Yushi

This place is closed now, this is just a review of my last experience there. Everything is overpriced and the food didn’t taste good at all. One of the staff members was very nice, but the one who put my order together really messed it up. He completely drenched everything in some type of sweet dressing, even though I told him I only wanted a little bit. As a result, my order was soaking wet and all I pretty much tasted was the peanut sauce.

Chicken and rice platter was pretty good. Nothing special. It’s like the Chinese chipotle just not as good as chipotle.

Yushi’s a nice lunch option in FiDi.
I don’t particularly love the sushi which is typically ice cold. But the chicken, rice a two dumpling dish is tasty and well priced.

First time here. Drawn in by sexy sandwich Banh Mi sign. Since I think Banh Mi are pretty sexy. It’s a chain Asian fusion with a frequent purchase card. Nice place I did takeout and got the pulled pork Banh Mi. Not traditional and pricey $ 10 but delicious. The bread was toasted and was nice and crusty. The pork was savory and juicy. Well spiced and filling. Still I’m more if a traditionalist but a nice change of pace. I’ll come back to try some of their other stuff.

You should not come to Yushi.
If you want something healthier, go to Terri next door instead.
If you want good sushi, go to Ise around the block instead.
Otherwise, if you really insist on having some mediocre Asian food, then definitely stop in here.
I tried one of their «Yu Bowls», in which you pick a starch, a protein, three sides and a sauce. I tried the Global ($ 8.50): rice, teriyaki chicken, corn, some other vegetables and cilantro. It sounds good, but it ended up tasting like a bowl of mush. It was probably because they drowned the bowl in the overly sweet sauce to drown out the lack of flavor and/​or quality in the rest of the ingredients.
They’ve got a bunch of things in place to try to attract more business, but it seems like this place is going to be gone soon, in what seems to be a cursed location that turns over very often. I thought it was cool to get a free Iced Green Tea or Lemonade with my Foursquare check-​in ($ 3 value), only to be disappointed to see that all of the drinks were warm despite being in the cold beverage display case. They also have a 10% off deal for Unilocal check-​ins too, but I just missed it at about $ 9 where they only give it for $ 10+ (that’s how they get ya).
The weirdest choice I’ve seen from them to try to attract business though is the woman they have out front giving away free samples — of pad thai. Yes, that’s right — some noodles in a dixie cup, with no utensils.
They have a bunch of other food choices in addition to the Yu Bowls, such as sushi (which I tried at one of the other locations that is already long gone, and was pretty mediocre), soup, salads, and banh mi, but I don’t know if I would risk another disappointing meal to come back to try these other offerings.

I haven’t tried their sushi since it’s overpriced and unnecessarily fusion-​fancy for my taste, this review is for the lunch bowls.

I liked the lunch bowls the first few times I had them because the seasoning is actually well done. The sauces/​ingredients aren’t too sweet or too spicy or anything, they are refreshing. This is rare for a cheap Thai/‘fusion’/Vietnamese place in a lunchbreak neighborhood. I also just like the concept of being able to pick from a wide variety of different Asian flavors at the buffet. More places should offer toasted coconut as buffet/​salad toppings and have sri racha available both behind the counter and at the napkin table.

However, yesterday, their teriyaki chicken honestly tasted like it was cooked 3 days ago and refrigerated and then reheated for service.

I know this because when I used to work at a separate Japanese restaurant 4 years ago, I would take the (free to me) chicken teriyaki home all the time. I would eat some of it then and then I would put the rest in the fridge. The fridge stuff was still delicious a few days later, probably because it was free to broke-​student-​me and very filling. The point of this digression is that I am an expert on what 3-​day-​old refrigerated Teriyaki Chicken tastes like.
The ‘fresh’ chicken teriyaki I ate at Yushi yesterday tasted *exactly* like what chicken teriyaki tastes like when it has been sitting in a fridge for 3 days and reheated. Exactly. It has this texture that only comes from that process — a texture similar to canned meat. Never eating there again.

Two words.
Overpriced and blahh.
I mean, when you’re desperate for some descent but fast Asian food and your friends all wander to the «Chipoltle area» only to discover that the line is out the block, there’s gotta be some kind of alternative. Hard to convince many of my guy friends to go to Terri next door due to the seemingly taboo word Vegan, Yushi was the default solution.
The pre-​made sushi looked worse than the ones I could get in suburban midwest supermarkets, so I ended up ordering the veggie bowl. While the food itself was quite edible, the prices were ridiculous. As I watched the waiter scantily throw a few pieces of vegetable onto my plate, I knew I had been ripped off. So what’s their profit margin for mediocre food? Like 900%? Maybe some of it goes to rent and payroll. Probably a tiny bit for cost of goods sold.
Also, the service is terrible. I stood after I paid waiting to sign my receipt. Yet the cashier simply ignored me and just stood there, until two minutes later she said I was all set. No thank you’s, no greetings, nothing. Talk about winning repeat customers.
Maybe next time it’s time to try Vegan. That or go to Roti, whose line is also crazy and out the door.

Man Yushi wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t amazing… it was simply what I saw as an inferior asian chipotle. It’s prices weren’t terrible (slightly more expensive than chipotle) and I appreciated how they had warm food ready for purchase.
Nevertheless, in terms of flavor and quality, it simply wasn’t up to snuff. Sure, I didn’t dislike eating it, but I probably wouldn’t request it.
I had the brown rice, chicken, with carrots, mushrooms, and green beans. I topped it off with the teriyaki sauce and garnished it with cilantro and chili flakes. Overall, I didn’t really taste much of anything except the sauce. I will say the carrots were well done, but other than that, I wasn’t too impressed.
Also the lunch line is insanely long.

I had a chicken skewer rice box. The chicken was flavorful and not dry. It was a decent portion of food.
I also tried the Thai basil strawberry lemonade drink, which was ok.
Service is very fast. I will have to come back to try their Yu-​Bowl, where you select some toppings to put over rice/​noodles.

OK lunch spot on Maiden Lane. Nothing to rave about. I’d rather wait until dinner to have better sushi for a better price. Seriously, this place is kind of expensive and it tastes pre-​manufactured. I think it’s fresher than going to Zeytuna for sushi (they are hit or miss), but I wouldn’t get excited about eating here.

I just wandered into Yushi for the first time… and most likely the last.
I tried their bowl where you can choose what you want in it, I chose noodles, chicken and 3 veggies. Everything was cold including the noodles and chicken, I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be, but it kind of killed it for me. They dressed it up with such a small amount of the peanut sauce I asked for leaving the noodles very bland. So, yea cold, bland noodles. That’s today’s lunch whomp whomp…

Came here once for lunch when I realized that my usual go-​to sushi place wasn’t taking credit cards. The place is nice and they seem to have a good variety of food– dumplings, sushi, soup, noodle bowls, you name it– in a kind of cafeteria type setting. There’s a different line for each type of food, and it seems to be efficient (a bit confusing at first, but there was someone to help me figure it out when I was there).
I was in a hurry so couldn’t order anything a la carte, so I grabbed their classic checkerboard sushi plate and a miso soup. The sushi was all right– pretty good quality but nothing that blew me away– but the miso soup was cold. I wasn’t expecting it to be piping hot, since it was ready made and I had to bring it back to my office, but it wasn’t even lukewarm, just cold. I feel like they could improve that if they put the soup on a heated shelf and a bit more away from the sushi.
And holy crap, the prices here are insane! I’ve ordered a very similar menu at sit down sushi restaurants that charged me less. I know that it’s the Financial District and it may just be out of my price range, but for the amount of money I paid I feel like I could have gotten a much better meal.

I would love to give 3.5 stars but rounding up to 4 because the manager was so cool and energetic and I like the concept of this place! As soon as we came in he welcomed us and gave us the lowdown on each station. They were giving away free samples of their sandwiches, which were spicy but good! I settled on some premade dumplings and a craisin, chicken, cashew salad. The dumplings were great and the salad was interesting but don’t think I would get it again. My friend BG did the create your own bowl and said it was a little bland, but would go back for a sandwich. Kind of expensive but I’m adding Yushi to my lunchtime rotation!

what i ate– firecracker miso soup
was on my way to another local lunch spot when i passed by yushi and figured what the heck. perused the options for a while and settled on the firecracker miso as it is a cold day and i have been on a miso soup kick.
it was advertised as a more flavorful miso soup with glass noodles and veggies. sadly i found it to be a standard miso soup (i added fresh lime juice when i got home). while it had plenty of spinach and a few slivers of mushrooms, it hardly had any glass noodles which was the big selling point for me. and seriously, noodles are one of the cheapest ingredients possible so no excuse for lacking portions.
not worth the $ 5 since it was so similar to your typical $ 1.50 miso soup. oh well.

Yushi has not let me down overall. It’s as Asian fusion as they come — Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, etc, under one roof. The grab-​and-​go hot «bar» is essential for the Wall Street worker, same with the cold «bar» to the side with sushi boxes and edamame, to name a few. The line is relatively short, so there is no «beat the lunch rush» — just come in when you can.
one note to them — BRING BACK THE BANH MI! please.

Great lunch spot! I used to begrudgingly go to Yushi when they were at the World Finance Center 3. Although it was overpriced Asian fusion food, they were super quick and I really like the buser/​greeter guy with the bowtie who was very courteous and always greeted every guest like a VIP. Getting my lunch in 5 minutes and having someone treat me like a VIP for those mere 5 minutes, these are the simple joys corporate minions like me cherish. The portion at the WFC location was so puny that each meal would only be 300 – 400 calories. It’s an optimization game to get the most calories for your bucks. I tried their chicken dishes on a number of occasions and other than chicken katsu, they were rubbery and oddly colored. Wait, there’s a happy ending to this review, I swear!
After they closed the Yushi location in WFC, I started craving their baked chicken katsu and hunted down one of their nearest locations. I was really surprised at how much better the quality of the food was. They have the Yu Bowl line, which is mix-​your-​own bowl of protein, toppings, and rice/​noodle (assembly-​line style, like Chipotle). It was speedy, tasty, and fresh. Only downside is, as another reviewer pointed out, they are pretty stingy with their protein. My favorite proteins at the Yu Bowl line is the chicken and beef. Other than the Yu Bowl line, they still have my favorite baked chicken katsu meal (with white meat chicken!), curry sauce and katsu sauce… yummm. Only, I think it’s a dollar more than it used to be (oh yes, I noticed you raised the price, Yushi!).
In addition, they have banh mi/​sandwiches, which I have yet to try but look equally tasty and well crafted. After 2pm, all their hot items are made to order. I had to wait for a little bit for my teriyaki chicken skewers when I came here for a late lunch, but it was totally worth it. It appears that they use white meat chicken — SCORE! Overall, I’m impressed at the evolution of Yushi. Minus half star for the price and another half star for not having the awesomely friendly guy at this Maiden Lane location. Where did he go???

I was torn here — because I really wanted to give it 5 stars because the concept of a «Asian Subway /​Chipolte» is a great idea. However — even though the food elements they prepare amy be great on their own they don’t always mesh well together. So you have to becareful what you order — it it won’t work out well for you. If you stick to the preset stuff you’re ok but if you go the wy of «make your own» — you can only be responsible for your own choices.
They have their pre-​made grab and go stuff like rolls, sandwhiches, fried rice, miso, seaweed, noodles, etc. which is great if you are grab and go and don’t have time to wait.
I’ve done both the grab and go and the make your own approach. I would definitely stick with the grab and go stuff b/​c like i said — you spend a ton of money and then don’t know if you are going to like it or not… which is not fun.
Today i tried the bbq pork sandwhich — the bread was awesome (as another user said), the pork was perfect and the sauce was slightly spicy and delish! Grabbed a fruit cup to go w/​it — perfect lunch!
It is quite pricy — $ 12.00 for a bowl, $ 9.00 for a sandwhich… that being said… if you want it you’ll pay… and they know that.

I would have to agree with the reviews here… 2.5 stars.
Got the double protein bowl — the shredded pork in sauce was too salty and wayy too mushy/overcooked.The teriyaki chicken pieces– too few and rather blah. The 3 toppings and 2 sauces I added — tasted more like sodium overload than good flavors. Brown rice was very good but could have used more.
The bowl sure looked good but no ‘wow’ factor at all in taste.
The sushi rolls were okay.
Seems pretty expensive for it is. If I heard the cashier right, my card was charged $ 12.40 for a double protein bowl. Unfortunately I’m still hungry after it, but probably because I eat too much.
All in all, a good/​clean new place to try but for the price vs. quality, another no-​return for this making-​pennies-​on-​Wall-​Street girl.

ok. If you want sushi… walk down a few blocks to niko-​niko or taste of tokyo or even slightly further. Nu sushi…
If you wan’t a rice bowl. Go to YORGANIC. it’s cheaper and it’s organic, fresh and they have way more toppings. I ordered the yu bowl. with brown rice, chicken, bean sprouts, broccoli and mushroom with spicy peanut toppings and teriyaki sauce. OMG. Did you guys just soak the chicken for the whole day??? Everything that displayed looks pretty bad and I just lost my appetite. I can get a better bowl at Yorganic for less 9.25 too!!!

Another, new and welcomed addition to the FiDi lunch rotation, Yushi Asian Kitchen offers a medley of Asian cuisines in made-​to-​order or grab-​and-​go options. At the entrance, they have all their cold items neatly presented against the wall for easy access. Here you will mainly find Japanese sushi and sashimi staples as well as popular side dishes. Today I got the «Superstar Salmon» box which consists of 5 pieces of salmon sushi along with a few pieces of salmon and avocado roll. The salmon was nicely chilled and tasted pretty fresh, and I really liked the salad that comes in the box. I tasted pumpkin seeds which is uncommon but a unique and very tasty ingredient added into the mix. Along comes two «shooters» of condiments that come in the box, soy sauce and the dressing for the salad. I thought this was a smart and sanitary way to include the condiments, and liked the ease and look of their nice presentation. The prices though, do run a little high, as my box was $ 12.00 and I felt there was too much rice in the salmon sushi. Otherwise, a great meal as long as the salmon is high quality and fresh.
As you move further into the store, you’ll find a hot foods section that offers soups, ready-​to-​go dumplings (in takeout boxes), and various soups and noodle soups. I got the «Firecracker Miso Soup» which is similar to taste to traditional miso, but with an added zestiness and a hint of spice to it. Also, you won’t find pieces of seaweed or soft tofu floating around the soup. This version comes with glass noodles (as found in Korean japchae noodles). Different, but enjoyable nonetheless. Again however, this set me back $ 4.75, which is expensive considering it’s soup without much ingredients. It’d be nice if they maybe had a combo lunch menu, where you could get soup + a lunchbox for a more attractive price (today’s lunch was a hefty $ 16.75, which was too steep in my opinion).
Now, the most popular aspect of YAK is found at the customization «Yu Bowl» station towards the back of the eatery. Here is where you can build your own lunch bowl by personalizing your choices. This formula works well in FiDi, as many places in the neighborhood have caught onto this fast-​growing trend. It’s a great way for customers to have a meal completely tailored to their tastes. You start with a base (brown or white rice, bok choi salad, or yaki soba noodles), and then add a protein (chicken, pork, tofu, beef, or veggies), then pick a sauce (thai sweet chili, peanut satay, ginger teriyaki, or orange sesame vinaigrette), and add your choice of a variety of toppings (mushrooms, kimchi, corn, etc), and finish it off with a garnish (cilantro, toasted coconut, etc). They also have «preset» bowls if you find the decision-​making process too overwhelming. With these four choices, you get Yushi’s choice bowls fully outfitted for you. Prices range from $ 8.50 to about $ 9.00 which is a lot more reasonable than the price tag on my a la carte box and soup lunch today.
Overall, though the prices may be a bit inflated, I see a lot of potential for happy lunchtime diners getting their Asian food fix at Yushi. They have a nice space, they’re neat and seemingly efficient for a newly opened joint, and the food is better than average. They were also very kind and greeted us with a smile and a free sample of the «Firecracker Miso Soup», and we all know free samples automatically win you brownie points!
I’ll have to revisit in the near future to see if their quality is consistent and hopefully Yushi will live up to my first impression.
3.5 stars.