The heat is on
There’s a particular hum to a kitchen when it’s doing exactly what it’s meant to do.
Flames kiss the hibachi, sake glasses clink around the room, and the team moves with a slick rhythm. At Bar Yoku, that feeling isn’t accidental. It’s clockwork, earned, and it’s intentional.
In a city rich with good food and hospitality, Bar Yoku has carved out something truly exceptional. Owners and life-and-business partners Shawn and Juliana McGowan have built more than a restaurant; they’ve built a place people return to without needing a reason. They have built a legacy. Shaped night after night, service after service, by people who understand that the most enduring restaurants aren’t just about what’s on the plate, but also how a room feels when you walk through the door.
Shawn hails from the mighty Southland, and Juliana’s a Cantabrian through and through. They first crossed paths in Melbourne in the early 2000s among the bustling Australian hospitality scene. From there, they gathered experience: a stint in the early days of Amisfield, a legacy of their own at Pegasus Bay Winery & Restaurant for seven and a half years, a leap to Sydney, and a wander through Europe before returning to Christchurch. It wasn’t long before the opportunity to take the reins at Bar Yoku presented itself.
By the time The Welder was established in Ōtautahi, Shawn and Juliana were ready, with years of experience under their belts managing kitchens and restaurants.
Their ambition? To serve food that’s affordable, tasty, and consistently excellent. As Juliana put it, they wanted to “cut through the barrier of traditional cuisine,” merging deep hospitality with the kind of Japanese flavours that had followed them since their adventures around Japan. Cue sushi tacos, flaming hibachi, and dishes infused with a sushi skillset melded with Kiwi sensibility.
They started with six staff. Now? A slick team of twenty-four serving up dish after dish of delicious. That’s not just expansion. That’s family. So when the opportunity arose to launch their sibling lounge bar, Imōto (translating to “little sister”), the intention was clear: to build something together. Where Bar Yoku leans into soulful dinners, Imōto plays it lighter, with snacky Euro-Asian dishes, playful shared plates, and Japanese whiskey and sake cocktails.
What Shawn and Juliana have created in Ōtautahi isn’t just two restaurants. It’s a community. It’s a crew. Faces like Arno, Laura, Emma, Andy, and Jordan, who’ve been there since the early days. Along with suppliers like Theo’s Fisheries, Akaroa Salmon, and of course the additions of Mila and Kaia to the McGowan family, the Bar Yoku legacy is one that extends far beyond the kitchen pass.
It’s the Wednesday hospo nights that truly cement Bar Yoku and Imōto’s place within the wider hospitality community. Monthly live DJ sessions set the tone, yakitori skewers sizzling under warm lights, while sake flows at eight dollars a pop and the projector rolls out grainy, after-midnight visuals.
But above all, it’s clear that this legacy exists because of an ingrained belief that “anything is possible” and “relationships matter”. That’s what Shawn and Juliana tell their staff: there is no such word as “can’t.” In ten years, their crew may just be leading new kitchens across Aotearoa, carrying with them a little piece of southern warmth and Ōtautahi excellence that was nurtured at Bar Yoku.
That’s the kind of legacy that sticks. And for Christchurch, we’re lucky they’ve built it.