Rating: B
Yama’s Bar and Grill in downtown Old Town is known for their tasteful mix of American and Greek food, but here’s the real deal: Yama’s is absolutely delicious. But Greek? Not quite.
Arriving at Yama’s Bar and Grill around 8:30 p.m., it appeared to be a crowd of regulars and the immediate smell of Bud Light filled the air. The waitress called all of the middle-aged men by name while they flirted with her, calling her “sweetheart” and “honey,” as they ordered what most likely was their typical “Thirsty Thursday” beer with the boys. This place doesn’t seem like it’s known for its food options, but more well-known as the bar that the locals hit.
The waitress came to the table, dropped off the menu and said if she doesn’t come back to just order at the bar. She then promptly left. She wasn’t quite waitress-like or polite, but it was shrugged off quickly. After some deliberation, the meal of choice was decided — but not without noticing the Greek options.
And by many, there are two, including Spanakopita, which is a Greek spinach pie with spinach, feta cheese, onions, egg and seasonings; and a Gyro, which is a pita stuffed with meat, onions, tomato, french fries and tzatziki sauce. Other than those two items, that was about it for Greek options, so it is unfair to dub this place strictly a Greek restaurant.
Patiently waiting for the waitress to take the order, she never came back. Watching her from the table, she was sitting chatting with other waitresses and eating what appeared to be a bowl of mashed potatoes. Whether she was on a break with the other waitresses or just didn’t feel like taking the food order is to be questioned. But nonetheless, after heading up to the bar, the order was taken while she simultaneously ate mashed potatoes.
After deliberating the options, the Firecracker Spring Rolls and the Chicken Tostadas were ordered for takeout. They were both specials for the menu and sounded phenomenal. The food came out quickly, which at times can be dangerous, but not this time. Getting home, the food was quickly opened and shoved into mouths at rapid speeds. It tasted so delicious, nobody could get enough.
The Firecracker Spring Rolls were like a spicy bomb of paradise. The delicious recipe included Buffalo chicken mixture with cream cheese, onions, celery, blue cheese crumbles and a bit of jalapenos put inside of a wonton wrapper and then deep-fried to golden, spicy perfection.
The Chicken Tostadas were a fresh mix of grilled chicken, veggies and a sweet and spicy chipotle sauce, stuffed almost to overflowing inside small flour tortillas, and warmed just enough to make it the perfect burrito-like sandwich. Nothing tastes as good as this food.
Yamas was full of surprises. They had scrumptious food, interesting (and borderline rude) wait staff and quick service. Although the mashed-potato-eating waitress was unpleasant, the food was much more than enough to make up for the rude service.
Yama’s Bar and Grill is located at 268 Main St. in downtown Old Town and is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. from Sunday to Friday, and closes at 12 a.m. on Saturday.
