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A family-owned, Long Island-based chicken joint with fewer than ten locations will be opening its next outpost on the Upper West Side.
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Signage for Yoyo Chicken is currently up at 934 Amsterdam Avenue (at the corner of 106th Street), a space which previously housed a smoke shop.
Yoyo keeps it simple with a straightforward menu of chicken options. Their chicken sandwich ($7.99) is topped with slaw, pickles, and their signature Yoyo sauce. The grilled chicken sandwich ($7.99) comes with cheese, slaw, and Yoyo sauce. Tenders are another option, with three for $9.99, four for $12.99, and up to 25 for $57.99. A Yoyo chicken platter ($15.99) includes two chicken sliders and seasoned waffle fries, which look very similar to the chicken sandwich mentioned earlier. Waffle fries on their own cost $3.99 for a medium or $5.99 for a large, with no small option available. Add a dollar if you want them with cheese.
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The Yoyo smash burger with cheese, caramelized onion, and their signature sauce is priced at $6.99, or you can get the double smash for $8.99. There’s also the Yoyo Waffle Smash — waffle fries loaded with smash burger, cheese, pickles, and Yoyo sauce — for $14.99. Or you can try their burger plate, which comes with two smash burgers at the same price and with the same sides as the chicken plate ($15.99). A mix plate is also available, offering one chicken sandwich and one burger — their version of the best of both worlds.
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While the Yoyo fish sandwich is on the menu ($7.99), there is currently no fish plate. If you’re wondering how Yoyo Chicken got its name, owner Omar Elgamal told LongIslandRestaurants.com that when they opened in December 2023, the fun name was inspired by his son. “I was going to call it Bald Chicken,” Elgamal said. The name was a take on the town of Baldwin, where the restaurant originated, but his wife wasn’t digging it. “Then my wife said, ‘Why not call it Yoyo Chicken?’” — the nickname of their son. Elgamal also told the publication that their rice pudding ($3.99) is 100% homemade.
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A myriad of milkshakes are also featured on the menu.
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We’ve reached out to Yoyo to welcome them to the neighborhood and to see if they have an opening date set. Maybe they’ll give the big-time chain Raising Cane’s a run for its money around here. They’re also planning to open a location on the Upper East Side.
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