Scott Kohno, owner of Yama Sushi Marketplace stands in front of a mural he commissioned. The marketplace is celebrating its 40 year anniversary and has become a go-to spot for sushi in San Gabriel. Unless you already know about this tiny San Gabriel gem, you might drive right by it and never know it’s there.
At first glance the market looks, well, just like a little mom and pop market. It’s maybe about half the size of a typical 7-Eleven andit sells all sorts of Japanese and other Asian products like chips, candy, sweets, juices, sauces and other items. But locals know it as the place to go for high-end restaurant style sushi and sashimi in a box.
Yama Sushi Marketplace is celebrating its 40 year anniversary and has become a go-to spot for sushi in San Gabriel. Their California Roll is the star of the menu. Customers check out sashimi at Yama Sushi Marketplace. The marketplace is celebrating its 40 year anniversary and has become a go-to spot for sushi in San Gabriel.
A few years later, as sushi was becoming more popular, Yamada decided to switch things up and start selling sushi and fresh cuts of salmon, ahi tuna, yellowtail and bluefin tuna sashimi that he would personally slice, which often meant that there were long lines of customers waiting patiently for their cuts.