place an order. earlier this week i called about 5-10 minutes after opening to at least give them a chance to get settled in and be respectful to not call right away at 11am. there was a busy tone the first time so i waited another minute or so and tried again. i tried calling 6 times and every single time and it kept ringing and ringing until eventually it went to voicemail. i only tried to call once today and the same thing happened and i didn’t wanna go through the same thing as the other day so i ended up giving my business to someone else today. however after the fact they tried calling me 3 times in a row but at that point it was already too late and i placed my order already somewhere else. with this being said, all i ask is that they are better about answering their phone. i understand things happen, but calling 6 times and getting voicemail after they’re already open and on a day that they are open in general (wasn’t on a tuesday because i know their closed), is a bit much. so please try to have someone near the phone if possible at all times (almost like a restaurant receptionist if that’s even possible, or like a hostess) so this issue doesn’t occur. i will still eat here and still love this place, but i felt as though i should make a note of this in hopes for improvement...

Staff seems kind of rude. But I'm not sure if that is just a difference in communication based on culture, or straight up attitude.

The lady who is there most of the time is always trying to charge you for something extra, that's not even listed on the menu. So make sure you request your recipt and check prices. Twice I have gotten the hibachi lunch but they charged me for the dinner.But generally speaking, the food was a reasonable price.

*As for community health precautions: they have plastic draped over everything. Several times there have been multiple customers in the restaurant. They use to only allow one patron at a time inside at the counter. Then for a short period they had curb side pick up. But now, they have gotten lax in their infection control procedures. I've never seen them wipe anything down; between customers or otherwise. And I've never seen them use hand sanitizer after handling money or coming in contact with items. So I make sure I pay with exact change, use hand sanitizer immediately after my interaction and wait outside if there is other customers at the counter.

This is a picture of the hibachi chicken dinner, with spicy mayo.

Hope this review is helpful...

I came here for the first time tonight, hoping to be surprised by a hole in the wall spot. I ordered the filet and shrimp hibachi dinner with miso soup. This was late on a Sunday and the miso soup was bland, but also taste as though it has been sitting out all day. Regarding the entree, I did not expect it to be filet for $16 and gave a lot of leeway, but I feel like whatever cut of meat they used is so low in quality that they really should just call it "beef" or, and this is being generous, "steak". It was under-seasoned (I'm not a fan of salt, so I'm not just saying it wasn't salty enough). Very simply, there was almost no form of "hibachi" flavor. The shrimp were okay, but expect to only get 3 shrimp. Further, the amount of steak was very small. I was holding out hope for the veggies, but even they were beyond bland, although they did appear to be fresh - definitely could have been frozen. The rice was the plainest of the bunch with no egg and was luke warm. I really, really wanted to like this place, but I will sadly never be going back. I didn't take a photo when I got it, but did want to document that I did eat here and it wasn't even worth...