Yamame — Restaurant in Rancho Santa Margarita

This is the ultimate sushi spot. We have been coming here for many years for date nights and also nights with the family to celebrate and enjoy a special occasion. Everyone here knows us and we are always welcomed with big smiles and “come in, come in!” The staff and chefs here make this place feel like home, like this is our spot. It’s a very small restaurant, hole in the wall, which I absolutely love. We’ve sat at tables inside, the bar, and the tables outside are great too! They have enhanced the outdoor area with umbrellas and heaters, candles and table lamps. We always ask about the specials - go with the specials! They have sake, beer, sodas, tea - we usually get a large Asahi and share it, or ask for a recommendation on sake. The oysters and monkfish liver, when they have it, are incredible! Any and all of the nigiri is our go-to, can’t go wrong with any of the rolls too (we usually do sushi when dining in and get rolls for take out). I love the uni and unagi, chu toro and buri toro (all the toro), hamachi and kanpachi… I honestly love it all. The kids always get udon and karaage chicken with a side of white rice. This is our special place to celebrate, so grateful to have this kind of spot to go to that’s close to home. We...

Very nice food, service and vibe. The Yamame sashimi plate was fresh and delicious. The cuts were thick, which allows one to actually taste the fish as one have to chew more. I liked the presentation as well, very natural and creative. The only issue I found was that it was a bit pricey. The yakisoba was well done and was not as sweet and drenched in teriyaki sauce. I liked the wooden bowl it was served in. Karage chicken was probably my favorite here, well fried, crunch on the outside and juicy on the inside. I could taste the chicken that was well seasoned. The edamame was decent, but the portion could be more generous. The udon was a bit disappointing, although the noodles were chewy and seemed fresh. The soup base was a bit flat, having no depth or "udon" flavor, just salty and soy sauce flavor. Tempura was pretty well done, except that sweet potatoes were still a bit hard, which means it could have used a few more seconds in the fryer. Overall, it was pleasant and good, especially the servers were trying their best to be as friendly as possible although they were swamped, and my server took a bit long to bring out the appetizer gioza, as well as...

Best local alternative to Oshima Sushi in Orange! This is somewhat RSM's best kept secrets - a little gem tucked away in a corner by the RSM Lake. The sushi is fairly priced for the quality, Now that's to say that the $$$ is fully Justified. If you're looking for inexpensive sushi, this is not the place for you.. maybe find an AYCE sushi or grab the Tuesday night deals at Sushi by the lake in Mission Viejo. Plus, it's in RSM .

Anyway, Yamame sushi course or Chef's nigiri is the way to go. The rest is fluff. Service is sufficient, good on weekdays and non-holidays otherwise it gets too busy and the servers don't have room for small talk with the customers. The head server/hostess is super nice. All smiles under pressure and remembers frequent goers. That said, Go before 6 or after 8 to avoid the rush, though you don't want to risk them running out of fish of you go later - 'cause it's that gooooood.

Overall, Best sushi in town. Convenient for RSM locals, after a big feast You can sweat the meat out with a walk around the lake. Great ambience under their canopy with paper lanterns and heat lamps. Great for splurge-worthy date nights!...