YOYO Sushi
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street, Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch
- Alcohol: Full Bar
117 reviews
San Jose, CA
"I went to Sushi Zen after reading some good reviews and wanting good Sushi option in San Jose besides good but costly Blowfish at Santana…" read more »
120 Reviews for YOYO Sushi
Yo yo sushi isn't that great, prices are a little high for what you get . The food is very mediocre. It's convenient for lunch since it's at Rivermark. It's about $11 for a 2 item bento box. The last time I went, I had the pork tonkatsu and tuna sashimi. The Tonkatsu was okay... not bad, not great. The Tuna was okay too, but they were SUPER stingy with the portions. The 3 pieces of tuna combined equals 1 piece of tuna sashimi at other restaurants. Service was fine. Waitresses were attentive. I'd only come here for convenient location.
YoYo Sushi is a NoNo.
We sat up at the sushi bar, watching the boats go by, grabbing more than we wanted.
Some of the rolls looked like they had cat food in them--it was brown and had the consistency of ground beef. Ick.
If you stick to the "safe" stuff, you'll like this place. If you like your rolls deep-fried, you'll like this place even more. However, for you sushi lovers out there, you know good stuff when you taste it...and the rolls here were pretty bland.
I'd put it on the same level as the sushi from the Safeway sushi bar right across the street; it's good, but not great. Unfortunately, this place does not boast Safeway's prices, so I don't think I'll be back that often.
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I came out here for lunch with some coworkers we has sushi and lunch boxes. For myself, I had 2 sushi rolls which were the Rainbow Roll and Dragon Roll. The rolls were of good quality. There wasn't anything special about them, but they weren't bad either. Each roll was about $10 each so I wouldn't call it a cheap lunch.
I dont believe this place only got 2.5 stars...I'd give it a 4. The service was good and the sushi was delicious. Been here 3 times and I left satisfied everytime.
I absolutely love their Green muscles dish and their version of spicy mayonnaise sauce! Everything else I can probably get at another sushi restaurant for cheaper. Their service is alright.
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Anyone who thinks this place is even mediocre sushi needs to get their taste buds and vision checked!! This is the place for you if are okay with eating dull tasteless poor quality fish stuffed into ugly rolls.
This place deserves ZERO stars but I'll be nice and give it one star because it was the only sushi place open in the plaza. The hostess was friendly and did her job of taking my to-go order well.
However, it was the worst sushi experience ever. You're better off going to Whole Foods or even Safeway and getting their pre-packed sushi combos.
The pictures speak for themselves. And the sushi looks better on yelp! --__-
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Don't want to waste breath on this POS.
All show, No Go!
Worst sushi restaurant in the valley if not the bay area.
It's got big screen TVs, fancy decor.
Who cares?!?
** Poster Child for the ZERO STAR/HOLLOW STAR RATING!!!
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Fishermen Roll. That's all I come here for.
A few of the other rolls are okay but nothing worth bragging about.
Decided to try something new and got the Seafood Salad which came with a bunch of cucumbers, a few pieces of diced octopus and vinaigrette. Whoopty doo! Where's the damn seafood?!
Been here twice.. First time was eehh not too sure but was craving so had to have some sushi. So to be sure I have to give it another try and after the second time I have conclude that this place is a wannabe sushi place. It's not the worse I've had, but it's far from good. It really tries hard to be high end and high quality, but just miss the mark a bit. Has great potential and great location but too bad it fail the taste test. And when you want sushi.. you need to go for good sushi or else just don't even bother.
FOOD:
1.) Rainbow Roll = mMmm! Good sashimi... falls apart a little but it was still goooooood.
2.) Smoked Salmon Nigiri = yuMmmm! i Love Smoked Salmon!
3.) Ichiban Beru = Nice cold and refreashing, perfectly complimenting my sushayy
SERVICE:
Our waitress was really nice even though we came in last minute until they closed, which I know is a bitch for them.
ATMOSPHERE:
Modernized, colorful, pop..
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This place is horrible. Worse than your typical sushi boat quality sushi,. Fish is simply not fresh, they charge for refills on sodas, and cooked entrees were not very good either. Yet, people still come here because of the convenient location. Highly unrecommended.
It is what it is.
It is.............. Not Japanese owned and serves many exotic looking sushi rolls that you would not find in Japan any where.
What it is............a decent tasting but slightly overpriced Chinese owned Japanese restaurant.
Not for people looking for authentic Japanese food but, who is looking for anything authentic. People want to be dazzled and they have some dazzling looking sushi rolls.
Service was good, portions were decent and price was slightly expensive. I'm on the fence about this one. Not disappointed and not terribly impressed. A middle of the road Chinese owned Japanese restaurant. Hope this helps.
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Let me start by saying I am not a sushi connoisseur by any means. I stick with the safe stuff. Yo Yo is convenient to my house so I can just walk because as other have said it is a hassle to find parking. I LOVE the golden California roll and I ask for the spicy sauce on it..mmmm...yummy! It is a good place for take out or to sit for a quick dinner. The service always is good and seems pretty fast. The girls on the phone are nice, and have never messed up my order! Not the best but definitely not the worst!
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I really like YOYO SUSHI. I am from SoCal and I'm not aware of having a place such as this. It's either strictly sushi and nothing else and the prices are way more expensive. I like how there is so much variety at YOYO. I usually get their Gyoza, Terikyaki Chicken sushi roll, Philly Roll, or their Teriyako Salmon entree. Their entrees all come with miso soup, salad, and food itself. You get a whole lot for $15. The food is really good quality. Service is good. It's always busy during lunch and dinner hours. I normally jsut do take out and within 10 minutes or less I get my food. In fact, I'm eating the Terikyaki Salmon entree right now..yum yum in my tum tum!
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Great pre or post-movie sushi, but not somewhere I'd actually go out of my way to visit. Very nice desserts, too.
The nigiri was surprisingly good; the non-sushi cooked dishes also were good. The specialty seems to be a variety of complicated maki, which aren't really japanese in any way, but still taste good.
Oh, blech. My daughter, her friend, her friend's mom and I were going to the movies and decided to have some sushi beforehand since we had some time to kill. Big mistake. Yooge. Their tuna was pungeant, the tempura batter was thick, and their agedashi tofu was tasteless. For dessert, my daughter and her friend loved their cheesecake. We adults tried what we figured would be a safe choice -- tiramisu. It was a little... off. Will I go there again? This sushi lover would rather eat a hotdog and nachos in the theater.
Can I give them ZERO stars?
So, the service was bad.. bad.. bad.. And, you can read some of the other reviews here about their horrible service and food.
Here is my complaint:
HOT TEA SPILLED ON MY CROTCH!!
Normally, I love a bit of warmth on my genitalia, but no when it is scalding hot tea. And, I know everyone makes mistakes... But, come on! The waitress spills hot tea on my lap... I'm bouncing up and down in pain... and she tries to hand me... napkins!
For the love of GOD... bring me ice. Bring me a cool towel. Napkins are not helping.
And to add insult to injury... She then slips me the bill -- full price, no groin injury discount.
Now, maybe I'm just use to nice restaurants that take care of their customers and when they screw up. Nice places that don't make their clients pay for the mistake. But, at YoYo... I had to ask for a discount.
Me to the waitress: "you've got to be kidding me?!? You may want to take this back and have a manager review this since you dropped a pot of hot tea on my lap."
The manager comes out, "Sorry, the most I can do is 10% discount."
Burnt balls equals 10% in their book. Nice!
Granted, I didn't know at this point whether I had serious burns or not... It just hurt. But, wow... You've put your restaurant in a bad place to burn a customer and not do EVERYTHING to make them happy.
I know plenty of lawyers. I should have called. But, I'm simply not a litigious person. But, I do enjoy a good rant! So, you know what?
I HATE THIS PLACE! I'M NEVER GOING BACK! AND, I'M TELLING EVERYONE I EVER MEET ABOUT MY BAD EXPERIENCE WITH YO YO!!!
I feel a little better now.
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For a chain sushi restaurant located in an area where there is a limited selection of places to eat -- this place does what it's supposed to: feed you sushi. Other than that, if you want better quality sushi or something a little more authentic, I would recommend going to Japan town, where the restaurants are operated under Japanese ownership.
Just FYI: The parking situation here sucks, and if it's lunch hour, prepare to become a vulture to find a space.
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I went here for lunch and based on Yelpers' reviews, I expected the worst. It wasn't the WORST but it was pretty darn bad. Allow me to elaborate. ;)
ATMOSPHERE:
Parking is a biotch as it always is in Rivermark Plaza at lunch time. The interior of the place is actually quite nice and clean. It is casual and well decorated. There is a decent amount of seating and you can choose from sushi bar (sushi boat) or booth.
SERVICE:
Pretty good. The waitress took our order quickly and our food came fast. A bit clumsy though - perhaps it was just where I was sitting at the bar, but the waitress kept bumping my chair as they bustled through. If you read my other reviews, you'll notice how much waitresses love doing this to me. I look easily bully-able.
MENU:
Not bad. They have the standard pieces of nigiri as well as many rolls. The sushi boat selection was mostly rolls.
FOOD:
Blah. The miso soup was alright but didn't taste like standard miso soup. The sunomono was done very well and was a generous portion. The salmon nigiri was a strange color and tasted like it was half smoked but half raw. I didn't understand it. The unagi nigiri was dry which is rare.
VALUE:
Not that good. I didn't eat much but still managed to rack up a $20 lunch. I understand sushi is expensive though so typically, I am OK with this lunch price, but recognizing the low quality of food, I don't think it's worth it.
OVERALL:
If you are not picky and want a quick bite to eat, this place is fine. Don't expect super fresh and generous pieces of fish but you can definitely fill up. I'd go again only if my friends ask me to join them (I am lonely). But otherwise, I won't be coming here again.
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Wow, people do not like YOYO. I guess my situation is a little better since I never actually eat in the restaurant; I always do take-out. I also never drive to the restaurant; I always walk.
Yeah, parking can be stressful, so get used to walking from a far spot.
The food is always ready when they say it will be. The rolls are just fine. I am glad that others have rated it low. It just means I have less people in my way when I want some YOYO.
I really like YoYo Sushi. I must say that I am surprised by all the negative reviews. I've never had bad service, or bad food there. If you go for dinner you have to try the butter yaki salmon! Sooooooo yummy! They do make my beloved spinach roll just how I like it here too - with peanut sauce...that tastes like peanut butter...I know...sounds kinda gross, but it's delicious! The udon is good too, I get the chicken udon. I don't think the salad is great, but it's good, and the miso soup is...well...miso soup, how do you go wrong there? ;) Mmmmmmm...I think I'm going to have to drive over that way for some YoYo! 4 stars!
This place is ok. My idea of sushi is a california roll and veggie tempura roll and even saying that, this place is alright. Even I know its not excellent quality. Their miso soup is really bad. I do enjoy their veggie tempura rolls though. This place is right by my house so its convenient and not too expensive. I don't like the vibe inside - it feels like a fast food joint so I always take it to go.
Ahh..where to begin?
The little hostess I encountered was a real @#%$. Her keen ability to ignore patrons, who simply wanted to put their name on the waiting list, rivaled the snobbery of NY's finest dining establishments. I had found a true gem in santa clara....a highly westernized sushi joint with a stone-faced hostess! BOY OH BOY!
Shockingly, the waitresses are pretty nice. Attentive.
The Udon sucks and the sushi is mediocre.
What more can I say? Yoyo sushi is worth visiting only if you live nearby and need a quick sushi fix.
I try to refuse to come here everytime someone suggests this place. I think it's a chinese owned neigborhood asian place for americans to grab some Ca rolls and beer! Nothing wrong with that but I just prefer something a little more authentic.
Food is nothing special (except the Dynamite Roll, addictive as crack, son), its overpriced and service is horrible. The only reason to come is during happy hour. Sake and beer for hella cheap, don't sleep. I have not left this establishment sober, that is worth 2 stars.
KANPAI!*
Yoyo Sushi is situated sort of out of sight towards the back of Rivermark Plaza. And though Rivermark is busy as all get-out during the daytime, lunch hour(s) in particular, the area [pleasantly] settles down considerably in the evening. And its at that time that a peculiar species of customer emerges from their nearby workplace(s) and converge at Yoyo's Happy Hour; the Sake Drinkus Alotus!!
With a modern decor (though a little unfinished, in my mind) and a affluent-sans-snobbishness location, Yoyo can be a "nice" place to have an unfussy unassuming dinner, or a simple low-key start to a crazed evening. To compliment either scenario, the service here is genuinely friendly and attentive; Rosie!! Rosie!!
The aforementioned Happy Hour is our usual impetus, indulging in round upon round of $2.50 small sake (3-4 little cups worth!), $2.50 pints, 2 for 1 cocktails... It is a wonder how revealing and truth-telling the toasts become when your 15 or 18 shots deep with sake inside of 30 minutes... "Here's to... good hoo-hah!"
Food wise?
I forget where or from whom I learned this, but it's a good rule of thumb to rarely/never eat selections from the sushi boats at most places, and that rule definitely applies here.
Where the nigiri stumbles (not for lack of craftsmanship, but the supply of fish itself), there are some noteworthy and entertaining rolls to pick up the slack. Personally, because the sashimi is less than spectacular, I usually opt for the baked and tempura'd rolls;
-Volcano Rolls (spicy tuna roll, deep fried, topped with crabmeat and masago)
-Sex On The Mountain Roll (ebi, unagi, avocado, topped with spicy scallops)
-UFO Roll (crab, avocado, topped with bay scallops, spicy sauce, baked with masago)
Granted, I cannot, in good conscience praise Yoyo's sushi. It is passable, for the most part, largely due to a select few ornate and inventive maki and temaki, but the bare nigiri here, if you are so discerning, reveals the mediocre quality of the fish.
Recommendation? If you don't mind the occasional "burger" when you've had "steak", then you won't mind Yoyo's when you've had "-name of really REALLY good sushi place here-".
(*kanpai - a Japanese equivalent to "cheers")
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I think the service here is horrible! The first few times I tried this place, the waitresses would constantly nag us. They would ask, "Are you ready to order? Are you ready yet??" right when you sit down, and continue to ask every 30 seconds after. It's impossible to decide when you're being interrupted constantly! Why do they act so annoyed that we aren't ready to order yet??
The younger waitresses are also rude too. I ordered a sashimi dinner deluxe, which was supposed to come with salad and soup. I asked if I could upgrade my salad to a the hawaiian salad instead, because she did it for me previously another time by adding $2-3. This time I asked and she said "NO! You can't do that at all" and was super rude about it. It was like she just didn't want to deal with adding the $2-3 onto the order or something, but in the end I reminded her that she did it before, so she finally complied.
The sashimi here is OK, and the rolls are alright. Not many sushi restaurants in the San Jose area have a unique selection of rolls to choose from. After you get your order though, be prepared for the waitresses to go from nagging you to forgetting that you are eating there. Your drinks will not be refilled until you flag one down and ask them to refill it.
It's hard to find great sushi places around the bay. I still prefer Mikuni's, Sushi Unlimited, Zen Toro's (all in the sacramento area) and Sushi House (Almaden) compared to the the San Jose/Santa Clara sushi restaurants.
I thought the service would be better each time I went, but sadly I'm mistaken. Don't think I will be returning here anytime soon, unless its for a business lunch or something.
Oh, the mistakes I make. I went by rivermark to pick up some stuff, and thought I might as well get something to eat there to get more outta my parking spot! I thought I should try something new. I was in the mood for sushi.
I got the yo yo sushi platter, which I thought should be at least decent - nothing special. The california rolls had the smallest slices of avocados I have ever seen in my life (I guess that is impressive, so they got the one star!). The sushi had fish that had clear been defrosted - veeery likely in a microwave. It was downright weird.
Oh, yeah. I thought the service was reasonable. There was one waitress serving the whole place, and she tried her best to take care of everyone. It does suck that mgmt is doing that, but it was at a weird time and they were fairly busy (~2pm on a saturday afternoon).
It might be a reasonable place to get drinks, the sake is cheap tho the saketinis or whatever the hell seemed excessively expensive to me. But that is not my thing - I'd just go for the straight sake.
If you are at rivermark and want sushi, go to safeway. It has to be better.
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I have only ate here once and that will probably be the last time I ever will. When I first came into the restaurant with my friend we had high expectations for the food judging from the interior decorating. The place looked pricey, and it was pricey. We assumed that the food would be worth it though, wow were we wrong. We spent close to $30 for only a meal for each of us and weren't even closed to satisfied, even after the meal there was some confusion with the bill, it seemed as if the waitress was too busy for us even though there was any other business in there besides us. Nonetheless we still left them a tip that they didn't deserve, even though the sushi burned my insides.
Yuck. I guess it's sushi, in the sense that it's mostly raw fish and rice, but it doesn't taste much like anything that I recognize as good sushi. In fact, it doesn't have much taste at all.
It's probably ok if you are stuck some place and this is the only choice, but it's not worth the drive to get there.
Ok, this place doesnt make good sushi, it seem to be just alright. I been here a few time and decided not to go back because the sushi didnt seem that fresh. Overall if you wanted to eat good sushi go to the place in milptas called sushi maru.
i haven't eaten here in a LONG while, but the food was alright.
i remember this was one of the places i first began to eat sushi, so it holds a little special place in my heart.
they had this sushi roll that was wrapped around cucumber that really interested me, and they have a lot sushi rolls here too.
not the best food, but it's good enough, and it's in a cute plaza.
Pretty quick with service. Lots of sushi to choose from. Really enjoyed the bang for the buck. Attentive staff. Would pass on the brown rice tea for a jasmine or something a tad more flavorful.
Went there with three other friend, went there after playing 2 hour tennis, was really hungry.
I ordered Chicken Sukiyaki, came after around 30 minutes, was very excited to finally eat it, since I were very hungry.
The thing was tasteless, it doesn't smell good, the vegetable in there have no flavor at all, worst of all, is the chicken in there, taste so BAD, the damn meat smells, the chicken was probably thrown in boiling water and put in the sukiyaki, I don't how anyone can eat that chicken down.
My friend's Salmon Teriyaki tasted all right.
I've eaten here twice. Its too pricey for what you get. My fiance likes his tonkatsu bento box. I had two sushi rolls which were tiny and gross the first time. Do not eat their sushi -yick!
Went back cuz the fiance was craving his chicken katsu, I got the chicken and noodle soup which was hearty but bland. Haven't been back don't want to either.
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This place gets knocked for bad sushi, and I agree it's not the best food. But I like the friendly, helpful attitude of the waiters and waitresses. I think the non-sushi dishes are adequate for the price.
I dont do Yo Yo. This is comparable to Sushi Boat and you all know that cannot be a good thing.
Wow...where does one begin to describe this disgraceful excuse for a "sushi bar"?
Fish is as fresh as my gym shorts. Holy mackerel was this bad! The food was inexplicably cold when served. The only tolerable dish was the Agedashi Tofu, thank god they know how to throw tofu cubes in oil!
The food misses the mark and you cannot say quality and Yo Yo in the same sentence. No sincerity, creativity, or originality here.
There is another Yo Yo location but I dare not try as I suspect the very same.
Yo Yo is a No No!
Nuh uh.
No Can do!
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The food here isn't the best nor the most authentic, but it wasn't as horrible as I had heard. My friend raved about their beef tataki and I have to say it was pretty good. We also ordered their hamachi kama that was a bit dry and I have to mention that their accompanying sauce was a bit too salty for my taste. Their entree portions are HUGE so if you're looking for a decent dinner that would fill up that void of a stomach, this place will do the trick. We had the yoyo sashimi, pork katsu & tempura dishes which all comes with salad, soup, rice and a very big slice of cut honeydew. Nice touch considering most places only give you a slither piece of fruit. The yoyo sashimi comes with twelve pieces of hamachi, sake & maguro for about $17. I must note that although not the freshest, it does come with very generously cut pieces. If you're not used to eating sashimi, you'll probably gag from the overload. They carry a huge sushi list and their specialty rolls are a bit pricier than normal and they are served with a lot of rice, so choose carefully! We ordered the yoyo roll (8 pieces), the alaska roll (6 pieces), their krispy roll (4 pieces that had a weird tangy flavor that wasn't very complimentary) and lastly their crazy monkey (8 pieces) that was equivalent to most others dragon roll. All this, three draft kirins and a coke for $120. Not bad!
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Have you ever tried sushi that was so old that it was laced with brown on the sides? Have you ever had sushi that looks like it was on the sushi conveyor belt for a couple weeks?
No? Then come to Yo Yo Sushi! It's the greatest place to eat if you want to vomit up your food an hour later.
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Yo Yo has ramen? Huh. I missed that one and I eat there all the time.
I have to agree with other yelpers - the sushi boats should be avoided unless you arrive at 11:00 AM when everything is fresh.
Otherwise I have had really decent food and service at Yo Yo for the most part. I don't think it's amazing or anything but it's always been very consistently good. The hot appetizers are always tasty and all the off the menu sushi has been fresh enough for me and I'm kind of a fussy bitch when it comes to food.
I am a fan of the beef kushiyaki appetizer and the hamachi kama. I also am fond of the Hawaii salad which is tuna in a spicy dressing with sesame. All of the hand rolls are generously filled with goodies. Boyfriend likes the Bullet Roll and the Crispy Yo Yo Nuggets. We call those nuggets "Scooby Snacks," because they are addictive. And because they make us laugh at inappropriate times.
The really great thing about Yo Yo is the bar. For happy hour, which is from 3 until 7 PM every day, they have $2.50 draft pints including the good stuff, not just Bud. Also they have 2 for 1s on well drinks and they pour VERY generous drinks. The drinks are so generous that I only really need 1 and a half to get the workday completely numbed out of my system.
Oh and dessert - they have green tea ice cream and those mochi ball things. But the real hit are these little sponge cake desserts. Genoise and mousse in maybe 6 or 7 different combinations. They are really light and a little sweet but not too much. Great way to end a meal!
For parents: they are really nice to kids so don't be shy about bringing the young ones in to dine with you. They will be accomodated with a smile and lots of patience.
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