Stumbled upon this place while in search of Asian market...kid was "hangry", so gave this place a try...pleasantly surprised. Wednesday lunch time, ordered a beef udon and ban xeo taco (Vietnamese fusion). Though the udon was not "traditional" Japanese style, treated it as fusion. Good flavoured, texture of udon was "packaged", not "chewy", Sanuki-style. My daughter enjoyed it and polished off about 75% of the bowl. Ban xeo taco was slightly on the greasy side and challenging to pick like a taco, but flavour was there and slightly thicker than traditional ban xeo...appreciate the creativity and the flavour. Will return to try other dishes as there was great variety. Service was good, despite only one server doing everything in front of the house. This is a solid 3.5 rating. read more

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When I travel, I'm always on the lookout l for great brunch spots, which for me also includes dim sum. This trip, I found Yamato, a restaurant offering a variety of Asian cuisines that serves dim sum on weekends and it definitely fulfilled my craving. read more

Yamato Asian Restaurant - dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim - Japanese Near Me - Kelowna, British Columbia

We ate here today, and I ordered a serving of Glass Noodle in Clay Pot with vegetables and seafood. I was very hungry and excited to eat. When I took a bite, I was shocked by how salty it was. I asked my friends to taste it to see if it was just me, but they agreed--it was incredibly salty. They suggested I tell our server, even though I felt embarrassed. I decided to speak up, thinking maybe it was an honest mistake. The server said she would come back, and when she did, she brought a pot of hot water and told me to pour it into my bowl to dilute the saltiness. I was speechless. I followed her suggestion, but it only made the dish worse. It turned into a salty soup that tasted awful. I couldn't eat it. I just sat there, feeling disappointed and insulted. My friends and I paid and simply walked out, resolving never to return. This restaurant is utterly disappointing, especially with its zero-customer service and complete lack of care. I felt deeply insulted by the experience. I was appalled when they handed me hot water and told me to pour it on my food to fix the saltiness. It felt like a slap in the face. I wouldn't even feed this food to our dog. read more

Don't pay too much attention to other low star reviews, they may be angry/disappointed with just one aspect. One reviewer commented on dim sum, and he was right to do so, but keep in mind this is more of a Japanese restaurant. One was about vegan/vegetarian. if this is your lifestyle then maybe you should consider an more diet friendly option. I have been there a few times. Once was dim sum and it's not the greatest. I've been there for lunch and supper and although nothing really stood out and grabbed my tastebuds there was nothing bad about it. If you are out to try a new restaurant don't be discouraged by this one. Prices are not nearly as expensive as Kasai, but the quality is also not has high. Happy Om-nom read more

We wanted some Japanese food while vacationing in Kelowna and the Yamato Asian Restaurant was right on the highway near where we stayed. We gave it a try and were not disappointed. There were 4 of us and we all ordered different Japanese dishes. We were amazed at how quickly the sole cook was able to make all our dinners. And the food was all delicious and we had so many leftovers we took them to our condo to eat the next day. It appears like a husband and wife team run the restaurant. The prices were very low considering how much food we got. We will be returning. read more

Vancouverites in town for a wedding. Read about this place doing dim sum on the weekend so went to try it out as I prefer Asian meals whenever possible (I had congee in Puerto Rico). So. 4 stars relatively speaking. Ie. a midsized town with very little Asian population. (I am absolutely not comparing this to Vancouver) The price is $5.50 per dish. So it's not inexpensive but not breaking the bank. Anything rice wrapper based wasn't great (hai gow. Rice rolls etc). I would give it a casual cafe standard. Their non wrapped food was pretty decent. Of the ones I would even get in vancouver: Pan fried Shrimp and chive 'cakes' Chicken feet Bean curd rolls The ones that were not vancouver quality but still well within the range of reasonable : -Their ham sui goh (deep friend mochi and pork) -Very thick mochi but it was soft enough so not bad at all. Interesting take on this dish -Shrimp sui Mai was better than the pork ones -Eggplant and shrimp paste. - greasy and typical read more

Went late on a Sunday night. Only had two waitresses on. Took forever for service, although there was a large table of 10 but still. Ordered a dinner combination. They have variety of Thai, Chinese and Japanese food to choose from. Servers are nice enough, seem frazzled with the large tables. Food was good, but I've had same quality type food for cheaper. Maybe because it is in the interior. Either way, made my tummy full! read more

Yamato Asian Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Kelowna, British Columbia

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Yamato serves Vietnamese and Japanese in the heart of Kelowna. One of the guys I golf with comes up to Kelowna a lot for work suggest we give Yamato a try. I have to admit I was a bit weary... what kind of good Asian food can one expect in Kelowna?! It's no Vancouver! Well I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Yamato was pretty good. I had a BC Roll and their Big Noodle Bowl. I wanted to try something Japanese and I wanted to try something Vietnamese! Both dishes were good! I would say anyone who has a hankering for some decent Asian food when they're in Kelowna should give Yamato's a try! I think they would be pleasantly surprised. Hard to believe that you can find decent ethnic food out in a small town like Kelowna. read more

Yamato Asian Restaurant - BC Roll - Japanese Near Me - Kelowna, British Columbia

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Just awful! Here are the top 5 signs this restaurant should be avoided like the plague: 5. Despite being a Japanese restaurant also purports to offer Thai and Vietnamese. 4. Liberal use of mayo on sushi - always white trashy at the best of times. 3. Server finishes shift mid-meal, leaving restaurant. No new server comes over. Forced to find server. 2. Inedible fish in salmon roll, likely bad. (no, not the worst thing) 1. When told of bad fish, replacement-server-san says, "oh." And makes no effort to do anything about this. STAY AWAY! read more

Well... We have dined at Yamato since it first opened...We enjoyed the Food... We used to do their weekend "Dim Sum", but only if we had time on our hands... When we arrived, the Cart Servers didn't recognise there were new customers, and continued to serve others whose tables were full already...Or they would turn and head in a diffrent direction just before they got to you...The young male servers are really nice, but DON'T get it about serving "Dim Sum"...Sometimes they dash back into the Kitchen..and dion't come back unless you ask a server on the floor to get them... We were shunted over to a dinky 2 seater booth... I told the young lady that we DIDN'T want to sit there, but she insisted...It was totally claustrophobic. Being only an arms reach away, you could hear your neighbor masticating, and heard their unappetizing conversation. We were "entertained" with a colorful description of a "blood & Guts " Operation...and other unappetizing tid-bits while we were waiting...yummy...Bring on the guts...oops, food. After waiting for the Cart for 10 minutes, we gave up, and sprinted-fled... We went a few blocks down to the "Asian Pear Buffet". Delicious, and READY to eat...So much variety, and NO waiting. We decided to give Yamato "another go" a couple of days ago... The food we ordered was my Husbands favorite, "Curried Laksa Soup" ...Usually a generous bowl... I ordered my favorite..."Pad Thai Curry". When it came it looked the same, but when my husband started to enjoy his Soup, he was appauled! The Soup was thinned down to "dishwater" consistancy...the Broth should have been thicker... there was very little flavor, and the ingredients were leaning toward too many Bean Sprouts, to "fill" the bowl... I was dining on my Pad Thai Curry, but only found the equivilent of a teaspoon of Chicken in it...I liked it much better before...How much DOES a 1/2 of Chicken Thigh cost? We were both disappointed. I asked our friendly elderly seater lady, and she told me they had a new Kitchen Manager... A White Guy, last name "Schneidmuller"... I find this amazing that somebody from a totally different Culture can make changes to the ingredientsin that Kitchen. Cutting back to the point that it isn't the same flavor anymore...Is he trying to justify his wage? And as a person said below...The Sushi has suddenly started swimming in Mayo, and other goo...Perhaps to cover up the loss of flavor? What a total shame... read more

Dim sum was good and the Terryaki chicken was Excellent. Service good and quite helpful. Very good restaurant. read more

Pass... This restaurant doesn't sub anything for vegetarians or vegans. They don't even try to accommodate, apparently the chef says "All the flavour is in the beef" I've never been to a restaurant that does even try to sub or accommodate. Whack! and not worth it Don't waste your time read more

Not very good sushi. The cuts (especially the octopus) are very sloppy and my tuna belly sashimi, sadly, was off. Even the ginger was just a pile of mush. The ramen soup was a massive bowl of oily water with absolutely zero flavour, very disappointing- I had to douse it in soya/hoisin/chili sauce just to make it somewhat edible. The salad rolls were OK but their peanut sauce was a sad, liquidy mess. The sunomono salad had cheap shrimp in it that tasted like fish that had been sitting for a while, and the dressing was pure rice vinegar (ick!). Worst of all was the bill, after the meal. Overpriced for the lack of quality received. Service was friendly but lacked in knowledge of the menu/ingredients. read more

My experience at the Yamato in Kelowna was not as pleasant as the experience I had at the Yamato in West Kelowna. The Yamato in Kelowna is located off hwy 97, the parking lot can be a bit difficult to find a spot. We went to the Yamato in kelowna because they have Dim Sum on Saturday. I was very disappointed with quality of the Dim Sum. The steamed buns were small, the portions small, and I'm certain that the Dim Sum is previously frozen and purchased from the oriental market next door. Regarding the small portion size; it was my wife and I that went for Dim Sum and we ordered pork/shrimp dumplings, steamed bbq pork buns, sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf, and pot stickers. I was expecting to be satisfied from the order I made. I only received 3 pork/shrimp dumplings, 2 small bbq pork buns, 4 pot stickers, and 2 small sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf. I had to make a second order just so I wouldn't remain hungry. (I'm not a big guy) I went for a second order, and I was ignored by the servers for 15 mins, then when I placed my second order it took another 15 mins to receive the Dim Sum. And not at any point did the server ask if we needed a refill or water or tea. After all was said and done, the bill was $79.00, poor service, and below average quality Dim Sum. I would not go back for Dim Sum. The sushi and service at the West Kelowna Yamato is good. read more

Bad Sunday evening take out. Ordered sashimi, dynamite roll, miso, and prawn tempura. Sashimi came with 3 pieces in it, we were not told when ordering that it was such a small order. When I called about it staff didn't care. Roll order also minuscule, and not good. Prawn tempura was soggy, and not cooked. Only decent thing was the miso. Won't order from here again. read more

Notable Dim Sum is not to found in Kelowna. I was trying to choose between a 3 or 4 star rating, I chose 4 because though the traditional fare of tray delivered choices everything was tasty and hot and served quickly. Yes I will travel to Vancouver for their worthy offerings, but I will return to Yamato for a local Dim Sum fix. read more

This is one of two places in Kelowna for dimsum; it is like a choice between Clinton or trump. Neither will leave u feeling good. At Yamato, prices are extremely high when considering quality and quantity. Value is poor compared to dimsum joints in any mid size city. Quality is below average compared to most places as well. You get the generic frozen stuff. They used to have oversized dumplings that was a novelty, but yet high quality... but they lost that supplier, and also lost a lot of their dumpling selection. Atmosphere, Service, and efficiency has improved over vastly the past 5 years. 2 out of 5 due to cost, and below national average quality and selection. Try the ayce dimsum in Vernon, it's cheaper and better read more

They put noodles and soup together for take out order. So by the time it gets picked up the noodles are soggy and disgusting. I have been a fan of their laksa soup but it taste completely different lately....very disappointed. They've changed in a bad way. Not going back. read more

My nemesis...i keep coming here for the punishment of bad service and adequate food. If it wasnt for the fact i have a weak spot for dim sum, i would protest this place with billboards. I am writing this as i am here, 20th time in my life likely. Here is what you get: 1. Sorry, you cant sit there, we want to move you to a different tiny table. My answer: No. 2. Can i give you an order so i can get the dim sum quickly and be out of here. Answer: "the kitchen says no and to wait for the cart." 3. Cart came out 15 min later, turned around as it got close. 4. Cart arrived, choice of chicken feet, squid something, and rice. Waiting 21 min now to get one item. 5. Table beside me: "are you our server?. Employee says no. They ask for water and tea, server says she will find their server." Really?? 6. Just asked again to order off the menu...25min no food. got told i can order only a couple of items! Hahahahahah 7. Cart is showing up, oh maybe not...turned around. Just showed up with only 2 new items, grab 1...FOOD FINALLY! 8. Server going table to table "did you order this?" If they come to my table, i am saying yes despite what it is. 9. Just remembered the last "Mothers Day" i was here...why do i do this to myself, hope maybe or the entertainment? 10. Server feels bad, lets me order 1 more item. 11. Tea pot leaks 12. Cart showed up, same curry squid and chicken feet from 29 min ago still in there. 13. Gave up trying to get the items i want. Bill please!! Will be back for more i am sure!! Owners: plz add more carts, more selection, more staff! My messa read more

I have to write a review for this location because the one in west Kelowna does not appear on Yelp yet. If you are thinking of eating at either location I would advise against it. Don't walk, Run away from Yamato's and do not eat there! Over priced, tasteless, and bad service. I ordered take out from the West Kelowna location of this chain restaurant. I ordered spider rolls, teriyaki chicken hot plate, tempura and Gyoza. Up first, Gyoza. It was good. Though very overpriced at $7 for 5. Next the tempura. They never gave it to me in my order! $6 for something I never ate. I should count my blessings based on the rest of the meal. The teriyaki chicken? Tasteless with teriyaki sauce the consistency of water. No flavour to identify that it was actually teriyaki sauce at all. But the biggest sin? The so called "Special Maki Spider rolls." You have got to be kidding me. They were supposed to come with a spicy mayo sauce. No sauce at all. And the person who rolled these packed them with rice, and then did not roll or cut them properly, ending up with fat discs of rice with the smallest hint of soft shell crab that tasted of, you guessed it, Nothing! No taste at all. If you want quality Japanese food, stay away from this and check out my review of a much better and satisfying Japanese restaurant in West Kelowna that you can go to when running away from Yamato's. Safe to say I will never be going back there ever again. read more

Yamato Asian Restaurant - The so called Special Maki Spider Rolls that are a sin against real sushi. - Japanese Near Me - Kelowna, British Columbia

Decent for Kelowna. We used to rave about this place but it has gone down hill in the last year or so. They seem to have a high staff turnover which has affected them negatively. We've had great sushi here but mostly it is average. They do have a varied menu (currries, pho, donburi, sushi, teriyaki) which I think is critical to survival in this town, you can bring a group and everyone can find something they'd like to eat. I recommend the Saigon Noodle Soup (add veggies) and the shrimp salad rolls, everything else is average. Service is very hit and miss, sometimes they are excellent - sometimes terrible. Dim Sum is available on Saturdays and Sundays from 11-2, it is frozen steamed dim sum - certainly hits the spot but nothing special. The restaurant itself is co-located in a warehouse with an asian supermarket; it is casual with high ceilings and very little ambiance, more of a diner than a restaurant. I think it is the best option for this type of cuisine in Kelowna, and we mostly enjoy the food there so we will be back. read more

This is a great sushi place but just thought id try the pad thai and was unimpressed. Not enough flavour and soggy noodles. If your looking for the BEST pad thai in town try Bai Thong. Twice as much food too for the same price and banging in thai flavours. read more

Tried this for the Dim Sum on a Sunday and so far the only place in town that does it cart style like at the Coast. The selection was decent and it got busy fast! If you're expecting a Vancouver experience you will be disappointed, however, take it for what it's worth and just enjoy! read more

This is an awesome oriental cuisine restaurant. It is not just Japanese, but has Thai and Vietnamese as well. It is connected to an Oriental Market so you can order take out and shop while it is being prepared. The Salad Rolls and the Red Curry Chicken dish is my favorite, but everything is good. Only the spring rolls always seem a bit too greasy and crispy. read more

B - List. Good food, service and interesting decor with a very high ceiling. Ordered a sushi boat and soup for 4. Soup was very good. The boat was very good with enough variety. However, the sushi appeared to be rather small in size and kept coming apart. The service is good. They do try. The person at another table, however, returned a bottle of beer saying it was only half full. The server was at a loss to explain the difference. Strange but true. This would not be my first choice as a stop over for sushi. However, if you are hungry, this may just fill the void. Of note, the center of the floor space has a rug covering up a series of tiles that are missing making traversing this area potentially problematic. If you have elderly parents visiting beware of the hazard. read more

Nice decor , parking lot is private and well lit at night, music is pleasant. The salad roll trio was exceptional, as was the other starter, Shrimp roll on sugarcane. Curry was good but needs more veggies in the mix. Sushi was ok, not exceptional. If busy, some dishes may not be available. read more

The Pad Thai Curry Noodles was great, nicely spiced. Good service and reasonably priced. Will return soon.

Decided to give the new Yamato in West Kelowna a try, although I only got to try the nigiri sushi, I was quite impressed by the quality. Each piece was the perfect size and temperature. Decor and service quite agreeable. I will return to try more :) read more

Large menu, full of beautiful fresh food especially the sashimi!! The service was good but a little slow as there was only one waitress but definitely worth it. It was very reasonably priced as well. read more

Had dim sum here last Sunday , I have to say the food was amazing and the service was the same , very well priced and if you have the pleasure to have Brendon as your server ,you just might have the best time in a restaurant in Kelowna . Period read more

I have never felt like I've betrayed myself more than when I ate the dynamite roll for Yamato. Initially I thought it was good as it tasted adequate but now I realize that was the beginning of the end for me. A day later I have lost several pounds as well as my dignity. Out of respect I do not want to go into detail as to what my symptoms were but, I am now confident the sushi's intentions were to end me. I do not doubt some of the food is good but considering this is my first review I had to spread the story of the pain that I've endured for the past two days. Thank you. read more

The prices are high for low quantity! Not a welcoming place. The tables were dirty. The server we got was horrid, he threw the things he was putting on our tables including our food! (I feel as though he should join a Frisbee team) The food was meh I've tasted better. Overall I wouldn't go again and I would most definitely not recommend you to go there! read more

I have always had good food, and friendly service. We have experienced some slow service, but the food is worth any wait.

Worst food I've had in a while. The sushi was not rolled properly and my chicken teriyaki had so much cartilage. On the upside our service was really good. Our server was super friendly and sweet but the food was horrid. The hot and sour soup looks like they dumped a package of gelatin in it. Soup isn't supposed to jiggle. read more

There's just something off about this restaurant. The food was so so and the general feeling was blah. Not for me. It's a chain Asian Restaurant that has the food you would expect... read more

Tiny portions for the price and tasteless food. I needed a magnifying glass for my spicy tuna roll. My large wonton mein soup had 4 wontons, rest was Raman noodles. read more

I would suggest running as far away from this restaurant as possible. My coworkers and I ordered almost 50 dollars worth of takeout from this place, we ordered a bento box 2 California rolls and 2 crispy calamari rolls and as we were eating the middle roll my coworker put in her mouth had a SQUID HEAD in it like beak and cartilage and all... We phoned the restaurant right away as my friend was just balling her eyes out and couldn't breath because she had a full uncooked raw squid head with a beak in her sushi and the response from the employee was we can't help you and hung up. So we phoned back and asked to speak to a manager so the manager said he would come and take a look at the head to see if it was for sure what we thought it was and to make sure we weren't lying. After seeing the full squid head the rest of the food went to waste because who would want to eat after seeing something that almost looks like a bird head in your sushi. The manager came to our job to take a look at the head and as he was talking to us like it was our faults that we were overreacting over a HEAD with a BEAK in our food and at first he said he would give us all our money back and we were okay and fine with that we get it accidents happen... This is a pretty big accident but we understood.... As it got later we never herd from the manager as he promised he would be right back with the money. We called right around 6 and he told us he would stop by tomorrow to give us our full refund for the head. We agreed and that was that, then today hit and we still heard nothing from them, so we decided to call back again and the managers exact words to us was if there was a hair in your food we would refund the full 50 dollars but since it's just a squid head we can only give you a refund for that roll.... So in other word the manager of this place pretty much is saying that finding a head with a beak that is harmful and gross is totally okay... Myself as a customer has never ever seen such horrible service, I was fuming I couldn't even go into the restaurant to pick up the money because I would of lost it, in no way is this okay... The manager saw the head he saw all the food that we wasted he saw everything and yet he fought with us on the situation, and made us feel like the bad people.... I myself can happily say I will NEVER EVER be eating here again and same with my three coworkers..... read more

Yamato Asian Restaurant - What we found in our sushi - Japanese Near Me - Kelowna, British Columbia

Very disappointed. I walked in by myself to get dinner. The frazzled manager seated me and gave me a menu. I sat there for 16 minutes and had not been acknowledged so I left. I cannot comment on the food but the service was horrible. read more

Tried their chirashi-sushi. It was so horrible that we couldn't eat it. Just the discarded ends of cutting up fish. When we complained the waitress said that if we would have asked her opinion she would have recommended something else! One star because I can't go lower. read more

You can't pass through kelowna without stopping at yamato, everything from food to the outstanding service, it's a must. Best in the west.