Great! Been coming here for years and this place never disappoints. The wait is long but worth it. The online waitlist was super useful. The sushi is delicious and well priced.

This Asian restaurant opened several years ago in the ashes of a favorite South Lake Tahoe spot of mine - Blue Angel Cafe. I always loved the spot with the inviting fireplace and bar. I've visited this restaurant now several times over the last 4 years and - I have to say it's a very good choice for dinner in SLT. First - Happy Hour is legitimate here. Great deals, no waiting and great food! Check it out. Second - I fed my family of 4 a sushi / Japanese dinner for less than $150. This is an accomplishment! The food was very good, the service at the restaurant was pleasant and attentive. The restaurant was very busy for a Saturday night, primetime, but thankfully, there is a waitlist on their website that you can sign up for so that when you get to the restaurant, there's no waiting at all - if you time it right. Tonight's favorites were the spider roll, Cal-rainbow roll, and the gyoza. I have to be honest, I'm spoiled. I live in the San Francisco Bay area, and I get pretty amazing nigiri and sashimi. We had some nigiri - and it was decent but not my favorite. But for South Lake, it's probably pretty good. I have to admit that a lot of the food in South Lake Tahoe leaves me wanting more and wanting to feel more healthy. This place does accomplish most of that. It's a good spot to go to when visiting the area, I'm not sure how the locals feel about it in comparison to their choices, but I do enjoy it.

The owner was making sushi. His name was Armando and he is amazing the food wow spectacular all the flavors combined phenomenal sushi rolls on point. Everything was just perfect. Thank you so much Armando for treating us so nicely wonderful restaurant wonderful food wonderful Owner.

Yugen Cuisine has some fantastic highlights, but there are a few areas they could improve on. Let's start with the positives: the food was incredibly fresh, and the combinations on the rolls paired beautifully. I especially loved that everything felt made to order, and the presentation was amazing--the rolls arrived on a wooden boat, and we were served green tea in a charming pot. The portion sizes were generous, so even though I was very hungry, I only really needed one roll to feel satisfied. The atmosphere during our visit was a bit chaotic, likely because we came during the dinner rush. While the noise level wasn't too overwhelming, the check-in process could use some work. It was frustrating to see a couple get seated before us even though we had been waiting longer. We ended up waiting 40 minutes for a table, followed by another 20 minutes just to get water. Adding to the wait, it took an additional 15 minutes to place our order, and during that time, we seriously considered walking out. Service-wise, I have to give a shoutout to the one main server--a hardworking woman who was clearly doing her best to keep the place running despite being overwhelmed. She was the reason things moved at all, and honestly, I felt bad for her. However, the restaurant could really benefit from more staff or better organization during peak hours, as there was no acknowledgment of the long wait times or any attempt to make up for them. In terms of value, the rolls were fairly priced given their size and quality, but I found the sashimi to be too expensive compared to other places I've been. If you're a fan of rolls, though, this spot might be more appealing. Overall, I'd return because the food and presentation were excellent, but I hope they work on improving the check-in process and service efficiency. If you're visiting, be prepared for possible delays during busy times, but the experience is worth it if you're patient!

When I see Japanese food at these prices, I would jump to think and not expect too much... I guess that's what coming from the Bay Area will do to you... Yugen comes as a surprise as I find them really reasonably priced, and a bargain for the quality of the food and drinks they serve... they have a pretty good selection of rolls, and entrees... despite not having a full bar, their beer and wine choices aren't bad and you might have a good cocktail once in a while...I really loved my orange creamsicle cocktail... Services was prompt and attentive.. the few times I've been here, they've always seemed packed, but I feel like they manage it well. I love that they have a great space both indoors and outdoors... perfect for either warm summers or chilly winters... I wish though they had more happy hour windows as I always miss them...lol.. If you crave Japanese food and you're in SLT, definitely Yugen would be my top pick.

First night in Lake Tahoe and we were hoping to find something that offered local fish perhaps from the lake itself. When we couldn't find that, I searched for best ranked restaurants in Yelp and Yugen came up. This restaurant is located on a picturesque street surrounded by tall pines and firs. Restaurant is warm and inviting. It has a mix of traditional 2 and 4 top tables, the sushi bar itself and hi tops. Now we love sushi however my wife has severe allergies though to shrimp , crab and lobster so we always tell the server of our food allergies however my wife generally comes out with an itchy throat and other allergy symptoms. Not this time. Our server Katie did a phenomenal job of letter the sushi chefs know to not use the same knives when cutting. We had some nigiri, a rainbow roll, and a bonsai roll, as well as a miso soup and a salad with sliced cucumber, daikon radish that was spiral cut to look like rice noodles and rice vinegar. Everything was top notch and we are so thankful for the care shown to my wife's allergies . Thank you Katie and Yugen staff!!