Yao Sushi is a casual sushi bar located in the posh quarter of Chiaia in Napoli. It offers Japanese cuisine as catering service as well as for take away and dine in. Although the restaurants has two floors, seats are very limited. There are various sushi restaurants to choose from in Chiaia and Napoli in general, but Yao Sushi has a good reputation for its delivery service, so I wanted to try it.
Simple sashimi and nigiri dinner
I went to Yao Sushi for a quick dinner on a weekday and arrived just when the restaurant opened. Although it is usually pretty busy, I was the only guest for quite some time. This might be due to the day of the week or the dining habits in Napoli, where everything is starting later rather then earlier. The meal started out with simple sashimi plate with maguro (lean tuna back), sake (salmon) and tako (octopus). As in many other restaurants in the area the tuna was just average but both the salmon and octopus were very good.
Still the plate felt not very compelling, so I switched to nigiri afterwards. I tried 2 pieces of ibodai (butterfish), ika (squid), kurodai (snapper) and unagi (freshwater eel) and was surprised by all of them. Especially the squid and snapper pieces were absolutely delicious. Also the way they were presented felt much better than the sashimi plate. Unfortunately this selection was the entire variety of fish I could choose from at Yao Sushi on this day.
Sushi Guide Verdict
The atmosphere of Yao Sushi felt cold and not particularly welcoming. It might be a nice place for a quick bite, but it doesn’t feel like I would like to spent an entire evening there. The menu options are limited but offer some surprises. The quality of the food was good but not outstanding compared to other venues in the area. Still, considering the restaurant is mainly known for its delivery options, I would consider the quality to be a nice surprise. The drink variety at the restaurant is simple and ok, but nothing more. The service staff was distant and uninspired, but friendly and professional. I didn’t feel particularly welcome and had the feeling it was just another day at the office for them.
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Average
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Review date: January 8, 2018