Sushi Yama - Tampa

They would think that a food-all-you-can sushi buffet that works without a buffet table would not be so efficient because they need personal to go back and forth several times per table when there is an additional order. No, this place was over everything. the staff was very attentive, server fast and ordering were within 5 minutes. they even noticed that I used up a lot of washabi and gave me a separate small dish for it (without asking for something). the deal is ridiculously good when she was a fan of sashimi (which I am), so I had a few special roles and about 10 pieces sashimi. sushi was great, sashimi slices were good and thick. I'm a big fan, we're coming back.

Came to the Tampa region for a small road trip. we are in a hotel super near sushi yama and after our trip it went 9:36PM when we came to the host, asked us what a menu we wanted. we asked what there is and he said there is a regular menu and an all-you-can-eat menu, then continued to tell us the all-you-can-eat already ended at 9:30 o'clock. we were confused, why he even asked if that was the case. we go to our table, very cold inside, but beautifully decorated and lively. we sit and our drink and food order is accepted. we notice that the menu prices are incredibly reasonable and there is also a beautiful variety for vegetarians. our eating begins, a thing to a time instead of apps first and then cures. that means that some people end their meal before others. we were never told that was served. the soy sauce was not filled and we had no utensils (only a lot of chiffeln and we had a child with us who needed a fork) but our server never came back until after eating. I had to remove another empty table and ask a few minutes later a food runner for a fork. our child sat there for 15 minutes without eating because we were never looked after. no beverage refills have been offered, because we have never been checked. As for eating, we ordered: edamame, side of white rice, kani, tamago, boston roll, caterpillar roll, oshinko roll, sweet potato roll and the garden roll. the highlights were the tamago, the sweet potato roll and the caterpillar roll. eating came quite fast, but again a teller at a time, seemed fresh and the tellers were beautifully decorated. but the garden rolls were too big and hard to chew not only because of the size, but also because it was all nice, so it was dry. everything else was quite normal/ordinary. our server came back at 10:10 and asked us if we wanted something else. we wanted to order another roll and then she told us the kitchen already closed. Why do they ask us if we need anything else? Why don't they ask us if we wanted something else before the kitchen is closed? some facilities serve until closing the time that is 10:30 clock, we would not know if the kitchen closed before so that a server should say something before the time. with all our food and 3 drinks came the total amount to around $47, which is reasonably expensive. All-in-all based on the service and experience alone, I wouldn't come back. the sushi was not good enough that I would give this device more of my money for such an inconspicuous service.

Everything you can eat for $30. I can't beat that. the food we had was delicious, and we went with full ****. will definitely be back. friendly service!

TL;DR- Went in for All-You-Can-Eat Sushi, and it was what anyone would expect: a great deal on a lot of alright food. Have passed this place often on my daily commute, but was the first time I actually went in to eat. Ordered the All-You-Can-Eat Sushi Buffet for $16.95, at the time of this review. There was a lot I ordered to try out, but I'll give you the stand-outs, good bad. GOOD: Snow Krab Salad- Not too much mayo, light, tasty with some tempura bits Eel- Well-cooked, savory, sweet, satisfying Smoked Salmon Nigiri- Slightly salty, tasty Bean Curd (Inari) Nigiri- Sweet, juicy fried tofu skins over rice. Tasty. Pepper Tuna- The Tuna Tataki's better cousin, comes with a light peppery kick White Tuna- Savory, soft, slightly salty, tasty. BAD: Red Snapper- Lukewarm, weird texture, not pleasant in taste. Tuna- FISHY TO THE MAX. The fishy aroma permeates even in the taste, NOT good. Avoid. Tuna Tataki- FISHY AGAIN. Too much soy sauce, can't taste anything except for it. Fishy aroma and taste. Avoid. Crawfish Roll- Not particularly bad, but just not enjoyable. Crawfish chewy, tempura bits are not a welcome texture. Based on this lunch deal alone, it's not bad. Good, but not great. Stop by if you want to feel full and fill a passing craving for sushi.

I came here without realizing it was a buffet. Technically it's not called a buffet because you don't get up and serve yourself, but it's essentially the same. You have unlimited food for $26/per person, just have to order it through the waiter. Also, if you order too much and don't eat it then they charge you a fee. What's nice about it though is that the portions are small, so it's hard to over order. Pros: friendly staff plenty of parking unlimited food Cons: food is average: clear soup didn't have flavor calamari over cooked Snow White roll was good harumaki/pot stickers was average cucumber salad was good they charge if you don't finish your food Overall experience was pleasant, but I come mainly for the food and it was average. However, I guess I can't complain since it's a buffet and they can't have the best quality with unlimited orders.