Unusual aspect №1: Chen, a native of China who lives a few minutes from Yami Grill, studied Hebrew as an undergraduate at Peking University, then came to the United States to pursue master’s and doctorate degrees in Near Eastern and biblical studies at Cornell University.
Yami Grill is unusual in a number of ways. (Clockwise from top left:) Brian Perez, chef at Yami Grill, prepares pork adobo in the restaurant’s kitchen in Mountain View Yami Grill’s grilled shrimp are tossed in a miso-lemon butter and topped with parsley and clementine a fried tofu gyro being prepared and chicken kelaguen, a traditional Guamanian dish, comes iwth diced grilled chicken, grated coconut, lemon and green onions in a fried masa shell. Time and word of mouth are Yami’s best form of marketing, Chen said. “After long deliberation myself, I understand this is the only way to do it, to be running as a family restaurant.” That way he can control costs while preserving the quality. “I see restaurants come and die,” he said. On a good lunch service, they see 10 diners total - and Chen is fine with that. The restaurant’s staff totals just three people: Chen, his chef and his chef’s father, who waits on the seven-table dining room. After 8:30 p.m., the kitchen will only take to-go orders - preferably through Yami’s own online ordering platform, which Chen built, rather than third-party delivery apps that take a 30–35% commission. Yami Grill is open for two hours for lunch and three for dinner.
When he notices diners who are struggling to figure out what to order or he overhears their kids asking for French fries (which are no longer on Yami’s menu), he happily suggests they might find something more to their liking on Castro Street’s restaurant row. The restaurant serves an eclectic menu, from gyros to tom yum soup. Yiyi Chen, owner of Yami Grill, prepares a tofu gyro. He believes he’s found a way to survive the tide of economic pressures facing local restaurants in the Bay Area, from rising minimum wages to third-party delivery costs - he’s keeping things exceptionally, almost unbelievably, small. Yiyi Chen might hold the title as the sole restaurant owner in the Bay Area who regularly turns customers away.Ĭhen opened the unassuming Yami Grill in a small neighborhood shopping center in Mountain View in 2016.
The restaurant sources produce from a Buddhist farm in Fremont and the vegetables served with its pork adobo change based on what is seasonally available. Yami Grill has a tiny staff, limited hours and the Peninsula’s only Guamanian food Yami Grill’s pork adobo is marinated in soy sauce and vinegar and sautéed with fresh broccoli, carrots, potato, onion, garlic and green and red cabbage.
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