Nagoya Sushi House — Restaurant in San Ramon

Hands down, probably the best sushi/ nigiri I have had in Northern California in a LONG time. I was completely blown away by the excellent service, variety of fish/ food on the menu, & the flavor & freshness of every item I bought/ ate. While it’s not cheap, for those that are fans of authentic, traditional Japanese sushi, Yayume is absolutely the best option for miles around.

Now on to the meal that won my heart (& tastebuds!):

I don’t eat raw salmon, so I had some Scottish Salmon belly which was seared ($12). Rich & buttery, a quick hit with the torch really makes this cut “shine” (literally & figuratively, heh)

The Otoro/ Fatty Tuna was reasonably priced for the Bay ($15), so I got 2 orders, 1 raw & 1 seared. Both were excellent. Finely marbled tuna belly, cut properly, so it really melts in your mouth. Top quality fish here at Yayume, unlike some folks’ definition of Otoro at other restaurants, where it’s just big strands of fish fat, cut improperly, so you wind up gnawing on the chewy bits. Yayume’s Otoro could not have been more tender & tasty.

Uni was pricey at $22, but it was very fresh & tasty, so I didn’t mind. A nice touch was that Yayume also has fresh grated wasabi (both in oil, & without…I opted for without). For higher quality fish (like Otoro, Uni, Ikura) I MUCH prefer it over the glow-in-the-dark green dehydrated stuff at most other places.

Ikura here was a bit expensive at $8.50 an order. I had hoped, based on the quality of their other items, that I might receive Zuke ikura (House marinated, more sweet & less salty/ oily), but alas the Ikura was just average. Better than many places, but nothing as impressive as the rest of my meal.

Ankimo/ monkfish liver app was on the expensive side, but it was fresh, with good flavor & had tasty ponzu sauce on top (I got an extra side of the ponzu, as I rarely have enough for my ankimo) ($14)

I got a spicy tuna hand roll (to which I added avocado…I don’t understand when places don’t put BOTH avo & cukes on their spicy tuna rolls). It was okay, but I prefer my spicy tuna w/ Japanese Mayo, & this was just maguro & chili, which had more “heat” than flavor, in my opinion.

Unagi was tender, fresh & warm, with just the right amount of sweet bbq sauce ($7)

My entire meal was $114 w/ tax (before tip), but I ordered a lot, & most of it was the most expensive items on the menu (sucks that I crave the pricey stuff, heh). Regardless, I consider this money well spent, as I walked away completely happy & satisfied. I will most...

The menu is unique with both modern twists and tradition mixed well to create a variety for any pallet. The service is excellent, the individuals who work here care about the service and product they provide-and it shows! I have referred at least four (4) different people to this hidden treasure who have now replaced their regular sushi spot with Yayume becausee the food is wonderful, the service is great, and the pricing is spot on! You get what you pay for-the food is great and AFFORDABLE! AND SAFE!!! Quality product and service are the top priority and all their regulars (one being me) really appreciate the customization and making new items on the spot like my vegan cucumber rolls. The ladies and gentlemen that work at this establishment will treat you very well while they feed you, they make it very easy to keep coming back!!!

UPDATED REVIEW September 3, 2020:

Yayume Sushi is one of my favorite places to go because of the wonderful food, and even better people! The manager Cindy is absolutely stellar with both customer service and kindness. When an error was made due to new staff Cindy made it a point to explain to me very nicely and professionally, a rare combination these days, that due to the effects of Covid-19 there have been staff transitions to ensure the best quality and safety were provided to the staff and customers. Yayume Sushi and Cindy, the Yayume Manager, takes every measure to ensure every customer is happy with their meal. Yayume Sushie is bar none one of the BEST SUSHIE AND JAPANESE RESARAUNTS IN THE BAY AREA for BOTH food AND customer service. If you are looking for a great place to get reasonably priced AMAZING food go to Yayume Sushie in San Ramon, CA. You won’t be...

Terrible experience. I ordered three rolls (dragon, rainbow, and 49er) for delivery via GrubHub on Monday at 12:10 PM. The order confirmation guaranteed delivery between 12:55 and 1:15 at the latest. When the food didn't arrive by 1:20, I messaged GrubHub, who was unable to reach the driver, and guaranteed delivery by 1:56. 1:56 came and went with no delivery. It finally arrived at 2:00 PM, 110 MINUTES AFTER THE FOOD HAD BEEN ORDERED.

I don't know who dropped the ball, GrubHub or Yayume, but this is unacceptable business practice. I would never recommend this place to anyone.

The sushi arrived at room temperature, not cold. Who knows how long the food was unrefrigerated. It came with one set of chopsticks (three rolls should have three sets of chopsticks) and two packets of soy sauce, which was insufficient for the number of people it was going to feed.

Additionally, the sushi was mediocre at best. Reminded me of sushi you might buy at Safeway. Two of the rolls were supposed to contain California rolls on the inside, but neither did. California rolls contain crab, avocado, and cucumber. The rolls I received were predominantly filled with mayonnaise (or some other creamy filler) with some "crab" and avocado. No cucumber. Just mouthfuls of mayo. The third roll was supposed to be filled with "crabmeat," but it was identical mayo...