Yui Restaurant — Restaurant in Sierra Madre

Bit overrated for my taste. I ordered the OMAKASE to see and taste the expertise selection of the Sushi 🍣 chef. To start with my stress built at the moment I called to make the reservation, they quite strict with it plus you’ll have only 2-hrs for consumption. My friend drove all the way from Santa Barbara, CA and took him over 3-hours to arrive due to the bad traffic on the 210-fwy. 15-minutes after your reservation it’ll be canceled 😬 I was so stressed out that I had to have a beer to calm me down 🤭 time was ticking & my friend was stock on traffic till he finally made it safely. We both ordered the OMAKASE, it finally arrived dish by dish; the presentation was ok but, some of the sashimi had been exposed a bit to long to the elements, at the end we didn’t even receive dessert. Oh, the Sushi bar was empty among with other tables most of the time and since we didn’t receive a dessert we went for a walk ending at the ice cream shop right across from the restaurant so we were able to observe how busy they are but at the same time with plenty empty of tables. I could understand the rush of the servers towards us. Pictures below are in the order we...

Wanted to try this restaurant for a long time and ended up super satisfied with their service and attitude today! 10 to 11:30 am we arrived with our service dog and sat down at outdoor table. The server in white color uniform ignored me so I went inside to get a menu myself and white I was reading it outside, there was short skinny guy in black uniform came out to ask us to NOT sit at their outside table because they open at 11:30! Also ask us to remove our service dog! He was cold as if someone died from his family today. Then we sat next door coffee stop’s table. Me and my friend asked total 4 time for the restroom’s key. The guy in black uniform refused us and added “for customers only.” I repeated myself 3rd time that we already reading the menu and sat down to wait for you open so you still keep refusing us to use the public restroom! After what we have experienced and their cold attitude we decided never ever come back again! Instead we had lunch at Kabuki Japanese restaurant where we treated with respect...

Here's what I love about Yui...

I love the sushi! The rice is warm, the fish is fresh and everything tastes great.

I love the chicken karaage lunch special. A bunch of perfectly fried chunks of chicken with soup, salad and rice for 12 bucks. Easily the best lunch deal in Sierra Madre.

I love the kushiyaki! They don't specialize in "meat on sticks", but if you only got these skewers, you would be convinced it was all they did all day. The chicken wing skewer I got was expertly grilled and stands up to any yakitori place in LA.

I love the Yui instagram! Enticing images of various seafoods, mixed with fish status updates, short anecdotes about the chef's life, and the occasional dig at other less skilled sushi chefs. Always puts a smile on my face.

I love the Orion draft beer!

I love the simple and refined interiors. I love that I can walk there. I love everyone that works there. They don't know it, but I love them!

And that's what I...