Frozen yoghurt fans converge on Yo-Chi’s first ever UK store based in London

Frozen yoghurt sensation Yo-Chi has become a cult favourite among dessert-lovers in Australia, and now UK-based customers are licking their lips at the thought of getting their fix at the brand’s first ever London store.

The chain soft launched its Notting Hill store earlier this week — its largest ever outlet — with the double storey dessert hub to officially open its doors on Thursday.

UK residents had been anticipating the launch, with many first experiencing the self-serve snack in Australia and wishing there were an outlet closer to home.

British TikTokker Lucy Sedgwick hailed Yo-Chi the “single greatest export” Australia has produced.

“People will say to you, ‘It’s just frozen yoghurt, how good can it be?’ Don’t listen to those people,” she said.

For the uninitiated, customers arriving at stores are greeted with several frozen yoghurt flavours to choose from, before being encouraged to fill their cups with various toppings, fruits and sauces — with payment based on weight.

“At the end, you are salivating so much around the mouth that you actually do not care how much this beauty costs right in front of you,” the creator said.

Ms Sedgwick was invited to the soft launch, along with several other influencers and VIPs.

UK TV and online personality Max Balegde also attended the preview, and was so impressed he claimed he was “going to die in a pit of frozen yoghurt”.

“My belly’s full, my heart’s full, I’m slightly aroused — 10 out of 10,” he declared.

The 2000 square foot London venue has been equipped with a generous 10 yoghurt flavours to select from, with more than 40 toppings, as well as a Nutella fountain.

Upstairs, guests are encouraged to snap photos of themselves flaunting their creations beside a feature wall, with ample booth seating offering views of the “iconic” Notting Hill neighbourhood.

To top it off, the UK’s first venue is adorned with a striking strawberry-shaped disco ball designed by local artist Sophia Lopez.

“We also have a disco ball in every venue in Australia, and I was like, ‘we need to make the first London Yo-Chi just a little bit more special,” Yo-Chi chief brand officer Oliver Allis said.

Yo-Chi was founded in Melbourne in 2012 by billionaire toy-maker Manny Stul and his step-son Paul Solomon.

It was sold in 2018 to George Calombaris’s now defunct company, MAdE Establishment Group, before being acquired in 2020 by the Allis family, with Janine and Jeff Allis co-founding Boost Juice in the 2000s.

With their sons and co-owners Oliver and Riley steering the Yo-Chi’s new direction, it has become a cultural phenomenon and social hub for young people.

The brand now operates approximately 70 stores, beginning its Southeast Asia expansion via Singapore in September 2025, and now its venture into the UK.