Yama Sushi & Asian Fusion — Restaurant in Grand Junction

I cannot say I recommend this place. I hate to give people or businesses a negative review and do not always believe in doing so over petty reasons. In this case I found it necessary to write this review. When we walked in there was no one there, although it was not at the typical lunch or dinner time. One group showed up shortly after we did. The health violations were many, too many to count. I ordered Pad Thai, and it was not at all like any Pad Thai I ever had. It was not made with Pad Thai sauce, and the waitress had to say she knew what she was talking about & that it was “not her first rodeo” when we were not questioning rudely. She did not offer us anything to drink other than water as any decent restaurant would. We were uncomfortable asking for anything at all from this waitress, wanting to avoid her shutting us down and acting as if we were being over the top in requests. In reality, most waitresses make you feel they’re available and open for you to at least express concern/ask questions about different entrees, or even for anything at all. I have celiac disease and always have to look out for certain ingredients. We had to stop eating the food because it was making us sick and did not give the perception that it was made professionally. The consistency of the “special white sauce” was 100% tasteless and questionable, not fresh which is likely why there was hardly any taste at all. The flavor the food did have was actually unpleasant. Additionally most Thai inclusive restaurants know and are aware that Pad Thai is usually served with lime and peanuts, and fresh vegetables, also used as a garnish. We could not eat it or anything but the miso soup, which was also questionable and discolored compared to most served. We pretended we were taking it to go, and threw it away. We then had to go to another restaurant to eat and pay for it on top of this restaurant even though it was less than a decent-quality experience. It looks like the staff is living out of a closed off section of the restaurant, with all of their personal belongings visible and spread across multiple booths, seemingly as if they had just moved in. If I had my things in my workspace, (which in most cases I would not do) I would at least put up a curtain to divide off the section no longer wanted to be intended for restaurant use. The whole setting and ambiance we thought was somewhat decent and relaxed at first but we realized and it took a turn as time passed with awareness of the condition of the rest of the environment as a whole and from the service we were provided. I could not imagine how sick we would have been if we had ordered seafood. I would recommend going to a quality restaurant with liability and a reputation for freshness and when it comes to sushi/seafood especially. Unfortunately the bathrooms were also horrendously unpleasant. They were the most unclean and neglected bathrooms I had ever seen in a restaurant. My mom also used their bathroom facility, and said it looked like someone had vomited on the toilet seat. Bathrooms in a restaurant in the food service industry are generally cleaned at least once on a daily basis, sometimes twice a day, and this one we could tell was not. Who knows when the last clean and disinfecting process was considering the condition of it. The waitress was rude many times throughout the dining experience and was talking negatively to us about a man in the group at the other table, when they were right there nearby and right in front of him. She said he was rude for asking for a sushi order sheet because of the costs, which is also more-so a private matter and concern only to be discussed among owners. We didn’t know what to say. It was unprofessional for her to assume we were there for her to talk to about the people who were right there in earshot. It’s just not something most waitresses would ever do. Honestly, there does need to be a health inspection at this place so that people don’t get sick, and so that people do not go there thinking it will be just your typical...

My mom and I decided to try Yama Sushi. We would drive by it every day, and finally decided to stop in. It was an early lunch, sometime around 11:30 AM.

We were greeted by a relatively low-key hostess, with a dry sense of humor. She pulled a good gag on me, when she tossed chopsticks down on the table and said "You eat soup with that!", I had a good laugh. We warmed up quickly, and had a delightful conversation.

My mom ordered the cashew chicken, while I had the Chicken Miso Ramen.

Many people say the food is great or good without explanation, I decided to be more detailed.

The cashew chicken has a light-medium flavor to it, while the sauce is appropriately thin. Too many locations make thick sauce filled with sugar (coughpandaexpresscough). Now, when I say it has a light-medium flavor, I want to stress that it is at an appropriate level. You get the tang from the cashew and the freshness of the vegetables in the dish. It does NOT overpower the snow peas, but rather compliments them - as the dish should! All of the vegetables were fresh. None were stringy. All had the crispness, juiciness and tenderness of properly cooked vegetables. Many restaurants like to burn the edges while leaving the interiors uncooked. I never understood this. These vegetables were crisp where they should be, and tender where they should be, with all their juiciness intact. The chicken was tasty. Yes, I stole a couple of bites.

My Ramen was wonderful. The egg was properly fried, without being "crispy" and "difficult to chew". It tasted great, it was hot when served, and I was very happy with it. The noodles were likewise perfectly cooked. Again, the vegetables tasted wonderfully fresh, crispy, juicy and tender where they needed to be. The bamboo shoots were absolutely wonderful. Too many times at other restaurants I get stringy shoots, these bamboo were tenderly cooked. I also LOVED the flavor of the broth. It was the right strength. It didn't feel overpowering, and it didn't feel too sweet. It was just right.

Another certain restaurant which recently opened has nothing but bland soup. Thank god Yama Sushi knows how to cook their soup. I say this because I judge Japanese Restaurants based on their Yakisoba, Soup, Vegetables and Rice.

The Rice, btw, which came with Mom's meal, was spot on!

When the hostess came over at the end of the meal, I was informed her mother is who cooked the dish. A kindly older woman, with a beaming smile and excellent nature.

That's when Mom and I discovered we were served meals made with the secret ingredient "love".

I cannot sing the praises of the restaurant more than I am now. The cost of the meal was $22, and we had enough for both of us to take home.

We will be visiting again, and I will be trying a fried dish. My mom is going back to try the sushi!

I hope you give this restaurant a try, the food is well...

For the first time visiting Yama Sushi, i had high hopes in the experience that i would be getting, As my family visits this restaurant every fortnight regarding it with the highest of marks.

Upon entry, me and my family were greeted by the hostess who was very pleasant, and who had already had our table prepared and ready for us.

The main courses i ate during my time here were the Rainbow rolls, the California rolls, the Orange Chicken and the soup.

After trying my first bite of the Rainbow rolls, the combination of Savory and Sweet that hit my tastebuds was absolutely exquisite. combined with the rice in which was perfectly sticky, it honestly was one of if not the best i have ever tasted.

The California Rolls had the perfect Crunch with every bite, with Eel sauce to garnish and combined with the soy sauce and wasabi as dips, i dont think i could have tried to grab them faster. Unfortunately my 2 younger cousins were faster than me and managed to grab them before me so, only 2 for me, Oh well, more next time.

After dining at Yamas, we were given bags to take a lot of the leftover food home with us, we had more than enough to satisfy our pallets whilst eating inside, and given the opportunity to take some home after, we couldn't turn that down.

From what i am used too at other restaurants, i was expecting to pay between $300-$400 for a family of 8, i was very happy with the price of the meal as it came to $166 with tax.

I will most definitely be returning here in the near future and i am very much looking forward to trying more from the menu. Thank you for an...