Yohei was one of the first places I visited when restaurants reopened because I was craving sushi and sashimi and they definitely did not disappoint. Before Covid Yohei is one of my favorite go-to places for Japanese food especially during lunch.
Setting:
Yohei is a cute hole in the wall at the Dillingham strip mall. It's not a very big place but it's definitely what makes this place feel homey.
Parking can a bit tricky as you may have to compete with customers at businesses such as Hana Tea. There is also metered parking along the entire street so that is a good alternative if you cannot secure any spots in the strip mall. However for most of my trips in the past, if you wait a minute or two someone is bound to leave.
Covid Precautions:
In times of covid, safety precautions are very important when picking a place to dine in or takeout. Rest assured that Yohei is taking all the precautions and during my dine-in experience, all other guests were compliant with rules and recommendations. All seatings are separated from plexiglass even at the bar. All tables were distanced from each other and staff seat parties away from each other. The place settings encourage guests to sit diagonally across from each other. All staff is wearing masks, some are even wearing eye shields and gloves. There are alcoholic based sanitizers throughout the store and I see the staff sanitizing used tables etc. Due to Covid, condiments such as wasabi and soy sauce were prepackaged and given to you in packets with your food.
Price: $$-$$$$
Prices remained pretty stable during covid. Lunch sets are always a great deal for the amount of food you get. Prices can get pricey if you're looking to order more specialized ala carte items. Nothing super unreasonable to it can add up and is a bit above average compared to other places. Some of these ala carte items are based on current day market prices so be sure to ask.
Food:
Sashimi lunch set + Otoro sashimi ala carte: My sashimi set came with a good selection of sashimi including hamachi, ahi tuna, and calamari, etc. It also came with limu/seaweed salad, mixed greens salad, miso soup, white rice, cabbage, and ume. The sashimi including the otoro we ordered ala carte was quite fresh and was delicious! Yohei is one of my go-to places for fresh sashimi and they did not disappoint.
Unagi don lunch set: My aunt opted for the unagi don lunch set. The set came with the unagi don, cold tofu, soba, salad, seaweed salad, egg, and minced pork, and an array of small eats such as tamago and fired chicken. She says everything was delicious.
P.S. I cannot get enough of their house tea!
Service:
Yohei still offers great service and all staff was really courteous however, I think with all the covid precautions service has been a bit slower than usual. It took longer than usual to get our food ordered and to receive our food during this visit. When we wanted to add to our order we had to wait ~ 10 minutes to do so as all the staff were either busy assisting other customers or were cleaning/sanitizing used tables. I think that despite it taking longer, the delays were reasonable if they ensure the safety of its customers. If you choose to dine-in, please factor in extra time just in case.
Overall:
I would recommend checking out Yohei for your next Japanese/sushi craving. Be sure to check out their lunch menus and their teishoku setssas they are delicious and are priced very reasonably. read more