Yoko's Japanese Restaurant

05/06/2008 Posted by sushi1886

their sushi is not bad in general, but for the price. I would rather pay more for fresher sushi at Syun or Murata or Hiroshi. IMO nothing special, slightly better then Mio Sushi.

05/01/2008 Posted by misspdx

let me first say that my 3 year old and i eat sushi a few times a week, but we drive downtown to do it. with the gas prices how they are i made the effort to try a more local spot... mistake! we got there at 5 and put in our order immediately. at 5:22 i asked the server how much longer it would be to get our small order out, he returned and told me it would be out in 7 minutes, although it had not been started yet. i decided that i would rather use that 7 minutes and drive to our regular spot. he said fine, and that i just owed 1.50 for my soda. i paid it, but are you kidding me? this place has 5 tables, and the server told me the guy was just busy since all of the tables filled up at the same time. save yourself the irratation and go anywhere else but here. also i wanted to note that if you have a child that enjoys sushi, this is NOT the place for them. the blaring music was not the issue, as much as the f word coming up is the songs on a regular basis. -not excited for my child to hear that. the prices are on the higher side compared to most places in the portland metro area, but i did not get to try anything so im not sure if it is worth all the hassle.

Pros: location

Cons: employees, wait time for sushi to be made, music choices.

04/16/2008 Posted by bobbafish

If you don't mind waiting an hour or two for sushi just to be talked down to in a condescending manner by the rudest servers in the world, then this is your place! It's a shame too because their food was one of the better places we have tried since moving to Portland. We were told by friends who took us there that Yoko is super nice but just has some rude employees, and it's true. It may be ok for some but I won't be back. Sorry, Yoko.

Cons: worst service ever!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

03/16/2008 Posted by ichiban777

Over the last 7-8 years I've spent significant time and money at Yoko's. I've always enjoyed it. Tonight, though, I got there early; my Japanese in-laws are in town, my father-in-law's handicapped, we have babies, and I wanted to bring them something they'd enjoy. On the menu, it says take out orders are charged 15% extra, and that was no problem; what was a problem was the amount of hassling I got about whether or not the sushi chef would consider a take out order, and the feeling I got that I was making a huge inconvenience for them when essentially I was just there to happily pay them for their food and service. The restaurant was empty at this time. After feeling humiliated and being told that I could only order one hamachi collar, not two--it was the special--I decided not to order at all. I won't be back.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

02/25/2008 Posted by prost

first of all, i don't even like sushi. my boyfriend does and he's a sweetie, so occassionaly i acquiesce and we go have some sushi. at yoko's. because it's good. there's always a wait (because it's good) and so we just walk across the street to the ship ahoy, play some pinball (that's also good... 4 super sweet games), and, in an hour or so, eat some sushi. please, let me reiterate... i don't like fish. i thinks it's gross and slimy and it stinks. only not at yokos. it's delicious and melt in you mouth fabulous. also, unlike some of these other reviewers, i have never had a bad experience with the sushi chefs. they're always busy... but also funny. maybe some folks don't like the dry humor. i do. i, too, have been in the service industry for over a decade and find their demeanor accomodating and helpful. in a fast paced environment i don't expect people to ask me how my kids are or how the new job's going... i want fast and competent service. also, when a restaurant is busy, camping is not appropriate. when everyone is waiting for upwards of an hour, i don't think it's unreasonable for someone to ask you to move it on out, 20% tip or not. there are 3 bars within 2 blocks of this place... go get a cocktail and continue your chat at any one of them. this place has great food and a no nonsense staff. i find their attitude refreshing and the food delicious.

Pros: service, b*ng for buck

Cons: it's a little too cozy

02/10/2008 Posted by sushitou

I thought I'd take the time to respond to the "customer" that had such an unpleasant experience at Yoko's because of me, one of the sushi chefs there. First off, I think we have all had an experience with this sad, angry displeaser - he's the drunk guy that is not only obnoxiously loaded but also very creepy and weird- the one you try and avoid as much as possible and hope he'll just go away or pass out so you can call CHIERS to come take him away. He is right, I did ignore him- at least I tried to, but it is difficult when a "person" like this is sitting two feet in front of you spewing insults and offering up a performance to rival Barney form the Simpsons ( without the charm.) Let me put it to you straight folks- we are busy at Yokos - very busy- for that we are truly grateful to all those of you who have supported us over the years, and we honestly try to be as friendly as humanly possible under such stressful conditions- and 9 times out of 10 we will most likely become friends, but a wise man once said, "if you act like a creep- you'll be treated like one."

02/02/2008 Posted by pizzicare

My wife and I have been Yoko's devotees for a few years, but now we're looking elsewhere. They took my favorite sushi off the menu (hokki gai, surf clam) and our last time there the fish wasn't as fresh as we had become accustomed to. The hamachi was downright dowdy. And to top it off the staff seems to get less and less friendly every time we go. The sushi chef even made what I consider to be a pretty rude remark about bringing kids to the restaurant. It seems like they've started to take their customers for granted, and the fish definitely is not as good as we remember when we first started going there. Too bad. We really loved Yoko's.

Pros: decent sushi

Cons: not as good as it used to be. long waits. not very friendly service

01/28/2008 Posted by invidia

For me, dining experience is more about food than ambience, romantic setting, convenient parking, or even service. So a sushi dinner in rowdy Yoko's on Gladstone was a joyful and fulfilling experience, regardless of the waiting line and brushing elbows with other couples at the sushi bar. The fish cut was generous and superb, bringing out the freshest fish flavor. The sizable rolls were flavorful, each component stood out nicely. The only misfire was a cumbersome tepid concoction of minced tuna and avocado on a fried rice pedestal (featured special on Martin Luther King's Day). I'd recommend Yoko's to my dearest friends and send my enemies to Sin Ju in Pearl.

Pros: Food, Ambience, Price

Cons: Waiting List

01/14/2008 Posted by tbonzjonz

it's encouraging to see the number of negative reviews for this restaurant. last friday i had the worst restaurant experience i have ever had in portland there. the food was certainly decent, although nowhere near good enough to warrant the horrible customer service and lack of interpersonal skills displayed by their 'sushi chef'. after the requesite 1hr+ wait at the C-Bar, my friend and I were seated at the sushi bar. given that it was a friday nite, we had already had a couple of cocktails. i haven't seen this friend in some time and we were having a good time. evidently, that was my first mistake. my gregariousness and sincere desire to establish some kind of rapport with the restaurant staff evidently offended said 'chef'. i quickly realized he was busy and not in the mood to talk, so we let it go. after a decent (by no means spectacular) meal, we noted the kitchen staff was breaking down the line, so as we were finishing up our beverages, i tried to re-engage the guys on the line. the second-in-command was quite pleasant and approachable, but when i started talking to the prima-donna 'chef', i was offered a cab home and told not to condescend him. my friend and i were floored. we have both been in the restaurant industry for over twenty years each and were sincerely asking this fellow how his night went. to drop over $100 bucks on middle-of-the-road sushi that i could've paid a fraction for at infinitely better establishments like i love sushi or syun izakaya and then to be offended on top of it was pretty hard to swallow. obviously this person is in the wrong industry. perhaps he doesn't get out much, but it is sort of expected that the sushi chef has some sort of interaction with the patrons at the bar, and that sometimes, these folks will have had an adult beverage or two. i cannot state strongly enough that this establishment is not a recommendable destination. there is WAY too much good sushi and customer service in this town.

Pros: next to c-bar

Cons: horrible customer service, all the ambience of a greyhound station

01/04/2008 Posted by jenrit

I really enjoyed the sushi here. The place is small and a little out of the way, but well worth going to. Everything was great and the staff wonderful