YKO BBQ Chicken in Vanier

Excellent food but very, very long time to get service

Love this place, best chicken in Ottawa

The food is very good but the personnel is rude. One of the workers insulted a customer who was complaining about the wait time. Apparently she had been waiting for over 45 minutes for her food

Even after ordering before showing up you have to wait in line Vegetarian options: Uncertain Dietary restrictions: Uncertain Parking: Good food anyway Kid-friendliness: Uncertain Wheelchair accessibility: No

Very poor customer service, I took time to order 35 min before getting in there. Once on site I give my number as always and the guy came with incomplete order , after arguing with me he went back, few moment later a lady came in same-thing wrong order, his college ( first guy) start to be very rude and impolite, yelling at me saying I m waisting there time. For business that run for a very long time, the owner should teach his employee how to talk to customer. This is not my first rodeo , each time they misplace my order. They definitely need to improve there service

I used to love this place and rave about it but today I was served chicken that was not fresh. The skin and meat was dried out. Very disappointed.

Insanely good.

The food is great! However the wait time could possibly reach 1 hour 30 mins as in my case.

Bonns African cuisine

Great food, very delicious

The chicken is one of the best in the city. The service however is terrible. One of the worst if not the worst I ve seen in Ottawa.

Extremely slow and horrible service. Waited behind someone for at least 30 minutes while the employees were in the back talking extremely loud and listening to music and ignoring the customers. An employee came to the front, took one order and went back to the back without giving any sort of wait time to the line up of people. I just left and went to the YKO on Dalhousie and They took my order and made it all within 30 minutes.

The most delicious BBQ chicken!

Zero customer service for a chicken that is not even cooked inside I placed an order for 1 hour I am told we will check if it is ready at the base I am told to wait 20min I do not recommend

I have ordered at 5 pm And it is not ready even now Food

Greater

Bad service

Very disappointed. A really big lack of customer service. Very dry chicken. Very messy immediately upon returning. A long wait that really isnt necessary. Maybe its time to think about a new system or people arent waiting so long?

best place for chicken in canada

Wheelchair accessibility: No wheelchair accessibility Recommended dishes

Food is amazing. Worst service experience possible. Its like they try to make it least convenient for people as possible. No way to know if they actually got your order, no place to sit while you wait forever. No way to order ahead (phone orders are all fake). Terrible. Food taste is its only redeeming quality.

Very good products, the chicken is delicious...the service a little slow, but the reward at the end of the wait is well worth it

Best food ever. They never miss.

I liked the chicken, but 7 minutes before I heard someone asking me what I wanted even though I was alone in front of the counter then in a weird way they asked me if I called before coming, I called but no one answered, if there was another choice I wouldnt go to Yko

absolutely terrible terrible terrible experience. if i could give this a 0 i would. my husband ordered a ahead of time and was told 15-20mins and it would be ready. i went to pick it up and waited an HOUR before i got it. once i got home i realized i was missing a whole chicken. we called and the girl was extremely rude and said she wouldn t charge us for the chicken (as we already paid) and said we can either pick it up or she can get someone to deliver, she then offered some random persons number and said we had to pay him for delivery. i drove 30mins back to them and she changed her story from the conversation she had with my husband and charged me again for the chicken. NEVER again will i be going back, they were completely unorganized and unprofessional

Their chicken tastes ok but their service is bad, employees are grumpy all the time

If I could give zero stars, I would. While the food is great, their service is the worst. Even when you call to order and pick up, they tell you your order is ready. You ll get there and have to wait for 30mins. It is totally uncalled for. Also, the staff are rude and slow. Don t waste your money here.

This place is horrible, didn t try the food. The workers are incompetent employees I order at 5:30 to pick up at 7pm got there on time at 7:30 he tells me it s gonna be 30mins I told forget and left. Horrible customer service I should have known better by the phone call. I wish there was a no star option

Worst experience since they switched management. I asked about the order and he got upset at me for asking questions. Then proceeded to say I have been here before, in a very disrespectful manner. He got upset that I asked for spicy chicken. His face was upset before I even spoke a word. The rest of the employees have been kind to me. The owner however has always been disrespectful. Never going back again, terrible customer service.

Food is great but service is poor. Called ahead and they said it will be ready in 20 mins. When I arrived on the designated time, i still waited for another 30 mins.

First 1 star I ever leave. Service is consistently inconsistent. Alloco is weak. They dont remember your order, or they purposely mess it up, whichever you wont get what you want.

1 hour before my arrival I placed my order on the phone and they gave me an order number. It was when I arrived that they started again, I had to wait 30-40 minutes more. Service to be seriously reviewed please

Long waiting hours. The don t get orders right. The Place is Smokey and last time I will go there. I am done

The food tastes good but the service is very very very bad. Parking: There isnt a lot of parking space but since its not a dine in and people just pick up food, there are typically high chances of finding a parking spot. Food : 4/5 |

They have to improve their service.

We eat here at least twice a week I pick up the spicy whole chicken and some plantains !

These people don t improve their Customer service. If you are in hurry please don t go. The min wait time is not less than 30min. They don t care if you placed an order or not. But food is delicious

Delicious charcoal BBQ chicken, must try.

The chicken is super delicious, the service is friendly but there are no tables to eat at, apparently everything is takeout.

Food is good Service terrible Call in order ahead means nothing to the staff You walk in and order starts at this moment of course if there is anyone at the counter Big linguistic problems as well

Chicken is good but service is horrendous at this location. You would get your food faster if you order and pick it up in the Ivory Coast.

Horrible customer service. They disregard you and misdirect you. Waited 50 min and seen plenty people who came after me get served before me. Late for picking my daughter from daycare!

The employees are so slow and rude that don t know how to talk really to be honest do deserve the money!

Rarely seen a restaurant with such good dishes but a lack of staff and difficult customer service, sometimes you want to eat here but you remember the previous experience and its hard...

The best whole BBQ chicken Ive eaten. I recommend take out because theyre quick to have it ready. Halal too.

The place is awful and the smoke is everywhere. *The lady at counter was very very very very slow and she was ignoring me even that i made the order in phone i had to spend more than 30 min in line for her to get my order number and after all the food was cold !!!!!!! Ill never ever repeat going there

We ordered braised chicken with alloco and fatty rice, it was very good. The taste of the braise, the seasoning, the quantity were there. Thank you

This place is such an unexpected gem! I was reluctant to try this place at first but now I cant get enough! The chicken & plantain meal is absolutely finger-licking delicious! And the ginger and bissap juices - yum! My boyfriend and I have started a new once a month YKO Chicken Day tradition - its THAT good! Its by no means a fine dining experience. Its take-out only, there is no seating and the place looks a little rough, but dont let it scare you away, the food is AMAZING!

A $30 Goat Meat order that is at any place two to three times the portion . Honestly horrible experience, save your time and money and dont eat or order from there . See pic attached . Literally the size of a small . bowel

I went to the restaurant for a take away order and there was no one at the cash register. I waited for 10 minutes. Afterwards, a lady came out and I asked her if I could order, she told me that she prioritized people who ordered by phone. This info is not mentioned anywhere. His colleague said the same thing. Plus they are not friendly at all!

You have to wait a little bit, but its good food.

Nice food for take out only, nice spicy BBQ chicken, love the plantain, the rice and the ginger juice, it will wake up your taste buds

Very unprofessional and ignorant staff, they ignore you until they want to serve you. They don t have a system to order to go by, the area where to pickup is very hot and no ac, dirty. You could order by phone but when you get there you still have to wait in line and you may or may not get the right order lol. I hope that they can put some sort of system for pick up and walk in. It is a very unpleasant experience.

Very very bad service from a Cameroonian, kabliii bétomé. Learn to speak well and serve your customers well. THANKS

The food is great but HORRIBLE service

Children was good. Very tasty, Fries were from frozen, not that special but better than many others. Wish I tried the plantains and rice. The atmosphere was very basic. Suggestions: Fresh cut fries or push your rice and plantains. I know things are expensive, but, I would have loved to see the cultural backgrounds represented in the waiting area with some art that go together with the food. As well, some culturally specific music would be fantastic!! Its all in the details!!! Respectful your. I will be back.

My favorite takeout place in Ottawa !

well I come here for pickup. Very good grilled chickens for Ivory coast! I like spicy food and they good some unique spices that you cant get in other fried chicken in Ottawa.

Terrible service, you order over the phone, they tell you your order is ready, and you have to wait in line and order all over again

I recently had a bad experience at this place. The customer service was quite disappointing, chicken was raw in the inside and the staff being unhelpful at all. The wait times were incredibly long, with me having to wait for around an hour just to get my order that I took through the phone. It was quite frustrating to be honest. This is my last time here

Went here for two quarter chicken meals. One order had dried out chicken while the other order had undercooked chicken. Really disappointed with the quality of food. The rice was oily and clumped together as well. Unfortunately the food was inedible and thrown out. After all the reviews I heard this place did not live up to its name.

Food is always really great. Wish service was a little friendly and not as slow, but I suppose at the end of the day, the food makes up for it all. I keep coming back, thats for sure! Kid-friendliness: They do have a mild option for family night

fraîche

Slow service however finger licking flavor meals

Ignore service and atmosphere. This is a takeout counter that serves nothing better the best charcoal bbq chicken youll ever have. Try the spicy chicken with plantain and rice.

The meals are well prepared. The dishes are tasty and the service is impeccable, especially Alidas incredible service. I 100% recommend this place.

Alida good service

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. When I heard the microwave I just laughed and left.

The right kind of spicy, full of flavor. Great African cooking

Chicken is excellent . I have been going there for years . A lot of the reviews say customer service sucks , ,but that is a take out place . For me the importance is the quality and flavour of the food in my case the chicken . And the flavour as never changed . Will keep going there .

This place provides a truly delicious and authentic rustic style chicken & rice with plantain. I would suggest that the food here miles above what you would get at a high end restaurant. If you can get past the customer service (because they are disorganised) and the ambiance you will be rewarded with an excellent meal. Love the food here à MUST try.

I love the food!

This used to be my favourite restaurant but theyve seriously dropped the ball as of late. The rice is bland and microwaved and the chicken is nothing like it used to be. Big disappointment success has defeated them

The chicken is amazing. Love that it s a Black owned business. But they will have you waiting for 2 hours for your food. Save your time. They won t change their business practices unless we force them to change by boycotting and no longer coming. We need to do better as black businesses. It s absolutely ludicrous in 2024 to have people waiting on their food for more than 45 minutes. Do better.

Food is good ! But customer service is the worst I have ever experience. I called once (February 17th, at 12pm, just so you guys know whom I m talking about) to order, the guy I talked with didn t even care about being polite. Disgrace

We tried it for the first time tonight and loved it. Our kids are picky sometimes and they were begging for more . The counter service was friendly and we had our food ordered and packed in under 30min. Definitely going back!! Kid-friendliness: Our kids loved it!

Let me start with the miserable staff. Rude on the phone. Upon showing up the place is disgusting, the ceilings are brown and in the corners near the kitchen entry. I ordered a half chicken meal and the chicken was nothing but bones and fat. 30 mins later I m feeling sick from this place. Pilli Pilli is levels above this place and less than 10 mins away. I can only imagine what the kitchen looks like.

Totally rotten service. I wont set foot there again. Characterized rudeness.

Bought 2 grilled chicken. All 4 who ate got food poisoning. The city needs to buy a visit to this store and open an investigation . Food

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

Best African dish place in Ottawa!!

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

Food was amazing and customer service couldnt be better

Very good food, need some improvements for services, also put some chaires for waiting place.

Number 1 chicken in town no doubt

According to web details they open at noon. I sat in my car in the parking lot for almost half an hour, I could see ppl moving inside but they didnt open. Since there is no sign for hours, on the store front, I went elsewhere. Not very impressive.

The food here is great however the service is horrid. Every single time we order they get the order wrong. This time they told us it would take 30 minutes and gave us the order number come to find out the order hadn t even been placed when we arrived and took over an hour. The staff clearly dnt care abt providing any customer service either.

It could so much money because its good but they make no investment to grow and expand to prosper with a 0-term business vision!!! You call 1 hour before to prepare the order how come when you arrive you will continue to wait another 30 minutes????? Do something damn it! Wake up

Fantastic little whole in the wall Caribbean food!! BBQ chicken was to die for..spicy, moist & charred to perfection! Big portions, reasonably priced & tastes fresh & delicious!! You can tell they put their heart & soul into their cuisine. Highly recommend & well definitely be back!!

I would to visit the kitchen and learn their way of cooking. It so delicious Wheelchair accessibility: No ramp no handicap parking Food : 5/5 |

Great

Completely wrong order and seems someone already sampled it before it got to me. Sad because the food is really good but this is unacceptable.

Introduced to this place by my cousin and ordered 4 times in a week! Order ahead to avoid wait times. Medium or spicy chicken was a hit, plantains were also a favourite. Found it better to order the half combo with 2 sides because portions were bigger, and had leftovers for the next meal. Kid-friendliness: Toddlers found the medium to be best.

The food is delicious and the staff are helpful and funny

Easily the best chicken in the city. Hands down. Get a half or full BBQ chicken If you can handle spice, bonus points because they do it perfect here. Ask for very spicy or spicy when you order. This place is one of those few takeaway restaurants I used to crave and miss a lot when I lived abroad. Nothing compared, no one could replicate the flavor profiles YKO always manage to deliver. Seriously seriously seriously worth considering if youve never been. 10/10

Waited 30 mins in line and there was no cashier or server to serve or take orders for the long line up and all you hear is giggling in the kitchen. What sort of business you running here? Terrible! Also, the inside of the restaurant is hot as hell and there s copious amounts of smoke in a tiny room!! Like your gonna get lung cancer for sure

The food is amazing but the prices are a little high, the portions arent very generous and the service isnt the greatest.

Hum the best goat in the town we can wait as long as it takes its because the demand is strong. The best grilled chicken and alloco

Their chicken ruined my stomach last night, almost got dehydrated from visiting the washroom 5x

I dont know, how this business still working, because, every time I order there always give the wrong order, you can order a head but still wait for 10 to 15 munites. I dont eat spicy, because my kids eat the chicken too, so always ask do not put spicy on it, only on the side, but always give me the spicy one and the dont care, as long the get there money. Today I had a long day with my kids and they ask for the children, I order on the phone and let them to know to not put spicy on it. And get in the cash let the cashier know that no spicy. But she still gibe me the spicy one. I get home and call them, the person on the phone blaming me for the not let them know. And I ask them what my kids supposed to eat because I dont have time to make them something to eat, he told me, he doesnt know, not his problem. Im so so disappointed and sad, to see you black people business works. He at least apologize for the that, but no Iam the one to be blame.

It s not good works

Food is amazing but it takes forever!!!

Tried YKO for the first time. Couple friends recommended it. It was good. My chicken recommendations in Ottawa goes as follow from good to better. Costco > Adonis > YKO. We ordered spicy. Good flavour. Charcoal style was tasty. The rice was one step down than expected. Plantain was a bit burnt tasting and oddly all clumped together. The value for half chicken ~$18 for charcoal chicken is really good ! The steel table/ minimalist setup was good for eating in. Recommend to have a recycle section with all the paper bags/ boxes and plastic utensils. I ll come back. Next time I ll ask for employee level suicide spicy ;)

Some of my fav spicey chicken in Ottawa

Delicious for charcoal BBQ as well as strong spices. Unbeatable taste! But call ahead and be patient.

On Tuesday We couldnt be served unless We agreed to pay by cash, I advised to have a backup whenever youve got a technical problem, Many people couldnt be served because they didnt have cash Thats poor customer care, try to improve On the other hand, the food was quite tasty

Service is horrible. I phoned in an order 45min ahead of time. When I came in, the the order was not ready. The order was 1 full chicken and a side of fries - nothing crazy. I kept asking about it and ANOTHER 45 mins later, my order was still not ready. I left without the food. Unbelievable.

Good

More than perfect. THANKS

I recently tried the BBQ chicken and the goat BBQ at YKO BBQ, and the food was undeniably delicious. The flavors were fantastic, and the chicken was cooked to perfection. The goat BBQ at YKO stood out not only for its incredible taste but also for the uniqueness it brought to the menu. It s not every day you come across such a well-prepared and delicious goat dish, and I commend YKO BBQ Chicken for offering something distinct and delightful. However, I must admit that the overall experience was dampened by the slow and inattentive service and lackluster ambiance. This makes it a very good option only for takeout providing you patient enough to go through the ordeal for such flavourful and delicious food.

Decent food absolute horrible service and atmosphere

It is very disgusting to be there, not to mention eat there

Food is good service is ok but not the best.

Super slow!

This is hands-down one of the best (if not the best) chicken BBQ I ever had, if you havent tried it yet, you are missing our big time!

If there is one thing I will miss from this place, its definitely their well-spiced roasted chickens. Have a taste and the rest is history.

Great Chicken. Worth the wait. Best to just order in person. Chicken is fantastic

Best chicken I ve ever had in Canada. Well worth the wait time.

Chicken tastes nice, but customer service, coordination, and atmosphere are so poor... if you dont mind spending over 2 hours on queue waiting to be served, then you are good. Kid-friendliness: Not very kid friendly

Food was good.... Very good but took a while before our order was taken. They need to work on managing orders inshop.

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.

Very bad costumer service. I called them then wait 30 minutes. Wasted time

Very very bad costumer service zero knowledge.

Their chicken is AMAZING! Probably best chicken I ever had. The wait time is crazy and there s no place to eat in. The only have 3 things on the menu. Ordering in advance isn t a thing

Very good food, high waiting time

To slow bad service

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 dont recommend it to anyone

The food is great but the way the clients are taken care of is not it. He did not even let me finish placing my order he hung up. I would ve reacted differently if i was there.

BEST FOOD EVER!

This is one of the closest to a Filipino Chicken Inasal. This is why Filipinos love to come here. One exception though, a customer was complaining about them taking call orders if they werent gonna cook their orders in advance. Overall, food is really good and the place still have plenty to improve.

It s difficult to eat comfortably because it s narrow inside. Must take more care to answer the phone correctly and take orders properly. As for the dish, nothing to say, everything is delicious

The price of rice is now $7.50 but they have reduced the quantity by half, it s incredible. Like you got me rice for a higher price than before, total scam. Customer service is lousy, 0/10. Its not worth the shot. If there was the 0 star option, I would have given it because that s what they deserve.

Good African cuisine, take away only

Vegetarian options: Dry chicken Food

The chicken was delicious!!

I give 0 stars for the service. TRULY HORRIBLE!!! Despite giving this place multiple chances, the consistent letdowns in both the quality of the dishes and the customer service have left me with no desire to return. As echoed in numerous reviews, the process of ordering through the phone is completely pointless. Not only are you forced to wait in line alongside people who didnt place an order, but you also end up having to repeat your order, adding to the frustration. The wait time of 20+ minutes further tests your patience, making the experience even less enjoyable. YKO please do better! The service is absolutely terrible!!! You stay stuck in the kitchen, we hear all your chatter and noises without ever taking care of the customers. Do better! What is the use of placing the order online? Honestly, the service is HORRIBLE! You are in a country where customer service is valued, but the fact that despite your poor quality of customer service, customers despite themselves show up means that you continue in this mediocrity!

They sold us rotten rice and when we went there to complain, they called us liars. According to them, their rice was good! The waiters should revise their insolent language.

Sometimes they get your order right, other times it s way off. Either way, they never acknowledge when they re wrong. Customer service isn t expected. Rudeness is expected. Being ignored, having the employees roll their eyes at you is all normal here. But we never say anything. Because when they do get it right, it s the most amazing well seasoned chicken on a grill you ve ever had. Lately they have been getting it very wrong, but still I line up, on my best behaviour, hoping wishing and praying that they do get it right.

food is amazing but customer service is terrible. i called in ahead of time for my order but ended up waiting an additional 25 minutes when i came to pick it up.

The chicken is delicious

One of the worst restaurants in Ottawa. Worst customer service ever. I stopped ordering from this place 2 years ago. Rating 00/10 A petition must be signed to close this restaurant which sells rotten food to customers. The receptionists are very rude. No more orders for my loved ones and I from this restaurant.

Called they said 20 mins when I got there I waited a whole hour

Waited a long @#$&ING time for food. Worth it. Food

Food is good but this is 1/4 chicken plate I am confused as to where the rest of the chicken is

Took over 30 mins in line just to take our order. Then, it only took 10 mins to hand over our order. Chicken was not cooked properly. They were rushing the cooking process because the chicken was all butchered up.

this restaurant has the worst customer service in all of Ottawa. they constantly mess up orders and never compensate you for their mistakes. I placed an Uber Eats order and was missing over half of my order. I drove 20 minutes to pick up the rest of the order and was verbally accosted by the staff for THEIR mistake. an order that cost over $100. Im done with their disrespectful service. please see appropriate food and service elsewhere

They are very slow! You order and need to wait for 2hours to get the order. It s the worst restaurant in Ottawa.

The place looks like the board of health is going to show up any minute but trust me, the food is good. When you walk into a place and you see locals inside, you know youre in the right spot.

The food is really good I would say. Very well cooked and tasty. But their customer service is horrible. I m a regular customer, so there is no surprise for me to show up with a long line in front of me. But I wonder what the point of giving customer a number through the phone and ask the customers order again at the cash. And not once but multiple times. While the guy can just write it down to save his time, his difficulty with English, and possibility of packing wrong order. They told me pick up in 25 mins, I purposely showed up late cuz I know my order never be ready in 25mins. I waited in line for 15 mins just to see the guy came out and told everybody the chickens is on grill and needed 12 more mins. But we actually waited for another 30 mins and the guy ran out to ask what we ordered again. I m also in restaurant business, and feel like this place needs an order printing machine or at least someone with a hand writing skills to take orders. Not mentioned that last time they didn t ask what I ordered when I got there, but gave me the wrong order. So be careful if you are not French speaking, their english is really minimum.

I m giving one because the food is good, but the service is HORRIBLE.They literally insulted and disrespected me on the phone TWICE. I ve asked about them it s not the first time. I can t enjoy food in these conditions. That s the thing with Black and African people, some of us don t know about clientele treatment. Like be professional please.

It was tasty ! Price was good . I love the service , it should be the best chicken ever had ! Strongly recommended.

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

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

Too slow, unprofessional, and crowded!

While the food is good, this place probably has the worst customer service in Ottawa. The wait time is extremely long even when you call for pick up. I would definitely avoid the place unless they improve. Parking: Easy to find