Yorkshire restaurant chain Wagyu Bar & Grill closes sites in York and Harrogate

A sign appeared in the Harrogate site on Parliament Street - the former Jamie's Italian unit - this week announcing that Wagyu has 'ceased trading' after opening in the town in June.

The York restaurant on Low Petergate also appears to have closed and its website has been taken offline.

From field to plate: The story of Yorkshire farm Warrendale WagyuThe chain served locally-reared Wagyu beef in partnership with Warrendale Wagyu, which is based at a family-run farm near Pocklington.

Warrendale Farm still supply meat to a range of other clients and their business is not affected.

In September the Harrogate branch of the grill chain posted on Facebook that they were 'very busy' during the UCI World Road Championships week.

Wagyu Bar & Grill owners Adrian Hunter and Kevin Pennington were running the sites as the Bloom family, who own the beef business, felt they did not have enough experience in the restaurant trade.

Warrendale Wagyu began operations in 2017 and the farm also offers several chicken product lines.

The farm works with around 100 farmers across the north who supply cattle for meat. The pure-bred Wagyu herd on the farm is for breeding purposes only.

Wagyu beef originated in the Kobe region of Japan and is famed for its fine taste and supposed health benefits. Only the Emperor of Japan was allowed to consume it until the Australians managed to export some of the cattle in the 1970s.