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After my trip to Oahu, I thought I could never find sushi that measured up to the fresh fish in Hawaii but this has changed.
Today, I’m joyous to write about my newest find: Yama Seafood, located in the San Gabriel Valley. Just when you thought LA couldn’t be more diverse, this area in East Los Angeles, south of Pasadena, has a mostly Asian-American population. The last time I ventured into this area was over a year ago when I went to some random restaurant. I was the only Western person dining there sticking out like a sore thumb. It’s no wonder because according to recent data, the Asian American population in this area has surpassed the Caucasians. To convince you of this immigrant community phenomenon, Google “Asians San Gabriel Valley” and you will see the headline “More Asians live in Calif. San Gabriel Valley than 42 states”. I was also astounded when I found out last year that Long Beach has the 4thlargest Italian-American population in the country. Without a doubt, LA is exceptionally one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse cities in the world.
Yama Seafood is a small Japanese supermarket. Based on the simple and unpretentious entrance, I can only imagine the number of people that have missed out on this gem.
Once I exited the I-10 east, I was met by the gorgeous San Gabriel mountains against the striking blue sky and the unrelenting California sun. As I kept driving farther deep into this Asian-populated enclave, the GPS took me through beautiful residential streets whose towering palm trees were reminiscent of Palm Springs.
Here’s a quick rundown of Yama Seafood:
- It’s a Japanese supermarket so expect to find snacks, sauces and other Japanese condiments. I got an entire 12-pack of roasted seaweed snacks for $5.28.
- The place only serves sushi, sashimi and California rolls (no poke 😔).
- There is a fish counter, which only serves sashimi, California rolls and other types of fish. The ready-made sushi is stored right next to the entrance, easy to grab and go — trays of new fresh sushi come out every 10 minutes.
- The only gripe of this place is the wait time at the fish counter. It was painfully slow and there were only 4 people ahead of me. I waited for 30 minutes, but more on this below.
- No eating or drinking is allowed inside. The place might be old and have a run-down appearance but it’s squeaky clean. There’s zero scent of fish smell.
- Minimum payment for credit cards is $10, so if you’re not planning on splurging bring some cash!
- The place is open daily 10am to 7pm except Tuesdays.
This hole-in-the-wall market has the highest quality fish that you won’t find at your regular restaurant in LA. And if you do, it won’t be at these jaw-dropping, ridiculously low prices.
I had two of these sushi salmon trays for $6.50 each!! I was starving and I was not about to wait that long for sashimi, so I just took these out of the fridge, paid and left. Just like in Hawaii, I devoured the fresh sushi inside my car. As soon as I took the first bite and the salmon instantly melted in my mouth, I knew this place was every sushi lover’s haven.
Mr. Yama’s cutting skills deserve to be rewarded! I can’t remember the last time I had a fresh, finely sliced cut of salmon of this caliber. The photo doesn’t do it any justice.
To give this place my final stamp of approval, I knew I had to go back and try out the sashimi and wait it out at the fish counter. The cashier encouraged me to wait in the line and not give up. The wait time was 30 minutes. Besides Mr.Yama, there were three other helpers behind the counter. One would ask themselves why the line wouldn’t go any faster! There’s a very feasible explanation for this: one person makes sure the fish is properly packed and the other two looked like they were constantly making sure the conditions were perfect. Take into account that many of these locals order pounds of fish to cook later — ultimately, this place is a supermarket, not a restaurant. Furthermore, I later found out that Mr. Yama is very meticulous with the way the fish is cut, which is why no one but him is allowed to touch the fish. Very infrequently do we see someone who’s so inherently dedicated to their craft!
Once it was my turn, I had to point out the fish tray that I wanted to be sliced and the gentle elderly man, Mr. Yama, cut it up for me. I thought I could have the sashimi ordered by the number of slices I wanted like you do at any restaurant. Nope! After I picked the fish tray (make sure it’s not super big), Mr Yama cut as many slices as the fish allowed.
This ordering process was completely unbeknownst to me. Thank God the local behind me helped me out! I wanted only a few slices of salmon and tuna. Mr Yama told me it would be a lot, which was true so I stuck to the salmon (I love salmon). I asked him if I could have only two slices of the tuna fish. He declined since they only sell the entire piece, which was not a problem because I could always come back another day. When he gave me the tray however I found 4 mini tuna slices in the tray! Once I was at the register, the cashier charged me 5 cents for the soy sauce, but he generously snuck two packets in. Bless him!! After he sliced the fish, he proceeded to weigh it. The total price for this was…. (drumroll please) $5.33!!!
Once I was happily ready to check out, the cashier, an Asian middle-aged woman, told me Master Yama had been working there for 29 years and is very respected among the locals. That was why everyone waited so patiently without a single visible sign of irritation or rush. She told me that earlier that same Sunday, the wait time was up to an hour, but for the price and the premium high-quality, it was all worth it. She also encouraged me to come back more often! Super nice woman! After this amazing experience, I certainly will.
She also told me that if you want to throw a party, you can order as many sushi, sashimi, California roll pieces you want with a two-day heads-up.
The opening time is 10:00 am. This being said, I would strongly advise you to go there as early as you can or a little bit before closing time to avoid the crazy wait at peak hours.
Yama Seafood was an unexpected surprise: The kindness of everyone in the store, the unbeatable prices and the exquisite fresh sushi that almost made me tear up in happiness because I found a new place to indulge in cheap premium sushi away from Hawaii…this place is a mandatory must-stop for every sushi lover! Next time you have a day off and want to indulge in your sushi cravings without spending an exorbitant amount of money, Yama Seafood will do the job. Again, the only downside is the wait time, so make sure you clear your schedule.
Note: For a nice sushi restaurant experience, Sushi Enya in Little Tokyo continues to stand as my all-time favorite sushi place in LA.
Yama Seafood is located at 911 W Las Tunas Dr, San Gabriel, CA 91775.
