YO! Sushi is one of those iconic chain restaurants that has helped to redefine the ‘normal’ dining experience in the UK. When we found out that this intriguing brand was opening a branch in Harrogate, we knew we had to pop down to see if they’d be able to replicate their Leeds success in North Yorkshire.

The restaurant is part of a wider development that seems to be taking over the centre of Harrogate. This development seems to be dominated by chain restaurants, so YO! will need to impress if it wants to stand out in the already crowded Harrogate dining scene.

On first appearances, everything good about YO! Sushi is present in the Harrogate restaurant. There are booths suitable for family groups, seats at the revolving conveyor, and funky decor. The staff were very helpful with our 10 month old, bringing over a high chair and giving her a warm welcome.

If you have eaten at YO! before, you may already have your favourites, but we were particularly taken by some of the new dishes, including the Buta No Kakuni (slow braised pork belly, cooked to perfection with a divine sweet soy sauce and rice) and the Teba no Karaage (essentially Japanese style chicken wings that seemed to outdo a lot of the US style ones you get in the UK).

We also tried out a new pudding: Japanese soufflé cheesecake. Despite our doubts (we couldn’t figure out how this would work at all!), we found it to be divine, with a lightness you don’t normally get with baked cheesecake and the subtle flavour of vanilla.

With regards to the huge range of other dishes we tried, aubergine salad and seared beef nigiri both lived up to our expectations as did the stunning (and very indulgent) duck goyoza and Hokkaido scallop katsu, which came with a highly moreish yuzu mayo dipping sauce.

Of course, we also filled up on some of our more straightforward sushi staple choices, most notably seared salmon and cucumber rolls (which our little girl loved!).

The friendliness of the staff, the fact that families can eat here without feeling unwelcome, and the different cuisine it brings to Harrogate combine to make YO! Sushi a real winner here for us. It is also ideally situated smack bang in the middle of the town, so there’s really no excuse not to pay it a visit.

Disclaimer: We were provided with a complimentary meal in order to provide a review of YO! Sushi in Harrogate. As always all views are our own and we were under no obligation to provide a positive review.