YAMATO STEAK HOUSE OF JAPAN — Restaurant in Pella

Tucked away in a mini mall near the WalMart in Pella is a little treasure of a place. Yamato seems to run a pretty brisk business, with a lot of people regularly coming in when we arrived. The staff was very polite and considerate - we were seated facing the window and the sun was getting in our eyes, and the hostess took enough notice to ask if we wanted to move somewhere more accommodating. They also remember their guests, recognizing couples and commenting to them personally.

We had lobster rangoons, a shrimp tempura plate with vegetables (with tempura sweet potato, onion, and broccoli, which were very well prepared and light), and the friend roll, a non-traditional maki that was tempura fried and delicious. I look forward to coming back and trying the more traditional sashimi. As well, they serve Coke products and both original and strawberry ramune; I also ordered a bottle of nigori and was pleasantly surprised with a small personal bottle of Sho Chiku Bai.

Our entrees were the hibachi teriyaki chicken, beef tips, and seafood combination (lobster, seared sea scallop, and shrimp). The teriyaki sauce is clearly made in-house, not artificially overpowering, and allows the individual flavors to each get their moment to stand out, finishing with a subtle mirin undertone at the end.

We finished with dessert- fried cheesecake and tempura fried ice cream (I had red bean ice cream, and was pleasantly surprised with the mellow sweetness, which is a departure from the normally strong organic flavor from red bean buns). Overall, I'm highly satisfied with the experience here

In terms of decor, don't expect a whole lot. They've got the usual bar front where you can watch the maki being made, and the restrooms are clean and well kept, but it's still in a strip mall. However, it feels personal, and I wouldn't be surprised if everyone here is family. It makes me think that this would be what you'd find out of the way in Osaka or Kyoto, in a non-touristy neighborhood, with a mom and pop restaurant. It's honey, and comfortable, and tasty. And sometimes, you can't...

I'm a big fan of Japanese cuisine. From sashimi and tempura, to gyoza and hibachi shrimp, Japanese takeout has always been a weekend comfort food of mine. Luckily for Yamato, they have little competition to contend with in small town Pella. So, how do they fare?

Actually, pretty decent! I mean, I'd be lying if I said it was the best sushi I've ever had. But living in rural Iowa, having the expectation of ocean-to-plate seafood is a bit unreasonable.

Overall, Yamato offers a pretty wide range of Japanese classics, ensuring that returning customers can easily bounce around to new menu items on subsequent visits. If you like a meal of variety, reach for one of their bento boxes — offering 7 distinct flavors for a dining experience that doesn't get old. If you're looking for something more seafood heavy, their sashimi tastes decently fresh, and the shrimp tempura comes in a light crispy batter. I'm surprised however that they don't have chicken or pork katsu...

Now let's talk about their rolls. At least among my crowd, the specialty rolls are almost always ordered. I might take some slack for this, but in my opinion, they use far too much sauce on many of their specialty rolls — to the point that it's almost all I can taste. I'd love to see them offer some specialty rolls that either use less sauce or sauces that are less sweet. All that said, a few of their rolls still jump off the page for me. The Rainbow Roll in particular is fantastic.

Yamato isn't that much different from the thousands of Japanese-American steakhouses across the country. They have all the familiar staples — clear soup, cream cheese-heavy crab rangoons, hibachi entrees, etc. Nevertheless, Yamato has always provided me with a consistent product that's about as good as it can get in a small Midwest...

My first impression and experience was great!! Small Japanese restaurant on the edge of Pella. I think Yamato is a great Japanese restaurant for the community.

I had the Dinosaur Roll and a side of Miso soup. This roll had Soft shell crab, tempura, topped with eel, avocado & eel sauce. Came out delicious, crunchy, hot & fresh. The miso soup was awesome. It had a really great flavor! Not like other restaurants where they make theirs bland.

My friend had a couple California rolls and soup as well.

Both came to $34.xx after gratuity.

Service was efficient and nice. Nothing spectacular but they served well and without interruption.

Visited during Thursday night dinner hour. Environment was packed and busy. There were a couple families waiting for tables while we visited. It shows that the locals definitely love this restaurant. Also noticed many to go orders being picked up.

The restaurant was minimal in decor and had maybe 10 tables that seat 4 people each. The restaurant was packed quickly!

Overall all I recommend Yamato. My friend, who lives locally, loves this restaurant and visits often.

I look forward to returning and trying a...