Yoshi Sushi

Slooooooooow service. Bland food. Enough said. I guess this is what folks around here considered to be a great sushi place.

Yoshi is, by far, the best sushi in the Albany area. The only negative is that it is quite busy and there is only one chef, Yoshi himself, so the wait can get a bit long. It is not cheap, but you should be afraid of sushi that is cheap.
Yoshi and his wife serve true, traditional sushi and sashimi. The rolls are rich with fish and are not corrupted by the sickly sweet, french-​dressing-​like blech that some newer places use to hide the fact that their fish is flavorless. Particularly noteworthy are Yoshi’s salmon (sake) and mackerel (saba). The saba is tender and flavorful, but not overpowering; my young children even enjoy it. The spicy salmon roll is also quite tasty, as is the Yoshi roll. And the toro. I’ll stop now.
The restaurant is small and in a rather dingy strip mall a few miles north of Albany. You would never just happen across the place. Being so small, it isn’t the best place to bring young children; they will get bored and you will have limited options to entertain them (although Ms. Yoshi always gives them a bit of Japanese candy which earns smiles). Take-​out is a great option.
I do wish Yoshi would expand a bit and hire some more help so that he could better serve even more people his great fish. I worry that he will retire with no heir to carry on his work.

This is my first review and I never feel the need to write anything but this time I’m annoyed. Not beating around the bush but it sucked. Spicy tuna roll is easy to make and is normally the cheapest thing on the menu in any sushi joint. This was 6.95 $ but I said to myself they might be a good size. Well they were no bigger than a quarter (25 cents). Same thing goes with the white fish just super tiny. Every roll was tiny and falling apart. Wasn’t happy about spending 16.95, safe to say I won’t be going back.

Ive been going to this place since i was about 17 and it never gets old! before all the chain sushi places popped up this was the only one in the area, the prices are still very good and portions are large. The owners are so friendly and the family all works there. they have a cute little retail area is super cute! i have a dish set from almost 10 years ago hand painted no chips. if you like suhi and your in latham check this place out

Hung up on me then when called back said was too busy to take orders or tell me daily specials. really disappointed looks good but service is everything

Two facts make it stand out:
1. It is run by Japanese people, which is a rare case;
2.The nigiri sushis are comparatively authentic, not some weird made up rice balls with avocado or jalapeño (it’s pathetic for the Americans to call those ‘sushi’).
That being said, the price isn’t cheap AT ALL! I ordered about 30 pieces, and it costs me $ 98.
But, what can I say, at least I found a place to eat decent sushi in the middle of nowhere (you bet! I’m talking about the capital region).

I love sushi, and have had it all over the world. The best sushi that I’ve ever had was Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. The second best sushi is right here at Yoshi’s. The third best was at Morimoto’s NYC. The fact that we have such a great sushi location right here in Albany is truly amazing, but to enjoy the experience there’s a couple things to keep in mind.
1. When I say «sushi», I mean nigiri sushi, a small pillow of rice with a piece of wasabi on it, covered by a piece of raw fish. This is the sushi that I had in Japan, as rolls are a Western food, and not a Japanese food. My wife and brother in law have ordered rolls here, and found the taste of the rolls much closer to sushi, with more fish, and less fillers and dressings, but I still prefer the sushi. I’ve also had their miso soup, crab and shrimp shumai, and a couple other items over the years, and all have been quite good.
2. Price is on the higher side, but that’s because good fish costs more. Each single piece of sushi is an average of $ 3. I can easily eat 20 pieces, which would run about $ 80 with tip and tax. However, I rarely do that here, as there’s places like Kuma Ani for gorging myself on sushi. Here, I savor each piece as I eat it, the flavors are clean and delicate, the texture perfect, there will be no bones in your unagi, the uni will taste the same as it did in Japan, the hamachi will be perfect every time. The size is quite generous as well.
3. Every piece of sushi is made by Yoshi. That means that every piece of sushi is perfect, but also that it takes time. There’s seating for about 30 people in the establishment. If every person order 10 pieces, that is 300 pieces. At even 1 minute per piece of sushi, that’s five hours! They’re open 11 AM — 9PM daily. Avoid being there 12 – 2 and 6 – 8, unless you have a couple of hours to sit, relax, and enjoy the complimentary tea. The hot items are prepared by his wife, and take minutes to come out, so you will not sit hungry. Much on the gyoza, shumai, soups, or whatever else your heart desires. One of my best experiences here, was with a friend, coming in half way between lunch and dinner. The place was practically empty, and we sat at the sushi bar. We asked Yoshi to just start making sushi for us, and giving them to us one at a time. There was no wait, as by the time we finished a piece, the next one was ready. We also were able to experience his selection, which was excellent.

If you’re into ambience, this isn’t the place for you. If you just want some good sushi, however — head on over! Yoshi Sushi is in a nondescript strip mall on a no-​frills stretch of Route 9, and the interior is as functional as the address. But you’re not there for looks, right? We got miso soup, tuna tataki (my favorite in the area), and a couple of rolls. The soup was perfect with a nice, rich broth, but it could have been a few degrees hotter (might have been chilled down by the bowls, which felt cold). Their tuna tataki is my favorite that I’ve had in the area yet — thick slices of tuna just barely seared on the outside, garnished with scallions, grated radish (I think), with a mound of super-​thin slices of cucumber in the middle and a swipe of hot chili sauce on each piece, all on top of ponzu sauce. Our two rolls were a yellowtail and a shrimp tempura. Both were fresh and tasty. We didn’t have any of the more ‘crazy’ rolls, since I like to keep them simple. All together, $ 33 before tip — a great deal for sushi for two, especially when it’s good!

Best sushi place in the area. Yoshi makes wonderful sushi. It’s always fresh and tastes great! He loves to throw in hidden pieces of wasabi, which is a surprise at first but you learn to love it. Sitting at the sushi bar is a lot of fun. It’s nice chatting with Yon and Yoshi too!

After searching around endlessly online for decent sushi in Albany, we finally settled on Yoshi after a recommendation from a colleague. The short review: come here if you want excellent sushi at a fair price; if you want anything else you should probably find another place. Oh, and bring your patience (but it’ll be worth it).
Upon walking in, my first impression of the place was pretty low… there was a bit of a funky odor, and the restaurant reminded me more of a deli counter. They seem to have excess stuff stacked everywhere, and it’s about as far as you can get from the sleek, modern sushi places in NYC. But, alas, we were seated right away and proceeded to place our order. The service was definitely spotty, and I was disappointed to realize I couldn’t order sake (my fault — I didn’t bother to look in advance). However, all failings were forgotten when the sushi came out. We ordered a variety of different pieces (about 12 different types), and everything was top notch — better than a number of places I’ve been to in Manhattan. Full flavored, fresh tasting and decently proportioned — simple, unadulterated and absolutely delicious raw fish on properly cooked rice.
I could easily see this being our go-​to sushi place even though there are many cheaper places closer to home.

Excellent food. Yoshi is an artist and the service is great. Easily the best place for sushi in the capital region and one of the best sushi restaurants that I have ever been to.

Best sushi I’ve ever had hands down. Very authentic. Also miso soup is probably the best miso soup I’ve ever had… they serve it right out of a crock pot. Everything I’ve had here is delicious. Also the spicy salmon roll and spicy tuna rolls are not some mushy concoction, real pieces of fish with a spicy sauce on the inside. If you want the real deal come here. Simply amazing.

To be fair I couldn’t review the food.
I stopped there for lunch after receiving a Unilocal message about the place. I stood at the door for about five minutes without anyone approaching me until the man at the sushi bar motioned me to sit at the bar.
I proceeded to review and complete the menu check list in front of me. It seemed like fairly standard fair.
After 15 minutes of sitting there without contact while the server walked around the room helping others, I decided to leave.
The place was a little grimy and there was seemed to be ash all over the bar. I swept it off to mark my menu. There were dirty place settings of dishes on both sides of me.
Because of the state of the restaurant and ignoring me, I have no motivation to return.

If you look up «no-​frills» in the dictionary, you’ll see that it’s defined as offering or providing only the most important or basic things: not fancy or luxurious. You may also see a picture of Yoshi Sushi.
Although my brother and I were the only ones in the restaurant, service was essentially nonexistent. We were served water once we were seated but never asked if we’d like anything else to drink, or what we wanted to eat for that matter. The menu, which contains a handful of appetizers but is otherwise entirely sushi, is a single sheet of paper on which you mark off what you’d like to eat before handing it to the chef. We ordered a couple lunch specials and a bamboo roll (eel, cucumber, avocado) to share.
At $ 8.99 for the lunch special, it’s significantly cheaper than the other sushi bars in the area. Lunch includes miso soup, salad, 4 pieces of sushi, and 8 pieces of roll. The soup and salad were tasty but nothing special, and the sushi, while fresh, was middle of the pack. I love eel so I was especially looking forward to the bamboo roll, but it missed the mark, failing to deliver on flavor. The standout for me was the shrimp, which was cooked nicely and super tender.
Despite being average in taste, at $ 8.99 you’ll be hard pressed to find a better deal for lunch. However, if you’re looking for outstanding service and exceptional sushi, there are other places to go.

I came here last night with my daughter to try this place out. You come here for sushi and nothing else. I like that! I do not want to peruse a menu the size of War and Peace, when all I want is sushi. This place is no frills as one reviewer put it. This operation is run by a husband and wife and you can see that they are hands on. All meals start with a bowl of their miso soup. It wasn’t bad but just a tad bit salty for me. We then shared 3 rolls, Rainbow, Avocado and Spicy Scallop. All three were good and tasted very fresh. One word of caution, the spicy rolls are definitely spicy, which I do like. They do not water down the hot sauce with mayo. I would have given this place 5 stars, but the service is slow. Once again it is only the husband and wife up front with a kitchen staff person helping with bussing the tables. In their defense the place was busy. I will definitely be back.

We have never lived in Latham, but will never order sushi from anywhere else. Yoshi is a no-​frills, delicious, and authentic experience. Without getting into too many details, here’s one key thing that sets it apart: the spicy tuna rolls. Every other sushi place I know gives you this pasty, chopped-​up tuna mixed with gross, creamy, not spicy mayo. Yoshi, on the other hand, gives you a delicious and fresh piece of whole fish with an awesome kick of real spice. No nasty mush here, just a piece of fish, spice, and rice. Boom — perfect spicy tuna roll.
Same goes for their Boston Roll, which uses real shrimp and authentic Japanese mayo. If he has it, ask for the smoked trout roll — it’s a real treat.

I’ve had sushi in Japan numerous times but as my home is here in the capital region, its hard to find quality sushi. Yoshi’s is my go-​to place. Now taking into consideration it’s only got two people on staff the service may be a little slow during lunch times. I now place my take out orders well in advance. The lunch special is only $ 8.99 and I dare you to find a better lunch for that price in Latham. Sushi, salad and soup. Minus one star for the lack of social skills compared to your typical Japanese restaurant (like in Japan where they greet you, say hello and literally thank you as you leave).

First. the setting is nice and cozy. I sat down during dinner hours it got a bit busy. It seems like a family restaurant add it looks like just the husband and wife running the place, I didn’t see noone else working.
When we got our plate, the presentation seems rushed but it doesn’t matter cause the taste was fresh! I ordered Uni but they didn’t have any, that was a bit disappointing.
Notice this guy came in for pick up that he called on the phone for and the order never went thru and ended up waiting a good 20 mins.

Ok here’s the deal. There seems to be a ton of sushi places opening up in the area. I have eaten at most. And they are all varying degrees of ok. But Yoshi’s is something special.
Fresh. So fresh. Yoshi knows what he is doing. Yes sometimes the rolls look a little rushed when being crafted but who cares since the taste and quality is exceptional. Plus Yoshi is the only sushi chef making every order. The miso soup is excellent. I know you may think so what right? Well of all the miso soups I have had from the area this one kills the rest. The nigiri is delicious and fresh. And with that hint of wasabi makes it exciting and authentic. The staff which is Yoshi and his wife are very nice and friendly. If going on the weekend be prepared to wait even after you have ordered. Remember Yoshi is the only chef preparing the sushi. But it gives you a chance to relax and enjoy your company. It’s well worth waiting given how good this place is. I can’t say enough good things about this place.

As for someone who had lived in NYC for over 15 years and spoiled with tons of real Japanese food there, plus 3 trips in Japan, it has been my mission to find real Japanese food after moving to Capital Region.
Finally this is the only place I found so far that the chef/​owner is Japanese. And right away I can tell the food is totally different. My first time there, I went with a big group. Yoshi prepared us a special homey dinner. It was such a treat. It was like I went to a small private party of a big Japanese family. I then was there many times later.
Lunch Special is also really special. Yoshi picks what in it himself. So it is different every lunch. I enjoy it very much.