Review Yamaei - Chatswood

Not authentic Japanese. Terrible food. Decided to try the place after seeing all the great reviews. I was extremely disappointed. Don't be fooled by the interior design and atmosphere. Zero customer service and appalling food quality. Way overpriced and tiny portions. 16 bucks for thinly sliced and overcooked ox tongues. Chicken karaage used the wrong batter and tasted floury. Skewers were tiny and didn't even taste that great. They don't use fresh ingredients. Appalling customer service. The waitress wearing a cap had the worst attitude. I have no problem with the restaurant having Chinese chefs, owner and staff, but please improve the customer service and food quality. We had to wait about 20 minutes. Not a lot of space inside with limited seats. Even worse with the distancing restrictions. Not worth the money. Do not recommend. There are plenty other Japanese restaurants in Chatswood. Don't bother with this place.

Date visited: April 2021 Quite a disappointing experience. While this restaurant has an authentic and inviting look and feel, that is where my praise starts and ends... Service: slow and inefficient. We only ordered 4 basic dishes and waited well over 45 minutes for them to arrive. Food: mediocre at best. The menu is heavily skewed towards deep fried items. While this keeps things simple for the restaurant, it makes it hard for any meal here to feel balanced. Also, the karaage was pale with a strange floury mouthfeel. The fried squid was overcooked with the batter starting to go dark. This is disappointing given their heavy focus on deep fried foods. Value: everything here is quite expensive for what you get - especially being in a place like Chatswood where you are surrounded by fantastic dining options. I find it hard to recommend this place without a significantly revamped menu, pricing and service.

A cozy Japanese izakaya style restaurant close to the Chatswood library. Good mood and interior deco with an impressive sake display. The lunch set menu is around $15.80 and the portion is quite generous. Service and staff were a bit lacking during lunch time. Their business focus would be during dinner time. Plenty of tapas to choose from.

Really delicious. Tempura Soba Noodles and also Tempura Rice. Friendly service and really nice traditional Japanese themed interior. This restaurant would do well if it was in a better location with more visibility.

Don't bother, really bad attempt at Japanese food. Tempura is more like fish and chips batter with Chinese soy sauce. All chefs very under trained. Nothing fresh everything reheated frozen portions. We couldn't get out of here quick enough.

What a delightful surprise is Yamaei Japanese restaurant! Unassuming and well hidden in one of the cosy lanes behind the Chatswood Library, Yamaei is an original street Japanese style cuisine with quick finger food and yum-tasty touches. Menu is not too long but has great variety on the Yakitori style with fresh BBQed meats and vegetables. They are juicy and go very quick indeed. Order a beer or two for this as an early dinner and you will be very satisfied. The food is as well presented as it is delicious, and it is served quickly by the humble and friendly hosts. Highly recommended.

We tried this relatively new <i>izakaya</i> bar for quick dinner recently. We ordered Suntory premium malt for our drink and grilled beef tongue (<i>gyutan</i>) to accompany along with two main dishes i.e. <i>ramen</i> soup with <i>ebi furai</i> & <i>kaki-age</i> and rice bowl with fried chicken (<i>kara-age don</i>) sets. All dishes were quite good, but we love the grilled beef tongue the best. We will be back to try their other drinking snacks like the skewer stuff. Ambience and services are OK but the place was not too busy so we're not sure if the situation is busier. You can pay with credit card for extra 1.5% surcharge.

Their fried stuff and the pork belly skewers are great. Also, the street together setup adds extra vibe. Will come again. They should totally host a street fighter tournament here.

This was such a good hidden gem! The food was simple and great and the service was lovely. A great experience overall- we will be back :)

Friendly staff. Nice atmosphere. Definitely worth going <br/>

The restaurant is located in a very convenient location, it's not far from the station and library. Great service and yummy food. Highly recommended!

Very authentic Japanese taste! I like their food

It’s a great place to catch up with friends. The Japanese style drinks are fantastic. Some Japanese traditional street foods are must try. Nice service and friendly staff make me so comfortable. WILL COME BACK...

So many choice of Japanese drinks，great place to catch up with friends. <br/>This restaurant is one of Chatswood’s hidden gems!                                      <br/>TOP SERVICE!!! WILL BE BACK!

Very nice place for relaxing after work and gathering with friends. An indulgence with authentic fresh Japanese food and famous wine, Music and service in the shop are fantastic too. Will definitely pop in again.

This place is awesome! The most amazing part is their wine menu. I love their skewers too, good match for Japanese wine tasting!!! A nice atmosphere for friends catching up too!!

I like this restaurant so much. The chicken here is wonderful and the service is also great. My favorite must be its Japanese alcohols, which tastes pretty good. I think it is one of the best restaurants in Sydney.

It's a great and nice cosy bar and grill hidden beside of Chatswood library, Mills LN. Their grill beef tongue, fried chicken,eel,  sweet potato are must try dishes! Friendly staffs and nice food with varied sake and other traditional drinks.

A good place to enjoy yummy food and chill out with friends and family . Friendly staff and good environment. Definitely will visit again soon.

If I could give zero stars I would. Restaurant was quiet and waited forever for a meal that was quick and easy. It was actually inedible and WAY overpriced. I wouldn't return as there are many better restaurants in the area. Staff also too engrossed in sitting and chatting with friends

If you’re looking for somewhere to have a few snacks and drinks after dinner then this is the place. Good range of sake and shochu. The chicken skewers were particularly good. Typical Japanese izakaya decorations although lighting could be dimmed a little.

Loved this izakaya! We had a great variety of food. The eel was cooked to perfection. The karage could have been fried just a little more for color but it was still yum! It's a small place but loved it.. definitely a hole in the wall place that is one of chatswood best kept secrets! Great for catch ups or even families. My 4 year old son loved the karage and edemame! Service was great.. very attentive. We'd definitely return and we are glad we discovered this place.

Yummy izakaya restaurant in chatswood . Staff are super friendly and flexible. Food was delicious as well and great selection of japanese alcohol. Felt like an izakaya in Japan !

Food is good. Environment is good for relax. Good for friend catch up. Ramen lover should beware of the salty soup and hard noodle. Also, shop owner should bring tissue on the table along with water.