Yokoso Japanese Restaurant

I travel a lot for work and this one of the few places I return to regularly when I anon Milwaukee. Quality and service have been consistent for years (Yokoso has had the same owner — Sam). Price is reasonable and I have never been disappointed.

I do like this place, but not solely for the food.
I would say that it’s sort of a hidden gem on bluemound, especially if it’s a warm sunny day and you want to sit outside. There is a shaded patio on the side with a few tables on it and it’s one of the more intimate patios on bluemound (that I know of).
The food here is good, but not great. If you like wasabi, start out with some wasabi shumai, dumplings which are like wasabi bombs in your mouth. They’re actually tastier and not as painful as I describe. I did have some salmon today which wasn’t the freshest since it was coming apart a little, but it was good. People rave about the Brian Roll, it’s good but I wasn’t blown away. Try some of their other signature rolls. The water here tastes a little ‘off’ so get something else to drink. It has an aftertaste of armpit sweat for some reason. The service has been good every time that I’ve been there.
Good food, intimate setting, nice patio, I’ll be back.

nice clean place. Hard to find. sushi is average and pricey. went here for dinner and their sashimi is not fresh and with small serving.

I was visiting friends in Milwaukee and we all decided to go out for some sushi. Yuuum! I was excited and ready to eat some sashimi, my fave! Unfortunately, my friends’ version of sushi are maki rolls. Sigh.
My friend ordered about 8 or 9 different rolls and they all came on the same plate. It was impossible for us to remember what everything was, but it was all good… for maki.
The restaurant itself was quaint. It’s about what you would expect for a strip mall sushi restaurant. The service was good, but we were the only people in the restaurant.
Overall, Yokoso was kind of disappointing.

Great spot for everyday sushi mostly because it’s good and it’s affordable. Staff was very nice and attentive (Tia, specifically). Miso soup great, squid salad was nicely seasoned, just a little on the tough side, roll w/​salmon tempura, avocado and fresh mango salsa — delicous, as well as the spiderman and spicy tuna rolls. We also split a bento box with tempura, light and crispy (eat it first though b/​c it gets soggy fast), accompanied by rice, ginger salad, and these noodles sauteed with butter, mushrooms and spring onions (I’m guessing they were udon?) were fantastic. I might just order that next time!

4 stars? really?
You Unilocalers had me going. I came here w/​my buddies and the first thing I noticed was the boss staring me down in a not-​so-​friendly way.
May have been the fact that I pointed to the NSX parked directly in front of the restaurant in the «NO PARKING» zone while I was outside… and may have been the fact that it was probably his car. But whatevers, i don’t think that warranted a nasty look as I entered the restaurant.
The waitress was nice enough, not overly charming or friendly. The décor was nice and clean, but the food was just OK.
— Miso Soup: a lil on the sweet side for me… also had some flavor that was unusual that I can’t put my finger on.
— Bento Combo: good amount of average food. 2 main entrees + sides. I got the pan-​seared halibut which could have been good if not so sweet on the glaze. Also got the Sashimi: the Sake (salmon) and Tuna were both flavorless slabs of fish. The noodle thing as a side dish confused me a bit, but the pickled cucumbers were on point. The rice however was not quite the right consistency.
— Yokoso roll: decently flavored with slightly dry unagi
— Spider Man roll: a nicely flavored, deep-​fried roll
— Tempura: crispy (yay)
So all in all… I won’t be coming back.
There HAS to be better places than this in MKE.

I was in Milwaukee for work this week and because of the meetings we had were in Waukesha, we went there for dinner last night before I drove back to Chicago.
Yokoso is a Japanese restaurant, tucked away in what seems to be a series of strip malls on Bluemound Road. From the outside, these strip malls seem to be victims of the current recession… many empty storefronts made it look like a ghost town (including the abandoned movie theater right behind it!).
When you walk in, this place is very nicely decorated, in contrast to what is going on outside. Very modern looking, Yokoso is a very nice place indeed when it comes to décor.
The hostess was very friendly… and the waitress was as well. The menu is also very extensive, with a wide variety of appetizers, sushi and makis to choose from.
That is where the magic stops. Foodwise, I found it very disappointing.
I started my meal with an overly salted miso soup. And here I was thinking how can a REAL Japanese place mess that up! Given that fact, I did not finish the soup.
The second thing that was disappointing… they were out of the oyster appetizer, which I ended up canceling (probably a wise choice, considering the meal was below average at best).
For dinner, I ordered an assortment of sushi (tuna, yellowtail, shrimp, tobiko) and a soft shell crab maki (aka, spider roll).
The sushi was passable… just not very tasty. I know I know… some of you are wondering how can raw fish be tasty, if at all; however, if you have eaten sushi as long as I have, they can be quite exquisite, and you learn to know the difference between the different types of fish.
The maki… extremely disappointing. In Chicago, I get big pieces of spider rolls, with the ends usually displaying a set of nicely fried crab legs. The ones that were served to me were the size of supermarket bought sushi to go and were overly fried and salty.
Overall, décor… good. Service… good. Food… not so good. Considering that I go out to eat for the food and not the décor… I would definitely not go back next time I am in town.

We arrived at Yokoso ten minutes before they stopped serving lunch (and food altogether) and the hostess and waitress were very kind about seating us. The service in general is really good here.
The lunch specials (11 – 2) seemed pretty reasonably priced and there is a wide range of meals for around 10 bucks or less. I was tempted to get 2 rolls and 3 pieces of sushi (all chef’s choice) for $ 11.
I was having a particularly shitty day so I decided to skip the specials and just order rolls that I wanted. I had a Yokoso roll (Salmon, Tamago, and eel), a Volcano roll, a spicy tuna tempura roll, and a mango roll (salmon tempura, avocado, and mango). I really liked all the rolls except the mango roll which was too sweet. The Yokoso roll is the best one of them all because it had a great blend of flavors that worked so well together.
This place is definitely worth checking out!

I went here after reading the reviews. Please note that I am not a local but was visiting from California.
I don’t have the finest of palates, but have eaten enough sushi over the years that I consider myself a pretty good judge. I sat down at the sushi bar and looked at the fish on display. Most of the fish looked a bit dry and not fresh. There was also no one at the sushi bar which I thought a bit odd.
I ordered the Hama Kama (grilled hamachi collar) for appetizer and then ordered both sashimi and nigiri and one spicy tuna roll for dinner.
The fish did not taste fresh at all. I was pretty disappointed. The texture was a bit mushy as well. The spicy tuna roll was not what I was accustomed to. Basically it was a chunk of tuna in each roll piece with some dry spice powder in it. The rice also tasted too dry. The Hama Kama interesting came out after I had finished my sushi meal. I don’t really mind this but thought I’d mention it as I know some people may. This was probably the most disappointing of all. It came out in several pieces, lacked flavor, perhaps a bit undercooked in certain spots, and the accompanying radish tasted as if it was about to spoil.
I normally don’t like to leave too negative of a review, but I thought the food was well below par. Perhaps I’ve become spoiled with the quality of sushi in the San Francisco bay area. For a Wed night, there were several customers so again, perhaps I am just too critical.
Too show you that I am not so critical, I did go to Kopp’s custard afterwards and found it yummy

Great food and service. The gyu maki is delicious (thinly sliced beef wrapped around asparagus). The veggie tempura had a wonderful variety of vegetables and the dipping sauce is light and very good. Highly recommended.

Like the last reviewer, this place will be really hard to find if you are not familular with the area.
I really do like this place a lot. I have had the Alaskan Maki quite a few times and have never been disappointed. The food there is fresh and is very good.
My favorite has been the Grilled Tuna Salad. Great greens and a really good portion of grilled tuna. Great for starters.
My biggest compliment that I have is for the wait staff. The couple times I have been there, they have been amazing. Not only do they server it and take care if you, but they know the food really well. The woman that waited on us gave us such great tips and great recommendations. Even at the end, she let us take a menu home with what we ordered circled. She took the extra time and helped us pick the best choices.
I can tell you, I was NOT a sushi fan before I came to this place. Never tried it. I can tell you that I have never been disappointed. And if you try it, I think you won’t be either!

So good! But it’s hidden in a strip mall hard to see from Blue Mound. If Lars and Banks hadn’t known about it, I would have never known. Look on the south side of Blue Mound for the sign for the Thai place (Chaing Mai, or something like that, which incidentally, I have not been to but would like to try it).
Banks and I ordered a bunch of sushi and maki, and Lars ordered gyu maki, which is thinly sliced beef around asparagus and grilled and served with tempura vegetables and a tasty sauce.
The spiderman maki is a MUST (their spin on spider maki, and smaller pieces than most spider maki I’ve had, making them easier to eat). Also a plus, the sushi and sashimi are served one per order, so it’s not as big a committment.
My only complaint is that the spicy tuna isn’t like how I’ve had it before where the tuna is kind of chopped with a spicy sauce– theirs had the fish in one piece and the seasoning rolled into it. (But who knows, maybe I’d prefer it this way if I wasn’t so used to it the other way).
Simply said, I can’t wait to go back to Yokoso!

I have been going here for years. It’s so good, that it’s hard to try new Japanese places. The staff is helpful and friendly. The food is always excellent.