Food Courts in Rochester, MN

Yihi Japan Fast Food • $
Apache Mall, Rochester

“When I lived in Rochester, I never bought anything at Apache Mall's food court. Nothing really appealed to me. It wasn't all that great back then.Recently, I returned to this mall and looked at the options at the food court. I saw Yihi Japan, which is a Japanese stall where you can get teriyaki dishes and more. I have a soft spot for teriyaki fast food at malls. There used to be an excellent one at Markville Mall. When the mall renovated its food court area to be more upscale, this mom-and-pop stall shuttered for good. I decided to try Yihi Japan out. There were three men behind the counter. I was looking at the menu and one of them gave me a chicken morsel smothered in some sweet honey sauce on a toothpick. The chicken was yummy and the light batter around it was delicious. The sauce was too sweet for my liking, but it did have some tang to it that I enjoyed.I am a teriyaki person. The special was beef and chicken teriyaki for $12.59. I decided to splurge and got the beef and shrimp teriyaki with veggies on fried rice for $12.99. The three men were not Japanese. They were Latinos. Never judge a book by its cover. I had yummy pizza in Stockholm several years back. The man who made it was Chinese.I also got a fountain drink with my meal. I ordered a Diet Pepsi.I paid with a credit card. I got my drink first and sipped it as I waited. It was icy cold and hit the spot.One of the men was training another guy at the grill. I waited and watched. He asked if I wanted veggies, including mushrooms. Yes, please!I saw my food get carefully placed in my styrofoam container. Sadly, both my drink and this container were styrofoam. I hope that changes down the road. I let the man who had prepared my food know that he did a great job. He smiled, obviously proud of his accomplishment.I placed my drink on the tray with my food and headed to a table at the food court to chow down. There is wifi available, but it is spotty. It was enough for me to play a game on my phone as I ate.My beef and shrimp teriyaki was yummy. The beef was done perfectly. I loved the mushrooms, broccoli, and other veggies that came with my meal. The shrimp was also done perfectly. They weren't rubbery at all.The sodium level was rather high in the teriyaki sauce and proteins, though. I wish that it wasn't so salty. It became a bit of a vicious cycle to drink more because I was thirsty. Luckily, my feet didn't swell up!Yihi Japan is a nice addition to the food court. A&W has always been there, but it's nice to order food that isn't strictly labelled American at this food court.(21)“

3.1 Average7 Reviews
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