Yama Sushi

Dinner only, from 5 p.m.; the platforms list a 9 p.m. close and the Town of Vail guides list "5pm to close". Which days changes with the season: daily through the ski season, and Tuesday to Saturday in the fall (closed Sunday and Monday then); the restaurant's own ordering page lists Monday to Saturday, so in shoulder periods call (970) 476-7332 before relying on any single listing, this one included. Yama closes for the spring off-season: in 2026 it closed from April 12 and reopened Monday, June 1 (and even then a reservation on June 9 found it still shut, so confirm by phone around reopening). It does not close in the fall; the town's fall 2026 guide lists it open Tuesday to Saturday.

No lunch service is confirmed. OpenTable, TripAdvisor, the restaurant's own ordering page, the Town of Vail guides, and the restaurant's archived website all show dinner only, from 5 p.m. One source, the restaurant's Google profile, lists lunch Tuesday to Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; treat that as unconfirmed and almost certainly stale, and do not plan a midday meal around it. If lunch matters, call (970) 476-7332 and ask.

Book on OpenTable (the profile is "Yama", Vail) or call (970) 476-7332. Book ahead in season: the room holds about ten tables plus eight sushi-bar seats and fills quickly, especially Friday and Saturday. Walk-ins are sometimes seated, the patio and the sushi bar first, and staff keep an informal waitlist when tables run late; early seatings and midweek nights are the quiet way in. Around the spring reopening, confirm by phone even with a booking: in June 2026 OpenTable took a reservation for a night the restaurant was still closed.

Sushi, sashimi, and Japanese kitchen dishes, with a full bar pouring sake and specialty cocktails. As of October 2026, There is no live official menu to link while the restaurant's website is offline, so order from what the record names: the Vail Daily's August 2025 review singled out tai (red sea bream) sashimi, hand-formed nigiri, poke with spicy sesame oil, the Beach Break roll (fried shrimp, coconut, mango, cilantro), and a spider roll with tempura soft-shell crab. Diners name the Yuzu Kampachi, the Hammerhead roll, the Boom Boom roll, and the salmon nigiri most. Starters run to miso soup, spicy edamame (a portion reviewers say serves six), seaweed salad, and tempura; the snow crab California Roll and a seasonal Berry Picker Roll with fresh raspberries are the Town of Vail guide's picks. For dietary needs: TripAdvisor and OpenTable both list gluten-free options and vegetarian-friendly dishes (vegetable tempura, edamame, seaweed salad), and the hot kitchen (udon, tempura, chicken skewers) is the route for anyone not eating raw fish; call ahead and the team will usually try to help.

Strong, with price the standing caveat. As of October 2026, OpenTable rates Yama 4.7 out of 5 from 785 verified diner reviews (food 4.7, service 4.7, ambience 4.6, value 4.4); TripAdvisor rates it 4.2 from 210 reviews. Diners praise the freshness of the fish above all, the creative rolls, fast and warm service, and the summer patio; the recurring criticisms are that it is expensive even by Vail standards, that the small room runs loud at peak, and that its spring 2026 reopening was not tracked by the booking platforms.

OpenTable bands Yama at $31 to $50 per person and calls the style Casual Elegant; TripAdvisor puts it in its top $$$$ band and Google labels it "expensive". Reviewers consistently call it pricey even by Vail standards and mostly worth it for the fish; one family review totals about $300 for four with two children. Until the restaurant's own menu is back online there is no per-dish price list to quote, and any page that prints one is inventing it.

Families are welcomed, in an adult dining room. There is no children's menu, but OpenTable reviewers record staff happily accommodating a party with a 1-year-old, and a child pleased by the udon; TripAdvisor family reviews praise how the staff treated their kids (the Japanese sodas were a hit) while noting courses can arrive unevenly when the room is slammed. The room is small, lively, and dinner-only with music part of the concept, so an early seating is the comfortable family pattern.

In summer, yes, on the weight of evidence: the Town of Vail's own sushi guide describes umbrella-shaded tables on the cobblestone patio, OpenTable offers outdoor seating when booking, and dated diner reviews describe eating outside and people-watching. One source disagrees: the restaurant's own NetWaiter page lists outdoor seating as "No", which reads as a stale field rather than a missing patio. Patio seats go first and cannot be counted on; book the dining room and ask on arrival, and expect the patio only in the summer season.

Takeout, yes: the restaurant's own NetWaiter page lists takeout as a service, and its ordering page is the place to start, with a call to (970) 476-7332 to confirm it is running that night. Delivery, no: the same page lists delivery as not offered, and no delivery platform carries this restaurant. The eight sushi-bar seats are the solo and pairs alternative when takeout is not running.

At 168 East Gore Creek Drive in the pedestrian heart of Vail Village, between Golden Bear, Lululemon, and the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory; most village lodging is a short walk. Driving in, OpenTable's note is the practical one: park in the public parking structure and walk about three minutes. On the free in-town bus, get off at the Solaris stop, cross the International Bridge, and the restaurant is a few doors past the chocolate factory. Phone: (970) 476-7332.