Sheng Long Yu's Next Big Move is to Open an Asiatown Food Hall Serving Street Foods from China, Japan and Taiwan

Over the last seven years, Sheng Long Yu has made a huge impression on the Cleveland dining scene. During that relatively short span, the longtime owner of Shinto Japanese Steakhouse in Strongsville has opened Kenko Sushi in University Circle and Kent, Dagu Rice Noodle in Asiatown, Ipoke near the Cleveland Clinic, Hell’s Fried Chicken in University Circle and a second Shinto location in Westlake.

For his next big move, Yu hopes to help propel Cleveland’s Asiatown neighborhood into the modern era. He and his business partners have purchased the former National Tire & Battery property at E. 30th and Payne and plan to convert it to a lively Asian food hall serving the most popular street foods from Japan, China and Taiwan.

“A lot of Asiatown restaurants are pretty much outdated,” Yu explains. “There are a lot of great restaurants and flavors out there, but the problem is there’s nothing very modern and new. We’re trying to bring something new, exciting and more modernized. Compared to cities like Chicago, New York or L.A., our Chinatown needs a lot of work to get it up to speed.”

Yu says that the name YYTime translates to “friends getting together,” and creating a social, family-friendly environment with exciting food is the main goal.

“What I want to create is a place with a fun atmosphere where friends can hang out and have a good time,” he says. “Right now in Cleveland there is no Asian restaurant able to create this type of atmosphere.”

Yu describes the concept as “a food hall with a touch of service.” Diners will walk in, grab seats and order foods from various kitchens using their phones. The food will be delivered to the table by a server or a robot, a method already in use at Shinto Westlake. Diners can look forward to appealing Asian street foods like bao, dumplings, izakaya-style BBQ skewers and bubble tea. Yu also will be relocating his popular Dagu Rice Noodle from down the block to the new restaurant.

“We are bringing all the newest street-food trends from China, Taiwan and Japan,” Yu notes. “We want to be on the forefront of whatever trends are popular.”

The kitchen will be set up in a way that makes it easy to swap concepts and food items in and out based on shifting trends. There will be a large back kitchen for prep joined by a small number of front-facing food stalls. The plans call for an occupancy somewhere between 85 and 100.

Given the fact that Yu and his team will be converting a former tire and battery garage to a contemporary food hall, the process is expected to be lengthy. The goal is to open before the end of the year.