YOLO Restaurant — Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale

Review of the Restaurant

Location & Interior • The restaurant looks nice from the outside, with an attractive sign. • There are two seating areas: indoor and outdoor. • There is something resembling an open kitchen, but in reality, it doesn’t function as one. The tables are packed closely together, making it impossible to observe the cooking process.

Menu & Food Quality • The menu is not about high-end cuisine; it’s more about having a simple dinner. • The quality of ingredients is above average, and they are decent.

Dishes Ordered: • Monkey Bread – A completely bland and unremarkable dish, more of a technical start to the meal than anything enjoyable. The butter served with it was decent but nothing special. • Fried Calamari – Cooked fairly well, though slightly overdone. It was edible, and the dipping sauce was good. • Yellowfin Tuna Tartare – The citrus dressing was great and refreshing. However, the coconut rice crackers were way too large, making them difficult to eat, which ruined the overall presentation. • Avocado Salad – Very basic and uninspiring. Nothing remarkable about it. • Grilled Salmon – Cooked properly to a medium-rare doneness, which was well executed by the chef. No complaints here. • Beef (Yola Churrasco) – By far the worst dish on the menu. The meat was tasteless, drenched in oil, and completely unappetizing. Easily one of the worst beef dishes I’ve ever had. • Salad with Anut Paste – Not really a salad, just a random mix of ingredients with no balance or cohesion. • French Fries – Completely average. Not bad, not great. The only sauce provided was ketchup, with no other options. • Pizza – More like a flatbread with tomato paste and cheese rather than actual pizza. The ingredients were decent, but calling it pizza would be misleading. It’s just bread.

Service • Service was at a high level. The server was knowledgeable about the menu, asked the right questions, and provided clear answers. • The table was cleared promptly, and plates were replaced as needed. • Food was served quickly, and you could tell the kitchen had good prep work. • The restaurant was busy, and they managed the high volume well.

Bar & Cocktails • The bar was solid, with a level of quality above average. • Ordered a Tequila Sunrise and their signature Yola Cocktail with chili – both were well-prepared, with the Yola Cocktail standing out as a great option.

Atmosphere • Tables were too close together, making the space feel cramped and noisy. • There was no live music or entertainment, even on a Saturday night. • The restaurant operates like a high-efficiency business, focused on quick turnaround rather than creating a relaxed dining experience.

Final Verdict • Would I return? No. • Why? The food isn’t remarkable, and the atmosphere is geared toward fast dining rather than an enjoyable, relaxed meal. • Overall, the restaurant runs efficiently and professionally, but it doesn’t offer an experience worth...

Went for a birthday celebration and honestly for the price i will not be returning. Partner had NY wagu and i had the churrasco. We had sides which were good. The wagu was decent but not for the price. Churrasco was as good too but i asked for well done and it was still slightly pink (was too late for me to send it back as i already ate the parts i could manage.. im horrible with pink meat lol). Anyways, the service from the start was decent.. i initially asked for outside seating but it was a little uncomfortable (partner said the chair was not comfortable at all) and quite close to other customers. I asked to change for inside and got a booth thankfully. Inside was quieter but my waitress didnt seem too interested in us. Came back a few times to refill water and ask if everything was ok but the waiter behind us seemed little better. He was welcoming to his guests and even explained the menu as they were first timers like us. He gave them recommendations and were chit chatting a little. We never got that kind of treatment. She did say happy birthday but i had to remind her to send out something for his bday as thats the whole reason i chose here. It was a donut tree with sparklers but it was more of a “here you go” thing. No singing, nothing really “special” how i thought it was going to be. I saw waiters throughout the place brining a few of them so i understood why but wish they could at least sing happy birthday. Either way, the donuts were free but kind of hard and just unsatisfying.. i ate two and my partner one and they tasted like old munchkins from dunkin donuts.

Overall, its a fun place. The drinks .. amazing! I got one lychee lust and it was divine. Perfect amount of alcohol, good presentation, and nice taste! Just i would not personally come back here. Definitely not an intimate place or that good of food (least not the steaks). Maybe better for a pre-party fun night out kinda thing for drinks or a quick bite.

Spent about $220 for churrasco, ny wagu, truffle fries, mashed potatoes, and one cocktail. With the tip.

I was also still very hungry and extremely nauseous after eating. Unsure if this is due to this restaurant but i did not eat anything else.. even 24hrs after the visit my stomach is still turning...

What a disappointing experience. My Friend made a reservation for her birthday for Sunday brunch and it was such a terrible experience. First, we requested inside because of heat, and got steated in the half/outdoor bar area. It was incredibly hot and our group of ladies were uncomfortable the entire time. When we asked why we were seated there they said the restaurant was busy but we had no reservation from a month before. (Other parties were seated further in the restaurant where it was cooler) the manager told us that the ac was leaking and if we wanted it turned on… we didn’t even know how to answer that. Yes we wanted a/c. The wait staff treated us as if we were a hassle from the start. No introduction and then we felt like she single question we asked was a problem. It was very confusing and unfriendly. We then had to wait over 30 mins to put our order in and were neglected once we had. We ordered bottomless mimosas and bloody Mary’s and never got our second drinks in until 1 hour and 20 mins later. We had to request a different server when my friend asked for a new glass of water and our original server got angry because she had given her original glass to a different person at the table … very strange. Just being another glass of water would have solved the issue without the bizarre attitude we got after the request. It was an absolute awful experience. When we had our server switched the new server, Ivan, things got better but only because this server was such a sweet employee in-spite of the customer service environment he works in. My party really enjoyed his light nature and desire to make our experience a little bit better even if it was only for a few mins. Do not come to this restaurant if you want to enjoy a gathering with friends. They were very unwelcoming and the service was below the level...