YES Sushi, a new Asian restaurant, will open Friday at 2016 N. High St. Credit: Nicole DeFabio | Lantern Reporter
Columbus is saying “yes” to a new sushi spot.
Yes Sushi, the city’s latest Japanese dining destination, is set to open its doors to a new High Street location — at 2016 N. High St. — Friday. According to Chain Manager Kevin Oh, Yes Sushi will bring a broader range of Asian food to Ohio State that the campus currently lacks.
“I know that there are some other options in the Union, but there’s not much variety in Asian food,” Oh said. “We want to show how Asian street food works.”
Oh said Yes Sushi seeks to blend elements from various Asian cuisines to provide customers with a diverse selection of dishes. He said the menu features traditional sushi options like the California roll and tuna avocado roll, alongside Columbus-inspired creations such as the Buckeye Roll — made with crab, avocado and Buckeye Mayo — and the Lane Ave. Roll, which includes crab, cucumber, salmon and avocado.
Additionally, he said the restaurant will serve an array of other Asian-inspired dishes, including Korean- and Japanese-style bento meal boxes, poke, dumplings and more.
Chain Operations Manager Eileen Lee said Yes Sushi is a rapidly growing young company. Within the chain’s first year, the High Street location marks the restaurant’s third storefront. She said the first location, at 443 E. Main St. in Downtown Columbus, opened in July 2024, followed soon after by the Gahanna location at 80 N. Hamilton Road.
“I think we’ve been able to expand because the quality of food is really good for its price,” Lee said.
Oh said since the chain’s opening, Yes Sushi has engaged with the Columbus community through initiatives like “Sushi Day,” a weekly event held every Wednesday at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
“We started [selling] our sushi to doctors, nurses, visitors and patients,” Oh said. “We call it Sushi Day. Everyone likes it. We sell more than 500 sushi rolls over there.”
Chain Manager Alex Her said due to the hospital staff and community’s large size, plus the frequency of Sushi Day, the restaurant gets to change its menu weekly.
“There are a lot of vendors in the hospital’s rotation on a weekly basis; Wednesday is Sushi Day,” Her said. “We deliver different sushi every week. There are a lot of people in the hospital, so they need a [varying] menu.”
Lee said though many sushi restaurants are exclusively sit-down, Yes Sushi’s Ohio State location is designed to be more of a grab-and-go spot, while still maintaining the quality and use of fresh ingredients found at its other locations.
“Students always need to go from class to class, so there’s not much time for them to grab their food,” Oh said.
Her said based on feedback from students, the countless dining options have made the restaurant a hit so far.
“They’ve said it’s a totally new concept in the campus area because we have both grab and go and the fresh make,” Her said. “So, if someone just wants to grab and go, they can pick it up. We also have the fresh menu from the kitchen, so they love that.”
For more information on Yes Sushi, including the full menu and catering information, visit the restaurant’s website.
