YO! Ashford — Restaurant in Ashford

• 2 REVIEWS IN 1 *

If you're ever at Ashford Designer Outlet, there's a Yo! Sushi spot that sells quick bites. You can eat in or takeout. Although I love me some sushi, this place does not offer all their sushi or menu items to go (bummer). I ordered a sushi roll (salmon, tempura prawns, lettuce, crab, and miso). Although it was delicious, it only comes with 3 pieces of sushi for £6.50. It does not come with any wasabi, ginger, or soy sauce...just plain. I also ordered the fire cracker squid. I've ordered this before and it was fresh, spicy, and hot. This time around, it barely had any heat nor was it hot. It is served in a round container with a spicy sweet chili sauce.

Overall, it satisfied the little craving I had.

Cost: sushi (3 pieces) + fried squid = £15

*UPDATE [OCT 2025] *

I decided to venture to the Designer Outlet and eat in. I was intrigued by their "rolling" menu items. I stopped by around 3pm and there was only 1 other person dining in. The server greeted me with a warm smile and told me to sit anywhere I like.

The concept is pretty cool. You decide whether you want to order from the menu and/or you can grab any colored plates from the rolling belt and eat away. I ordered the firecracker squid again (and just like last time, it was dry and some pieces had no squid just batter :(. I wont be ordering that item anymore.

Each colored plate has a corresponding price ranging from £3.50 to £8.50. If you're hungry, it's easy to get carried away and start grabbing plates. It's a visual dining experience and I enjoyed it. They even have desserts on the belt. I had the monster maki since I had it before, the salmon dragon roll, and the kimchee roll (my least favourite and the rice was stale and old). My fave was the spicy salmon roll. The salmon was fresh and soft and the rice was sticky. Overall, it was a pleasant experience.

Cost: spicy pepper squid £8.50, 4 pink plates £26, 1 blue plate £4.50, mango gel...

From my view on table 3 I had a direct view of the toilets in the bathrooms, the doors to which were mysteriously always left open.

We were charged £3.30 per 330ml of Diet Coke, which is steep by anyone’s standard. There was no still water on the menu, though we did see the staff would fetch a jug of tap water after a little theatre of “are you sure you wouldn’t rather have a bottle drink?”

The kitchen is split from the tables only by a see-through wooden divider. The amazing din from the kitchen gives the whole place the charm and ambiance of being 6 years old and listening to your parents arguing at the top of their voices and throwing plates at each other.

The restaurant has the cheek to add a service charge to the bill when the food here, quite famously, is delivered by conveyor belt. The staff’s main contribution is to take empty coke bottles from your table, and based on the noise that comes next I assume they take it out of eyeshot and throw it directly against the wall.

The staff themselves were tired, overworked, and rushed to the point of becoming clumsy… despite the place being only half full and only having been open for an hour when we arrived.

The staff doors at either end of the room have no damping so whenever a member of staff runs through them, they bang closed so loudly the windows shake.

I have to assume after a few weeks of working here the staff are completely deaf which explains how they don’t notice every customer has to shout to make themselves heard.

Despite all the noise from the kitchen it was surprisingly slow, and we waited around half an hour for two dishes.

The plexiglass screens that separate the long benches into booths give the place the soothing air of visiting a loved one in a high security prison.

Update: Yo! Have not responded to my last email about us resolving this, which is a disappointment, but...

What has happened to Yo! Sadly this one, and maybe others, has gone very hands off and It's a very nasty experience. Ordering by app - horrible, especially when wifi and mobile data is poor so really frustrating - menu reduced and very poor - drinks poor selection and now the wine comes in a very nasty plastic container with a foil lid which you drink out of - no atmosphere, feels like a cheap cafe with nasty perspex dividers, food was terrible when it arrived through the wall - pepper squid had no coating and was just burnt squid, (I was promised that these would be deducted from our bill but they weren't) sushi rice dry and thin and falling off and no water on offer as it used to be. Yo Sushi is now off my list of restaurants when it was such a treat - it is a sad place to eat now and the whole experience is sooooooo disappointing. Prices are still as before and they also have the nerve to try and charge a service charge, It arrives on a conveyor belt and you order it yourself so what on earth would a service charge be for - luckily you can remove it - I sent in a complaint but never got a reply. Can't believe it - maybe it's just Ashford but I doubt it - COVID...