Sake House, Yu Me Ya, in Leucadia, Offers an Authentic Japanese Experience

Yu Me Ya, at 1246 N Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas, is not your typical Japanese restaurant. Holding only 6-8 tables at a time (depending on the table configuration each evening), the atmosphere is cozy and inviting. Completely family owned and run, Mom and Dad run the kitchen, Yuku and her husband run the front of the house. 

Always packed, they do indeed “run” from table to table, making sure that each customer is well taken care of. They are busy... but never too busy to greet you with a warm smile and welcome, and are keen on remembering your favorite variety of sake. They offer over 30 varieties of premium sakes at Yu Me Ya, and if you don’t know which one will suit you best- Yuku serves sample after sample until you discover your personal favorite- many of which are accompanied by an anecdote, like “this is the sake that my grandfather drinks after fishing in the such-and such river with his comrades.” Sake is served by the glass so that patrons may experience different sakes through the course of the meal. They also provide a wide variety of quality Japanese beers, many of which you won’t find in a typical sushi restaurant. 

Much of the cuisine is served tapas-style in small portions, and only a handful of the items on the menu resemble sushi. Some of our favorites have been the albacore carpacio, (5 small slices of some of the best quality albacore we have had, with 2 sauces and daikon radish), mixed tempura, (always a hit), squid with Japanese wild vegetable, eggplant with smoked bonito broth, and vegetable potstickers. Following appetizers, there is a wide variety of udon noodle bowls, teriyaki bowls, and rice bowls drenched in green tea, which Yuku advises to eat last, as they do in Japan. Throughout our first visit to the Sake House, as Yuku taught us the ways of drinking “real” sake and eating traditional Japanese Izakaya food, she said several times, “this is how we do.” 

Having fallen in love with the atmosphere, authentic cuisine, personalities, and varieties of foods and beverages at the Yu Me Ya Sake House, I highly recommend it as an alternative to the same-old Japanese restaurant/sushi routine.

Always packed, they do indeed “run” from table to table, making sure that each customer is well taken care of. They are busy... but never too busy to greet you with a warm smile and welcome, and are keen on remembering your favorite variety of sake. They offer over 30 varieties of premium sakes at Yu Me Ya, and if you don’t know which one will suit you best- Yuku serves sample after sample until you discover your personal favorite- many of which are accompanied by an anecdote, like “this is the sake that my grandfather drinks after fishing in the such-and such river with his comrades.” Sake is served by the glass so that patrons may experience different sakes through the course of the meal. They also provide a wide variety of quality Japanese beers, many of which you won’t find in a typical sushi restaurant. 

Much of the cuisine is served tapas-style in small portions, and only a handful of the items on the menu resemble sushi. Some of our favorites have been the albacore carpacio, (5 small slices of some of the best quality albacore we have had, with 2 sauces and daikon radish), mixed tempura, (always a hit), squid with Japanese wild vegetable, eggplant with smoked bonito broth, and vegetable potstickers. Following appetizers, there is a wide variety of udon noodle bowls, teriyaki bowls, and rice bowls drenched in green tea, which Yuku advises to eat last, as they do in Japan. Throughout our first visit to the Sake House, as Yuku taught us the ways of drinking “real” sake and eating traditional Japanese Izakaya food, she said several times, “this is how we do.” 

Having fallen in love with the atmosphere, authentic cuisine, personalities, and varieties of foods and beverages at the Yu Me Ya Sake House, I highly recommend it as an alternative to the same-old Japanese restaurant/sushi routine.