A Fusion Twist on Japanese Dining Debuts on the Eastside

Two dining options closed over the summer at the Boulevard Mall, but a surprise new arrival confidently promises “a culinary twist on some of our favorite Japanese classics” inside a challenging location for restaurant tenants.

Hayashi Japanese Cuisine moved into the large, 6,729-square-foot space originally built for the short-lived Hatari Restaurant & Sports Bar and most recently the home of ChiAm Dim Sum, the same operators behind Mamma Olivia, a second recent closure at the mall.

The restaurant is only accessible via its front entrance and not through the retail center. To help fill the large footprint, Hayashi created a sushi bar facing its busy chefs, decorated the ceiling with flags and lanterns, and installed a long, multi-seat table for private events and parties.

In the main dining room, diners can opt for all-you-can-eat deals, or choose from the à la carte menu. Priced at $20 for lunch until 3.30 p.m, and $29 for dinner, for an additional $12 diners can also drink bottomless servings of the house Hayashi lager.

Hayashi Japanese Cuisine/Facebook

Self-described as a “high class restaurant at middle class prices,” chefs Brandon Fujii and Sung Hong focus on adding a “fusion twist” to their plates and offer a lengthy menu featuring classic and specialty rolls, udon, ramen, and rice bowls, $11 bento boxes, skewers, grilled salmon, or yellowtail collar appetizers, plus a range of specialty cocktails, including the merging of “sake” and a “martini” to create a “Saketini.”

Hayashi Japanese Cuisine, 3528 S. Maryland Pkwy., #100, 702-982-2112. Open daily from 11.30 a.m. to 11 p.m.

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