Yama Cafe

This is a darling little Japanese cafe with bowls, breakfast sets, desserts and various teas and coffees. It is a bit of a wait for the food but it is worth it. The tuna tataki bowl was delicate yet so flavourful. The almost silky black sesame latte just warms your soul on a rainy day. Excellent meal, friendly service in peaceful, rustic surroundings.

the food was good, dunno about the drinks but i heard good things about the drinks too. staff were nice

Yama is a nice and small Japanese café along the East Hastings neighborhood. It's a gem for this area. It's nice and quiet. Soft music plays in the background.

This is a family run business. They have kids that are around as the family works. It's incredible that the father works while carrying his son on his back.

Yama has been around for a couple of years now. The food is very good. And the staff isn't slow in preparing for the dishes either. It's a reasonable amount of time considering that it's only 1-2 people making the food for their customers. It does get pretty busy at the restaurant especially during the weekends. They're not good for large groups coming in (10+). This is a place for small groups 3-4 people. Ideally for 2 people at a time.

We ordered the Grilled Fish Set. It was actually surprisingly enough and we were full when we finished everything in the set. The other dish we ordered was the Pork Belly. That was great as well. The Pork Belly was tender and flavor-able! Nice and tasty!!

The ambiance was nice and light. Lots of Japanese decor. It's a nice and gentle environment. Nothing too overbearing.

We taking can be hard to find around the area. Not much else to say here. There is a few spots in front of the restaurant. Other than that. You'd have to walk quite a ways if you can't find a parking spot closer to Yama.

Price wise it's a little expensive. We ordered two drinks, a kids set meal, two set adult meals for $55 after this and tax. That's not cheap. We don't come here too often but when we do the food doesn't disappoint that's for sure. We don't mind paying for the price every now and again. But definitely jot something regularly. Too expensive. But every once in a while? Sure!

My breakdown:
Food 4/5
Ambiance 4/5
Location 3/5
Price 3/5
Service 4/5

Lovely cafe run by a Japanese family. Very authentic and brought me back to my days in Japan! You can tell all the food is prepared with care. If you get a chance to try their specials, go for it! The kaisen don I had here was amazingly fresh and better than most sushi restaurants I've been to in Vancouver.

The place is family friendly and the owners' two sons run about the place with a play area in the cafe. This may not appeal to people who don't like kids. I thought it added to the charm of this family-run place. Totally worth going out of my way for a visit!

Wasn't really feeling this place. She front entrance has a child's gate that's locked making it difficult to enter the restaurant and confusing as well. The menu items are also slightly expensive for the portions that you're getting, the food was all right. Overall to lunch items and one drink came to about $30 sightly on the high-end for a place that is more casual. People with kids would love this place it is kid friendly