YO! Sushi Lands In New York City

The first New York City branch of YO!, a popular London-based chain of Japanese restaurants, opened today in New York City.
Sure, NYC’s got no shortage of sushi restaurants, but this one’s got its own thing going on. The dishes are carried through the restaurant via conveyor belt—you help yourself to whatever looks good. We got a special preview of the restaurant and spoke with Mike Lewis, the chain’s executive chef.
How it works: The dishes on the conveyor belt are served in color-coded dishes; the color indicates the price you’ll pay, ranging from $3.50 to $8.00. When you’re done eating, your server counts the colored bowls to add up the total.

A menu with pictures allows you some idea of what you’re grabbing off the belt. But it’s honestly most fun simply to grab whatever looks good and figure out later what it might have been. To order hot dishes like katsu or ramen, you push a button to the side of your table, and a futuristic-looking light changes the color of its glow, indicating to your server to assist.

Of the 85 dishes on YO!’s NYC menu, more than 30 were created specifically for this location.
“They were inspired by a trip to Japan,” Lewis explains. “I met producers and suppliers and found the best dishes across the whole of Japan, different regional foods.”
He suggests trying the kushi katsu, skewers of deep-fried bites like lotus root, cheese-stuffed shishito peppers, and quail eggs. “It’s like a late-night snack, nice with a cold beer,” Lewis says.
He also recommends the aburi sushi, which is nigiri seared using traditional binchotan charcoal. “It adds a nutty flavor. It changes the texture slightly. The rice gets a little toasted,” Lewis says. “It elevates traditional sushi to another level.”
“New York’s a hot spot for food,” he adds. “It’s the best food innovation in the world at the moment. There’s a revolution of food going on. It’s the place where we want to be, so we’re trying to bring the best menu that we can, making it exclusive for New Yorkers to enjoy.”

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.