Excellent service and delicious Japanese cuisine. It's a favourite of ours when we come into town

My family and I recently dined at Yamagoya on a busy summer Monday evening. We expected a wait (about 20 minutes), so the three of us happily agreed to sit at the bar and have a drink while waiting. We had tried to make a reservation beforehand but were told reservations weren't accepted for parties smaller than eight. Unfortunately, the experience got off on the wrong foot. While we were waiting, the hostess continued seating newly arrived parties of two, which we assumed was simply because smaller patio tables were opening up. She even stopped by to let us know that a table for us would be available shortly. However, when another party of three arrived, she greeted them like regulars and seated them immediately, leaving us waiting for yet another table without any explanation or even acknowledging what had just happened. Whether intentional or not, it left us feeling overlooked and unimportant. Our server was very pleasant throughout the evening, so I don't fault her. However, we believe part of our order was forgotten in the kitchen. Our sashimi didn't arrive until about 45 minutes after the rest of our meal, turning what should have been dinner into nearly a two-hour experience. The atmosphere also wasn't what we expected. The music was so loud that the three of us had to yell across the table just to hear one another, making conversation nearly impossible. It felt more like a nightclub than a restaurant. The food itself was decent, but not exceptional, especially considering the prices. The $20 lobster roll was mostly rice with only a small amount of lobster, and $17 for a glass of fairly average wine felt excessive. By the time the mandatory 18% gratuity was added, our bill came to just under $300 for three people. Overall, I'd rate the food about 3 out of 5. What disappointed us most wasn't the wait, because busy restaurants happen. It was the lack of consideration in how we were treated and the feeling that we paid premium prices for a decidedly average experience. We left feeling disrespected, unappreciated, and unfortunately, unlikely to return. read more

It was busy so we sat at the bar. Walked across the street from our hotel. Fresh ingredients and lots of choices. Friendly, efficient staff. The outside seating area was closed - it had just rained. I would eat here again. read more

Fast service, good price, nice servers, and good food. Lots of options as well. Enjoyed the food and would definitely go back. Try to get there early this place gets busy fast. read more

Yamagoya Sushi - Ceaser - Canadian (New) Near Me - Fernie, British Columbia

The bomb! Recommended to us by the ski shop guy at Lizard Creek Lodge and wow was he right on! We had gyoza - best I've ever had - the dynamite sushi roll with tempura shrimp and the teriyaki steak stir fry. All three were outstanding. We got there early and got a table. The place filled up in the blink of an eye. I highly, highly recommend. You won't be disappointed. read more

This was the best sushi my husband and I have had in a while! We had quite a few rolls and our fav was the curry roll

my favourite sushi place in town. I was surprised when I first moved here to have such quality in a place that so far in land. this place has been so good for such a long time. read more

I've been coming here for about the last decade or so, and have only been able to find one sushi restaurant in western Canada that could match up (that one costs nearly double yamagoya's very affordable prices). The food has always been perfect, the ladies working the floor are always super friendly, and the drink selection is great. I can't say enough good things, I recommend this place to everyone who might be in fernie after 5. If I had to recommend some must-order menu items, don't leave without trying the chicken karaage or the steak & chi roll. read more

The best sushi and the service was fantastic! The variety of the menu is extraordinary and the full service bar made us tasty drinks! Definitely a new favorite! read more

Some of the best sushi I've had in a long time (visiting from Toronto for a ski holiday). Fresh and tender variety of sashimi and nigiri sushi. Tasty scallop chop chops. Crispy tempura. Delicious Gyoza dumplings! Always busy so go early. If there's a wait list, do it! Worth every minute of the wait. A good chance to wander around town if you're visiting... read more

Love this place! Ate here on a work trip a few years back and looked forwarded to another visit. The patio is great (and works well for Covid dining). Food is delicious, prices reasonable, service quick and friendly! Kids were welcome too. read more

Yamagoya Sushi - Krista roll - Canadian (New) Near Me - Fernie, British Columbia

This restaurant requires you to give your credit card # over the phone to whoever the random person is who answered if you want to make a reservation. Never in my life have I been asked for a CC to make a reservation???? read more

While we didn't go there for the sushi. It looked good WE went there for the ramen! Sorry no photos. I was feeling very self conscious sitting in the middle of that great space. With cool people all around. Eating noodles with chopsticks. The Ramen was fantastic. Tonkotsu (pork and chicken broth) with a grilled pork belly which melted in my mouth. The noodles were done properly form with some chew but not hard. A proper seven minute egg. Just delicious with the broth complex umami flavorings. I would order this again and again read more

They really ought to change their name to "YUMagoya". The service here is as incredible as the sushi. I highly recommend dinning here when in Fernie! read more

We had a 30 minute wait on a Sunday evening. Room to wait in the bar, which was nice. Food was exceptional. Service was attentive and friendly. This place was a very pleasant surprise. Poke bowls rocked. If you love sushi you will love this restaurant. read more

Yamagoya Sushi - Love the feel of this place - Canadian (New) Near Me - Fernie, British Columbia

First place we tried in Fernie. Very nice atmosphere. We sat on the deck outside with a gorgeous view of the mountains. Server was very friendly and helpful. Sushi was fantastic. They have many different types of sake to try. Both cold and hot. We got a flight of cold sake; Diamond unfiltered, moonstone pear and pearl. Definitely recommend trying it. All the sake were very different but enjoyable. read more

Yamagoya Sushi - Sake sampler - Canadian (New) Near Me - Fernie, British Columbia

See all

A great spot and we had nine so we got the private room for dinner. Considered ourselves lucky as there was a line up before they even opened. The unique rolls will make your mouth water as well as the chop chop sushi. We polished off a large bottle is excellent sake and ordered seconds of many dishes like the chicken karage. If you can get in definitely give it a try. read more

Yamagoya Sushi - Family time in Fernie and a great meal. - Canadian (New) Near Me - Fernie, British Columbia

Astonishing sushi quality and freshness in Fernie! Honestly, I am at a loss how Yamagoya can serve their Nigiri and Sashimi as fresh as they do, it's a small miracle! Add in fair prices, superb service, and a comfortable and sharp interior and you have a prize winner right here. We stopped in at 5:45 on a Monday night and the restaurant was already full, with a short wait. It's understandable that the place would be packed on a weekend, so guests must plan on that. There is a small cocktail list, a few decent local beers, and a good selection of sake and wine. If the bartenders added a few bitters and mixers to their cocktail repertoire they could take the bar up a notch, but no complaints really, they are already ahead of most sushi restaurants in this category. We didn't tap the "fusion roll" or cooked side of the menu, so I can't comment on those. We had a simple sushi dinner (perhaps the more difficult to get right); cucumber salad was crisp and tart, our sushi/sashimi platter for two was delicious and fresh, with very nicely prepared rice, and home-made sesame/black-bean ice cream added a rich finish. I must call out the wait staff for being both efficient and extremely pleasant with a full house, taking time to greet us at the door, keep us informed as seating developed, guiding us through our beverage and menu choices, knowing when to offer another drink, and offering tips for our next stop after dinner. This is great service! Our waiter told us that most of the staff have stayed on since the opening of the restaurant because they enjoy working there and "we all just click". Agreed! read more

Japanese! Such a welcome change from road food. This place is fresh and funky. Staff is knowledgeable and kind to sushi novices. We particularly enjoyed the package dinner geared toward first-timers which enabled us to taste lots of different things. By the end of the meal, we felt adventurous and more in-the-know than when we started. Tatami room was fun but deck looked delightful, too. Just go! I think it's rather offensive that another yelper complained there are no Japanese employees, took that as a red flag. Do you require frauleins to serve you German food? Paisanos for Italian? Men in fustanellas when dining in a Greek place? North America is a melting pot. As long as the cook's good I don't care what race they are. Japanese is ubiquitous these days. read more

Items we ordered: Dumplings, fried chicken, west Fernie roll, spicy salmon roll.. 2 other terrible rolls. First red flag when coming into this place is the fact that there is not a single Japanese person working here. I can not believe this place is rated so high. It is literally the most overrated place I've been to. With the exception of west fernie roll (the worst tasting), everything else tasted the same. Pretty much every all you can eat sushi place I have been to serves better quality food. Only positive was that the wait staff was very friendly. read more

We came here as friends tell us it's the most popular sushi place in the kootenay area. The food here is very good and reasonably priced. We got some tempura, specialty rolls and tuna tataki. As for drinks, they have a nice selection of cocktails made with Japanese liquor. We tried the sake samplers. The pear one was our favorite, the pearl and diamond were very strong. read more

See all

We stopped for the night and needed to find somewhere to eat. Yamagoya Sushi was in walking distance to our hotel and glad it was. We had 45 minute wait so we sat in the bar and had some sake. The place was hopping but turnover was pretty quick. I was impressed with everything we ordered. The fish was fresh and presentation was pretty. Everyone enjoyed what they ordered and the staff was friendly!!! read more

I came here years ago, and it was some of the best sushi I have ever had. We got there right at open, as some locals we had asked about good restaurants in the area told us it was best to get there early. Once we were seated and ordered, the restaurant had nearly filled up. Glad we listened! We got a bunch of rolls to share, and all of them were great. The perfect rice to fish ratio, and the fish was fresh. I couldn't pick a favorite, as I loved all of them. If you are in Fernie, this place is a must to try!! read more

Some of the best sushi I have ever had in my life. Came to visit from Whitefish, MT with a few of my friends read more

Great sushi! Excellent service, and sooooo accommodating to our young child :) when we arrived they set up a cute booster seat and gave our daughter a fake sushi toy to play with. We also really liked the changing table/bathroom! read more

Yamagoya Sushi - a plate of sushi and a glass of beer - Canadian (New) Near Me - Fernie, British Columbia

Disgusting food, and extremely disgusting service. Unfortunately, this is the only sushi place in Fernie. If you plan to open a sushi place in Fernie, do it! you'll do extremely well with little effort. No one would even walk into this place if it was in Vancouver or Toronto. I suggest visiting the Independent store for other food choices. read more

This was a great place for sushi. Anyway, the menu had a bunch of "local" flavor types of sushi. I really enjoyed the Kryptonite roll, but everything was good. The service was friendly and we ate every piece on the plate. Now, the down side. The place only opens at 5:00 pm and you have to be early or you will be waiting for a table. The waiting area is by the bar and you can have drinks but no appetizers. Seems a little odd but If you want sushi in Fernie, you wait. I really hate a restaurant that is dark and this one was almost black. seems the manager has a bit of a likeness for the dim lit scene. Our waitress turned our light up slightly and minutes later, the manager turned it down. Not sure why, the food was set very nice and looked fabulous. I guess presentation was only important to the chefs. They had an interesting selection of beer including a few local brews, one of which my buddy enjoyed. All in all it was great sushi and I guess you can not complain about a restaurant being too busy. We will go back. read more

We put our names on the waiting list and were told that we need to wait 1 hr and 45 mins for a table. We got a call from the restaurant after 1 hr stating that a "table" has become available for us. The tone of the host was not welcoming at all as we were told that "if we do not make it to the restaurant in 10 mins, they are not going to keep the table for us". We arrived at the restaurant in 5 mins. Although we asked for a "table" and were told that a "table" has become available for us, we were asked to sit at the bar. When we expressed our disappointment there was absolutely no signs of empathy in our server's tone and when we asked if we can be transferred to a table if one becomes available, they told us that "we either have to wait another hour and if we seat at the bar they will not move us". Usually the experience at the restaurant and the way we are treated is as if not more important than the food. But unfortunately this restaurant did not meet the minimum standards. We would not recommend this place if you are looking for respectful service. read more

All I can say is wow! Who would have thought a sushi resto of this caliber would exist in a mountain town far from the ocean. It is always busy so expect to wait for a seat but it's worth it. There is a bar area where you can have a drink and wait. Sushi is really good and had a wide range of choices for rolls, sashimi, and other things. read more

I haven't eaten there yet but I met half the crew at the "bull thing" in Eureka and they were very nice ladies. I plan on hitting this place soon. read more

This place is truly excellent - the food alone warrants 5 stars. We started off with the Yamagoya House Salad and then moved on to a Tuna Detonator (thought it was a roll, but it came in a bowl), some salmon nigiri and several rolls. Everything was delicious. The salmon on the nigiri was incredibly fresh and tasty. The combination of flavors in both the yamagoya salad and tuna detonator was awesome, as was the presentation. Beer list was great and featured a number of local beers both on draft and in bottles/cans, although I would like to see more options and serving sizes for sake ($9 for 3 oz? yikes.) I hesitated on giving this place 5 stars overall, and in the end I decided to. It was a little loud and cramped in this place and the service was a little slow (just a little tiny bit and our waitress was very nice), but ultimately these things did not detract from my experience here. read more

This place never fails to disappoint. The food AND staff are not a 5 star but a 10!!! Another person reviewed that there are no Japanese people working here.... There are Asian chefs behind the bar making the food. Servers are very knowledgable regarding food allergies and can make great suggestions on how to accommodate. Food is always fresh. During the busy season be prepared to wait for a table. The restaurant opens at 5 pm but people start lining up outside at 4:30 or earlier. read more

We kept hearing that Yamagoya had the best sushi in BC that isn't on the coast. The rolls were on point. The nigiri came out and look a little dry, like they have been sitting out for a while. The wait staff were great and attentive. read more

Great Japanese and very affordable. Super fresh!! Would highly recommend for good Japanese cuisine, not only sushi

Lots of unique items on menus even has Soy paper for 1.00 more (that is AWSOME) Had Ebi w/spicy mayo best ever Gyoza was very good! All were served warm they were good but need to be cooler much cooler Lobster Roll Curry Roll NY Roll read more

This sushi place is awesome. Went for a late dinner with hubby and we were not disappointed. We got there at 8:30 so there was no wait time to be seated or for our meals. And our hostess was the best. read more

Left an $80 tip after eating instead of $8 and waitress didn't tell me I had made a mistake, even while I sat and finished my drink. Good food/shady staff, very unfortunate.. read more

Worth the wait. Yama 2 Go is also amazing. Glad to have this awesome Sushi in Fernie!

If your hobbies involve lighting money on fire this is the place to be. The sushi is very overpriced and not much value for your money. The food will take a long time and you can get a reservation so you sit at the bar and they can push overprice drinks on you. If you want reasonably priced sushi go to any of the sushi place in Cranbrook. read more

So quality! Somehow in the middle of the Rockies, this place brings in super fresh seafood. Killer wine menu too. I look forward to it every year I come out. read more