YO! Sushi, the wildly popular international Japanese restaurant brand, which already operates 86 branches worldwide, has opened its second U.S. location at Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey, with plans for more openings in Short Hills, New Jersey, and Tampa, Florida, in the fall.
In 1997, YO! Sushi opened their Japanese “kaiten,” or conveyor belt–style, fast-casual sushi restaurant in London to critical acclaim. The interactive—and downright engrossing—style of eating is a glimpse at the hustle-and-bustle of Tokyo’s technicolored food culture. Guests simply take a seat at the bar or in a booth and directly grab the bright neon, domed plates from the conveyor belt that seamlessly circles the entirety of the restaurant with the chef’s sashimi, salads, hand rolls, and daily desserts.
Not only is this style of ordering fun and easy, but also couldn’t be more practical and affordable, so get ready for a stack of towering neon plates at your table. Each colored plate is specific to a price ranging from $3 to $7 for the high-quality, authentic, and sustainably-sourced dishes including the YO! Roll with premium salmon, avocado, smelt roe, and mayonnaise, and the Salmon Dragon Roll made with crab salad, avocado, and shichimi (chili) powder with salmon topping.
Guests can also opt for a more traditional style of service and order hot food favorites like crunchy Chicken Kara Age marinated in sake and soy, or pan-fried Vegetable Yakisoba Noodles in a mildly spiced, tangy sauce with vegetables from a server. The wait staff is plentiful and informative on the ordering process; there’s even a little “Help” button located at each booth to call a server over.
The YO! Sushi U.S. locations in Sarasota, Florida, and Paramus, New Jersey, have the set the stage for the company’s rapid expansion into the United States. The YO! Sushi brand operates 87 restaurants in seven countries: 74 in the UK and 11 franchises overseas in Ireland, Norway, Denmark, and Dubai.
