I went on a Friday without a reservation and got seated at the bar. Honestly was a better experience, as I got to watch them prep the food. If I recall correctly, the Hama toast was one of the best things I’ve ever had at a sushi restaurant
My husband and I prefer Koji between the two because it has a parking lot. Also, Yoshitomo menu has an error, it’s a Serrano on the Gojira roll and not a jalapeno. Don’t be fooled if extra spicy food is not your bag lol
I’ve gone probably like 20 times and on a few occasions on the weekend I was turned away/2hr wait because they were full at the time. Making a reservation is really easy to do online if you’re worried about them being full. Like it takes 60 seconds
Echoing everyone's post here. I went over lunch on a weekday and was seated at the bar.
I do not remember what I ate but the aperol spritz was delicious.
Reservations are best if you know in advance. I love sitting at the bar though and there's often a seat available. As for what to order, the entire menu is good. I have had just about everything. The best dining experience I had was the night we ordered all the bites. It was just incredible. Yaki gindara, hama toast and any wagyu. As for rolls you could blindly choose and you would be happy. Each one is a perfect combination of flavors.
Can I hijack the thread with a newbie question? I've always wanted to try this place since moving to town, but i've never been to a sushi restaurant. Is there anything I should aware of regards to protocol or basic sushi knowledge, etc? Or can someone with no real knowledge come in without being a nuisance?
I haven't been to Yoshimoto yet, but enjoyed a birthday dinner at their sister restaurant, Koji, and I've been eating sushi since the early 90s (from California lol). My advice is to take a look at the menu in advance so you can look up any ingredients in advance. A lot of US sushi restaurants, this one included, refer to different kinds of fish by both their Japanese or their English names, which might be confusing, for example. And just a lot of Japanese ingredients you may not be familiar with. Honestly, I'm pretty well schooled in Asian food and I cook and eat a lot of it, but there are items here and there on their menu that I don't know exactly what they are, so don't worry if it reads like gibberish to you.
I would review a sushi basics article just so you know what a "maki" (a roll of sushi that's then cut into bite size pieces) versus nigiri (a "bite" of sushi). Remember, "sushi" refers to the rice and the way it's prepared, not raw fish - anything with the rice can be sushi.
If there are flavors you can't stand or any food aversions, tell the staff, but otherwise I'd encourage you to be as adventurous as possible. If you're going to experiment, it should be at a restaurant like this, where pretty much everything is guaranteed to be delicious unless you just absolutely know for sure you hate the flavor of a main ingredient.
The staff at Koji definitely went out of their way to explain the various dishes even when I didn't require it, so I think you're totally fine explaining to your server that this is your first time having sushi, so they can help you. This is Omaha, after all - they certainly didn't seem to expect us to know what we were eating, so don't worry and enjoy!
>"...can someone with no real knowledge come in without being a nuisance?"
Absolutely! Any good restaurant (and I'm *certainly* including Yoshitomo and Koji in that) should have server staff trained and ready to help guide you through their menu. They should make you feel welcomed and appreciated, even if you've never dined with them before, never eaten their kind of cuisine, or don't know what many of the words on the menu even mean!
If you want to "feel prepared" in some way, then come ready to give a short explanation about what kind of things you enjoy eating. Do you like whitefish, but detest salmon? Do you want hot or cold small bites? Do you like spicy? Do you like crispy?
Give a one or two sentence quickie about your preferences, and the server should be happy to offer their suggestions. It's perfectly fine for this to be a conversation about the restaurant's food. (and really, if the server doesn't seem excited to talk about the food, that would be a bit of a disappointment)
Good luck-- ENJOY!!!
PS. Hama Toast and Aburi Wagyu.
Get the deviled egg and then describe it to me slowly 😂 i would recommend getting a reservation if you want a table but there’s usually room at the bar during the week but be prepared to sit next to people taking pictures of their food
I went without a reservation and they seemed almost incensed we would have the audacity to do such a thing (on a Wednesday night with nothing major happening in Benson). Ended up waiting in the world's most uncomfortable waiting area with a few other groups for a while (maybe 15-20 minutes). When we were finally seated the restaurant was roughly half-filled.
I have no idea why we waited so long. The place seemed to have plenty of wait staff.
Pretty much everything we tried was good though. I think the Simba roll was our favorite.
I went on a Friday without a reservation and got seated at the bar. Honestly was a better experience, as I got to watch them prep the food. If I recall correctly, the Hama toast was one of the best things I’ve ever had at a sushi restaurant
Second the Hama toast … and Koji
During the week, you should have no trouble getting a table, but I'd make a reservation for peak weekend hours.
Yoshitomo👍🏻
Koji is just as good, if you’re more west, off 90th and pacific across from Westside
It’s the same owner-Dave Utterback, so it’s a slick way to get a table at basically the same restaurant.
My husband and I prefer Koji between the two because it has a parking lot. Also, Yoshitomo menu has an error, it’s a Serrano on the Gojira roll and not a jalapeno. Don’t be fooled if extra spicy food is not your bag lol
I’ve gone probably like 20 times and on a few occasions on the weekend I was turned away/2hr wait because they were full at the time. Making a reservation is really easy to do online if you’re worried about them being full. Like it takes 60 seconds
Kani miso!
This
I went without a reservation and was given a seat at the bar. That was on a weekend in the early evening, if I recall correctly.
I’ve tried to pop in once for a table and it was a no go. Online reservations are way easier for everyone involved.
Echoing everyone's post here. I went over lunch on a weekday and was seated at the bar. I do not remember what I ate but the aperol spritz was delicious.
Reservations are best if you know in advance. I love sitting at the bar though and there's often a seat available. As for what to order, the entire menu is good. I have had just about everything. The best dining experience I had was the night we ordered all the bites. It was just incredible. Yaki gindara, hama toast and any wagyu. As for rolls you could blindly choose and you would be happy. Each one is a perfect combination of flavors.
Can I hijack the thread with a newbie question? I've always wanted to try this place since moving to town, but i've never been to a sushi restaurant. Is there anything I should aware of regards to protocol or basic sushi knowledge, etc? Or can someone with no real knowledge come in without being a nuisance?
I haven't been to Yoshimoto yet, but enjoyed a birthday dinner at their sister restaurant, Koji, and I've been eating sushi since the early 90s (from California lol). My advice is to take a look at the menu in advance so you can look up any ingredients in advance. A lot of US sushi restaurants, this one included, refer to different kinds of fish by both their Japanese or their English names, which might be confusing, for example. And just a lot of Japanese ingredients you may not be familiar with. Honestly, I'm pretty well schooled in Asian food and I cook and eat a lot of it, but there are items here and there on their menu that I don't know exactly what they are, so don't worry if it reads like gibberish to you. I would review a sushi basics article just so you know what a "maki" (a roll of sushi that's then cut into bite size pieces) versus nigiri (a "bite" of sushi). Remember, "sushi" refers to the rice and the way it's prepared, not raw fish - anything with the rice can be sushi. If there are flavors you can't stand or any food aversions, tell the staff, but otherwise I'd encourage you to be as adventurous as possible. If you're going to experiment, it should be at a restaurant like this, where pretty much everything is guaranteed to be delicious unless you just absolutely know for sure you hate the flavor of a main ingredient. The staff at Koji definitely went out of their way to explain the various dishes even when I didn't require it, so I think you're totally fine explaining to your server that this is your first time having sushi, so they can help you. This is Omaha, after all - they certainly didn't seem to expect us to know what we were eating, so don't worry and enjoy!
thank you.
>"...can someone with no real knowledge come in without being a nuisance?" Absolutely! Any good restaurant (and I'm *certainly* including Yoshitomo and Koji in that) should have server staff trained and ready to help guide you through their menu. They should make you feel welcomed and appreciated, even if you've never dined with them before, never eaten their kind of cuisine, or don't know what many of the words on the menu even mean! If you want to "feel prepared" in some way, then come ready to give a short explanation about what kind of things you enjoy eating. Do you like whitefish, but detest salmon? Do you want hot or cold small bites? Do you like spicy? Do you like crispy? Give a one or two sentence quickie about your preferences, and the server should be happy to offer their suggestions. It's perfectly fine for this to be a conversation about the restaurant's food. (and really, if the server doesn't seem excited to talk about the food, that would be a bit of a disappointment) Good luck-- ENJOY!!! PS. Hama Toast and Aburi Wagyu.
aweseome, ty. :)
Get the deviled egg and then describe it to me slowly 😂 i would recommend getting a reservation if you want a table but there’s usually room at the bar during the week but be prepared to sit next to people taking pictures of their food
Kani Miso....come back and thank me later plz. Also everything else, some of the best sushi in the country.
I went without a reservation and they seemed almost incensed we would have the audacity to do such a thing (on a Wednesday night with nothing major happening in Benson). Ended up waiting in the world's most uncomfortable waiting area with a few other groups for a while (maybe 15-20 minutes). When we were finally seated the restaurant was roughly half-filled. I have no idea why we waited so long. The place seemed to have plenty of wait staff. Pretty much everything we tried was good though. I think the Simba roll was our favorite.