Yumi Japanese Restaurant & Bar - Excelsior

Go early or forget it. The last five attempts to wait for a table have been a disaster. Every time our name was scratched out and passed over for another group. Yumi is completely unsuited to seat tables. She barely understands English and is easily flustered. The website claims no reservations yet as I waited, three people came in with a reservation, all were told to wait 20 minutes (everyone is told that, the wait is closer to an hour). The food is great, but really expensive. We're done. more

This place has an terrific menu and the sushi is excellent. We found it a bit high, but perhaps you get what you pay for. I will say this place is tiny, and we felt we were on the clock to eat and get out, so the next people can sit. If you don't go with a big crowd and don't plan on a long relaxing dinner-you are set! more

First, this is a solid sushi bar....the fish is fresh and the taste is up to the standard of a great sushi bar. They have all the fish you can desire and what looks like a solid line up of rolls, if thats your thing. I have been hearing that this place is good so I thought I'd check it out myself. Wasn't dissapointed in the food arena. But the place is so small (which I am not) that I felt like I had no where to turn. I also felt a bit hovered over...like hurry up because we have more people waiting to get in..so forget the relaxing dinner and 2 or 3 smaller orders that I like about going out to sushi. Food good...rushed and cramped would be my beef..pardon the pun. I would rather have more space and allowed a little more leisure with my fish please. Once is good enough....I can find the same fish in a more spacious and relaxing arena. Thanks though..... more

Not bad sushi considering we live in Minnesota! Great menu choices for sushi beginners and experts alike. I especially love the Tonka Maki roll. Lines can be long so get there early or else plan to sit at Jakes or Haskells and have a pre-dinner drink since there is almost no room to wait in the restaurant. Pros: Very Knowledgeable Servers - great menu selection Cons: Long waits more

Good time for go to Yumi's is early, they are always busy have to wait a little bit for table special on weekends.... Food is great! the spicy tako salad the best !!! the lobster roll and the water street roll new creations of chef Ganzalo very yami always request,always I get..... Pros: very friendly place!! good music Cons: to busy always full !!! more

Yumi's sushi bar is one of the best on town! Tonka roll is one of my favorites rolls (tuna,yellotail,salmon,white tuna,cilantro,jalapeno and more veggies finish with one touch of wasabi cream) create by chef Gonzalo.Sashimi is good too special on weekend they do have big eye tuna,scalops,toro etc.....Yumi the owner,she is so friendly,that was a best experience !!! We try again soon..... Pros: best on town!!!!!!! Cons: What are the drawbacks? more

I find some of the negative reviews comical and probably written to deter people from going because the wait is long at times. Yumi's place is excellent and she deserves only great reviews! Pros: Food and Service Cons: Cozy atmosphere more

another spanglish place, expected japanese but seems chain place........ more

I immediately saw a familiar face behind the sushi counter. The tables and spaces were tight, definitely not kid friendly, casual atmosphere. The sushi was decent, certainly not the best but there are not many options at that location. I tried a little of everything, including the lobster roll that some claimed to be the best. Not quite. It was a mesh of many ingredients slapped together into a big roll that was difficult to stuff in your mouth in one bite. A bit mushy in texture for my taste. I'll stick to the sashimi if I'm ever in the area again. Slightly disappointed cause I was hoping to maybe find more authentic traditional Japanese food, but that's kind of rare in the Twin Cities. I""ll keep looking. Parking was a challenge. Pros: casual cozy Cons: too tight more

I've been to at least 12 different sushi bars in the Twin Cities and Yumi's is by far the best. The quality of the fish is consistently high, the selection is very broad, and the chefs are extremely creative and friendly. Yumi's is often better than top-rated sushi bars that I've dined at in San Francisco, Seattle, Miami, and New York. Service is very prompt and attentive. I've been there at least 30 times in the past year and have ALWAYS had a great experience. Be sure to try the specialty rolls, they are fantastic. If you like specific fish or combinations, just tell the chef and he'll create something special for you. more

Couple weeks ago we went there , Food was so-so but sushi chef was yelling at the people and it was very noise even sushiman drunk , kind of not my place to go there .... Pros: free food Cons: very laud place more

This is the best place on the West side to get Sushi. I recommend sitting at the bar. The Dining room is way to crowded. It is a very small place and you are sitting right on the other diners. This is not a place for romance are serious conversation. You can hear what everyone around you are saying. I was so excited to hear they were going to move to a larger facility, but that fell through. The plus side, is Billy. He is from Mongolia and speaks good English. If you get in good with him, he will make Maki that is not on the menu. One evening he made me a sushi salad. It was mixed greens with three types of Roe and for types of raw fish. It was excellent. Always order the special roll of the night. You will not be disappointed. Out of respect for everyone there, do not bring children. Not a good atmosphere for kids. Come early or late. It gets very crowded and there is no room to wait for a table. Pros: Very Good Sushi! Cons: Crowded Dining Area. Not meant for romance! more

I have been eating sushi since the late seventies, and I have been all over the world. Yumi's sushi is second to none. The fish is as fresh as anywhere I have ever eaten. The chef's need some work on their communication, but overall their skills were excellent. What I was most impressed with was a sever named Nathan. His knowledge was substancial, and he was warm and inviting. He made great recomdendations for both food and beverages. Overall Yumi's sushi bar is the best in Minnesota. Pros: Sevice and sushi are hand down the best in Minnesota!! Cons: Small restaurant, and limited parking more

A small sushi bar by lake Minnetonka in charming Excelsior Mn. Derfinitely worth the wait if you happen to get there later. Freshest sushi in the whole twin cities. Fresh faces, friendly chefs and servers. Imported saki you can't get anywhere else in this area. Specials created by the chef are ALWAYS excellent. Better than Sushi Tango, FujiYa, Ichiban. Very HIghly recommended. Pros: Very Fresh tasting, great service more

I was there last sunday and Yumi recommed me to sit at sushi bar . She said it's fun and better turns out Rudest customer service I have ever had. The sushi chef was very impatient and snappy when we asked simple questions like how big the portions were. Then we got our bill before our food even arrived. The food was okay, but nothing special. Not recommended if you like to be treated with respect. Cons: Horrible service and fake smile more

My friend and I went back to finally have omakase. This time they had our reservation, but we were mostly ignored by the chef. The quality of the fish was high, the art of sushi-making was average and in an american style (monster pieces). After almost 2 hours, we decided to ask for our bill . We had eaten 8 pieces of sushi each + shared 1 appetizer and were feeling hungry and annoyed...and then the bill came: $45 per person - such a ridiculous rip off. Cons: Total Rip Off more

The food was okay and we had no complaints, but it doesn't make up for a lackluster dining experience. The cook we had was okay ""don't know about fish"" and don't speak english, but the wait staff was pushy and impatient (We had about 2 minutes to eat our soups and salads before we had the waitress asking us if we were done) The restaurant is set up so that you can either eat sushi at the bar, or order meats that are cooked on a grill. The seating is such that you sit around with a bunch of strangers,no space around and we just so happened to be placed with a family containing two small children. I am okay with kids going out to dine with their parents, but I am not okay with a restaurant dispersing the children with regular adult patrons. I was annoyed that our conversation would have to be one that is suitable for little ears, and that everything that would be said would be heard by kids, not to mention, I am not going to pay 75 dollars for a dinner where I have to watch a 6 year old shove chopsticks up her nose. I don't know why this place would be recommended for a romantic dinner, because we could barely have an adult dinner as it was with the kids, and although kids are free to eat anywhere and that's fine, it was irresponsible of the restaurant and a bad judgment call to put familes and groups of adults together.I don't recommend it. Pros: Nice town Cons: Terrible Sushi Place more

I would avoid going to this place at all costs. They are doing very poorly in business and as a result have jacked up the prices and lowered the quality & quantity of the food. They are rude, disrespectful, and down right insulting towards their customers. The rolls were poorly made and appeared sloppy.I hope that very soon they go out of business. Pros: parking Cons: too small more

Yumi's is hands down the best sushi you can find in the twin cities. She has a dedicated staff, European seating and a great atmosphere. Parking is on the street and not an issue (unless you are there in the summer as it is next to Lake Minnetonka on main street). This is a must eat place. Pros: Pure eating enjoyment Cons: parking can get tough in the middle of summer becuase of Lake Mtka. more

Yumi's is a small place in Excelsior. The sushi is the best I have had in the twin citites. They have all the normal rolls, plus a lot of rolls you will not see anywhere else. We had a lobster strawberry roll that was execellent. There is limited seating, so be prepared to wait if it full. Pros: Best Sushi Cons: Location and size more