Tell me about Yambuki

[mariezp]

I am thinking about taking the family to Yambuki on our next trip since we have never tried it. We all like chinese food (which I know would be different)and my son loves seafood so do you think we would like their choices as well? Is it a place kids would like? Do they do the cooking at any of the tables? I would love to hear some reviews!

 

[Wendi2000]

Oh, it's only my favorite restaurant in the entire Disneyland Resort!!! I will admit though that I haven't been there since the last menu change after a big refurb last year. It looks like my favorite dinner combos are no longer available so we are going to try it for lunch next week. I am looking forward to it and will give you a review when we get back. Have you ever had Japanese food? I absolutely love it! My son loves it too, and Yamabuki is also one of his favorite places to eat - he really likes the teriyaki chicken (but I'm sure he'd be much happier if it was salmon because that is his favorite food!) He just turned 6 and he's been eating sushi since he was probably 2 or 3! He's not a normal kid... he's never even tasted a Chicken McNugget, so your son may not enjoy the food as much if he is more into normal kid foods.

 

[din]

I am thinking about taking the family to Yambuki on our next trip since we have never tried it. We all like chinese food (which I know would be different)and my son loves seafood so do you think we would like their choices as well? Is it a place kids would like? Do they do the cooking at any of the tables? I would love to hear some reviews!

Been there a few times and cannot remember if we were after the refurbishment or not on our most recent visit.

It offers mostly typical japanese food that is found in most restaurants in the US. The sushi is also very standard fare. There are some items that is not on the menu but you have know what to ask for. I recall that there are some grilled fish on the menu and the standard tempura.

Sorry no tepanyaki and the only table side cooking is the hot pot dish called sabu-sabu. It is a hot pot (heat maintained using a portable stove) with a sides of veg and seafood or meat that you cook youself. Not really recomended if you have very young kids.

Hope this helps.

 

[dizzyami]

I honestly wouldn't recommend it with young kids (but you know yours better, and there are obviously exceptions) For us it was way too fancy and I was terrified we were going to break or hurt something. It was also extremely pricey - but I was also a bit too picky to eat off the menu. I absolutely love chinese food, but quickly realized that this was not the same stuff

 

[Chicago526]

Just got back from DLR yesterday, we ate at Yamabuki's on Wednesday night. VERY good food, it's the best sit-down restaurant at DLR, in my opinion. The sushi is quite good, as is their tempura. Japanese cuisine a bit different than Chinese, the flavors are different, but it's very good and if you like Chinese you should be fine. It's not a cheap meal, so if you're on a budget it may not be for you. I also would not recomend it for very young kids, but depending on how adventurous your kids are when it comes to food, I'd say 8 to 10 and up would enjoy it. Next to our table was a couple with what I would guess was a boy about 10, and he seemed to enjoy himself. Further down was a family with kids aged 6 and 4, and the kids seemed to fuss more, although they did quiet down once the food arrived.

 

[pixiewings71]

Another thing to keep in mind, if you don't think your kids will eat there feed them beforehand. We haven't eaten here yet but we love Japanese food......IMO tepanyaki=tepanYUMI! LOL

 

[SILLYANDI]

Our family, including our 4 kids LOVE Japanese Food, especially Sushi.
We went just after the refurbishment in July and I was not impressed. The service was OK, and the sushi was OK- honestly we could get better quality sushi (and food in general) for a much better price closer to home. My husband tried to order a beer from their menu and the server said they don't carry that brand (it was not only listed but PICTURED) in the menu. We did that with about 3 different drinks, 4 menu items and then finally gave up and asked what the do actually carry.
I guess if you have never been to a Japanese restuarant it would be a good experience, but if you eat Japanese regularly it will be a disappointment.

 

[heatherleigh]

I loved this place. I would check out their menu online. I believe I saw it somewhere when I was researching it. They had the best CA rolls too. I went back for take out twice. They were so fresh (couldn't try any other sushi because I'm pregnant.) The CA rolls are $10 for an order. I came across an old receipt from there yesterday in my backpack. My 17-month old ate some of the noodles from the soup. They have a kids menu too, I think.

 

[audrabolster]

Where is this place?

 

[bumbershoot]

Paradise Pier Hotel

 

[Wendi2000]

We had lunch there yesterday. We got there at 11:40 for a 12:00 PS. There was only one other table seated when we arrived. A few others came soon after, but not more than 10 tables during our meal (totally expected for a hotel restaurant at lunchtime... especially one that far from the parks). It took us about 25 minutes to get our food, I thought it was a bit long... but it was sooooo delicious that I soon forgot how long it took. Max ordered the kid's Chicken Teriyaki - which is what he has always ordered in the past for dinner. This time it was a little Bento Box with two very skimpy skewers of chicken (used to be a larger piece all sliced up), rice, orange slices and a strawberry cut in half, and edamame. This is one of the more expensive kid's meals in the whole resort, and I really think they should give the kids a little more chicken, I also think they should offer a choice between salmon or chicken.

One thing I did NOT like was that our server asked Max what he wanted to drink - Max asked for Chocolate Milk - then the server asked Max if he wanted it in a "Special Pirate cup with a light up Captain Hook"!!! Hello??? You are offering something to my 6-year-old (that he will OF COURSE want) and that is an additional $5 that mom has to fork out (not that I HAD to, but come on!!!) I think it is fantastic to offer these items, but it is enough to have them displayed at the hostess podium, and I wouldn't even mind if the server had discretely asked ME if I wanted to purchase it before offering it to my little boy.

I had the Bento Box lunch - I can't remember the name of it at the moment, but it was FANTASTIC!!! I wish it was bigger... not that I needed to eat more, but I sure would have because it was soooooo good! It had Salmon Teriyaki (Max ate half of it to supplement his skimpy chicken skewers - plus he LOVES salmon), Rice, Tempura, and Eggplant (the only time I ever like it is this particular Japanese preparation). I wish it came with Miso soup... I love Miso, I should've thought to order some, but I just didn't think of it.

All in all, it was a terrific meal. It was cheaper than dinner - my lunch was $20. I used to order a combo meal at dinner called Yamabuki Zen, it was fabulous, and seriously expensive... but it was a really divine meal with several courses and a bento box. They don't have it anymore, so I opted for lunch instead since I saw this combo on the menu and it looked appealing to me. I will certainly go back again... probably every trip!