Yamato Hibachi & Sushi — Restaurant in Victoria

They did not have our reservation (this happened 2 times now), even if they confirmed it. This is the first time I’m writing a negative review. But I couldn’t not to! Last night we went to Yamato grill with friends who were visiting us from Houston. I made a reservation a day before to make sure we have a hibachi table. They confirmed the reservation on the phone. We went there 5 minutes before our reserved time and the lady at the front said “we don’t have your name here” , I wanted to see the manager and talked about the situation. And the manager was like “I’m sorry if we don’t have your name here you have to wait like an hour and half.” She didn’t try to fix anything even though I showed her my phone call record from day before which shows 2 min phone call with Yamato grill. I said “can you somehow fix the situation since you guys made a mistake”. She said that it is not her fault, she didn’t do any mistakes and there is nothing she can do about it. In a passive aggressive way she was like “We have people with reservation, if you want to wait, the wait is 1.5 hours”. They may be busy, reservations can be mixed up, I can understand all that. But what is up with this attitude???!!! What kind of a manager was that? Did she really manage the situation? I feel bad for the business. But they have to find a solution for this kind of attitude. This is so irritating.

We are business owners and we have employees too. But we always encourage them to be kind, understanding, problem solving people. As a customer, I advise the ownership to take steps to fix this problem. I hope they can find better management staff or we’ll never go there again.

After this disappointing experience we went to Tokyo grill, thank God, they had an available hibachi table and we had a great time and the food...

Although I love the food at Yamatos, the service was horrible. I went to have dinner with my family 2 days before Christmas and everything seemed to be fine at first. We sat right behind the cash register.There were a couple of waitresses puffing on vapes by our table which was bothersome. Then at the end of dinner, I ordered dessert to go, and since I was the only one to order out of my group,I decided to take it and enjoy it on my ride home which was 45 minutes from the restaurant. My waitress brought me the dessert but it was frozen solid! I brought it to her attention and she went on the offensive stating it wasn't her fault and she doesn't prepare the food. I responded by telling her even though, she did serve it to me. She then stated because if my complaint she accused me of being ugly....I was taken aback by that statement so I asked for a manager, since clearly she took my complaint personally and there was no reason to try and resolve my complaint through her. The manahger comes to the table and I realized that this lady was the one who was vaping with my waitress around customers. I knew it was not to anywhere. So I called the restaurant after I left thinking there had to be a restaurant manager available just to make them aware. The lady who answered the phone told me that the owner was busy and hing up on me. I don't know what to say. The treatment was very unprofessional, unkind, and never once did they try to make it right. I've been there many times. I won't be any longer. My children who are teenagers called that waitress Karen's due to their unwarranted rhetoric and service. They witnessed how I was treated and told me never to take them...

If you’re looking for great sushi in Victoria, you have to check out Yamato. Getting seated was a breeze, and I ended up at the sushi bar, where a super friendly gentleman from Guatemala was working his magic. He not only made some of the best sushi rolls I’ve had, but he also took the time to decorate each plate beautifully—it really made the meal feel special. One thing that really stood out was how clean everything was. The sushi chef was constantly wiping down his area and even sweeping up as he went, and I noticed all the staff were diligent about washing their hands and using sanitizer. It’s clear that cleanliness is a big priority here, which I really appreciate. The fish was fresh, and I loved that they let me customize my roll—adding jalapeño and skipping the cream cheese was no problem at all. My food came out quickly, and the lemon drop cocktail was spot-on. Even the bathrooms were spotless! The service was excellent all around. My waitress was attentive and kind, and the whole staff seemed to work together seamlessly. Everyone was helpful, not just to me but to each other, which gave the place a really welcoming vibe. I highly recommend Yamato if you’re in the area. The food and service went above and beyond my expectations, and I’m already looking forward to my next visit. (And yes, I snapped a photo a little late because I couldn’t resist sampling the food first—but trust me, it looked as good...