Sushi Yama

I can’t believe that I haven’t written a review for this place yet! I absolutely love this little sushi spot, it’s a small restaurant with a little sushi bar it is cozy, the fish is always extremely fresh, and don’t be afraid to ask Yama what he recommends.

I have been to this place a few times and it ALWAYS satisfies! The first time I stopped in when my lady was in town. We lived in Japan for a few years and wanted some real-​deal Japanese sushi, made by a real Japanese chef.
This is that real-​deal Japanese sushi place!
The second time I went here was to take my parents out for their first experience with sushi, not just the packages stuff in the grocery store. Again I wanted them to try the «real-​deal». They love it, and I do, too :)

We tried out this little gem on our date night, it was a superb choice! We had the grilled yellowfin collar, it was by far the best fish I’ve eaten in a very long time. We also ordered sashimi and a roll; their roll selection is short (no crazy roll concoctions). Service was great and ambiance made the entire experience much more enjoyable. I can’t wait to go back again!

My boyfriend and I sat at the bar for dinner here, we enjoyed the intimate ambiance and delicious meal. Great service, fresh sushi– what could be better?

Love it. Excellent sushi. I want to go there now. Don’t turn away bc it’s in a shopping center.

We only stayed for appetizers, but they were good. Seems very authentic. That night I was actually in the mood for sushi rolls and I didn’t realize they did not have the option of swapping the seaweed for soy paper — again authentic, no big deal. Service was prompt and very attentive. My only complaint was that the restaurant smelled odd — not like fish, not necessarily bad, but just not quite right.

I went to sushi Yama with my wife, and my sister in law. I came here because of the reviews I read on Unilocal.I personally have to say that this is the worst sushi I’ve had. We ordered several different rolls, and there was no distinctive flavor that could help me differentiate one from another. They all tasted the same, and it was not a pleasant taste. I know I will not be coming back to this place.

I wanted to update my review for Sushi Yama because I’ve been a couple of times since I wrote my first «OK» review and they’ve consistently impressed me.
The service on my most recent trip was exceptional. Our server was friendly and the sushi chef was very friendly.
The sushi is really good. I really liked that the spicy rolls were actually spicy.

Go! Best sushi I have eaten in Norfolk. Enjoy fresh sushi, substantial portions, good service, the best Japanese beers, a friendly master sushi chef, fair prices and beautiful décor. It was quiet so bring your friends or a date. Since it was only my first trip to this great place, I am going with 4-​Stars rather than 5. If if the quality, service and experience is consistent, this will become my 5-​Star, go-​to sushi place in Norfolk. Go check it out!

Came here after a disaster at the Norfolk Garden (see that review under Korean). Had a nice selection of sushi and sashimi; tuna, octopus, a couple rolls and a 22 oz. beer. They gave us complimentary miso soup as we’ll. I’ve been to most of the sushi places in Norfolk and this rates on the high end. It was empty at 8:00 on a Saturday night, We were the only ones there. I hope they can make it. Nice people.

Straight up Japanese awesomeness. Gives Nana a run for the money. No «fancy» rolls here… just simple fat rolls! Very friendly and clearly a local hot spot.
The Agedashi is wonderful, not drowning in broth. Had the Rainbow roll and it was the largest roll I’ve had anywhere.

Some of the best, freshest sushi you’ll get on this side of Virginia.
Fresh sushi and sashimi is the speciality of this place. I always get the unagi nigiri because it is made differently here than anywhere else. My second favorite is the red snapper. It’s cut perfectly enough to just melt in your mouth.
There’s only 1 sushi chef, and I believe he’s the one who chooses the fish as well. He’s always friendly, and loves to joke with his customers.
They don’t have specialty rolls here, but that shouldn’t be the reason you come here anyways. Specialty rolls are riddled with different flavors, and are often times cooked. Come to this sushi spot in Ghent for a more authentic and fresh taste.

Ttried it out this past Friday for lunch. Got the Sashimi Lunch with added Tamago and Uni.
This place blew my mind! All of the fish melted in my mouth, it was so amazing. I liked that it was a very traditional presentation, but with the Chef’s own twist by adding fresh tuna with a bit of spice. The uni was über fresh and made me want to sing. The Tamago was expertly crafted and something I would not be ashamed to order in the future. The mark a of a top sushi chef is to make one’s own Tamago and this was tops!
Seriously, I’ve only eaten at one or two places that had fish this fresh, ALL THE FISH, and not just the cuts they go through quickly, and it is worth the drive through the HRBT for me. The fact that the chef is Japanese and speaks it is a bonus for me, because I hardly get a chance to practice. He certainly appreciated hearing that the sushi was Oishii (delicious), which it certainly was.
I know for SURE that I’d gladly suffer tunnel traffic for this amazing place. The chef knows what he is doing, so place yourself in his capable hands, and allow him to show you that simple is truly best when it comes to crafting top of the line sushi.
BONUS! I’m on a special diet, so I avoid rice and most other carbs most days, and the waitress asked me if I wanted the rice on the side. The tamago and uni came with rice, and it was perfect, not gummy or too soft, but it was nice to have the option of leaving the rice off of the rest of the meal without feeling guilty about wasting it.
I can’t imagine sashimi getting better than what the chef offered, and I’ve eaten fresh tuna prepared by sushi masters from Japan using a tuna that had been swimming the previous evening.

Japanese own and operate with authentic and fresh Japanese food. This place is a gem of Norfolk. If you are looking for fresh, well-​selected ingredient, this is it.
First of all, I have a very high expectation when it comes to legit Japanese food. I’ve been in Japan, got to eat amazing food and had great experience with Japanese service in restaurant. They were second to none.
Talking about great Japanese restaurants in Norfolk & Virginia Beach area, there’re tons of Americanized ones available everywhere but I’m only a regular at Kyushu on New Town Rd. If you haven’t try it, you should.
Sushi Yama has the different vibe compared to Kyushu, smaller, less crowd, one chef, one server, one kitchen staff (at lunch on Thursday). I sat at the bar just to observe the chef. He is very attentive. He looks for customer’s reaction to his creation. He made sure every single customers enjoy their food while he’s working on making several sushi bar dishes at the same time.
I ordered Chirashi for lunch today, absolutely exceed my expectation. Every single piece of fish were fresh. He did not pre cut and stack it like any other restaurant would do to save time. He did cut it right then and there with the super sharp sushi knife.
My favorite toppings are tako and shrimp, the two cooked topping that very difficult to get it just right. Tako was soft and tasty not rubbery at all. Shrimp was perfectly cooked and juicy not dried and bland. The white fish is also the unexpectedly good and tasty one as well. It’s absolutely not white bland tilapia.
I did order Ikura, Yellow Tail and Botan Ebi sushi on the side. Yellow Tail sushi was huge. The fish is absolutely big and mouthful. Botan Ebi was nice, he did ask if I want the shrimp head and I said yes. A minute later, the deep fried shrimp head was served and it’s amazingly tasty and crunchy. Ikura was good as usual, it’s really hard to mess up this one anyway.
I will absolutely go back and enjoy more dishes they have to offer. I’d recommend calling ahead to check and see of they are open. I went there on my lunch break on Tuesday and they were closed which was bummer.
I’m hoping words of mouth would make this place very well known to locals. They have such a great food that I had to tell someone about it :)

After leaving an event in Downtown Norfolk, I wanted sushi and I wanted to try some place new. After searching Unilocal,I noticed this place had great reviews, so we decided to give it a try and now I understand why. The restaurant is located where Luna Maya used to be. It was strange to walk in there and see the place with lights on (Luna Maya had night lights, if that!).
We sat at the sushi bar, and we could immediately tell that the Sushi chef (Yama) was very popular with the locals and so friendly. We ordered Yakisoba and Gyoza to start. It was my first time having Yakisoba and I really liked it and plan of ordering it there again. We finished with a couple of rolls that took a while to get to us, but the restaurant was a little full and Yama said «I am an old man… it takes me a long time» in a joking manner, I think it was adorable.
As we were getting ready to leave, he made a special roll for us to take home and said «eat this tonight»…we said «it is late and we are so full»…he responded «it is only 9:30, the night is still early»…we walked out of there with full bellies and a smile on our faces!

I went here on a dinner date, and this place really is as good as it gets.
It’s nestled in a small shopping plaza off of 21^st st, where there is ample parking. We came here at 6:30pm on a Friday and were the last people out of the restaurant, and there was never a time when it was crazy busy. The place is quaint with sufficient décor to be authentic appearing without it being too «I’m such a Japanese sushi place, we don’t want you to forget it». The waitstaff was courteous and helpful. The sushi bar is towards the right as you walk through the door.
We ordered an edamame appetizer, sake, hot tea and a sample sushi platter. The platter came with a soup and salad. We devoured our entire platter. It was so good. And usually I am sated after eating so many rolls of sushi. But the fish was fresh, the rice was perfect and it just felt like little bites of heaven. It was probably unwomanly of me to do so, but I really wanted more food… not because I was hungry; I just didn’t want to stop eating such deliciousness. We ended up getting 2 more rolls, the crunchy spicy tuna and a simple avocado eel roll. Which we both obviously ate in their entirety.
Don’t expect original, eclectic sushi. The menu offers standard, basic sushi and sashimi. But it’s great knowing that this restaurant doesn’t need to please the masses with colorful names; the food speaks for itself.
There are tons of sushi places in the Norfolk area it seems, and they are all really good. But so far, this one edges out the rest. You won’t regret your dining experience here.

Most of my ratings are based on food, ingredients and flavor.
If Unilocal really does have an algorithm and fancy software, they can confirm that I am here 3 – 4 days a week via GPS, government drones, cell phone triangulation, CIA, FBI, Scotland Yard, etc…
My credentials are this-​I have been to every state in this country multiple times and been lucky to visit over 50 countries in the world (and eaten my way through all of them). I am not military and have spent a small fortune on finding good food.
It’s just a hobby/​passion that developed because my father was an executive at a food distribution company for 25 years; so I grew up going to restaurants, hung around warehouses with huge boxes moved by burly, bearded men so I know my way around the food scene.
I could be wrong, and I am no food critic, but I know a good restaurant and proprietor when I come across one.
I give my highest praise to Sushi Yama for several reasons but mainly because of the FOOD. This is why we are on Unilocal my friends. To find great food. Foodies will do what it takes to find the holy grail of food-​we will stand in line and wait and wait and wait and drive as far as a tank of gas will take us as long as the food is superior.
If the food falls short we will lash out at every thing else that went wrong during our meal, because bad food pisses us off. But if the food is great, it hits a part of our brain that scientists will never discover, a place that transcends all place and time. Or something like that. Haha.
The owner Yama San is there every day except for Monday making the sushi — it does not open without him, there is no back up chef.
The physical space is spotless, the rice is perfect, the fish is fresh, the bathrooms are clean, the staff is friendly. I have had sushi all over Tokyo, NY, San Fran, Miami and DC and this is GOOD damn stuff.
Point me to a better sushi place any where in Hampton Roads and I will go there. This is as good as it gets around here.

Like Alex, I also used to frequent Yama-san’s restaurant in Newport News when he was located up there. It was literally walking distance from our apartment and was the place I introduced my wife to the wonderful experience of eating good sushi. Yama-​san holds a sentimental place in our memories from a long time ago.
Fast forward to today where he is now doing business in the heart of Ghent. The restaurant is very small but intimate with the standard L-​shaped sushi bar along with a number of tables. Décor is elegantly minimal.
The hamachi kama was delicious as was his beautiful Chirashi bowl. All of his fish was superb but I, like Gwen, do not care for the imitation crab. That was the only blip of the evening. I would have preferred a substitute.
But one thing that brought me back to the good old days was the taste of Yama-san’s rice. It was as close to perfect as I can ever recall tasting. Every grain was immaculate in taste and texture. I even made the effort to compliment him on the quality of his rice and the next thing you know, he comps me some extra yellow tail, grilled salmon skin, and tobiko. I think he was happy with me in that I was so blissfully enjoying the art to which he has dedicated his life.

Three cheers for Yama and welcome to Ghent! Went for a late dinner on a weeknight, and sat at the bar. Service was attentive, the sashimi was delicious and well-​prepared with large, fresh fish. Tried the spicy yellowtail roll based on Adam V’s recommendation, and it was a winner. It was — hands down — the best spicy roll I’ve ever had. Not too much mayo, chunks of fish rather than the typical minced/​mushed, and a good heat from fresh chilies. Next time we’ll try the spicy tuna.
The eel was fine but not amazing (I prefer it warm), but the quality of the other fish more than made up for it.
Next up: lunch visit.

I’ve known Yama-​san for years. I used to eat at his place in Virginia Beach. I’ve also eaten at his former place of the same name in Newport News. Since I work in the area, I was happy to have Sushi Yama close by on 21^st St.
The evening began with the Botan Shrimp. The body was served raw while the head was served tempura fried; it was like eating a thick seafood potato chip. It’s was delicious and a must try. I asked for the Ama-​ebi, but the season is gone, and the Botan Shrimp was a nice alternative.
I had the sushi deluxe, a nicely done place of nigiri served with wasabi and gari. The sushi itself was delicious. It was as fresh as fresh can be. All of my favorites were there — hamachi, maguro, salmon, and unagi.
Sushi Yama is a bit more expensive than a few other sushi places, but, in my opinion, it money well spent.
Cory calls himself a sushi racist. I, on the other hand, call myself a sushi snob. It’s a matter of semantics, I know, but I both understand and share a similar philosophy with him and sushi.