Yugo East in Belfast

I visited with my family on the recommendation of a friend, unfortunately this wasn't a positive experience. I don't mind paying a premium for food I can eat, instead I was left a plate of fat. When our waitress appeared at the end of the meal I noted that I couldn't finish what little food as on my plate as it was mostly fat, the response was a laugh followed by "thats what it's supposed to be like". We promptly requested the bill when it became apparent £27 was the cost of palm sized lump of fat, two fingers of tough beef and a few splodges of assorted purée. Avoid.

Just back from an absolute delicious lunch. The flavours of the food was first class. Halibut tempura out of this world. Wonderful service. We will be back, well done 👏 guys 👍👍

Yügo East Yügo East in the heart of Ballyhackamore is a vibrant dining experience delivering the highest standards of quality and freshness in its modern, innovative cuisine. Yügo East is the perfect setting for superb Asian fusion dining with friendly, knowledgeable staff, and a frequently changing menu reflecting seasonal local produce. It would be a challenge to choose our favourite dishes, such was the overall standard of the food, but we must give special mention to the Tempura Monkfish with Devilled Tartar and the Spinach Futomaki which we enjoyed with our Tropical Old Fashioned and Spice of Life cocktails. To start, the Scallop Ceviche was an explosion of apple and chilli freshness, and the earthiness of the Jerusalem Artichoke was perfectly complemented by a Hegarty’s cheese foam. This was followed by a wonderfully umami Miso Aubergine, and a spicy, nut-crusted Massaman Halibut. And to finish, the Ginger Cake with pineapple and miso caramel, and the White Chocolate Mousse with blueberries and passion fruit, were a sweet conclusion to a delightful evening of fine dining right on our doorstep.

Impressive Asian food and one of the best Asian meals I’ve had out of Asia. Pork dumplings were scrumptious and the duck dish cooked to perfection. varied wine list and helpful friendly service and staff. Altogether a great evening out with fine food and wine and very fine company.

You will have a mouthful of flavours but leave hungry - Very small portions at premium prices. If you have more of an appetite than that of a small child, either eat something before you go or have something in mind for after (yes - even after 3 petite courses) Very good atmosphere - but I don’t believe ‘Asian fusion’ should be a deep fried dumpling. Nor do I believe in paying £23 for 3 waifs of venison, not including a hint of potato - those luxurious 8 baby boiled bad boys cost an additional £5. The monkfish curry (£22) does not even come with rice…. Rice… RICE. I won’t go back, but if you do decide to go - bring snacks, a wallet FULL of cash and a pretend smile for enjoying the ‘finer things in life’, whilst quietly seething paying £50 per head to swing by the Golden Arches on the way home.

5 of us came here for dinner on a Thursday evening. It's a gorgeous restaurant, full of ambience and staffed by super friendly waiters, like almost all of Belfast! It was the festive set menu in December, and we paid extra for a few "snacks" at the start. They were delicious and incredibly generous for a "snack". The chicken & chestnut was wonderful, and one of the group said the pork dish was one of the best mains she’d ever had. Online it says closing time is half 9, but doesn’t close til 11ish. Couldn’t recommend more highly!

My friend and I visited on 17th of September and we had a fantastic experience. We opted for the tasting menu and were really impressed by the quality and inventiveness of the food. Every course was very distinctive, beautifully presented and really delicious. The iberico pork and the lamb dish particularly stood out. The service was really friendly and professional - and the waiting staff were really well informed about each dish. Really could not recommend this more - we had a really lovely and interesting meal. Also - try the watermelon margaritas - fantastic!

The service this evening was fantastic, the staff were so friendly and helpful. We had the tasting menu and the food was lovely, so a really nice evening meal. I am only knocking 1 point off because frankly the cost of £50 per head really feels about £10 too high for what you get.

I had a great experience at Yugo East - the food was so amazing and delicious. My friends said it was the best Meal they'd ever had. And even though it's quite expensive, that should be expected as it's more like haute cuisine style; rather than a typical meal. And I actually think it was priced very well; given the high quality of food and flavours. We had the à la carte menu: the mains are about £13-23 but the others courses are about £3-8. It worked out in total about £40 per person for 4 courses and a side each. My one bugbear is that the waiting staff did not seem to have any leadership and seemed chaotic. We were served by about 5 different people and some of them seemed inexperienced and lacking in confidence (they were maybe new). Every interaction with them felt rushed. It took me ages to pay the bill because the first person I asked for the bill just disappeared. I finally got it from someone else and then they also disappeared and I waited ages to try to get someone's attention to pay.

I’ve tried really hard to think of some positives but the only good thing I can say is the blackened salmon starter was tasty. It was however, like every other dish very small, and also like every other dish, served lukewarm! Having eaten in Yugo City a number of times we had high expectations but it failed to deliver on every level. Described as contemporary fusion but his is just a fusion of confusing and often bland flavours. The crumpet beef starter for example was an inch thick, cardboard dry crumpet topped with beef that had been stewed then presumably left sitting in its juices as it had that appalling taste and smell of sautéed mince. None of the dishes were worthy of praise and the service unfortunately was just as bad. Very inexperienced young people who were simply runners but with no front of house manager to guide them and while we’re normally fans of creative wine lists, this was the most bizarre collection of wines which no one could advise on. So overall, the food was shockingly bad, the service dreadful, and the wine just about acceptable. We did provide feedback and were told it would be passed on to the chef, three of whom were standing in the open kitchen doing not a lot to feed just 24 people.

Recently visited here with my other half due to our love for Yugo in the city, we weren’t disappointed! The service was fantastic and the food on another level. We went with the wine pairing which was great, Amy knew her stuff, I was never a white wine man until now! Oh, not to forget the cocktails!! The girl making them didn’t stop all night and they were class. Go, enjoy and you’ll not be disappointed.

We went for the tasting menu, it was mundane, boring and like it had come of a production line. A very disappointing meal, I was extremely hungry and I still didn’t finish my last 3 courses, I did tell the staff what I didn’t like about most of the courses at the end of it, this was just met with “I will pass this on” nothing was done to rectify the situation. Once I’d paid the bill, I again expressed how disappointing the food had been, they told me to feel free to email my complaint, I had already stated my complaints so why would I waste my time?

Having been a frequent customer at Yugo Belfast, I was excited to have an opportunity to finally dine at Yugo East. Awful. Service was amateur. I realise staff are hard to get but….. No way. Clueless children leaning across the table and no recourse to more experienced staff. Food was served at best tepid and I was somewhat confused by the menu options which were limited. Probably the most diverse and unusual wine list in Belfast. Oh that’s good then. No! The “sommelier” was not available and the entry level £30 wine was ok. My first choice was more line a dessert wine. I can’t see this place enduring, unless….. 1 They train staff in basic service 2 the food is served at least warm 3 The choice of wine and food is expanded 4 They take on board customer feedback I will not be back. Finally, it is most definitely not cheap. If my parents had visited here, they would have considered the entire experience funny. I’m not laughing.