CLEVELAND — If you’ve driven through Cleveland’s AsiaTown neighborhood in recent months, you may have passed by the building on the corner of East 30th Street and Payne Avenue with “coming soon” signs posted in the windows.
The building, formerly a tire shop, has been transformed into a new food hall concept, scheduled to open in February.
Owner Sheng Long Yu is opening YYTime next month, a food hall spotlighting the latest trends in Asian street food. Yu is moving his restaurant, Dagu Rice Noodle, into the space, and will also be serving dumplings, baos, skewers, and bubble tea in a kitchen diners can view through glass as their food is prepared.
Yu said he and his family even took trips to China at the end of last year to ensure they received the proper training ahead of opening YYTime.
“We love to enjoy food, and every time we wanted this type of specialty food, we had to go to the bigger cities – New York, Chicago, Toronto,” Yu said. “That’s why we wanted to bring something {to the] local market as well. Not only for myself, but for everybody else to enjoy.”
Yu said the transformation of the space took years of planning, including large scale projects like tackling the roof and plumbing. Now, the roughly 10,000 square foot space includes a large kitchen with prep space to cook and ship food items in the future, multiple seating areas, and another room that Yu said one day will be a small arcade. He also hopes to add beer and wine to the space in the future.
“There's something for everybody,” Yu said. “We want this place where you can hang out with friends, family, whether it's 65, 80 years old, or teenagers, everybody can hang out and have a great time.”
Having spaces for community and a sense of belonging are part of what make AsiaTown so special to Karis Tzeng, Vice President of Planning at MidTown Cleveland.
“I think it’s represented this place of welcome and home, especially for Asian American, Pacific Islander people,” said Tzeng. “But also, for anyone who experiences this theme of coming to a new place, this theme of migration, and needing to feel at home in a certain way.”
Tzeng said this new business will serve as a new gateway into the AsiaTown neighborhood.
“We always are excited to see the growth of the neighborhood and more representation of Asian businesses in the neighborhood,” she said. “And it just contributes to the vibrancy and vitality of the place, too.”
Tzeng said in the past year, three new businesses have opened in the neighborhood, with another expected within the next few months.
Yu said he hopes to open YYTime in February.