I was on vacation with a group of 9 people. We chose Yellowtail as the place to have our formal dinner as a group.
Upon arrival, you are able to see that the restaurant is very well decorated and the fixtures and furniture are amazing (of course nothing less would be accepted at the Bellagio)! They sat us at a round table that we all appreciated. However you weren't able to focus on the atmosphere because the hip-hop dance music was playing so loud it was difficult to even talk to the person next to you. (now don't get me wrong - we went clubbing after dinner and hip-hop dance is what were after that nite but with a 5 star level of service the music was really contradictory to the atmosphere). It was also very dark - almost so much so that it was hard to read the menu.
We were greeted promptly and presented with the wine and saki menu. They have no warm saki so I chose a cold saki that they were out of. The sommelier was sent over to make other recommendations but it was just as though she was reading from the saki menu, not really making any suggestions or asking me what I had in mind. Therefore on my third try for a drink I opted for a cocktail, but other members of my party got sparkling saki that they enjoyed.
Our server was prompt and seemed very knowledgeable. He made great recommendations, many of which we tried. This is not your typical sushi roll restaurant! They had the best albacore tuna and yellowtail sashimi that I have ever eaten (and I have eaten sashimi all over the world). Other members of my party enjoyed the spicy tuna snapping roll - I recommend you try it! The cucumber salad was heavenly with a sesame dresssing. The espresso was wonderful at the end of meal with dessert!
I felt as though I was constantly being bombarded with an arm in my face by the staff as they were rushing to get straw and chopstick wrappers out of the way because we were being rushed onto the next course of our meal. Even though we made it clear to our server that we were not going to be sharing, the style of the food service was to be enjoyed by the group and the food was ""auctioned off"" at the table - this was not pleasing when you are trying to carry on conversation and you are constantly interrupted by: ""Who had the..."". If I wanted lunch counter service, I would have gone to a deli.
The prices for each dish were very much based on quality and not quantity. Some members of our party actually left hungry (and no one was on a budget).
The view that this restaurant boasts about is not as you would hope for. Unless you are a small party of two sitting directly in front of one of the window/doors then all you are able to see is bursts of water periodically. You are able to enjoy the fountain show much more from outside.
Overall this experience was slightly pleasurable and never forgettable, the food was excellent in quality and flavor, average in presentation. We probably won't eat there again and most likely won't recomme
Pros: Clean, professional, beautifully decorated
Cons: Crowded, extremely loud music
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