Yanagi Sushi

My sister and I decided to dine out here on a whim and the moment we walked in — we were welcomed as guests and were immediately seated. The waiters ensured we were being taken care of. The service delivered was professional and I must say I haven’t had baked mussels that tasted so delicious before in my life. I also strongly recommend their house specialty; the White Dragon roll and their lollipop roll, which was different but no less delicious. I think this is our new spot for sushi!

I can’t be any happier to show up and found out that Jennifer is the owner of this restaurant. I’ve met her few years back at a different sushi restaurant and she made you feel so welcome no matter where she was. I am honored to be eating at her restaurant this time.
We ordered total of 3 rolls: caterpillar rolls, spicy tuna rolls and Hawaiian volcano. They are all equally delicious. I ordered ice green tea for drinks and it is refillable. Service is outstanding. I haven’t seen my girlfriend for over 6 months and they basically left us alone to catch up for nearly 2 hours. Not even once Jennifer made us feel rushing out the door and I enjoy every minute of it.
Before we left, I saw some delicious sashimi combo that someone else’s ordered next to our table. I’ll definitely come back to try other dishes here and to see Jennifer sweet face again.

Came in a few times already, and every single time has been fantastic! I went about 3 weeks ago the last time, I’ve just forgotten to write a review
Anyway, so we usually come in and get seated right away. The staff is REALLY nice, and what I love about it is that it is family owned. The place is fairly new so and so far has kept everything clean and fresh in there, and the atmosphere is good. The Tuna Love is my favorite! I love their miso sauce, and the first time we went we asked about it, and the owner gave us a friendly explanation on what it was. We ordered the Tuna Love which has miso and chili sauce on it, and now we get it every time. So don’t be afraid to ask questions. The miso soup is also really good, and the fish tastes really fresh. Probably one of my favorite sushi restaurants in the valley, and it’s close to home. Great prices, and I recommend the next time you want sushi to try Yunagi!

Great sushi place — both food and service are outstanding ! Been here at least a couple dozen times since they opened so I thought it’s about time I Unilocal them. I am a rather hardcore sushi eater and stick with traditional sushi. Here.-Hamachi is always buttery and melts in your mouth, Saba is perfect, and my personal test of freshness –Uni. Uni doesn’t last long and you can tell when sushi chefs rotation has lapsed. This chef doesn’t compromise on freshness– the Uni is always A+ & creamy good,
As far as non traditional, spicy rolls and such. Usually I don’t venture out of old school, but I’ve grown fond of Troys spicy scallops, sunrise roll, and volcano roll.
As probably noticed from other Unilocalers, Jen is awesome and I agree — she is — I wanted to point out the sushi is awesome too.

We really enjoyed our food here. Sushi was very fresh and well prepared. Uni available and really good. The sun rise roll excellent. Lemon slices in the roll was an different addition that will become a favorite I’m sure m. Our kids also likes the bento boxes and «marble» soda drinks.

1÷28÷2016 The sushi was very good tasting and it was only 4.00. I thought the sushi was very very good.
1÷29÷2016 I went back today and had the shrimp tempura roll again and they were excellent again. My Grandson was given a bag of cookies to eat and enjoyed every bite as we ate. The server was on top of the service today and This is going to be my place from now on. They are fast, prompt and very very good.

You’ve gone as far as to read the review, and I can assure you, you will not be cheated out of fantastic food and fun! Sushi in Arizona I feel can be a hit or miss. Yanagi Sushi hit it out of the park. This little treasure of a place exceeded my expectations and expanded my list of exceptional dining experiences.
I arrived on a Saturday night and was warmly greeted by a multitude of hostess where I was lead to the sushi bar to eat, always a must in my sushi-​goings. All the staff were friendly and I was helped by multiple servers apt to bring me anything I desired and quick to give good suggestions and answer questions. The atmosphere is lively, clean, and well-​lit. If you like a variety of rolls you will not be disappointed, if you’re a sashimi fiend like I am, you’ve struck sushi gold! Upon being seated and brought all the sushi-​eating accessories I was then served complimentary salad and miso soup which were good starters to get my appetite running. Personally I can’t visit a sushi joint without a Kirin Light and sake so that was brought upon prompt request. When I asked for «trainers» to be brought for my date to help him with his sub-​par use of Chopsticks she replied, «For grown men, we call them cheaters.» We had a good laugh. This from the owner Jennifer who explained that her and her husband Troy (amazing sushi chef) took ownership of the restaurant a few months ago. Surely with their excellent service, food, and business model this place with continue to do great and earn many loyal East Valley patrons, including myself! Even «cheaters» are welcomed!

The last few times we have went we haven’t gotten the best service. Some how one of our orders are always forgotten even though we right it down, like they say to. And sometimes it feels like the servers forget that we are even still there eating. The sushi there is still amazing. But the twin towers roll (not the best name) isn’t worth the $ 15 in my opinion.

I loved this sushi restaurant! The sushi tasted fresh and was very delicious. It was probably one of the best sushi places that I have had in Arizona. The customer service and waitresses were great and very friendly. My mom and I got a chirashi bowl, the sunrise roll and a yellowtail hand roll. They all tasted very good. I would highly recommend the chirashi bowl! It comes with lots of variety of fish and it is enough to fill you up. It is worth $ 15.95. The prices at this restaurant are a little more than other sushi places around the area, but for the quality that you get, it is worth it! I would recommend this place to other people and would come back again soon.

This place is great! We had such a great time! Perfect service and the food was so good!

Five star staff and food. Best happy hour prices-​full portions-​large variety in HH menu. All items full portions. Appetizers, regular rolls and drink combos 2 – 10. Apps mostly under 5, rolls 3 – 6, drinks 3 – 12.
Staff aStaff accommodating to kids, sushi chef saw how happy my kid was to watch the chef and he gave her a slice of octopus. She thought it was the best thing ever. Staff always personal and treats as guests not just customers. Music a tv and dim lights for dinner-​good ambiance. Clean restrooms and dining area. Our #1 sushi spot in AZ.

My husband and I absolutely love this place. So glad we found it right after it opened. The owner Jennifer is the sweetest lady. The sushi is always spot on. So delicious. Miso is tasty for sure. Nice happy hour specials!
I wish I could eat here nightly. Favorite date night spot for sure. The cardinal roll is so good negihama is perfect. Mmmm I’ll have to update when I think of the rolls we always get.

The sushi was so fresh, it swam to the table.
Okay, maybe not, but I did enjoy me some good fish! Sushi should never be fishy. Fishy fish is scary and gross but the sweet taste of the sea is always good. So I waited to come here twice before writing my review. The first visit happened on good old Boxing Day, December 26^th, 2015. After a long day of retail therapy, we settled in for a nice meal of dead fish. Their menu is overwhelming, informative, and full of all sorts of goodies you could possibly want — from Happy Hour to dinner bentos, they have whatever tickles your fancy. We shared a Samurai Plate (20pc sashimi plate + 6pc nigiri] for $ 34.95, their specialty Lollipop Roll for $ 11.95, a Dragon Roll for $ 10.95, and 2pc. uni for $ 11.95.
The sashimi for our Samurai plate was cut even and tasted fresh. The white tuna and salmon were our favorite bites from our sashimi plate and the 6pc nigiri was a nice accompaniment. The albacore nigiri made me almost want to order more but we had other dishes coming. So you can’t go to Yanagi and not get the Lollipop Roll. It’s your basic cucumber roll with fish and imitation crab meat, sans the rice. You won’t miss not having rice because it tastes fresh. The Dragon Roll isn’t anything fancy and was ordered more as an afterthought. I wish we ordered a different specialty roll but we just wanted some good old unagi. Gotta love the eel with some tempura shrimp for some nice crunchy texture. As for the uni, it was fresh and creamy. It tasted of the sea and if kissing a mermaid was possible, that’s probably what this uni tasted like.
Our second visit, just last night, held much a much similar experience as far as food goes. It was fresh, fish was buttery, and I was happy with my meal. Even when my eyes were welling up with tears from wasabi or something in the Hawaiian Volcano Roll, I was content. I liked it. So why the three stars?
This place is more on the 4-​stars mark because of their friendly staff and service but I got to dock a star. It’s a quaint cozy restaurant with lots to offer and the food is decent but I’m docking a star because of a miscommunication on their part. Twice. On both visits:
— First visit: I tried to pay half of the meal with my newly obtained Christmas giftcard and the other part on my debit. The $ 40 giftcard is new so I’m guessing the card withheld 20% of the funds or whatnot because it only ran $ 33-​something instead of $ 37-​something. Yanagi tried to split the bill between the two and ran my debit first and the giftcard only ran for partial amount. The difference was like $ 4.29. It wasn’t a big deal and I said I’ll pay the difference in cash so they won’t have to run my debit card again [I honestly was trying to be considerate and not have them be charged again to run my card for a measly $ 4-​something]. Upon checking my bank statement three days later, I noticed they had charged the $ 4.29 on my card anyways. It’s not a big deal but we’re talking a +5% increase on their tip which I could be all for but I wish they told me. This could have just been a miscommunication but ehh. I was just trying to make their life easier by paying the partial in cash so they don’t get charged again for running my card. I even told the waitress I’ll be paying that part in cash and we showed her the $ 5 that covered missing funds from the giftcard BEFORE we left. I ain’t gonna make a stink over $ 4 but very lame, Yanagi!
— Second visit: Only one person paid for the whole bill and the birthday girl had RSVP’d on the Unilocal app. Once again, there was drama about their card. I’m starting to think it has something to do with their machine. I won’t go into details since I’m not entirely sure what was going on with the card and/​or card reader but after we paid and were leaving, I was pulled aside by the boss-​lady. She decided to lecture me how they don’t take reservations on Fridays and Saturdays and I stood there awkwardly because I wasn’t even the one that rsvp’d. Had I known that it was done through the Unilocal app, I would have told her that. So I stood there being lectured when by all means she had a full restaurant to tend to and I wasn’t sure if I was suppose to apologize. Our reservation was at 6pm when it was slow. We would have been seated with no problem anyways. We all ordered food, even multiple items, so they made a solid dime off of us so I don’t know why I was being lectured. I walked away confused.
So yes, come here for excellent food but I advise you to pay in cash to avoid any drama with their card machine. Also, no reservations Fridays & Saturdays or you’ll get yelled it. Boom.

LOVE these guys! The whole staff is awesome and so welcoming; Jennifer the manager is so sweet and makes you feel like family. The waitress and sushi chefs were so funny and personable. They really know how to deliver great customer service!
Food is awesome without a doubt. We mainly ordered bentos (chicken katsu and Korean bul go gi) which made us so stuffed. Sushi chef gave us a complimentary albacore tuna appetizer which was so tender and flavorful.
Permanent customers here!

I am so happy we found YANAGI Sushi!
The service is great and the food comes out quick! The sashimi is so good that my fiancé and I had to go the next day and get it again!
The owner Jen is a sweetheart and really wants you to feel comfortable.
If you want sushi don’t waste your time looking anywhere else or trying something different… get the good stuff and come here!

Wife and I had a craving for sushi rolls so decided to visit Yanagi’s. What we ordered: calamari, salmon kama, spicy salmon roll, spicy yellowtail roll, and tempura roll. The calamari had a good fry but it was very chewy (overcooked most likely). The salmon Kama was very small and did not have much seasoning at all. While the spicy yellowtail was delicious, the spicy salmon was not spicy at all and what was worse was the salmon itself was room temperature :(. The tempura roll tasted average and wasn’t anything to write home about.
Overall, the service was good, but the food wasn’t that great honestly :(. There are better places out there in my opinion.

Rolled in pretty late last night which I hate to do to restaurants as I always hated that when I worked in the biz. Instead of sighs or body language of disappointment, my friend and I were warmly greeted.
We sat at the Sushi bar and soon found out we were sitting next to Jennifer who is mentioned in many of the reviews. Her friend was with her as well and we really enjoyed their company and conversation. That after all is a big part of the sushi bar experience and exactly why I always sit at the bar.
The food was excellent and they guided me to a few things I never do. One was put spice and mayo on my scallops but it ended up being very good. They also offered some samples to taste including a Saba that they pickle/​marinate inhouse. It was less oily than most and certainly more enjoyable.
The Yellowtail sashimi was very good as were the salmon and tuna. Typically Uni is hit or miss in Arizona but on a Wed this place had very fresh Uni and when paired with quail egg was luxurious and worth the trip alone.
Can’t say enough about the sweet people here and the good food. Looking forward to more experiences and exploring the menu a bit more.

I am always very careful about where I go for sushi, it has to be fresh for obvious reasons. This place came up on Unilocal with amazing reviews in its short time being open, so we decided to check it out.
It was about 730 Saturday night and the place was pretty busy, We were greeted immediately, there were seats available at the bar so that’s where we went. I had seen previous reviews that complained about the décor, I didnt find anything wrong with it and not sure what the other person was looking for.
While sitting at the bar the first thing you usually notice and look for is the fresh fish, but they didnt have that, instead there were plastic bins with various things inside, fish scraps etc. I was a bit put off by that and wonder why the fish isnt there? Is it fresh? We usually test sushi by ordering fresh salmon (sake) if thats not good the rest wont be, so ordered that along with one roll, Alaskan Roll. I like that the menu explains exactly what is IN the roll and what is OUT of the roll. Miso soup AND a house salad (lettuce and ginger dressing) come with the meal which is nice, although the salad wasnt anything great, the soup was very good.
We received the Alaskan Roll and it was ok not our favorite but that is not the restaurants fault, we probably should have ordered something else.
I notice the owner thanking customers and even ran out to give one of her regular customers a hug, that was nice. We got to talk to her and she was a kind woman and grateful for the business. Overall we had a good experience and the food was good and for only being open 2 months I am sure the kinks will work out.

Wow! I was impressed! Jennifer is a most gracious owner and host. She and her husband have won me over for sushi. We went there on a Thursday night, and got there just after happy hour.
Food was excellent! Service was amazing. Jennifer had us try her spicy green beans. They were very spicy and delicious. She also had us try the Smoky Salmon. It was incredible. I believe that it will be a special in the future.
I highly recommend this restaurant!

Good people, I can’t reiterate in strong enough words my insistence that you try their spicy scallop sushi. You *haven’t* had spicy scallop sushi like this before. When you’ve had it, it’s been made with those little eraserhead nubs that most people accept as scallops, but at Yanagi they actually take an entire large sea scallop and dice it up for use in the gunkan. IT CHANGES THE ENTIRE EQUATION, and in addition to the slight spiciness you get a soft scallopy sweetness that just does the business all up on your tastebuds.
I also need to point out how good the smoky salmon is. IT TASTES LIKE A BARBECUE SANDWICH IN YOUR MOUTH. I’m serious. It’s inspired.
Additionally, I need to let you know, in stronger words, how I feel about their uni. It is a fiesta of subtle brine and firm softness, almost like you’re making out with a mermaid angel. If mermaids believe in angels, then this must feel like kissing one of them. Pretty much anywhere else that I’ve had uni, it’s been a bit mushier and more… liquidy. But the uni they use here is a solid rectangle of urchin ovary, and it has an amazingly pleasant texture that you have to try.
Now, on to some other standouts that I discovered today…
The stuffed jalapeños are deceptively ingenious. They’re stuffed with a tuna mixture, which really make for something special. They’re really not as spicy as you’d imagine, so try some– the crunchy texture of the pepper is a great accompaniment to the soft tuna, and the entire taste spectrum will make your toenails tingle.
Try their maguro. See if you notice the difference. You should. You will. You must!!!
I actually tried a specialty roll this time. I don’t usually go in for ‘speciality rolls’, because most places that specialize in them are just trying to cater to white people who want to feel adventurous about telling their friends ‘how much they love sushi’ when in actuality they never eat anything raw. But the rolls at Yanagi are SOLID. We had the scorpion roll, which was a-​maz-​ing. I don’t know how they sliver the wispy onion fibers that thin before frying them, but it makes for one hell of a treat as a topping for the roll.
Alright. Another successful meal, and time for another blissful sushi nap. I promise not to write another diatribe after every visit, but I do feel that I owe it to the good people of Unilocal to give my honest opinion about places that rock my socks. Yanagi is one such place.
Socks = rocked.