A Real Japanese Restaurant in York — No Sushi Required

We interview Frankie Cowdry about Ippuku, matcha tea, and the secret to great gyudon

If you’ve ever wandered through York and craved something that feels both comforting and completely new, you may have already stumbled across Ippuku. Part teahouse, part portal into someone’s deeply personal version of home, it’s where Japanese hospitality, Yorkshire warmth, and decades of stories come together over a bowl of Gyudon or a cup of Gyokuro. I sat down with Frankie Cowdry, the quietly driven force behind Ippuku Tea House and Ippuku Tea, to talk about fermented soybeans, unexpected career turns, and how a family obsession with Japan turned into a beloved corner of York’s food scene.

Alistair: So, what’s the elevator pitch for Ippuku Tea House and Ippuku Tea?

Frankie: For Ippuku Tea House, I think it’s an extension of a Japanese home where the food is exactly what you would experience in a Japanese house. Ippuku Tea would be real Japanese tea — so things straight out of the tea farm in Japan and brought to the UK — unlike anything else anybody’s ever tasted.

I like to think of Ippuku Tea House as a place where there is a weekly roster of food — like in Britain, it might be curry, lasagna, bolognese, roast dinner — we do the weekly roster of Japanese food.

Alistair: Okay, so take us back. What first sparked your love of food and hospitality?

Frankie: It kind of started with my brothers. So, my brother went to university — he's about 10 years older than me — and he met his wife at Kingston University. They've been together ever since. They've got two daughters and she’s from Shiga in Japan. I was just interested because, you know, we didn’t have anybody Japanese in our family at that point. I was fascinated by her culture and the introduction she gave me to Japanese food.

Then we, as a family, had to travel to Japan for their wedding when I was about 17. I'd been sent lots of things by my brothers who'd been living in Japan — snacks, sweets, pictures, art. Our mum and dad are artists, and they're into Japanese art. So yeah, it kind of trickled in.

AiChan (Chan means "friend" in Japanese) is an amazing cook. Her food's just out of this world. My brother Owen had moved to Japan as well. Both of my brothers ended up moving there around the same time. He ended up living there for like three years, came back and married one of AiChan’s friends. So I had two Japanese sisters-in-law.

Then I eventually went to university, and I met a Japanese man. He was really into Japanese history and culture, and we got talking because I already knew quite a large amount about it due to my exposure. We got on very well and ended up traveling around Japan together in his brother's van.

So yeah, Japan kind of became part of our home. All of our friends in London were Japanese. We just made Japanese food for each other. When we went to Japan and experienced the tea, we were just like, "This is crazy — what people think green tea is back home... we've got to do something about this."

So we found some tea farms through friends and brought that back. We thought, "We can make a company out of this." Literally, nobody else is selling this quality of tea — and this is just standard good quality in Japan.

From there, it grew. Because of my love for hospitality and catering — I’ve been doing that since I was about 13 — I thought, I just want everybody to experience what our home’s like, because it’s wonderful. So we opened it up and started selling our tea alongside showing people what real Japanese food tastes like.

Alistair: Was there a moment when you thought, "You know what, I need to create this restaurant now"?

Frankie: I’d been working in hotels and cafes in my home town, Saltburn. Then in London, I worked for an event catering company. I’d be sent all over the place — every single kind of building and event in London. That was really an amazing experience because I got to see and do things that nobody else could do, and I loved that.

Then I got an office job, and I was in my art studio. The art studio was very solitary, and I just needed to speak with people. I missed lifting things — which is a weird thing to say — but I just wanted to do something with my hands, more than twiddling a paintbrush on a board by myself.

So I quit all of that and opened a pub in London from scratch with my friend who gave me the money and let me do whatever I needed to do — set up, run the pub, staff it, everything. I basically had the pub to myself and it went really well. I liked that, and I wanted to do it for myself — be my own boss.

I was like, "Right, I’ve had enough of this. Let’s move back up North." I had to be in London for my husband's film work, but I’m not a grey jungle kind of girl — I’m a country girl. I was like, "Please let me move back up North." And then we did.

As soon as I moved back, I thought, "I’ve got to find my own place and do this thing — show people what I’ve experienced and what I love."

Alistair: And how did you find this place?

Frankie: So, we were just looking at every single building or business for sale in York at the time. I went to see quite a few places, lots of different buildings and then I came into this one, which was the old Bullivants of York, which was very pink, bright pink with novelty teapots. It was very dusty and there were lots of insects downstairs but I kind of fell in love with the garden space, and I was just like, “I could totally swing this.” And it was a really good price. It was a really good location and I fell in love with it.

Alistair: Did you have a sort of vision of what it would look like in your head straight away?

Frankie: Yeah. It would look like all of the places I’d been to in Japan.

Alistair: And with the garden, of course?

Frankie: Yeah, with the garden, because I love my garden.

Image by @TINGTINGYORK

Alistair: So, what’s one personal ritual or philosophy that you brought into the heart of the business?

Frankie: I just treat everyone the way I would like to be treated. Because I’ve been an employee for such a long time, and this is the first time I’ve been an employer. So yeah, I just wanted to show everyone what it’s like when things are done right.

Alistair: There’s quite a family atmosphere here and you employ a lot of Japanese?

Frankie: Yeah, we employ the local Japanese mums who’ve all married Yorkshire men. But we also employ lots of crazy intelligent students who are all finding their feet and surviving while studying. We've got lots of family people here as well. So it’s just a bit of a community now.

Most our staff who’ve left still stay in touch — we keep them in the work chat — and they come back and visit all the time. We’re just a big, ever-developing family.

Alistair: Excellent. So, correct me if I’m wrong, but how do I pronounce it? Ippuku?

Frankie: Yeah. Like ip-pu-ku, . ‘Ipp’ means "one". Together means like a cup or a dose. So, "one dose" or "one cup" — which is what medicine was back in the day in Japan. When tea first arrived in Japan, it was seen as a medicinal product. Much like all Chinese medicine — basically a stew of herbs that you drink. It’s not always tea from the tea bush, but that’s where ippuku comes from. You’d go into a doctor’s and ask, “Can I have one dose of medicine, please?”

Alistair: So the name is a dose of medicine?

Frankie: A dose of medicine.

Alistair: Or a taste of tea?

Frankie: Yes. But yeah, the medicine was always tea.

Alistair: And how do you think that name is reflected through the business?

Frankie: I think every single British person can relate to a cup of tea being a dose of medicine. Because that’s literally what we say all the time: if you’re feeling bad — have a cup of tea — and you’ll feel much better. It’s the exact same thing across the world, and from the place where tea originates in China and Japan.

Alistair: Does “having a cup of tea” carry a similar meaning in Japan?

Frankie: Yes, definitely. British and Japanese cultures have quite a lot of alignment in those everyday routines and habits. Like the daily habits that make our cultures stand up and feel recognisable. There are a lot of similarities between Japanese and English culture in those foundational feelings.

Alistair: For people who haven’t come to you yet, how would you describe the experience in three words?

Frankie: It’s an experience of home, but in Japan.

Alistair: What drew you to the concept of a Japanese teahouse in the heart of York?

Frankie: Well, I mean — York and Yorkshire are quite ‘tea places’ and there’s a good culture of tea already here. People are coming because they’re interested in tours of Harrogate and other Yorkshire tea experiences. And I’m here to provide the alternative.

Alistair: What were some of the earliest menu items or ideas you had to be part of the offering?

Frankie: I don’t think I’ve changed at all. I mean, we’ve developed all of our core menu and our core dishes to always try and keep improving, but the idea — that these are the kinds of things people enjoy eating at home in Japan — we’ve just kept doing that.

Alistair: Well, as you were saying — it’s the British version of meat and potatoes, right?

Frankie: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that’s how we created the menu. And that hasn’t really changed. It’s still completely home-made centred. I’ve got all the Yorkshire Japanese mums here so we cook what we cook at home.

Alistair: What’s one thing on the menu you wish everyone would try at least once?

Frankie: I think natto is a very funny one for people to try at least once because it’s such a Marmite product. People are either going to love it or hate it. And it’s something completely unusual — you don’t have anything like it here in the UK.

Alistair: Tell me more about it — what is it?

Frankie: It’s fermented soybeans. We don’t actually make it here, but we serve it.

Alistair: And how does it taste?

Frankie: It kind of tastes like mature cheddar. It smells a bit odd. But it’s definitely something that’s quite unusual. As is onigiri. I think everyone should try onigiri because we’re a sandwich nation — everyone goes to the shop for lunch and buys a sandwich. It’s just so nice to have an alternative to that — which is a rice ball — a very classic Japanese lunch item. Yeah, I want everyone to try that.

Alistair: So let’s talk a bit more about the tea side of the business — both what you sell, and what you serve here. Is there a right way?

Frankie: Don’t spill it down your front! It’s usually quite hot. [laughs] No, there isn’t really a “right” way. The enjoyment of tea is just to enjoy it the way you enjoy it. Tea tasting is just like wine tasting — a good wine is a wine you like, and a good tea is the tea you like.

Alistair: And what’s your favourite tea?

Frankie: Kabusecha!

Alistair: What kind is that?

Frankie: That one is a shaded sencha, so it’s not bitter at all. It’s kind of like a sweet green tea, but it’s got this overriding umami flavour to it — the more savoury flavour coming from the amino acids. Absolutely just... moorish.

Alistair: What do you wish more people knew about Japanese tea culture?

Frankie: The first thing I wanted people to know when starting the company is: green tea isn’t bitter. If you brew it properly and you buy nice quality tea — the correct one — a lot of the packaged teas in supermarkets that say “green tea” aren’t actually proper green teas.

So I just want people to know what tea is, fundamentally. It’s a specific plant, and that plant comes in so many different varieties depending on how fermented or oxidised it is. It’s all the same plant, and there’s such a wide variety to explore.

Alistair: And if someone is just starting out with Japanese tea, what would be a good one to try?

Frankie: I think a lot of people fall in love with Genmaicha.

For me, I’d always get someone to try sencha, because sencha is the everyday cup of tea — like our “normal cup of tea” here is an Indian tea with some milk, but in Japan, a proper everyday cup of tea is sencha. So I’d usually start there.

But a lot of people absolutely fall in love with genmaicha because it’s green tea, but it’s balanced with toasted rice — it kind of tastes popcorn-y. So it has a very familiar flavour, which makes it a good introduction.

Alistair: And how do you go about sourcing your teas?

Frankie: We just write directly to the farm and ask them. Originally, it was my husband’s friend’s auntie. We had to write a letter to her tea farm because she didn’t have an email address. We started up like that. She’s got an email now.

We found different tea farms by travelling around Japan and visiting them. And now we just have their email addresses. We send them a message and we get the tea.

Alistair: You have a great reputation for your matcha tea. What’s the story behind that one? How did you choose it?

Frankie: We tried lots of different matchas from all over Japan and completely fell in love with one from Yame, which is in Kyushu Island — the southernmost large island of Japan. It’s one of the four main islands.

Matcha is such a versatile and health-benefiting product. It’s absolutely booming right now and I can barely keep up with it. But I am absolutely determined not to ever run out of matcha.

We’re also supplying a lot of other businesses in York and around the UK. It’s a tricky thing, because everybody is loving it and obsessed with it. Once someone starts drinking matcha, it’s quite common to see them every single day.

Alistair: So obviously, Japanese cuisine is a lot more than sushi. How did you decide, at the beginning, which dishes would work well with a UK audience — or even a Yorkshire audience?

Frankie: I don’t think I was too worried about it, actually. I’m a little bit punk in that respect — I just don’t want to do what everybody else isn’t doing. So, my gap in the market is the bit everyone’s scared of.

So sushi? No. Because if you do sushi, then you just do sushi. Also, I don’t live anywhere near the sea — or a sea as delicious as the Pacific Ocean. So the quality of fish here just isn’t what you want for sushi. It just doesn’t taste the same. If you’ve tasted sushi in Japan, it’s not the same here.

And there’s no point in doing it if I can’t do it right

Alistair: So you focused on creating dishes that utilise the best ingredients you can get locally?

Frankie: Yeah, absolutely. We have a very nice fishmonger here, so we do have good fish, but it’s not what the UK would deem “sushi-grade” fish. Although you can eat it raw, but that would be your own choice — I’m not going to tell people to eat it raw.

And then we’ve got ramen. Everyone thinks Japanese food is ramen. But ramen was actually introduced into Japan in 1910 by the first Chinese restaurant in Tokyo that served it. “Ramen” is even a Chinese word. Japan has taken it and absolutely fallen in love with the dish and made it their own — just like we’ve done with a lot of Indian dishes.

But again, if you’re going to do ramen, you do just ramen. You concentrate on that stock, you keep that stock boiling and going 24 hours, and you serve that one dish perfectly. That’s the Japanese way.

But in a Japanese café — an everyday kind of restaurant — the dishes you see are not sushi and ramen. What most people are eating in Japan at home isn’t sushi or ramen.

Alistair: And what dish are you most proud of nailing? How long did it take you to get there?

Frankie: Teriyaki tofu... or wait, maybe the gyudon actually.

Oh — the teriyaki tofu is just so good. But that was kind of an easy one — I got that recipe from a Japanese vegan chef and it was outstanding. Everyone’s in love with it. My Japanese staff especially — that’s their favourite dish.

But the gyudon took me a really long time because we don’t get those cuts of meat here. The cut of meat that I use to make gyudon, and what people use in Japan, is something we typically use as mince meat here in England. So I had to go and speak to our wonderful butchers — Wilsons of York — back in 2017.

I was like, “Can you do this for me? It’s weird — it’s a really weird cut of beef.” It’s very thin — it’s called thin flank — and they actually deli-slice it for me now. And they’ve been doing that for me for eight years.

So actually getting that to the level where it was stewed perfectly was a big deal. We even had a little insta boom — some Instagrammer came in, had a gyudon, and we couldn’t make enough to keep up with the demand.

Alistair: It’s my wife’s favourite dish.

Frankie: Brilliant!

Alistair: Okay, so let’s talk a bit about York. What’s so special about the independent food scene here, in your view?

Frankie: Ah, we are such a focused community on hospitality — because of where we are. Second most visited city in the UK after London, I believe. And everyone really has this passion to deliver their representation of home — whether that be a home far away, or a home that’s right here.

And it being such an independent scene is something to be cherished. Yeah, I completely stand for every single independent business and restaurant owner here — everyone is doing their bit.

Alistair: And are there any other local businesses or creatives that you’re inspired by?

Frankie: Yeah. Simon from Shambles Kitchen — absolutely. What an amazing employer. All of his staff always speak so highly of him. And the way he manages multiple businesses and still delivers really good food at such a high standard — yeah, he’s a very inspirational person.

And it’s just the hard workers, really. Tomek from Blackwheat is that as well — such an inspirational and driven man. A workaholic.

And Rachel from Little Blondie — she’s amazing. Yeah, I mean, I could go on and on. There are so many business owners in York that I just think are outstanding.

Alistair: And if someone visiting — or even a local — asked you to build the ultimate food crawl around the city... what would be on it?

Frankie: Oh man, I do a lot of takeaway stuff.

Malai Thai — for sure. The garlic chicken wings, their Pad Thai — insane. Their Massaman Curry — insane.

Then Taas — the Nepalese place — their bamboo and black-eyed bean curry?! Amazing.

I haven’t been to Blackwheat because it’s not gluten-free, but I’ve heard very good things. I’d say that’s probably a great place too.

And Little Blondie for their matcha, which is...from us.

Alistair: What’s one thing people visiting York often miss — but perhaps they shouldn’t?

Frankie: Yeah — someone just visiting. Do you know what, actually? I know exactly what it is, because I missed it so many times myself: the kitchen garden in Museum Gardens, behind the art gallery. Amazing.

I walk through there every day on purpose now, just so I can go and see how everything’s growing. I love it — especially with the wildflowers and the bitter lemon tree. That is the one thing everyone in York is missing if they haven’t been there.

Alistair: Do you work with any local or regional suppliers you’d love more people to hear about?

Frankie: Yes! Fowlers Fishmongers — incredible. Such a cool guy.

Wilsons of York, the butchers — that entire team is amazing. Their standards are just exactly what you’d want from a butcher. I’m so in love with those guys that I haven’t really tried anyone else.

And of course for tea supply — me. Oh — and Ben at Harmony Coffee! Incredible. That guy is a nerd about coffee as much as I am about tea.

Alistair: And if you could start a dream collaboration with another business — could be food or something else — who would be top of your list to work with?

Frankie: Well, I would say The Hand, but I’m going to do that soon and Hebden Tea! If you just gave me his tea company — whenever you want to retire, Hebden Tea, I’m there. I’ve got you.

Alistair: Looking ahead — where would you like to take things for the business next? More events? More locations? Maybe something else entirely?

Frankie: Yes! I’m kind of very excited to do lots of different things... but then also, whenever I do events, I feel so exhausted that I’m like, “I’m never doing that again.”

But one thing I would really love is to have an onigiri stand at the station. Because I think having an alternative to the sandwich and Burger King — just having a nice, fresh, handmade rice ball would be life-changing for a lot of people getting on the train journey.

Alistair: Great Northern Trains — I hope you're reading!

Alistair: And what do you hope York’s independent scene looks like in five years’ time?

Frankie: I hope it looks like we’ve kicked out every single chain. (Well, nearly.)

Like — some chains are good. Ask Italian is good — I really like what they’ve done with that building. And a company that size can actually benefit a building like that because it’s being taken care of. So things like that, I’m all for — especially if it’s preserving the local Heritage. The local architecture and places of interest. If a company can supply enough money to do that, then great. But you know, more independents — always.

Bring all the different cultures. Cook all of your foods. We want to see what everyone’s got — what they make at home. That’s what makes it an exciting place to visit.

Alistair: If someone came to you and said they wanted to open a food or drink concept in York, what would your advice be?

Frankie: Speak to Indie York. Speak to York BID. Those are really good support systems here. I think businesses are quite lucky here, that the local care system is for the independents. In terms of there being support and people that genuinely care — yeah. I think York BID and Indie York — those people are always there to talk to.

Alistair: All right, last thing — a quick-fire round. So, one-word answers if you can.

Frankie: What’s your personal go-to tea when you need a reset?

Frankie: Hōjicha.

Alistair: One Japanese ingredient you’ll always have in your kitchen?

Frankie: Soy sauce — Tamari!

Alistair: The York street you love most for a wander?

Frankie: High Petergate.

Alistair: A customer compliment that stuck with you?

Frankie: Just a simple one: “Thank you — this reminded me of home.”

There’s a word for that: natsukashii.

Alistair: If the restaurant had a mascot — it could be an animal or an object — what would it be?

Frankie: Oli our human teddy bear.

Alistair: Give me an unexpected thing you have found about running a restaurant?

Frankie: Relentlessness — in a good way.

Alistair: And my last question — which isn’t one word — what’s been your proudest moment?

Frankie: The wedding we did. A vegan wedding.

Alistair: What made you proud about that?

Frankie: Just what we were able to achieve together. Everyone supporting us so that we could take staff and go off-site to do such an incredibly large event.

Alistair: How many people?

Frankie: 80-person vegan wedding. Yeah. We did canapés — five or six of them — a café-style meal, a cake, midnight snacks...

Alistair: And what did the bride and groom say to you afterward?

Frankie: Well, they had been customers since the very beginning of Ippuku. They said it was perfect. Exactly what they wanted. A dream.

Alistair: So in a way, the perfect answer to that proudest moment question is: I created amazing food for one of the most important days in someone’s life, and that someone was a couple who had supported us from the beginning.

Frankie: Yeah. Exactly that.

There’s something quietly radical about what Frankie has built — not just a restaurant and a tea business, but a place of care, culture, and community in equal measure. Whether it’s tea sourced through hand-written letters, tofu perfected over years, or a staff that never really leaves the group chat, Ippuku is a fabulouse place. And if you ever find yourself at York Station, keep an eye out — that rice-ball might just happen and it might just be the best thing to ever happen to your commute when it does.

Interested in supporting Ippuku Tea and Ippuku Tea House?

Drop in, say hello! Call for bookings on 01904 671311.

Want to know more or even collaborate with Ippuku Tea and Ippuku Tea House?

If you are a local York business or customer that would like to collaborate with them feel free to get in touch with Oli or Frankie via info@ippukuteahouse.com

Interested in stocking their tea contact Frankie or Gabi at gabi@ippukutea.co.uk

If you are looking for someone to do a great job of catering your event get in touch with Oli or Frankie via info@ippukuteahouse.com

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