YKO BBQ Chicken

The food is good but the quality of the service is very very very bad, prepare to wait close to an hour even though you ordered via phone and they told you that it will only take 5 mins before you receive your food

Super good! Nice place and great service and and staff. Above all best Chicken ever! Love it

Worst restaurant ever.they’re service is really bad. They are very disrespectful. The food is really bad. Wouldn’t recommend going there at all. 0 star rating

Takes forever absolute worst sevice ever food usually tastes good but somone needs to get the recipe and replicate it im sure everbody would go where the chickem is with any amount of better service

Le prix du riz est dorénavant à 7.50$ mais ils ont réduit la quantité de la moitié c’est incroyable. Genre tu as moi du riz pour un prix plus élevé qu’avant, arnaque totale. Le service à clientèle est nul, 0/10. Ça ne vaut pas le coup. S’il y’avait l’option 0 étoile, c’est qu’il j’aurais mis car c’est ce qu’ils mérite.

Difficile de manger à l’aise a cause que c’est étroit à l’intérieur. Doit prendre plus le soin de répondre correctement au téléphone et de prendre les commandes comme il le faut.
Pour le plat rien à dire tout est délicieux

Dirty place. I was surprised how the city leaves this restaurant open.people are working there are rude and they sleepy all the time.i have ordered three times at the same time and every time they forget my order.they should close this restaurant.some one will be sick from there food. I don't recommend it to anyone

I am compelled to share my extremely disappointing experience at this establishment, where I encountered not only poor customer service and lack of organization but also a discernible lack of honesty and clear communication. I initially called to place an order and was informed it would be ready in 30 minutes. However, upon my arrival, the chaotic scene and exceedingly long lines indicated a severely disorganized operation.

The staff seemed uninformed and chaotic, initially claiming my order was ready but subsequently requesting that I place a new order, with an additional waiting time of 15-20 minutes. This contradiction and the subsequent ‘blablabla’ were not only frustrating but also reflected a concerning lack of transparency and clear communication, leading to an unnecessary and extended wait of 50 minutes.

Upon receiving my order, I discovered damaged packaging and spillage, as well as a complete disregard for my specific instructions regarding the spice level, rendering the food inedible. The overall decline in food quality and these unfortunate incidents resulted in the wastage of over $50.

I regretfully advise first-time seekers of African cuisine to avoid this location. I recommend the Dalhousie location instead, where the standards of service, food quality, and cleanliness are noticeably higher. This establishment has immense potential that is sadly being overshadowed by its poor management and unprofessional service.

I strongly urge the management to consider immediate staff training and address the prevalent issues of organization, honesty, and customer service to salvage the reputation of this otherwise promising establishment.

Uncivilized business model that discriminates based on ethnicity. They supposedly take orders by phone, and then you have to wait at least 30-40 min in line. However, if you speak their language, you can get your order quicker than the other clients.

Service and organization is so bad not even worth the bother. Might be able to cook but you will never have the patience to find out. Save the headache and look elsewhere.

Excellent food, but terrible service. Very disorganized. The place has a lot of potential though.

Worst customer service ever. They confirmed my order over the phone then they told me I have to wait in line.

Food is great but the staff does not know how to conduct business properly.
I've called to place an order for pick up numerous times, it's pointless although they accept the order.
The cashier will take an order and dissappear in the back for so long it takes almost 30min just to place an order.
Very poor customer service

The food is very good and juicy but the customer service is a mess. They have to work on that.

One of the best chicken I have had in Ottawa. Delicioso chicken at good price. Call to order before pick it up.

Love their grilled chicken, fantastic seasoning and grilled to perfection
Service can be a little slow sometimes

Modifying review to reflect poor customer service and long wait times for pick up even when calling half an hour in advance

Service was quick, food was delicious. Called to place an order and it was already ready when I arrived!

This place has some of the most consistently great food in Ottawa. That’s the only reason I consistently put myself through the random operating hours, Rude service, over hour long waits, and just over all disorganization. That’s how good the food is here. That’s the only reason they aren’t getting a one star. Prices are reasonable as well.

Terrible customer service. We ordered over the phone and were told it would be ready in 20 minutes. When we arrived the food was not ready and people who walked in and ordered after me got their orders first. Walked out empty handed. Save yourself the hassle and go elsewhere.

The place is almost like a sauna. You cannot breath inside and the line is so long so you have to wait in the heat. Also terrible customer service

The smell walking up to building is amazing. Makes you want to eat. Delicious. Fast service but you can't rely on them to open before noon in my experience.

La nourriture est bonne, mais le service à la clientèle est extrêmement minable. Les délais d’attente sont extrêmement long, même pour une commande passer 30 min à l’avance ils te font attendre 30min supplémentaire.

Food is great but customer service is trash. I have always ordered over the phone and have been told 20 minutes. Every single time I go to pick up my order I have to wait an additional 20 + minutes. Why? Because they only have one line which includes people who are walking in to order and those who ordered over the phone which I don’t understand. Why are people that ordered in person getting there food before those who ordered over the phone? And why do we have to wait in a long line up when we received a certain order number. The customer service and rudeness and lack of respect for their customers is enough for me not to order from here again. I’ve tried multiple times to give there customer service a chance. Time and time again, it’s just not worth the headache.

The food is amazing but the service ruined it all for me. I ordered my food through the phone 45 minutes prior and still had to wait another 45 minutes in line to re-order my food. They need to work on customer service and hire more staff.

Couldn't even understand me on the phone and I was speaking french which is their language as they don't understand english. The man hung up on me while I was trying to place a simple half chicken order.

Worst experience ever. I arrived 20 min after ordering to find only one person waiting ahead of me. After another 20 min of patiently waititng, I was forced out (empty handed) by an angry mob of people who arrived after me. These people did not hesistate to move in front of people waiting in line - as though they were not even there.
I have no problem waiting in line, but queues are evidently not respected at this location.

The service is very weak, the fryer is always down so we can’t get fries, even if we order we have to wait a very long time to get our food, seriously? If they don’t want to work they can just close. I do not recommend.

The owners really need to get a handle on how to manage their orders. Been there about 5 times and everytime the order takes over an hour even though when you call in they say 15 minutes. Once you get there they expect you to wait in line to place your order again at which point they will begin to make your order. Went there once after calling an order in and was waiting over an hour and a half for them to prepare my order. The customer service they give is some of the worst I've experienced.

I've been eating at YKO for many years. I order my food and waited for 30 minutes and once I arrived at the cash register he tells me there was no rice or to wait another 30 minutes. They need to upgrade their customer service and be more organized … I won't eat there again it's my last.

Great tasting food, particularly the chicken. But very poor management resulting in excruciating wait time even whenyou order ahead. My advise is to plan to wait upwards of 20 mins to get your food even if you order over the phone. Although, if you are into spicy BBQ chicken, the food is worth the unnecessary wait.

Attente trop longue, les responsables doivent mieux servir leurs clients qui sont fidèles. Mais le goût des poulets braisés est toujours bons

It's a gabage restaurant they don't know how to treat client I think they have to fire those people put new one

Very good food but expect to wait a while for the line. Everyone is treated fairly but the line can sometimes be an issue. (even if you ordered in advance you still need to wait in line)

Attente trop longue. Juste à cause de cela, vous perdez des clients fidèles. Il faudrait peut-être commencer à penser à embaucher plus de staff maintenant que vous êtes réputés

Great food. However, the worst costumer service you will ever have. Employees are not professional and even if you call or ordered from the store same waiting time. No need to call and waste your time.

The food good but the customer service is very bad. They pretend to take your order on the phone but when you arrive there’s a huge line with people who like you called and were given a random number and told to come in 30 minutes. While you’re there waiting (I waited an HOUR) the staff is uncommunicative. Not even a “sorry it’s taking long folks, we’re gonna get these orders out asap” no. Instead, When you ask them how much more time it’s gonna take the evade the question and the employees hide out in the back only coming out once in awhile to give out the hella late orders. They literally take your order again in person so you basically called for nothing. Very disappointed. They lost my business.

Très bons poulets bien assaisonné et très goûteux et de l alloco fait avec de la très bonne banane plantain.

I ordered from this restaurant and once I got home I noticed my chicken was raw from the inside and bloody. Once I called YKO nobody spoke English and they couldn’t even understand what I was talking about. This owners should be ashamed of themselves!

I wish I could give a zero to this establishment. I'm tired of African establishment not treating people professionally. The food is amazing, but not worth my support. Almost every time I've been there, something unprofessional happens. The wait time is absolutely ridiculous. Why make people call in to order, just to make them wait another hour?

I ordered from YKO with Ubereats once order arrived the chicken was still raw. The people at YKO are very careless and disorganized!

Une mauvaise expérience, ça passe. 2, hum okay, 3? Mais là. Vous avez beaucoup de clients. Le business bump, employez donc quelqu'un pour accepter les appels et peut-être nettoyer l’espace de temps à autres. Zamn it. C’est en voulant le beurre et l’argent du beurre que l’on perd tout.

Tout le monde dit la même chose.

Dès fois nous voulons encourager les gens de notre communauté, mais certains rendent cela tellement difficile. Une étoile, car la nourriture est super délicieuse, sinon, le service à la clientèle est tellement mauvais. Vous appelez, ils discutent avec 10 autres personnes dans le background et ensuite raccrochent dans votre face. Ou quand vous appelez la belle petite madame qui fait semblant d’être gentille vous crie dessus. En plus l’hygiène de l’espace est questionnable.

Excellent food and friendly staff but they really need a better ordering system. I don't understand what the point of calling ahead for pickup is when you're stuck having to wait in line for people who haven't called ahead to get their stuff. It's unfortunate because I love the food so much but always leave frustrated over the way they handle the orders.

Bonjour dernier fois que j'ai été le poulet étais excellent avec un temps de service de 6min n'oubliez pas t'appelles pour passer un commande bonne journée!

Probably one of the best BBQ Chicken in the city! The only issue here is it’s poorly managed and they have no sense of time. You call make an order they give you an order number, once you get to the place you HAVE to wait in line (15-45mins) is the average wait, then what’s the point of calling ahead? !? !? !? ! Good food been going here for years just horrible management and customer service!

Très bon poulet! Cependant soyez patients. La file d'attente peut être longue lors des fins de semaines

No matter how early you make your order for pickup, one has to queue up and wait sometimes an hour. What is the use of making a phone call to make an order? This is something that the management does not understand. Value of waiting time! In addition the smoke for the kitchen fills the waiting room and all your clothes end up smelling Next time the inspectors should look closely the smoke from the kitchen.

I don't mind waiting as long as the food is up to standards, I always get the chicken and rice, it is always up to expectations. I recommend calling in advance so the food is ready to come pick up because the wait can be a lot for some.

Food is good but service is slow, inefficient and unprofessional. They make people line up unnecessarily outside until their food gets cold.

Service désastreux
On m’a laissé attendre 1h pendant que ceux qui sont passés après moi ont étaient servi avant

I bought a whole chicken on Aug the 21st and it was so burnt that it was un edible. I was away last week so I couldn't do a review then. Most of the reviews are top notch so I'm not sure what happened. Will drop by on the 28th to see if they will make it right and will update my review then.

Im new to the area and was looking for an African style BBQ and called today to inquire about prices since I couldn’t find a menu online.the man was extremely RUDE on the phone then he carries on an entire conversation with someone else in the back in a different language and then just hangs up on me. What a joke.

I saw awful reviews about the service but having moved to the area and hearing nothing but great things about the food, I wanted to try it. They were so rude on the phone when i was asking questions about the menu, was made fun of (I could hear them trash talking me to other staff) and they kept shifting between me and other people in the restaurant over the phone having conversations. No worries, my business was brought elsewhere.

Spicy goat, full chicken, seasoned rice and plantains. Delicious, spice level is high, just how we like it. Great!

I usually order alot from them but as of late their quality has reduced and the chicken has a foul smell with it.i think they should try using another fresh type of chicken because this is really bad

Malgré la commande, attente longue. La commande était prête mais la personne au comptoir mangeait et discutait avec ses collègues pendant que des gens attendaient à l'extérieur. Aucun professionnalisme. J'ai tellement entendu parlé de cet endroit que venue de Montréal je n'ai pas hésité à commander leurs poulets bbq. C'était vraiment bof, nous n'avons vraiment pas aimé. Je pense que que c'était ma 1ère et dernière fois.

The customer service is very bad. The people you get the order from are very bad and rude. Ask for the order over the phone, and upon arrival, you have to wait at least half an hour because the order was not prepared despite the pre-order on the phone. In addition, I ordered a bowl of rice, and it came to me in a very small quantity and also cold for 10 dollar

I have been in this situation more than once

Bouffe délicieuse. Le seul problème c'est l'attente. Je vous conseille d'adhérer à Uber eats et avec un peu plus d'organisation vous aurez encore plus de clientèle. J'ai adoré le repas, ça valait la peine d'attendre.

The flavour of the BBQ chicken is amazing. We’ve been getting their BBQ for years, and it has gone down In quality.
Biggest TIP: DO NOT waste your money on the rice and plantains, as they tend to be dry & flavourless. Not worth the extra money for those sides at all.
I prefer to cook our own plantains in Haitian style, and rice that’s not dry.

Amazing BBQ chicken!
My go to everytime I'm on the east end!
Do not miss their rice and plantains!

The food is so tasty but like other reviewers the lady at the counter should not be serving customers. She is so unorganized and does not know how to handle customers. Aside from that if your willing to go through a small hassle once u get ur food it will be worth it (if she does not mix up your order hopefully)

Hole in the wall place but Jerk chicken is soooooo good! Pricey at $20.35 new price for one whole chicken but so good! Lady is super sweet too. I think she was owner.

The owner and the lady at the reception was rude as af. This was our first time and while me and my wife was waiting for an order we were checking out some snack pack that was in a basket on the check out counter mainly because I had issues with nuts and coconut. When our order arrived my wife asked if we can have a pack. The lady at the counter replied sure but you already taken one right, pointing to her purse. My wife dumbfounded asked what did she mean. And she replied the same pointing to her purse. I then walked up and raised my voice asked her if she wanted to check the bag and she didnt reply. This was quite offensive and me along with the other people in line were quite confused about how the hell she asked her something like these. I, for sure, not going back to this place ever again. Such a racist and rude place to begin with.

Best chicken ever. Not a bad price either.call in advance so you don't wait to long. They are very busy but well worth it.

I just want to say this place is amazing! The chicken is absolutely perfect! The side dishes are amazing. If you are look for some amazing BBQ Chicken this is your place! I had the half chicken with rice and plantain with the plan of sharing some with my boyfriend. I ate it all!:)

Food is good, which is why I give it a star but the worst service ever. A couple of times I ordered ahead of time of was told to pick up in 30 min. Showed up 30 min later and had to wait an additional 45 min. Today I ordered and was told to pick up in an hour and 30min (which is already a ridiculous amount of time to wait). I got there 15 mins later than the pick up time and they had sold my food and could not make another one.

Food is great but poorly organized and slow during high peak hours like friday evenings. Calling in advance helps but expect to still wait when u get there

Chicken is amazing, hands down. I would suggest if you don’t know how, that you look ahead of time and learn how to order your food in French. It makes for a bit less of an awkward interaction. Regardless, it’s worth it. #notdry

The chiken is the best in Ottawa. If you like spicy the goat meat is also good but yo spicy for me

Amazingly flavourful spicy chicken and mind blowing ginger juice. You come here for the food, not the service.

Honestly the food is absolutely amazing and it never lets me down but the service is atrocious. The man that works this is always in a bad mood and is rude. He has even been rude to my daughter. Wont be going back here unfortunately. Pili Pili on Dalhousie is better and they're much nicer too! Try it out.

Best value in town. It's amazing, delicious, and filling. Get some ginger juice with your meal. I crushed a half chicken and wanted more because of gluttony, not hunger.

You'll never go to Nando's again.

One of the best no frills chicken I have ever had. Yeah, the service can be sub-par at times but, frankly, they are operating from a single counter with a product that many people want.

Terrible customer service! We ordered our chicken on the phone before coming in and they said they'd be done in ten minutes. We ended up waiting for our order for 45 minutes. The cashier was not proffesional at all and people were skipping the line. Only positive thing I have to say is the chicken is delicious but id rather go to Pili Pili.

La cuisine est meilleure.

Mais le service à la clientèle 3/10 et la gestion des commandes 1/10.

Ça 4 ans que je connais cette place et à chaque que j’ai l’occasion d’y aller il n’y a aucune amélioration.

Que dire.