My husband and I went to Yasu about a week ago. It's the first Japanese restaurant we've tried since we moved to Phoenix about a month ago - we decided to go based on the stellar Yelp reviews and were definitely not disappointed. I can't give Yasu all five stars because some of the hot dishes we tried were not as flavorful as we had hoped (based on the reviews and the prices!), but we found the sushi and other fish dishes to be really fresh and flavorful, the service to be attentive, and the overall vibe to be trendy but laid-back. We started with two rolls - Spicy Yellowtail (~$7) and the Phoenix (shrimp tempura) (~$9) - which were both perfect. The rice was the right consistency (not too sticky or soggy) and the fish was fresher than most we've had in California, let alone the desert. At the recommendation of our server, we tried the octopus carpaccio, one of the daily specials, and fell in love. The octopus was sweet and tender and topped with a delicious sauce and sliced jalapenos. Next, another special (the miso eggplant) arrived and it was amazing - tender with a sweet and incredibly flavorful brown sauce. Up until this point, we were in love with everything about our Yasu experience. The next two dishes were a little disappointing. The rib-eye steak that everyone raved about was pretty much just that - rib-eye steak. It wasn't that tender and it didn't have much flavor besides that of the grill. The dipping sauces were good but didn't really make up for how inherently standard the steak tasted. The shrimp fondue dish was also disappointing - it was basically just shrimp covered in batter that you dipped in boiling sweet and sour sauce. The shrimp tasted frozen and the whole dish just felt a little forced. However, these two dishes aside, we loved Yasu for the fresh sushi (which is probably harder to find that good Asian-inspired steak), the amazing octopus and eggplant, and the good service. We would definitely go back.
places reviews