Yama

Without a doubt, Morgantown’s ONLY authentic Japanese cuisine. Amazing food, friendly staff. A true, charming «hole in the wall».

Everything was amazing! Hubby said the chicken teriyaki bowl was the best he’s ever had (had a bite, it was delicious) and our little guy destroyed all the gyoza. My udon bowl was great, too. We just stopped in on a whim on our way through Morgantown and were happy/​lucky to have discovered it.

Simply amazing food, great customer service and atmosphere! One of the best places to eat in Morgantown.

As others have mentioned, the nondescript and homey style of this place is a great contrast from the usual high-​end sushi or hibachi places that one often finds in Japanese restaurants. Being small and family owned, all the items they offer are cheap, flavored just fine, and come out in decent serving sizes. The décor of the place, with all the random pictures and props and manga, helps a lot with the feel as well.
They serve a huge variety of things, including specials that are not on the wall, like the mentaiko don. Nearly all the usual items are under $ 10 and equally tasty. A particular favorite was the oyakodon, in which the chicken was very tender and meshed well with the egg for lots of flavor. In terms of noodle, I probably enjoyed the udon the most, with spongy noodles and hearty broth. But it seems that you can’t go wrong with anything, and it certainly made the drive down from Pittsburgh worth it.

First time visit, finally.
The place is small, family owned, menu is very basic, no CC accepted, drink to purchase (except for water/​green tea). Order and pay at the front desk.
I chose Sukiyaki pre-​fix dinner, which came with Sukiyaki beef with vegetables in a pot, pickles, rice, miso soup. It was a little different than a usual Sukiyaki but flavor was good. Surprising udon noodle was in the pot. Wish the sliced beef was not overcooked. Free additional servings of bowl of rice and miso soup, which was a nice service.
I also ordered Takoyaki (octopus ball (cake per menu)). It was pretty good and authentic (see pic). Sweet soy base sauce and mayo were a textbook taste and it was very Japanese (thumbs up).
I asked something that they would recommend. I was lucky enough to get a rice bowl with spicy cured cod roe and minced raw tuna fish on top; half and half (see pic). It was extremely tasty. I have to let you know, however, this was a special arrangement, thanks to the master and okami san (madam), as I drove pretty long distance.
I wanted to try a ramen noodle (it was also recommended) but I was totally full and there was no room for it. They kindly let me stay until I was ready for the second round but there was no way I could do it.
Overall, I was very satisfied with the home style Japanese cooking. Nothing was fancy or stood up but very authentic. As a native Japanese, I was fully enjoying what I ordered, made by an experienced Japanese chef. It is nice to be served by the native Japanese at the Japanese owned restaurant.
One negative issue was a restroom. It was located backside of the restaurant. I had to use it but it was just disgusting. The urinal was out of order and had to use a toilet but it was no clean at all. I used the restroom after I finished my meal. If I used it before eating, I would have lost my appetite. It was that bad. Apparently the rest room was shared with other tenant of the building and it is probably not Yama’s responsibility but cleanliness should be kept since that’s the only rest room available.

Yum. This is a family favorite. The Udon is fantastic as are the dumplings and teriyaki chicken. A lot of options on the menu and friendly, fast service.

Unpretentious Japanese hole in the wall restaurant for a truly delicious simple but authentic meal cooked by a real Japanese chef. Chef Yama is a one man show, so forgive him when the place gets crowded. The wait is worth it!
No other restaurant in Morgantown has a more beautiful looking and authentic seaweed salad. A mix of different colored seaweed in a bowl which puts even many of the higher priced Japanese restaurants in other bigger cities to shame.
You don’t come here for sushi, not that it’s bad, but this was never meant to be a sushi restaurant. You come for their simple one bowl meal.
If you want to splurge and have a bigger appetite for a Bento box meal, go for it. It comes with salad and other authentic condiments in the box with a choice of meats. Rice and the best miso soup in town is served with the box. It’s worth stopping by for just the miso soup especially on a frigid Morgantown winter’s day while out on an errand down town.
Rating is given for the tasty food here, not for the place. Look elsewhere if you want to dress up and be seen.

I am not sure why but I was really excited about this place I thought the food would be great and cool but no the sushi was mediocre to say the least. It has found a way to glorify top ramen. I think on a cold day maybe this place would be cool. Otherwise not so much. The location it’s pretty good as it is right across from a pay and park. Also THEY ONLY ACCEPT CASH.

Delicious authentic Japanese food. I got the special, sukiyaki. The miso soup they give you at the beginning is very good, best miso I’ve had in a while. The salad also had a good ginger dressing. Sukiyaki itself has great flavor and the udon noodles were delicious. (My first time having sukiyaki with udon noodles but it was good regardless)

Very good place, very small but food is excellent! Lunch time is my favorite time to go in there.

Hungrily sitting in my office at my new job, I thought I’d hit up Unilocal to see what food was nearby. Let me tell you – the positive reviews of Yama are in no way exaggerated. That was the best Udon I’ve had since my time in Japan! Great service. Delicious, fresh, filling food. Cash only.

If you’re coming from I-​79 southbound, your approach into Morgantown will include a very hilly drive through a very hillybilly-​ish small town (as a fun game try playing «count the American flag and ‘Support our Troops’» regalia; see if you can get to 100), a sudden descent leading to a bridge spanning a river, and finally a plunge into the heart of the ramshackle downtown of an old river mill outpost. Decaying brick, hectic narrow streets, grimy storefronts, a comic shop, a Subway (of course)… in short, it’s a darn strange place to expect a bonafide Japanese food experience.
Yama, however, brazenly defies our simplistic assumptions that the best ethic holes in the wall are always found in places with the highest concentrations of people from that particular group. Once you finally find the entrance to the place (not a given; it’s up some steps on a side street), step in and observe your surroundings. You’ll feel like you are at that place where only «the locals eat» somewhere in Kyoto or Fukuoka. Completely non-​touristy and totally devoid of any «catering to gringos» element, there is a flat screen t.v. playing Asian gameshows in the background, DVDs and books lining the walls labeled in kanji, and no pretension whatsoever to wow you with décor. If you are squeamish about funky bathrooms, make sure to go beforehand.
The menu has many tasty-​looking surprises, but your eyes should head straight to the ramen. Ramen, as I’ve learned of late, isn’t just an MSG-​laden form of cheap carbs that US college students eat to save money. It’s also a late-​night ritual and culinary tradition in Japan; hungry party-​goers, so I’m told, flock to «ramen houses» for a quick and satisfying restorative indulgence that brings you back to life with its spiciness and rich broth. After my meal at Yama, I totally get the ramen craze. Ramen is phở’s urbanized egg-​noodle cousin: while not packing the array of fresh vegetables that accompany the phở experience, ramen offers delightfully chewy, home-​made noodles that bathe in a sweet, nutty miso broth, topped with bean sprouts, chipped pork, scallions, and other aromatics.
Before you dive in to the noodles, take a sip of the hot, thick broth out of your plastic Asian soup spoon. It’s like letting the waves splash over your feet at a Caribbean beach before charging into the waves. That sip will tell you everything you need to know about the experience you’re about to enjoy.

This little gem in the middle of nowhere was really quite the treat. I really enjoyed their Shoyu Ramen, but they also have a bunch of other dishes worth getting. Chicken Teriyaki is also pretty delicious. Prices are reasonable and the food is much more authentic than many other of the Japanese places around. Worth the trip.

Just ate here the other night. Fantastic Japanese comfort food.
Love the Yaki Soba.
This is not a sushi place so if you are looking for sushi this probably isn’t the place for you. They have it but it’s meh.
Everything else is really good.
Oh and definitely get some miso soup I like it with a scoop of rice.

I tried Yama for the first time yesterday afternoon and I can’t wait to go back. You order and pay at the counter before sitting down, so it may be helpful to read the menu online and come with an idea of what you want. Vegetarian options were annotated on the menu, which I appreciated. I got the kitsune udon and absolutely loved it. Sometimes tofu is very bland and doesn’t add much to the taste of a dish, but the pieces in this udon were surprisingly well-​flavored and really stood out. Service was quick and the staff is very friendly.

Back in town for summer break and the first restaurant that I hit-​up is, of course, Yama. Some additional info to why I love this place so much: it’s good, home-​cooked food. Like the type of food that you can only get at grandma’s cozy little house. The people who work here are so nice as well, so I always feel welcomed here.

The food here is out of this world. The only real Japanese food in Morgantown.
Now for the downside… The lighting in this place is so bright. You almost feel as if you are sitting underneath an interrogation lamp. The restroom situation is terrible. The atmosphere is… well, non existent. Worst of all, they don’t except credit cards! So you are telling me that you only take cash?! What? That sounds a little suspicious to me.

Wow I was so surprised that there is an authentic Japanese restraunt in West Virginia! The place is owned and run by Japanese people and the food was very good. I had the shoyu ramen and my boyfriend had the miso ramen. The ramen were both very good. Noodles were tasty and the soup was great. Miso ramen soup was kind of gritty but I thought it was very good and the shoyu ramen soup was salty but that’s because it’s soysauce based. The only bad thing was they only took cash!

When I am in Morgantown, I always try to stop by this cozy Japanese restaurant. I’ve been to Japan several times and in my view, this is the most authentic Japanese restaurant within hundreds of miles of WV. It specializes in noodles, bento box style, and one-​pot meals. At first, this might be confusing to customers whose idea of Japanese food extends no further than 7 – 11 sushi, but this is the real deal. For the most part, Yama offers dishes that the average person might eat in Tokyo: savory buckwheat Udon with shrimp tempura or Ramen unlike anything you have ever had. But my favorite is the Shrimp Tempura Bowl. The lightly battered shrimp compliments the rice very well and the assortment of Japanese condiments (pickles and sauce) allows you to customize your meal.
However, it is Yama’s authenticity that sometimes throws of the expectations of some customer’s palates conditioned to expect an America style sushi. I think Yama’s should almost put a disclaimer on the door which states: Sensai, this really isn’t a sushi spot, but inside we have something much better. ;)

This place serves authentic Japanese food. I lived in Sendai for a year so I can communicate with the lady at the front desk and Mr. Yama (the chef) in Japanese. They are very friendly, the service is fast and the food is great.
My Order: Yaki Soba