Lexington’s Miyako restaurants owner gives details on his new Japanese pub
A Lexington restaurant owner known for expanding the area’s Asian food offerings is bringing a new Japanese dining concept to town.
Andy Chi, who owns Miyako Sushi & Steak House as well as Miyako Poke Bowl, is opening his new restaurant in the former Outback Steakhouse spot on Tiverton Way off busy Nicholasville Road. The Outback Steakhouse there closed in 2019 when the restaurant moved up the road to Fayette Mall.
Greg Leveridge and Lauren Cambron of Block + Lot Real Estate represented Chi to lease the space at Fayette Place Shopping Center.
Chi is opening Zundo Izakaya, which will feature Japanese-style izakaya dining.
Izakaya is a kind of Japanese pub food, appetizers and other items served with drinks, often for a table to share, Chi said. It’s a popular way for people to hang out and socialize, he said.
A similar but smaller restaurant opened in 2018 on West Sixth called Standing Room Only.
What will be on Zundo’s menu
Chi’s Zundo restaurant will serve ramen, sushi and tapas-style appetizers such as robata, which are skewers of vegetables or meat that customers select for chefs to grill.
He said the 5,500-square-foot space will be divided into two sides, one serving izakaya, ramen and sushi, the other serving donburi bowls and bubble tea. Donburi is Japanese rice bowls with various toppings.
The menu at Zundo will include pork, chicken, beef, curry and teriyaki versions of donburi. The extensive sushi menu also includes an omakase option — 10 courses, chef’s choice, for $85 per person.
All the ramen, Chi said, will be made fresh daily in the restaurant.
The bar will be focused on varieties of sake, he said, but also will have bourbon, beer and cocktails.
Both sides will do takeout and third-party delivery as well as dining in. There also is a patio for outside seating, he said.
When will Zundo Japanese restaurant open?
“We’re getting close to finishing the remodel and I hope to open at the end of this month or the first of October,” he said.
The restaurant will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, he said.
Chi also owns Zundo Ramen, a noodles and sake bar with locations in Cincinnati and in Mason, Ohio, where he also is opening Seoul Korean BBQ & Hotpot in October, too.
Zundo Izakaya
Where: 127 W. Tiverton Way Suite 184
Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Online: Zundolexington.com
This story was originally published September 14, 2022 at 10:56 AM.
