Yen Sushi & Sake Bar

One of the better sushi spots in the north west valley. The quality and taste are consistent along with the service. I love the green tea and recommend the tempura salmon roll, spicy tuna, and Vegas roll… just a couple of my favorites

I have been getting sushi from yen for years, however the service continues to lack basic skills in being attentive and polite to the customers. It is surprising that even with servers changing over time that the customer service still fails in my opinion. The sushi on the other hand is good and fresh.

Really enjoyed their Sushi. Went here last weekend and got Sushi to-​go. I like the décor of the restaurant, it’s dark and is actually updated and looks modern.
I had a California roll, crunch roll, & a Rock N Roll. (I’m no sushi expert, I just like the simple sushi rolls) They were really good no complaints there. Good service from the hostess and didn’t take long at all.
My only complaint is that the rolls seemed a little overpriced, but I wasn’t there during Happy Hour time so maybe they are cheaper then.

This place is in a strip mall. It has an OK ambiance. The Miso soup we ordered came to us Luke warm to cold, not good. We ordered the salmon scallop roll which was not so good and the rattlesnake roll which was much better. The service was OK, however the sushi chef kept having to flag down the server when the food was ready, kind of like the server just didn’t care about us but rather the big screen TV with the football game on.
I don’t think we will be going back, this is a good place but lacks the appeal for us.

I’m updating my review to 4 out of 5.
I’m docking off 1 star because the sushi isn’t great here. Sad, but true. The quality of the fish isn’t to my standards for a restaurant to have the word ‘sushi’ in its name. It’s edible, but not good quality. The uni (sea urchin) is probably the only thing that’s legit.
HOWEVER, they aren’t stingy on how much they give. Nice decent thickness to their fish, piled on uni on the uni sushi, etc.
Their cooked foods are pretty darn good! BIG FAN of the lunch menu… esp. the BBQ ribs. It’s soo tasty and only around $ 8 – 9 during lunch! It comes with two vegetable tempura and dip, 4 pieces of sushi roll (I picked spicy tuna, but you can choose California roll), salad, a little rice, BBQ ribs, and miso soup. Great deal for this tasty dish!
I will be back.

I thought that the sushi was just ok. There are other options within several miles that are much better. One of the most impressive things about the food, was the truly lovely presentation. The servers were skilled and the happy hour was a very good deal so coming to here certainly isn’t a waste, however there is tastier sushi in Phoenix.

This place was Awesome from the sushi itself to the friendly and prompt service. We tried the Sunset roll, rattlesnake as well as eel and tuna nigiri. All Amazing.
The Cosmo I ordered was good but not traditionally made. Seem like it had soju or sake in it. We finished with the chocolate caramel which was the chocolate mousse pyramid and it was great too. Must try this great sushi restaurant! Next time we plan to hit the happy hour time. 3−5pm or 8-​close.

The service here is horrid. Every time we come, they are slow to get your order and it’s at least a 15 min wait before they pick the check up and then another 5 min before you get your card back.

We went back the second time around it was just as good as the first. We had the stuffed jalapeño and some other sushi haut wanted to share some pics.

Was greeted with smiles, everyone was cool with the fact I was on a date with myself. The food was good and it was affordable. Smiles all around :-)

Yen Sushi has top notch service and has maintained high quality food with lots of authentic options. It still remains my favorite place in town after all these years.

I have tried many sushi places in Arizona and every time I regret that I did not just come to Yen.
They have the best happy hour. Beautiful interior, wonderful warm atmosphere with that pleasant noisy burble you want from a sushi place.
They somewhat recently added an addition to make it larger. Awesome and it is still always packed.
The fish is the best quality I’ve found so far. Nice pink salmon, deeply pink-​red tuna. Rice is perfect. Lots of selection and always excellent service.
This is the place to go.
Love love LOVE Yen.

Pros:
— the sweet water eel Chirashi was a true delicacy. The eel was very fresh and impeccably prepared with just the right amount of sauce.
— 911 rolls were OK
— impeccable service
Cons:
— weird mall location, somewhat hidden/​hard to find

Yen Sushi is a cute little mom and pop sushi joint. I came with my family for a quick bite of lunch. Overall, decors were modern Japanese with some nice artwork hanging from the walls. The place was pretty dark, but I gather they were shooting for cool modern sushi bar look.
My cousin ordered their shrimp udon noodles and my brother-​in-​law and I shot for their Bento box; he got the short ribs and me I got the spicy pork. Along with the Bento came miso soup, steamed rice, tempura vegetables, Japanese salad, and some spicy tuna roll. Everything was pretty much basic as for the spicy pork; definitely could have used a little more kick to it. My brother-in-law’s short rib was probably a better bet. We both felt it had more flavors than the pork. My cousin said her udon noodles were good at best.
In the end, Yen Sushi looks like a little hot spot for patrons close by. I think overall it’s good enough, but Bento box for $ 9 is not a bad deal at all! Based on what I’ve heard the sushi here is great so next we shall come by together and see! — Enjoy!

We go there for date night and ask to sit outside. They take our ID away to make sure we «don’t dash and run». That’s classy!!!
Then we order a roll at full price, not at happy hour, and I ask to remove the mayo because of my dairy allergy and the waitress says she will charge me $ 2 more to put crab sticks (whatever that is) instead of mixed crab with mayo. So I said just remove it and sub with salmon which was in the roll as a second ingredient. She said «no we don’t do substitutions. We can replace with cucumbers «. I’m sorry but that is the worst service ever. It’s not the $ 2, it’s the principle. Never going there again!
And the servings our tiny. We got the tuna roll and for $ 6 it was so small it could fit up my nostril!

If you go here, go there during happy hour, which ends at 5pm (not sure when it starts). They have a nice selection of rolls and appetizers which is nice.
If you are looking to be served like you would in a western restaurant, think again. Remember that this is an Asian restaurant where they want to take care of you, yes, but they will not be nearly as personal as you would find, say, at a Carrabba’s or Benihana’s. They get your order, talk fast, and get to work.
The soda here is not by the tap, but by the can. After the second refill, you have to pay for another soda. Again, that is the asian style of doing the restaurant business.
The sushi really was ok, but the environment is what hurt it for me. This is not the place to have a nice, sweet date. The walls echo every sound and I was frustrated by some customers that didn’t mind being quite loud in the restaurant. They really weren’t being too considerate of the people around them and I have a feeling this is standard for this place. They do not attract the most professional customers, but customers that you mighty find in a place a step above subway.
The bar itself looked really nice, though. I will give it that.
The only reason for the two stars is simply because I was expecting a nice, comfortable place to have a date, and enjoy quality service. The food was good, but the overall experience of being there and trying to actually enjoy everything… well, it wasn’t there for me.
I don’t like leaving reviews like this, but that’s that. I know this place would be perfect for others, though. It is good sushi and you can get it quick.

My husband and I just arrived to Phoenix and wanted to find a sushi place. We were shocked that we were able to find something on a Sunday afternoon at 1:00pm. We did a Unilocal search and found Yen Sushi & Sake Bar.
We walked in, we were nicely greeted and got seated right away: We got the following:
Shrimp Tempura — We actually got two orders, because it was so good. The breading was thin and the shrimp was pretty big.
Spicy Tuna over Crispy Rice — So good! That’s all I can say.
Spicy Tataki Roll — I love the marinated onion on the roll. They don’t skimp on the fish.
Yellowtail Sushi — My husband was definitely a fan.
Tuna Sushi — Loved it.
Spicy scallop hand roll — The best!
911 roll — It was good, I probably could have done without it. It was kind of plain so I the soy sauce and wasabi made up for it.
When I’m in Phoenix next time, I will definitely go here.

I have found our sushi joint. Sapporo, Ah-​So and all those crappy wannabe Japanese places in Scottsdale has NOTHING on this place. This is a hidden gem.
My husband and I came here on our anniversary which happened to be on Easter. We came during dinner time and thought it was going to be a full house. It was busy, but not full. Lucky us!
We were seated promptly by our female server. She was very nice and helpful! I was very indecisive because almost everything on the menu sounded delicious! Anyway, we started off with Hana Sake raspberry flavor. It was definitely delicious. My appetizer came first and it was quick! I ordered the octopus salad and husband had the baked mussels. I LOVED both appetizers. I’m very picky about tako salads too! Portion was great and they were each both under $ 10! I requested my salad to be spicy and the chef made the spiciness up to my level. Bravo!
We shared sushi roll plate. It was the crunchy scallop roll with 2 spicy octopus sushi. Both were delicious as well. With the crunchy scallop, you get extra scallops on the side! Idk what sauce they used but it was godsend. Seriously. My taste buds level went over 9000. Hubby actually wanted to order the sea urchin sushi but they ran out that night. No biggie, we were full as heck anyway. Especially with that chocolate pyramid mousse with caramel.
While we were dining, one of the servers dropped a plate by the customer. Hey, things happen. It’s life ya know? What surprises me is that the owner (I believe) immediately cleaned up and was very apologetic. They handled it well, unlike many places I go to. The atmosphere was VERY clean to a T. When you enter it’s a bit cramped but the seating isn’t.
We also tipped the sushi chefs on top of our server despite not sitting at the sushi bar. They worked hard and we were more than pleased with our food. Thank you guys! We highly recommend this place!

This is my go to sushi spot when I don’t want to spend a fancy amount on getting my sushi fix. The hot sake isn’t the greatest but it’s good enough! I have never had any complaints about their food or service.
This location used to be a very small room, but they have gotten so busy that they were able to buy our the location next to them and expanded out. Perfect!
This place is Korean owned. It’s always busy, but never too busy, and they have outside seating. The service is great and always very friendly. They have their own specialty rolls, and I love them all so I recommend trying them out. Nope, not just one. All! Always clean, restrooms are always clean, and the restaurant never smells like bad fish. If you’re looking for a good, laid back sushi local sushi place. This is a good one!

The staff here themselves make Yen such a great place to eat!
For saucy, mixture of fix in’s in your sushi type of rolls, this is the place. Got two rolls here to share– Caterpillar and Unagi (I believe) and Shrimp Tempura.
The caterpillar rolls was good, fresh avocado and almost melt in your mouth. It was that good. The unagi was good, flavorful, fresh and moist, though it had too much sauce at some points.
The service was great. Loved seeing the sushi chefs at work, the server helping us– who spoke Korean was such a delight and probably the happiest waiter I’ve ever came across! I was a waitress before and I don’t think I had that much energy– ever.
I need to come back to check out their sashimi and nigiri because the pics look amazing!