Yari Club (London, UK) Yari Club is the UK’s first robotic yakitori bar, located in Covent Garden (St Martin’s Lane). It integrates a robotic, auto-rotating yakitori grill into its open kitchen, offering a novel dining experience where guests can watch the grill robot cooking their skewers live.
Concept & Positioning
Operates as a quick-service restaurant (QSR) with seating for ~20 guests, taking inspiration from Japanese yakitori shops while injecting futuristic robotics to enhance efficiency and appeal.
Founded by Jimmy Tjhie of Methusellah Limited, holding exclusive rights to import the grilling technology into the UK and Europe.
Technology & Operations
The 1.5 m stainless-steel grill robot features an auto-rotating arm that cooks skewers at precise temperature and timing, typically around five minutes from order to finish. After grilling, skewers are automatically dipped in house-made sauce before serving.
Staff manage the system by loading skewers and plating; the robot handles core cooking tasks, ensuring consistent doneness and texture.
Menu Highlights
Offers eight core skewers, including Tsukune (meatballs), Kawa (skin), Mune (breast), Momo (thigh), Negima (thigh + scallion), Miso Mune (miso-marinated breast), and Teba (wings). Also includes a prawn tempura skewer and sides such as chicken karaage, corn tempura, vegetable gyoza, and yuzu pickles.
Price structure: ~£2.50 per skewer, bundle boxes of 3–5 skewers with rice and sides from £6.90 to £11.90. Average check is ~£12 before drinks.
Design & Customer Experience
Compact, contemporary space (~650 ft²) featuring black brickwork, cherry wood counters, and an open kitchen that showcases the grill robot as the centrepiece.
Positioned as office-lunch-friendly and walk-in casual dining, with the robotic grill serving both a theatrical draw and operational efficiency.
Innovation & Differentiators
Introduces visible robotics into food service, aligning with movement toward automated, consistent cooking processes.
Emphasises consistency, space efficiency, lower energy use, and the ability to maintain high-volume output (~800 skewers/hour).
The concept highlights the human-robot interplay, illustrating that while cooking may be automated, hospitality and presentation still rely on human staff.