Yama Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Ventnor City

Came to the restaurant by recommendation of google maps. The restaurant is a bit away from the strip but that was actually a great thing. Plenty of parking nearby.

Restaurant atmosphere is private, calm with medium lighting. Seating is spread which provides intimacy and privacy.

Food: this is where I believe it sets them apart. We ordered the following:

Calamari: now If your looking for your traditional greasy over breaded taste then your in for a disappointment . The calamari was lightly breaded in a light tempura style fable and texture. The calamari itself was cooked great which provided a more smooth bite with no pulling. Lightly sprinkled with pepper the only thing missing was lemon however the side house sauce was great.

Sweet potato tempura: wow I really expected to get an over cooked oily potato but once again proven wrong. Sweet potato was cooked to near perfection. Lightly battered again with tempura breading. Once again the sweet yet tart side sauce was a great compliment.

Sushi

Spicy Tuna: I’ve had a lot through out the years and this one falls into the top 3. The taste of the tuna itself was fresh. The rice was cooked well and molded together to provide a great taste.

Philadelphia Roll: again great taste. The freshness of the avocado makes a difference and this again met my expectations. The cream cheese was not overpowering once again complimenting one another

Shrimp avacodo roll: great taste as per what my wife describes as a tender shrimp. Lightly seasoned to once again provide a well balanced taste.

Overall great lunch. Will definitely try them again and hope you give them a chance.

Until my next review...

I'm honestly trying to understand if we ordered from the same restaurant as these other reviews because all of these high reviews do not reflect our experience. We ordered several entrees, a few sides and some rolls. We walked down to pick up the order and it was ready on time. That's where the positive ends. When we unpacked the order, we noticed the entrees were missing rice sides. I called to note this, thinking I'll just run down and grab it but the man on the phone was rude and dismissive, kept asking questions because he "can't find my order" then interrupting me when answering his questions. Ok...I'm patient, but then I'm told the entrees we ordered, which say in the menu that they come with a side, curry being one that is essentially soup that is literally ALWAYS served with rice, there is no rice included. Ok, fine, I give in I'm tired of arguing with people like this. The veggie tempura was tasteless, there was very little sauce served with it, as well as the rest of the items that require sauces including gyoza and chicken katsu. Veggie tempura had mostly egg plant and a few small asparagus and was otherwise unappetizing, we ate less than half, the katsu was dry and had 1/4 the sauce you'd expect from literally anywhere else and the gyoza was sad. The portions were tiny and you could just tell this was the type of place to nickle and dime every little thing. We were less than happy and don't recommend this...

I Love this place however the customer service can vary from time to time. Sometimes excellent service then sometimes it’s alright. I order an avocado roll but I got a California roll. I’m not sure if when she read it back I didn’t hear her. I’m hard of hearing so that could have been it. Or if she didn’t understand me. Either way when I explained it over the phone they didn’t seem to understand. “I ordered avocado roll but I got a California roll. I do not eat fish or meat. I would like to come get the correct order” I explained 3 times mixing the words up slightly to try and it explain. They asked me to come in to talk about it. I explained 3 times again and he finally understood me. I waited 5 minutes which I don’t care about but it would have been nice to have been able to just get in and out. I work in restaurant business so I was polite cause I know this can happen. However they did not apologize once. Neither of know who misheard but I am PAYING for it I am the customer. I apology would have been nice.

I called ordered my food and when she went over it she spoke way to fast told me the price and hung up. It’s moments like these that make think that they don’t always care. You need to slow down on the phone ESPECIALLY.

However the food is excellent and it’s not always bad service as it’s always a different server. But please slow down on the phone...