Yah-So in Southwark

PLUS + Well-seasoned and presented classic Jamaican dishes. + Posh twist on classic Jamaican starter (Ackee spring roll). + Large, fulfilling portion sizes. + Excellent Caribbean comfort food option! MINUS - You could expect a 30-minute wait for your order. - The quality of service you received noticeably varied among staff.

We was in the area so we decided to go in, we did not have a reservation so they sat us outside. The deco is old fashioned and the staff looked unprofessional, on their mobile phone, walking off down the road. We ordered plantain, chunky fries, ribs, festival, mac and cheese, jerk chicken and rice and peas and a few other bits and drinks. Getting all excited for our food, after about 10 minutes the waitress comes back to say their to busy to get our food because we never made a reservation. I've been to classy fine dining restaurants to pub lunches and have never heard of such nonsense. We said we would wait and she point blank said there busy, when the restaurant was not full. This was an absolute JOKE. THE drinks didn't even arrive and there was no one at the bar.

Excellent food cooked with love. It was necessary to meet the chef to say, 'Thank you, for your cooking and you are appreciated.' He humbly smile and said 'Teamwork.' Food presentation 10 / 10. Outstanding service with a smile- S, great customer service. The surroundings/decor is authentic and represents the Caribbean. Well done management. Keep up the standard.

Worth it. Good cocktail selection....burger excellent. Welcoming atmosphere. Polite service that thought ahead.

Honestly, l was taken by surprise as wasn’t sure what to expect judging by the bad reviews. I must say our Host of the night was friendly and accommodating..We did wait a while for the food but that was to be expected given a party of over 20, the food all came out around the same time.. the food is on point ..honestly l cannot stress how sweet the chefs hand is .. ohh my goodness.so nice. They are generous with the Alcohol in the cocktails l was so full with my staters and Main, l couldn’t finish my afters. they give a generous a mouth of food that l had to bring some home. All in all l would definitely, go back and l hope to have the same experience. The vibe is good and they play some tunes what take you back.

Customer service excellent Food authentic jamaican cuisine Atmosphere relaxing good background music Excellent all round experience

Grandfather's birthday lunch was a lovely experience. We had a wide variety of food for 6 and everything was cooked beautifully. For his birthday they also did a lovely surprise song with a little cake and candle. It was a lovely experience and will definitely go again. Yahso is the place!

I came for my Grandpa’s birthday and it’s the best Jamaican food I’ve eaten outside of Jamaica. Fabulous food, stupendous service, Good portions and acceptable waiting times. Thank you YahSo staff, for the birthday cake and original song 🎶 . I will definitely be back.

We had a great experience. Food and service was great. Hope the standard remain the same. Definitely going back.

For some reason we decided to give this place another try despite not so good experience the first time around. We were ignored upon arrival and so had to ask the bartender to seat us. The staff took ages to take our order. My little brother was due to arrive a little later and so we put an order in for him as well. We waited around 15-20 minutes for a cocktail, ginger beer and glass of water. Whe the food finally arrived the fries had some sort of garnish on them. Out of curiosity we asked what the garnish was. I asked if this is what is always on the fries as I didn't recall this on the first visit. When told yes and asked why, I commented that my brother has a few allergies but has eaten here several time and so it must be fine for him. Upon hearing this, our waitress ran off to the kitchen and came back shortly saying the kitchen staff are not comfortable serving this to him due to the chips being fried in sesame oil and also the garnish containing nuts. This later transpired to be incorrect and despite saying he was here 2 weeks ago and had the same dish to no ill effect, the food ewas taken off the table and she disappeared with it. We were then told he could not have the jerk chicken due to nutmeg being in the recipe. We kindly explained that he is allergic to nuts and nutmeg is not a nut but a spice. She didn't seem to care and walked off whilst we were mid-sentence muttering to herself. It is the duty of staff to check for any allergies amongts guests before an order is taken but also to offer alternatives if any problems or concerns. None of these things were done. Never have we ever been treated like this all for being different...this is discrimination. Despite contacting the manager for an intervention to be made and to complain, this only ticked staff off more. As we left, another waitress brought us our chicken to take away and as she placed the container on the table she leaned into it, digging her fist in to dent the container. All interaction was made without eye contact or a smile. It was just horrible from beginning to end and I can't see myself chancing this again

Food : decent Staff: mostly rude with a very bad attitudes and very unprofessional with 1/ 10 score for costumer service. No alternative for diners with allergies , or the staff have not been properly trained in this area, or, they couldn't be bothered to try.

Recently visited the restaurant for a late afternoon meal. We were sat down and waited for 30 minutes without any acknowledgement, only when we flagged the waitress did she admit that she had forgotten about us and then we waited another 5 minutes before our order was taken. When the food eventually arrived, it was flavoursome and portion sizes were decent. Jerk chicken and Pork belly was amazing. Dumpling festivals were tasty but slightly overcooked. We then asked for the bill and card machine and waited another 15-20 minutes for it! When the bill came it included service charge, which was never ever going to get paid for poor service, so asked for this to be removed! As someone of Jamaican descent, I thought I would try the restaurant to support my community but after this experience, won't be returning!

I would recommend this place to anyone! I got the lobster platter the lobster was well seasoned, the sauce they used for the lobster was amazing. My husband got the chicken and it was falling off the bone and well seasoned. I would highly recommend this place. The mocktails were beautiful and the portion was good. I will definitely be coming back to this place. Jodi the waiter was a lovely woman

The food was good and my colleagues were happy. Overall good experience and Kimone, our waitress, excellent service. I would visit again. That Callaloo spring roll, so nice.

arrived 5 minutes late and was very accommodating ,we had a pram and they found a table where was about to park it away , not getting in the way .THe food did tKe quite long to come to the table but i assume food is cooked to order .When the food did arrive it was favourable n delicious .I had steam fish and was lovely . definitely recommend and will visit again . price isn't bad also 3 of us and the bill was £115 . i was still full when i git home .

Very poor service will not recommend if you have a large party , communication poor, wow I was very disappointed Please check your bill has they nearly charged me £30 each for 6 kids meal when it was £6.99 in their set meal and to...

The first thing you notice is the decor, small items unique to the restaurant but transported you to Jamaica. Jamaica the little island with the big personality. The same can be said for this gem of a restaurant. The menu is incredible so much to...

Extremely horrible service. Paid a £200 deposit 3 weeks in advance to arrive and have to wait almost an hour because our reserved table was occupied. Once the other party had left they had one person make a attempt to clean up ice cream covered...

Went on a quiet Thurs pm. All the staff had huge smiles & made us feel welcome. Pina Colada was absolutely delicious! By partner had super-succulent lamb chops & I had a mega tasty veggie burger. Absolutely loved the fries… and I’m usually not a...

Birthday booking for 6 adults. Cramed in the booth which was too small for all of us. I felt that my booking wasn't taken seriously, the floor supervisor was a bit rude, and clearly fed up with my questions. She seemed unapologetic and fed up...

This place is a complete disappointment and not child friendly to say the least. Today I called 8 time to make a reservation before making my way their with my three children all under the age of 16, the youngest just 3 years old. I...

I had driven past many times, and a friend told me the cocktails are very good. So myself and two others decided to make the visit. We arrive and go in, we stood inside the door (because in most places you wait to be seated)...

Well done Yah-So for really upping your game. A few issues with my previous visit but this time you’ve knocked it out of the park. The food was fabulous as usual however the service and staff were great. Customer Service is so important and you...

Warm and welcoming with a great vibe and the food was super good. Lovely staff with a real feel for the Caribbean. If you love the Caribbean this a small slice of it in Thornton Heath.

Where do I start? We first went to Yah so about 2 months ago. When we arrived, there was a delay in getting us seated and we had to wait at the bar for 45 minutes before being seated, despite having made a reservation. What...

Having booked a table for 20 guests and paid my deposit, I arrive to see other customers seated in the area I had paid for. Then, I'm told I have to wait for the customers to finish as staff did not know about my booking....

What poor service they need better trained staff and the manager was also unprofessional when discussing issues relating to slow service issues relating to not tasting the rum in their cocktails. It was a party of 18 people food was pre ordered and the service...

The meal was wonderful, customer service from Manager is effecient and friendly. I will definitely order again.

Having booked a table for 20 guests and paid my deposit, I arrive to see other customers seated in the area I had paid for. Then, I'm told I have to wait for the customers to finish as staff did not know about my booking. How is it, that .my deposit is taken and management fail to update staff about the bookings for that day.This is one of the reasons why Black business's do not prosper. Unprofessional and unorganised!!Definately WILL NOT BE COMING BACK!!!Embarrassing and disappointing experience!!!!

I went ya so for my birthday the food was absolutely amazing staff were lovely i cant fault it all. Can't wait to go back VERY soon

I was initially skeptical about going to this restaurant as the reviews were hit and miss especially about the poor service from some of the girls. I went on a Sunday to have a break from cooking and was not disappointed. The decoration is lovely...

Visited here 2nd time. Food was lovely but staff needs training. The wait time for the booked table was ridiculous and the wait time between ordering and waiting for food is ridiculous. Overall the restaurant needs to review their customers needs. The ambience is great and lovely food but quite expensive.

Visited for a womens' brunch. Excellent food as always - wonderful canapes to start and the usual Jamaican dishes all served beautifully with great flavour.

We went there for my niece's birthday as a family, adults and children. We had to wait ages for the drinks,the waiter had an attitude problem, not once did he check if everything was ok, he avoided looking in our direction when he walked past. There was no care and attention and it was almost impossible to get attention of waiting staff.Food was excellent, but felt we were treated horribly, it's as if customers don't matter.The restaurant also felt cold, we kept our coats on and there was zero atmosphere.Would not recommend.

We arrived for our table and there was some confusion about how many we were book for. Once that was sorted we decide to order cocktails and it took a while as there was just one person doing the cocktail,everytime i went yo check if it was ready it was like a art work in progress. Let me say i have never went to any bar where ive had to waot so long for a cocktail. But i saying that once i sat fown and taste my cocktail i had to revisted the bar to let the person know how good it taste. Ive never in my life tasted a mai tai and loved it so much i would go back and wait tripple the time. As i said it takes some time as staff is not a lot but when the food came it was very good had no complaint. I cant wait to visit again. The staff tried thier best and was amazing

Lovely atmosphere- Lovely food- good service- food was on point- Freya our waitress was Brilliant - please maintain staff like her - it adds to the good experience- def going back in two days- I have to add that this is the first time I have taken the time to provide a review for a restaurant- However the service we got from the young Lady prompted me to do this. Freya keep it up.

Booked a table for friends, food was amazing as I have been before, no complaints there but the service was absolutely terrible. We were not greeted well before seating. We sat for about 30 minutes before we asked a waiter passing our table if we can order drinks, she rudely said someone else will be coming to take our order. We were all shocked at how she responded. That was truly a put off. We got a waiter who was a bit nicer. Our drinks took extremely long to arrive. Throughout we were observing everything and that rude waiter kept going, her attitude was very disappointing for someone who is serving people, this is not a good look for your business as I can see from many other reviews.I really think the staff need to get some better training, regardless of if the food is great, the service alone will hinder many more customers. If I am to recommend this place the first thing I will say is the customer service is horrible. We saw staff hanging around chi chatting (not to say you cannot speak to colleagues) but make sure customers are ok. We were not checked on once during our 2 hours plus. We had to chase for everything we needed. A friend arrived late and ordered a drink which she had to constantly chase for. Your service has let down your business and I really think this needs to improve. So disappointing considering the food was great.

Visited here on bank holiday to take advantage of the eat out scheme. Food was delicious although I found to be very expensive without the discount. Would be nice if the main meals were set price rather than charging extra for side dishes that should be served with the food anyway. Unlike other reviews the staff and waitress gave exceptional service and was very attentive. Overall the ambience and food was great. I would definitely visit again.

Ridiculously long wait-time for orders (an hour for drinks and nearly two hours for food), what made it worse was that when food eventually arrived, it was either wrong/mixed-up with another customer OR food was cold upon arrival. On top of that, our drinks came with dirty glasses (which is shocking considering we’re in a pandemic). Always want to support local business and we loved the aesthetic and music but everything else was a let down.

This is the third time we tried to have a cocktail here, Staff passed us without acknowledging us. Stood at the Bar for 30 minutes while staff talked to each other without getting or taking our order.Im really fed up with trying to support a business that is black owned and local because the staff attitudes are unbearable and just plain disrespectful.Avoid and travel to a more professional establishment. These lot don't know a thing abut service.

I went with my son and daughter for lunch wanting to try authentic carribean food.Between us we had the curried goat, oxtail and jerk chicken. The food was fantastic. Nicely cooked and filling. My only small gripe would be that the meals dont come with anything so you need to buy sides too so can work out expensive. The yam was good also the fried peas and rice. The staff were friendly and very helpful. I would go again next time I'm in croydon. Would like to try an evening next time.

I booked this visit for myself and a friend. I hadn’t been here for a while because whilst The food is always on point, the customer service is often terrible. On this day we were very pleasantly surprised to have amazing service from two lovely girls called Freya and Erin. They were both new to the job and made the experience brilliant. Two other young girls walked around with the most sour faces you could imagine. Please do not put them at the front of the restaurant to greet people! It would be lovely if you could employ more staff who know about customer service to keep the business consistent. It’s a shame that so many people complain about the staff yet they still have jobs!

Good food, however staff need proper guidance from the owner to work efficiently. Very long waits for food. Some customers waiting a very long time for their order to be taken. Proper uniform would be good, so you knew who the staff were. Lack of communication between kitchen and serving staff. Given social distancing, this hadn't been taken into account and I think there were too many people at the same time. I would visit again, but feel the owner needs to sit and observe what service looks like for a couple of nights, looking at timings and maybe make some positive changes or further training with the staff team about customer service. I think its lots of small changes that are needed for it to become a well organised establishment.

Absolutely worst place I’ve ever gone to eat, the service was shambolic do not waste your time or money. I went there with my mother and sister aswell as her baby, when we got there the waitress was staring at us giving bad looks as if to say why are we coming into her restaurant. They were all unwelcoming. She had a bad attitude while serving our food and didn’t look happy to be doing her job. They made no effort here to make us feel comfortable and although the food was good I will not be eating here again or advise anyone else to as service was slow and sluggish. Our food took 40 minutes to come and they were out of stock of a lot of dishes because they couldn’t be bothered to buy the ingredients.

I had reserved tables with this place only to then be told last minute it is cancelled. They have no customer service on the telephone and they hang up calls. Most unprofessional company so unless you like disappointment and a poor service then visit but if you don’t AVOID THIS PLACE LIKE THE PLAGUE. You may end up with an empty belly!!

Food good, served by a nice waitress named Tashiann but dreadful bar staff! Serve warm Prosecco and do not know how to make a strawberry daiquiri! I always recommend this restaurant as the food is authentic but due to lack of observation from staff I had to keep getting up to enquire about my drinks!!! I will give them another chance in the future but they need to improve immensely.

The venue was selected by a friend who wanted to surprise us. It was a pleasant evening and we liked the very Caribbean atmosphere...the music was great and our table was situated near to the bar which made getting our tasty drinks & cocktails quick and easy. The service was performed with a smile and all requests were taken care of. Our starters were delicious..the soup, the calamari...whatever you choose, you will like it. For the main meal, most of the group had the fried fish and were absolutely satisfied, even the fussy ones among us. However, those who had the curry goat were not as impressed. It was just alright. The rum cake desert was delicious... we all enjoyed it. A note for all who plan to visit...be prepared to spend some time waiting for your meal. It seems to be a trade mark!

Had a takeaway jerk chicken and rice & peas. The chicken was dry and didn't have any jerk flavor. The rice had a nice flavor but was hard.

YAHSO was our chosen venue at which to meet as a family to start the New Year and New Decade off with us all being in the same space. There were five of us initially and we were joined later by a sixth. We wanted Caribbean with the twist being that we did not have to cook the dishes. The meals were good and the pricing is very good.The restaurant has a definite Jamaican theme which is clear but not overpowering. The cocktails are very good as is the mango and ginger non alcoholic concoction of which I think we must have imbibed near10...The service isn't the quickest but the meals when they arrive are well worth the wait. I particularly liked the steamed fish it came with Okra which I don't particularly like but this was not cooked out in the gravy until it made the gravy slimy as okra is prone to do. So points for that.Have eaten here on a number of occasions always very good food.

This restaurant was recommended and pre booked and we wanted as a near to an authentic taste of Jamaican cuisine as possible. We were a group of nine over sixties the majority having never tasted dishes from this part of the Caribbean. Tashiann was our waitress and she tended to our every need as well as taking time to explain the make up of dishes on the menu, not everyone had a starter but those who did had to wait at least 25 mins. The delay was due to us arriving early and having to wait for the kitchen to start serving food after 1 pm.. Nevertheless drinks were ordered and conversation flowed, cool sounds of reggae music floated around us and added to the ambiance. Main meal dishes also took up to 45 mins to come but once we were all served silence was golden. The portions were generous, with colourful garnishes, an array of flavours and textures blending together in a tantalising milieu. Highly recommended even though we had to wait, Yes it was worth it.

Attended the restaurant on Saturday 4th Jan 2020 with a family member. We were welcomed and seated even though we had not pre-booked. After making our order and getting our drinks, we were asked to move tables as a large booking had booked. This was ok...as our meals had not arrived at that time. We did have some what of a wait for our meal, however the young lady looking after us was apolojectic and kept us up to date with progress of our meals. She checked we were ok for drinks etc. The restaurant decor is so pleasing to the eye and spirit! and has so much interesting talking points around the whole restaurant. When our meals arrived they looked amazing and didn't disappoint, as they were tasty and worth the wait! Defo will return again. Excellent!

I visited for a friends bday... DISAPPOINTED.....I was not lol I was a tad sceptical at first seen as most Caribbean restaurants the food is appalling and service is harsh. ...BUT not here from I stepped into the restaurant the vibe was nice. ..the drinks ohhh lord full of rum ya get what you pay for basically I was swaying after my 3rd one....FOOD is just amazing I had curry goat it was A1...the portions are LARGE!!! And will definitely put yuh in a state of iytus.....only gripe was the ribs were pork...it would be nice for maybe lamb???...BUT other than that you will not be disappointed...roll on summer cah I'll be back...

Never been here before and didn’t realise how local it was. Met up with some ex colleagues for a birthday meal as it had been a while. The food and drinks were amazing and although the inside isn’t that big the staff and food made up for it. The portions alone are big enough as I was very full. I would definitely come back here again for a nice evening.

Visited as a party of 3 for my cousin’s birthday. Staff were very friendly but overall service was very slow. Food was lovely. Festival to die for and my curry goat was stewed until soft and delicious. My cousin got a special happy birthday song from the staff. Really nice.

Customer service was disgraceful the staff was rude waited over two hours for my main . My desert never came out I left a drink at the bar and a member of staff threw it away . We was at a birthday party and the adults meals came out before all of the kids meals . Food was not seasoned not even a little bit of butter beans in the oxtail . You would be be better of getting chicken and chips than wasting your money . With the cocktails I could not even taste the rum it tasted like juice . I would never go there again !!

Absolutely shambolic. We went as a family to try and enjoy my mother’s 40th and a special day was destroyed by various factors that I wouldn’t,, in fact shouldn’t ,, experience in any sort of restaurant what so ever. The service was extremely poor we experienced waiters spilling a drink on a guest and stating “just wait I’m doing something “ The waiters also had a severe lack of customer service they didn’t even manage to smile and make the guests feel welcome in there restaurant. The main reason I wouldn’t recommend anybody to attend this place is because of the clear factor that the waiting time for our food could easily be described as dreadful. Our set time was 9pm However due to there lack of professionalism in escorting the previous gathering off the premises to ensure we had our seats and space that we paid for prior to this event we only received our first starter at 10:20pm and our main meal at 11:30pm at night ! What had made it even worse was the gathering prior to ours kept telling us we were better off attending the chicken and chips shop down the road !! What at joke! We attended this yahso place on the 15th of November and it is now the 21st and quite frankly to this day 93% of our guests still haven’t received a desert which they had paid for- the wait was so long people started leaving with out even finishing there set 3 course meal that they and I emphasise dearly-they had paid for !! I put down a drink on the bar while I was sitting next to it and the bartender rudely picked up the drink and threw it away , when I said why I was drinking that ? She rudely answered “ well it’s there isn’t it?!” The professionalism of the waiters and courtesy of the staff is appalling and even saying appalling is a clear understatement. If you are looking to have a good time here do not attend. I promise it’s a waste of time. They name themselves “yahso” to represent and promote our beautiful country Jamaica- quite frankly we do not need to be publicised by a restaurant that falls into this deminor of failure.

Was there for a 40th birthday celebration, for 30 people for dinner, with more guests to arrive after 11pm. Original booking was for 8pm. A few days before restaurant informed the host time pushed back to 9pm due to another booking clashing with that time.Party started to arrive at 8.55pm, but was told too early! Other party still present, and were only just receiving their desserts. They were complaining about their desserts and refusing to pay the service charge.We finally got seated around 10.00pm. Starters came in dribs and drabs, some people finished theirs while others were yet to receive theirs. Same with dinner, adults got served before the host's 2 children! Desserts took the longest to be served, some eventually got theirs at 12.45am, others didn't get theirs at all. Service charge was requested up front due to the size of the party, which was duly paid. But we feel this should be refunded as the service was so poor.Not only did we have to wait an eternity for our food, no glasses were put on the table, no jugs of water was offered, no smiles from some of the seving staff, food got split on the guests with no apology.I will not be going to this restaurant again, even if you paid me, nor will I be recommending it to my friends or family.

The seafood platter is the most expensive on the menu so imagine my disappointment when it arrived cold. The sides were all warm and so it was an unpleasant experience to say the least. No access to WiFi in here which I find completely backward. It’s 2019 if you can charge £50 for cold food you can afford to share the WiFi code. I’m all for supporting local business but never again

As soon as you walk in and hear the dancehall music playing in the background you realise that you're home. All of the food is prepared fresh so be prepared to wait but it will ne worth it. The service is great. The workers are young and relatable and the food is delicious.

Visited for a late lunch. Well styled and well kept restaurant. Greet was poor, the young lady behind the bar seemed ill experienced at customer service managing to look at us but could not muster a smile or a hello. Our gaze then naturally turned hopefully to the other lady who managed to redeem the situation. From there, service was good but continued to be let down by the slow bar and confused kitchen. Personally I think the lady serving us could have handled bar and table service on her own during this quiet time and would have done a far better job.Drinks took an age to arrive however were great cocktail and mocktail. Food orders were confused with the one other table that had ordered but to be fair this stuff happens and was resolved easily. I was disappointed that I was charged full price for a requested half portion but couldn’t be bothered to bring it up as needed to crack on with our day. Heating was on full whack and we were sweltering at the table, couldn’t wait to get outside for air. Food was nice, However not traditionally prepared which was a shame for us. Not the most memorable food I’ve had but nice none-the-less.

I Booked a table for my birthday on August 26th 2019 upon arriving we were not greeted by anyone for atleast 10 minutes ...when we eventually were seated we ordered drinks and had to wait over an hour for our drinks ...we waited over an hour for our starter, bearing in mind there were 3 children and 1 pregnant woman in attendance. No one bothered to give updates as to what was happening ...we Only recieved our starters after 9pm ...and the mains at 11pm and we still did not receive everything we ordered and the children Still did not receive food but it was like we were expected to enjoy our food while the children just sat there and watched us , this is disgusting and we could not eat our food in good faith knowing that ...it took me having to lose my temper and raise my voice for people to try explain why we waited so long for the food ....I was told it was because the ticket was lost in the kitchen, this is not good enough. Also after an hour of ordering our mains my brother was told what he ordered was out of stock and he would have to choose something else he decided to cancel his order because there was no suitable alternative. no one bothered to offer explanations or even apologise for anything that transpired until I got very upset. in the confusion my mum paid for the drinks but we were told my mum did not have to pay for drinks by the manager while outside I didnt realize this until we were on our way home . I also had to pay a £20 deposit to secure the table I would like my money back as we didn't get to enjoy our meals and we didn't receive good service. I was really looking forward to celebrating my birthday at this restaurant as I heard good things but the way me and my family were treated was disgusting we didn't deserve it at all. Since this incident I have contacted yah so grill and have recieved no response

I visited the restaurant on Friday and had a great time food was wonderful the staff were really polite and very accommodating. we were seated really really quickly even the chefs came and asked if we enjoyed the meal. The barman Rahjab makes a fantastic cocktail, the music was good, people were dancing in their seats also to the birthday drums and songs. I left there at 1.30 a.m was having great fun definitely going back.

First visit, nice decor, soul music had to ask for reggae music,ordered guinnes punch after 30 min had to ask , they said no ingredients, ordered food as 3.45 starters came at 5.20 with an apology, main had to wait another 30 min ,service is very slow which was very disappointing as it was my birthday , food was tasty but expensive, waitres apologise, for long wait & offered us discount, service was poor, which I will not be going back.

Visited this evening with friends who have come to visit from the Caribbean. This is my fourth time at the restaurant. It is fairly new, so although previously service took a little longer i expected that would be the case until they have the right staff in place. With all new restaurants you have to expect there may be some teething problems. I visited tonight (Thursday) The restaurant was full, and the service was excellent. Food arrived promptly our waitress was very polite and made a real effort to ensure we were happy with everything.

I took me 10mins on the telephone to book a table. When we got there the table wasn’t ready, the drinks took long to come as the servers are very slow. I order oxtail and curry goat. Curry Goat was not tender and the flavour wasn’t good. The oxtail was very tasty disappointed I didn’t get the Mac & Cheese I ordered, the rice and peas was oily. I was really looking forward to eat here for long time but the services staff lack of customer service.

I hate leaving negative reviews but this place here needs the owner to step in ASAP. Zero customer service, the staff literally have no manners. We arrived at 7pm and left about 23:30 and that’s not because we were having such a good time. The service is slow the food wasn’t great , which is such a shame . The decoration and atmosphere was quite nice . Listen to the many bad reviews and don’t waste your time or money here until they sort things out !!!

it was just the slowest restaurant i had ever been to. the staff kept Coming over to apologise but why open if you are not ready to serve? As soon as the food finally made it over we had to request take away boxes as we had somewhere we had to be,plus the jerk chicken was oven cooked instead of going on a jerk pan. So disappointing

Nice atmosphere, decor and vibe.However, the food is a little on the expensive side. The staff try hard to give good service and we were not left waiting a long time to be attended to or for our food.The rice and peas is a little strange as there are hardly any peas in the rice and it is like some kind of stir fried version. Personally, I would have preferred authentic rice and peas.Decent food and portions.

Nice authentic style decor and sweet regaee music playing unfortunately this was all that was enjoyable!Good customer service is non existent and the service of food and drink is appalling. We waited 90mins for our food to come then when it did only 2/3 starters arrived meaning we had to wait around for the 3rd meal to arrive.Ordered "rice n peas" expecting rice n peas but instead we got some savoury rice as if we were in a Gordon Ramsay restaurant....very disappointing.The waitresses were miserable didn't introduce themselves and didn't wear name badges. I ordered a 2nd drink and was called by the waiter to come and "get it myself " as the waitresses were around!!!They need to address this poor service asap as it seems to be a common theme. I am all for supporting black businesses but this was unacceptable!

Where do I start... I thought about whether I should do a review or not as I have mixed feelings about my experience at this place. Basically attended with a large party on a busy Saturday night. Everything was pre-booked by the birthday host. We all know that catering to large parties has it difficulties anyway but experienced restauranteurs should have experience of this and deliver a great service accordingly. This involves having the temperament and customer service skills to deal with groups of varying people with different needs and expectations. The place was packed, loud music, comfortable surroundings appeared to have nice atmosphere but not enough attentive waiting staff. They were there one minute but disappeared the next - never once asked if everything was alright once things arrived. I felt the service received was poor, there were delays in being served with our initial drinks on arrival, we were not introduced to our waitress, there were complications with the overall order initially (given someone else’s?) which was eventually sorted, food arrived in various intervals and there was not enough cutlery on the table for both mains and then again for sweets; if a table is booked for x amount then x amount of cutlery should be on the table so as to prevent peoples food going cold cause of the delay in receiving cutlery and also delays in accompanying side dishes being received ; all that being said the food was enjoyed by most. The presentation of the some of the dishes could have been improved by having the right plates e.g prawns/ calamari with salad dressing was served in bowls? making if difficult to navigate the dish. The rice and peas was not the traditional one we know but savoury fried rice with vegetables and very greasy, the jerk chicken had a very tasty jerk sauce but was not authentic jerk, it was roasted chicken with jerk seasoning - tasted good but not what I was expecting (smoked and favour-some ) the fish dishes were appreciated by all both steam and fried fish and looked amazing; the curry goat and oxtail had mixed comments - not tasting as Jamaican as it could - flavours were a bit wrong? The sweets looked good on arrival to the table but I was shocked when I tasted my waffle - it was dry and hard (pack waffles) why was this not freshly made? and the accompanying sauce and ice cream was not enough and could not save it!! The rum cake was a large slice with a tiny bit of ice cream and cream, the ice cream had bits of ice in it which spoilt the taste. In conclusion, Like most other reviews timescales were poor, attention to detail poor and customer service lacked the attention a customer would expect from an evenings celebrations. However, I found the food menu and drinks to be reasonably priced so offering value for money. Just a few changes needed here, I will try again on a quiet night to see if the service is better!

Went there with my mother, sister and her other half. Waited awhile for service. Drinks were ok. My mother tried to order something but they had run out. Dinner was ok. Put it this way, I won't be rushing back there in a hurry!

Went here for an evening out, our host for the evening was very nice but the manager has a disgusting attitude. We had an issue with a drink, instead of putting the customers needs first and resolving the issue the ‘manager/supervisor’ in question began a very unprofessional explanation to why he could not help speaking about ‘history of cockails’ and telling me a bullcrap story which was totally off topic and unnecessary. Will not be paying my hardworking money to be spoken to like that by anyone so will never come back due to poor management/customer service. In regards to the food/drink. Dont buy cocktails here there is hardly any alcohol measurements in the drink and if you ask for a splash more of liquor you will be told to pay £4 for a shot. The jerk chicken was reheated and un-seasoned although the jerk sauce was good. My plaintain was reheated (plaintain takes 6mins to fry) and soggy due to being reheated. Same goes for my wings. All in all a waste of money and a terrible experience! Will not waste my time going here again

Some off the staff at the restaurant need additional people skills training. We waited over 2hours for food to arrive but the "manager" was unapologetic and wanted to argue instead off resolving the issue. In relation to the food we would recommend the funky pan fried fish, sweet potatoes fries and the cocktails. The jerk chicken was dry, pork ribs fatty and the jerk chicken wings lacked a little something something.

Had a lovely Father’s Day meal with my family. Service was slow but the food and drinks were good. We would defiantly return but not if I’m in a hurry.

Wonderful food nicely great atmosphere and the waitress was very helpful. Had a really fantastic time! Will definitely go back.

Visited here with my husband after hearing so much about the place. I was expecting to wait hours for my meal but thankfully this was not the case. Service seemed a bit too informal for my liking..definitely some feedback for the waiting staff. There was lots of slang being used which is not really acceptable when speaking with customers but nevertheless staff were friendly. We did feel rushed towards the end with one waitress taking away our drinks even though there was still a bit left. Now onto the drinks..cocktails were ok..bit watery in my opinion.The food was ok. The prawn starters with mango and salsa was nice. For mains we had the meat platter. Some parts of this we enjoyed more so than others. For example the wings were very dry but the jerk pork was flavour some. The portion of rice and peas was on the small side too. The platter was enough for two of us to share. No desserts so cannot comment on that.Just a few tweaks will make this place a really good spot.

My family and I waited for 2.5 hours for some of the food to come - that’s right! Some! Only half the food came at that time and the other half came 30 minutes later. I was unfortunate enough to be served raw chicken! It was pink inside all the way to the bone which means that it couldn’t have been cooking for long.The customer service is also very poor, most of the staff working there are young so their demeanour is very nonchalant and passive aggressive. I wouldn’t recommend it!

Was invited for a birthday dinner for 9pm and had to stand around for half hour and made to feel unwelcome as we were in the way! Staff member with the pink hair said ‘Scuse’ meaning move out of the way and rolled her eyes!! The party prior were there from 6pm and only got their food and hour before I had arrived hence why they were still at the table that had been booked!! When we finally got our table we were told that we would have to have the set menu for £35 due to the number of people in our party!! I declined as it was now after 10.30pm and we had not even had our starters! Service is horrendous and once again ‘Pink hair’ very disrespectful and has no customer service skills and this was noted by the majority of my party!! If you don’t like your job I don’t think you should be doing the job!! Air conditioning not turned on and the music was SO loud!!! A terrible restaurant and poor staff aside from the dark skinned girl behind the bar with the glowing skin and beautiful smile and excellent service and also the tall guy with the locs a real gentleman Yah-so is AWFUL service wise and staff! Food is nice but the time you have to wait for it is deplorable!! The business owner clearly doesn’t give a rats behind about his customers as clearly not taken onboard customer reviews!!! Save your money and time and go somewhere else!!!!!

The atmosphere in this restaurant has a very cosy ambience and authentic Jamaican food, the kitchen was clean and open where I was sitting I could see the chefs at work. Once we were seated the food came out timely and piping hot. I had the soup starter delicious and the curry goat/mutton again delicious. The waiting staff were courteous and friendly. Hopefully will visit again.

I love the food of this restaurant especially the steam fish , prawns and cocktails . The only thing that can be disappointing is the length of time you have to wait for the food to be put on the table

Let me tell you, the beautiful hand painted artwork and the overall atmosphere was fun and inviting. The music made you feel as though you were on Jamaican beach; the sound of steel pans twinkling in the background the dialect of the workers (and a lot of customers) genuinely added to the Caribbean authenticity. Service, this not so idyllic. Our server never introduced herself to us formally, she had bright pink hair; you would think that bright pink hair comes with a bright attitude but this couldn’t be further from the truth. She at no point cracked a smile or varied her voice tone. Her attitude and body language was probably worse than the monotone of her voice; she clearly doesn’t want to be there/hates her job which is a shame as your servers are meant to be a credit to the work environment. After all, they are the frontline of your business and she, in my opinion, quite frankly does you no justice. The food... Humm... I can’t even throw shade. It was incredible! I had the steamed sea bass which came with tender pumpkin, crackers , bammy and the most delicious sauce. I didn’t have rice and opted to have mac & cheese instead - this was a bad choice. The mac was SO over cooked I could barely chisel it out of the dish, so I won’t be getting that again. Two of our meals came and one didn’t come until about 15 after. This meant my fish started to cool and probably didn’t help the already over cooked mac and cheese. But overall the food was full of flavour and I would return (with hope of another sever).

This is proper Yaard (Jamaican) food.The atmosphere is buzzing. The decor give you that caribbean feel and the humourous food names on the menu, is typically Jamaican. Ideal for a family get together. I went with my two daughters, and we had a scream. The hostess' were friendly and curteous and sometimes funny, as I love to have a joke or two.Will definitely be going again.

I visited Yah-So with some friends. The booking process was straightforward and they were very flexible with timings. The table was on a nice spot and was clean and tidy and we were able to put in orders for cocktails and starters promptly. I'd recommend the Rum Punch. I order the jerk bbq ribs for my starter and although it took a while to come when it did it was worth the wait. Likewise the curry goat main and mac n cheese were really nice- full of flavour. I had initially decided to get rice and peas, but as some of the other reviews have mentioned it's not traditional Jamaican rice and peas that you'd expect and includes carrots and cabbage, hence why I opted for mac n cheese. The portion sizes are generous, I took some home as I couldn't finish it all at once. The chef, waitresses and bar staff were all very polite and professional and helpful. Some of the reviews comment on the delays with the food and I agree it does take a while but when discussing this with staff its because everything is made to order so expect approximately half an hour before your starter and half an hour wait again before your main, of course the larger the party size the longer it will take. Overall I cannot fault Yah-So. I would definitely go back so that I can try more dishes. Friends of mine had the jerk chicken and jerk burger and also said they were very nice. Definitely worth a visit. Might I also add that the music and decor were also very nice touches to immerse you into the world of Caribbean dining.

Not rice and peas was more like vegetable rice. Cant work out why it was rice and peas but had cabbage and carrots init. Other dishes were nice and staff friendly.Very well presented staff, courtioues staff. Very accomadating, nice music in the background and nice athphosphere.

Attended this venue for a birthday dinner grouping of around 15+. The wait for the food to arrive was longer than expected and the seating arrangements could have been better. Having said that, the food was amazing and worth the wait and the selection of drinks/cocktails was also very good and reasonably priced. Yah So does need to work on its speedy delivery for seated guests, but I would deffo go there again for the food and ambience. The setting and decor theme inside the restaurant is very caribbean-ish. There is a wide screen behind the bar, showing visuals of a vehicle dash cam giving a tour of the sunny country streets and valleys of Jamaica, while sipping your rum at the bar you momentarily feel like you have been transported over there on the island.

The food was amazing. No complaints there however the service was incredibly slow due to staff being overwhelmed. We booked the last table at 10.15. Not ideal but we had been to YahSo before and enjoyed the food so much we decided it was worth the late night seating. We arrived a little early and were seated, ordered our drinks which took 25 minutes and two further requests before they arrived. We ordered our food and an hour later we were eating but that was not before they had mixed our order with another table. Staff were complaining audibly about not being able to take breaks; at one point a staff member was shouting instructions to someone else on route to the kitchen from our table. The food in terms of flavour, presentation and quantity was superb vfm but it was clear that the staff were overwhelmed and in some cases undertrained. For me this is the first Jamaican restaurant in a long while that feels and looks authentic with great food and atmosphere. I only hope they can sort out the speed and quality of service to remain competitive. I will definitely go again and hope that from this point on they sort these little niggles out so that the only thing people talk about is how great it was to be at YahSo in every sense. See you soon!

ANY GROUP BOOKING OVER 9 requires a deposit of £10 a head. Also you can only order from 2 set menus regardless if your that hungry or not which cost either £25/£30. Plus a service charge is applied to (EACH) Person around £3'Total amount for 15 people was 150 deposit plus extra £15 for set meal = £225. Total including service charge and cocktails £420. Not worth it. Food is okay but 1-2 hour's wait and very young unprofessional staff that have visits from young boys collecting free foodUnhygienic (Also has a bad odour and small flys flying around were they keep the doors open)Nice cocktails but thats about it**OVERRATED**Not authentic Caribbean food (APRIL 2019)

Visited Saturday evening (6/4/19) party of three. I have to say they surpassed my expectations both in terms of service and food.Seated approx. 5 mins after arrival and our waiter for the evening came over to introduce himself. I didn't get his name but awesome customer service skills. We kicked off with cocktails that are made the way they should be - don't skimp on the rum!In terms of the meal we ordered ...Starters were a mixture of veg soup and calamari. Thoroughly recommend the soup.Mains were a combo of Jerk Chicken, Curry Goat and Oxtail served with rice n peas, salad, slaw and plantain. Spicy but just right, good quality meats so tender and flavoursome.Wrapped up with some rum cake (by then we were stuffed) as a takeaway.All this for under £100 for 3 people is excellent value for money. So on our part it ticks all the boxes. Keep up the good work!

Unfortunately chose to visit on mother's day. Table was not ready. We were assured table would be ready shortly. After waiting in the bar for for 20mins we were asked to wait in a boothe at the rear of the restuarant because we were in the way at the bar. We asked repeatedly when our table would be ready. After an hour we were advised that we would be placed on a table where customers had only recently been served their main course. We were told that after having their main course those customers would be offered a discount to leave without dessert. Up to this point we had not even been offered a complimentary drink. We miraculously managed to book somewhere else in the meantime for our party of eight. We advised the manager that we would be leaving. The manager offered complimentary drinks at that pont however, it was far too litlle too late. We advised the manager that we would need to sort out the deposit paid. The manager said she would sort that out. She went to the drinks area at the back of the restaurant to prepare desserts for other customers. After waiting another 5mins we approached her and she said we should not be in that area she will come shortly. After another 5mins we advised her that after we had already been left to wait over an hour for a pre-booked table that never materialised it was not fair to keep us waiting even longer to sort out the deposit while she dealt with other customers. We then left with nothing resolved while she uttered under her voice.Not a great mother's day!

If you want a feeling of the home life inna JA. YAHSO is the place fi unwind and hold a vibes. From the beautiful staff, to the music and the overall atmosphere. My first time BUT most certainly NOT the last. Respect to the owner!

It has improved immensely from the previous time attended. Today 23/3/19 Our waiter Ray was very attentive & made sure we were taken care of. The food was excellent & so much of it I ended up having to take home a doggie bag! Can now heartily recommend as normally Caribbean restaurants are renowned for poor service & poor food, this one has bucked the trend. Well done & look forward to going back again.

I visited this restaurant for my birthday a few days ago. The staff were welcoming and attentive from the moment we arrived. I was unsure what to expect as I had seen mixed reviews on this place. Thank goodness I decided to try it out for myself. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with both the level of service and the food. I ordered the jerk chicken wings and the pan fried sea bass. The food was absolutely delicious and we did not have to wait long to be served. Overall my experience at this restaurant was very good. Our waiter 'Steve' was probably the most polite and friendly waiter I have ever come across. This place is definitely worth a five star in my opinion. I am already planning my next excuse to go back!

This is the best restaurant in Croydon, the food has always been delicious and nice; I come here quite often, only one time out of around 10 that I've waited nearly 2 hours; I was told it was because of a mix up. The manager gave me 10 or 20% off, I can't remember but the food always tastes excellent!!!The food Is always excellent, the staff are friendly and good; a bit young so not always in control.Only negative thing an inexperienced onsite manager who wouldn't take my order over the phone because they were too busy. I drove down there and ordered it in the restaurant!! Just lack of experience and too panicky!!!

Living locally to this restaurant, it’s been a place I have been meaning to visit since it opened a few years back however didn’t get a chance to go. Finally went there on a Sunday evening and they get a five star review from me. Reviews were quite controversial as for every five star review there was basically a one. But how often do people write a review when they had a good experience compared to a bad one. We booked a table of 9 four hours before we arrived. Spending 3 hours there in total. Although YES from the time ordered to the time food arrived took around an hour. We had not one complaint about the food. (Wait time for Caribbean food good fresh Pretty average). The menu is limited however carters for non meat eaters with around 45% of the menu. I got the jerk chicken (even though earlier reviews said “Half a jar of jerk sauce was poured on it” there really wasn’t) and grilled sea-brass ( I am not a big fish fan but I need more). Our hostess for the Ophelia, done an amazing job. Usually bar staff but brought out on to the floor due to under staffing made the experience great. Updating us regularly on times until meal would be served and giving us a few munchies as we wait. All with a smile and well mannered. I will definitely go again. If it’s a big group going and you want to be in an out in two hours suggest getting meals pre ordered. Other wise try for yourself and don’t let the bad reviews deter you. As people always complain quicker than compliment.

We went for a Birthday dinner with family. Food was great and staff very friendly. A bit expensive but was worth it. . Decor very charming and unique.. We liked it. We will revisit.

With some trepidation I dined at Yah-So again, following my first visit last summer, which was disappointing, because of poor customer service. Consequently, I wrote a blistering review. Think it is only fair to post an update, as my experience two Sundays ago was most impressive. Our group was served by a pleasant young waitress, who served our drinks within five minutes and our main meal came 30 minutes later. The ribs were juicily succulent, while the oxtail was tenderly tasty. Didn't see the surly young woman who served us last time, so hopefully management have had a clear out of rude, miserable staff. Hope the restaurant flourishes, as we need good eateries in Thornton Heath, but the owners need to be more hands-on and visible, if they want their business to succeed.

Me and my partner dined at Yah-So on Thursday 14 February 2019 @ 8.30pm. Was shown to our seats but didn’t like where we were placed as this was directly in front of the door. So staff kindly gave us a different seat, had to wait a little while though. So sat at the bar and had Amarillo and rum punch. Did ask for rum cream, but they did not stock this (thought this would definitely be stocked here). We sat down eventually and ordered starters which was lovely. My daughter and her partner had a booking at 9.15 so they arrived and we asked them to join us. Waiter asked if we would like meal to come out then or the same time as them so we had at the same time. Had starter, main and pudding.We had lobster, jerk chicken and rum cake which was absolutely delicious. We will be coming back and will highly recommend to family and friends.Thank you

The outside looks lovely. Was greeted by a young girl whose face was like a Monday morning getting up for work. The food took a whole hour to be served after ordering. I ordered a Rasta Ital which was like a Chinese vegetable curry.. Nothing Caribbean about it. it was made with cauliflower and broccoli and it was heated so hot by the microwave it was hard to enjoy. I ordered rice and peas which came in a finger food ceramic dish. My daughter ordered a curry goat and macaroni cheese, again the macaroni was cooked on a high heat in the microwave it did not look tasty and she said it was dry. Her curry goat came with no rice so it was just curry goat and macaroni???? I would have expected the rice to be complimentary to the meat. Maybe it was a bad day but not what I expected. Will not be going back.

Delicious food and drink, lovely warm welcoming staff. Authentic Caribbean vibe with great music - we want the play list! We all loved it and will be back for more.

My wife and I recently visited the yah so restaurant in the Thornton heath area of london with some friends of ours.The ambience was warm and friendly, and then we ordered our starters and mains.Which was jerk chicken, pork, fish side orders of plantains chips rice & salads,which was cooked to perfection.The staff were friendly and attentive and kept up with our order's we will be going back in the near future keep up the good work at the yah so restaurant until next time Blue Whale.