yamato japanese restaurant

came here for lunch. i ordered the steak on rice bowl which comes with miso soup and pickles. everything was cooked really well and the meat was really tender but there just wasn't alot of flavour going on which was disapointing. i added alot of soy sauce and the chilli powder mix that were on the table to it to give it some flavour, it was much better then. it would have also been nice if there was some sauce on it. the miso soup was nice though.

after reading several reviews on here i decided to go and see for myself.. as it turned out..it was my mistake.. service was pretty slow.. the food .. well.. sh1t... i've had much much better japanese food from standard sushi bars.. the worst karaage chicken i've had.. sorry guys. i'm being generous with a 2/5. by the way i mark on food and service only.. decor means nothing to me.. sort it out yamato.. my innards and outards need and deserve better. thankfully i dont need to go back. patrick mullen

chirashi and deluxe chirashi were the best value items in the menu. big pieces of fresh sashimi. we also had the unagi (eel) don and the tempura udon. nice service and busy place.

excellent food. good value and tasty! would definitely come again when in rotorua. we had, chicken karaange, squid karaange, yakitori octopus balls, sushi selection and eel on rice. delicious! i'd recommend making a reservation or get there early cos within 10mins of opening, the place was packed.

waited a very long time for lunch 40 minutes and i was dining alone not acceptable and they weren't apologetic. very average food not value for money

the service here is terrible. had to wait ages just to order. i honestly don't mind waiting a bit for my food but when people who ordered way after you gets served first..its just not acceptable

just ok food with ok service. nothing special. came with other 8 mate but not really impressed with their service. we ordered chicken n beef but the rice not warm just dry n cold.

i'm not sure if it was a case of having low expectations or if yamato is really that good, but i think it's the latter. the dining room and decorations are nothing flash but it's the sushi and sashimi chefs doing their thing in an island-style open kitchen who attract the attention of the diners. the sashimi was very fresh and had been beautifully sliced and assembled. the agedashi tofu was probably the tastiest i have tried. the salmon sushi was very nice and the plain udon was packed with flavour. takoyaki were not perfect but still very good. overall service was attentive and prices were very fair.

always go to his restaurant when i am in rotorua on business. was there last week for dinner and also last night. always welcoming and plenty of seats. you can have a table or sit around the sushi bar which i prefer. the food is always fresh and comes out quickly no matter how busy it is.

my favorite is the sashimi and the udon noodles. they have different sizes and depending on how hungry you are they cater for you. service great, saki always good and the fish is always fresh. highly recommend this place if you like traditional japanese.

authentic and delicious japanese food! great atmosphere, friendly staff, and fantastic service. i come from a family of very fussy sashimi eaters, and our deluxe sashimi was perfectly fresh with the texture you hope for. from the photos i could tell that the tuna wouldn't quite be up to my standard (a bit too bright/artificial pink), so we replaced this with salmon. enjoyed every minute of our meal while sat at the sushi bar. it was exciting to find beautiful japanese food whilst in nz.

my favour restaurant in rotorua! i come here if i stay in rotorua~

as usual, we ordered deluxe sashimi set, nigiri and yakitori. i love the sashimi as they are fresh enough. i finished 48 pieces in total wiz my boyfriend. we are satisfied

i will definitely come again next time

one of my favourite restaurants in rotorua.    i have been here serveral times and it has never failed me.  this place is one of my must visit places when i am in rotorua, i am also willing to drive from taupo to rotorua just to dine here - which i have done so in the past.     the food here is not only fresh and authentic, it is also delicious.  one of the favourite things i like to do is sit on the bar, watching the sushi chef perform his trade.     please check out website for an indepth review

below average at best. i ordered the oyaki-don and there was so much liquid it was pretty much soup and rice was really soggy. bland tasting as well.

the food is okay, however i waited for 1 hr, the service is terrible, they didn't even welcome you but just letting you stand there and wait. i'll never come back again.

shocking service. expect to have to risk looking like a shouting maniac to get any sort of attention from the rude staff. we got the sashimi deluxe, along with a few more meals and beer. the kingfish was not fresh, but on mentioning it to the waitress, who just walked off without even bothering to give us any sort of response, the manager came out just to say the kingfish is fresh. he just came out to tell us we were wrong with not even a single apology. so we finished our meal, obviously except the terrible kingfish, and settled our bill. again, no apology. the service and attitude of staff is even worse than the food and the cold, dim, unwelcoming atmosphere. the place needs a good clean, but more importantly, for sashimi, they should be making sure it's served fresh! i honestly hope no one gets food poisoning from what was served tonight at yamato, a disgrace of a so-called-hospitality business.