Yummy Tokyo Asian Fusion Bistro opens in North River area’s Gateway Commons
Tony Lan was headed to visit an uncle in Sarasota last year when he stopped for gasoline and spotted a “retail space available” sign.
By pure chance, he had stumbled upon the Gateway Commons shopping center, where one of Manatee County’s newest Publix supermarkets was under construction on the southeastern corner of Interstate 75 and Moccasin Wallow Road.
When Lan, a finance graduate from the University of Central Florida, learned that thousands of houses were planned for the area, he knew he wanted a retail space in Gateway Commons for a restaurant.
What he didn’t plan on was that a full-blown pandemic would have settled on the United States by the time he opened his restaurant, Yummy Tokyo Asian Fusion Bistro, on May 23 at 9552 Buffalo Road.
In spite of the pandemic, initial business was good, perhaps due in part to the fact that so many other restaurants had not reopened.
In normal times, Yummy Tokyo Asian Fusion Bistro would have seating for 49, but with the pandemic many chairs have been removed and there is seating for 18. Much of the business in the family-run eatery — his wife Shirley and their two children also assist — is takeout.
Edward Gonzalez stops by the restaurant three or four times a week.
“I like the steak hibachi and the chicken hibachi, too. I also like the egg fried rice. They are fast and the prices are good,” Gonzalez said.
Although the menu has sushi and sashimi menu, 90 percent of the business is from the hibachi menu, Lan said.
A native of Hong Kong, Lan moved to the United States in 1990 and enrolled at State University of New York. He finished his degree at UCF in Orlando. He learned his cooking skills from the family restaurant business, and studying under a Japanese chef in California. He is a U.S. citizen.
Yummy Tokyo Asian Fusion Bistro’s menu offers 15 lunch specials, such as hibachi veggie, starting at $7.95, and topping out at $10.95 for steak with broccoli.
Poke bowls start at $8.95. Hibachi teriyaki entrees start at $9.50. There are also Asian street fare and Asian Street combo items.
The sushi menu includes classic rolls, such as California, Philly, and spicy tuna starting at $7. Sushi and sashimi entrees start at $14.95. The signature rolls, with names like Beauty and the Beast and Volcano, start at $12.
Also on the menu: Japanese fried rice starting at $6.95, Japanese Taki Soba Noodles, starting at $7.95, and appetizers, soups and green salads.
Desserts include tempura cheese cake and Mochi ice cream.
Yummy Tokyo is open 11 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
To order or for more information, call 941-729-9777 or visit yummytokyofl.com.
