Food is good, but nothing amazing. I usually get the shrimp and scallop "deluxe combination" (handul of grilled seafood, smattering of carrot/zucchini, bunch of bean sprouts and white rice, $18) and sometimes a sashimi sampler ($12) to share. If you or your children are not wowed by teppanyaki cooking (i.e. some jaunty egg tossing, a halfhearted onion volcano and the smell of oil on your clothes all day), it's probably not worth it.
The clear onion soup is a nice change of pace from miso and always comes to the table about 3 degrees hotter than the interior of our Sun.
FUN FACT: While not one of my favourite restaurants, Yamato IS the location of one of my favourite moments in my restaurant dining history. A guy dining solo next to my group at the communal tables, while contesting a charge on his bill with the server, said: "I'm the mayor here on Foursquare!"
I kid you not! He said that! OUT LOUD! To another human being! Who as far as I could tell had no idea what he was even talking about! Oh, how we laughed and laughed. And cringed.