YUBU — Restaurant in Toronto

In the age of social media, it's easy to get swept up in the hype surrounding trendy eateries like YUBU. But does the food and service live up to the online buzz? Our recent visit to the Skycity Shopping Centre location revealed a mixed bag.

Service: A Shining Star

The service was truly exceptional – friendly and attentive. The staff was a delight, making us feel welcome and valued. The loyalty program, featuring a hard-copy card with rewards for frequent customers, was a nice touch. However, we couldn't help but wonder when a mobile app would be introduced to make tracking rewards more convenient.

Food: A Visual Feast, but Lacking Substance

YUBU's menu boasts an array of visually stunning dishes, from tofu pockets with rice and various toppings to triangle gimbap and bulgogi. While the food was by no means bad, it felt more suited for Instagram feeds than satisfying our hunger. The beautifully presented Set we ordered was okay in terms of taste and portion size, especially considering the price point.

Ambiance: Takeout-Friendly, but Not for Dining In

The Skycity location is primarily designed for takeout, with limited seating and a no-frills atmosphere. There were a few chairs and one small table. We weren't planning on having lunch at the YUBU to begin with, but the window posters and the prior social media hype caught our attention. We more treated our order like an appetizer and finished our Set quickly on location. We imagine that takeout customers might find themselves reheating their food at home.

Verdict: Novelty vs. Substance

YUBU's unique offerings and stunning presentation make it worth trying once, especially for social media enthusiasts. However, with no compelling reason to return, we can't help but feel that the hype outweighs the substance. Perhaps with a bit more focus on flavor and value, YUBU can truly live up to its...

Worst korean pocket food I've ever had. Guys, I am not a paid review, trust me on this, this place is the worst. I come in, I'm impressed with that touchpad and the display of food but these are all a pretense for quality. I order, I pay on kiosk, then I am surprised the guy is just only now making them, I thought they were already prepared. Why is this bad? Because he was getting the ingredients from Tupperware-like bins. You don't know how long that food is being stored for. Dad ate 3 out of 4 pockets, said one of them was expired. "Like it was 2 days old" and to be honest, that's probably how long the bulgogi was stored after seeing the bins.

That wasn't the worst part guys. The worst part was the guy making them was coughing. Coughing a lot. I think he coughed on my food too at one point. I was prepared to ask for my money back when I said "Ummmm" but I guess he didn't hear me. He was finishing up the last one when I saw him cough in the direction of my pockets. I thought, might as well go through with the order, but if I can't get my money back I'll just let others know how unsanitary this place is. There are other spots in the city for Korean pockets, just don't go to this one, unless you want to get some illness from the coughing or expired food. Save your...

Thank you, Yubu Scarborough and Yelp Toronto, for hosting this picnic box set. Yubu is located in the Sky City Shopping centre. It's a large commercial plaza with a wide array of restaurants.

The storefront is colourful and appealing. There's a nice wall drawing with pictures of customers who visited this location. The display counter had all the beautiful tofu pockets arranged in trays. Everything looked so good. I will definitely come back to try some of them. You can choose your Yubu set like salmon lovers, kimchi lovers, veggie lovers, and korean lovers. Most of the 4 piece sets were sold out according to the kiosk. You can order the Yubu a la carte with pricing starting at $2.49 for plain all the way up to $4.89 for torched salmon or spicy salmon.

The manager presented my order and gave me a choice of gift, either Yelp bag or Yelp hand sanitizer. The bulgogi bowl was generous portion and was very tastey. We also got a tuna mayo gimbap triangle and a peach flavoured drink.

If you're looking for something pleasing to the eyes, then these bite-size tofu pockets fit the bill. I will definitely come back to order the Yubu tofu pockets. Thank you Yubu Scarborough and Janice from Yelp Toronto for organizing this event so we can try some delicious amazing...