Big Eataly-Like Japanese Food Hall Opens in Brooklyn This Weekend

Another single-cuisine focused food hall arrives in NYC this week, and this time, the spotlight is set on Japan. The highly anticipated Japan Village opens this Saturday, November 24, inside Industry City, the sprawling commercial complex in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park.

The all-things-Japanese market will be made up of several different food stalls, as well as Wakuwaku, an izakaya restaurant and cocktail bar; Kuraichi, a liquor store; and Sunrise Mart, the same specialty grocery store run by Japan Village owners Tony Yoshida and Takuya Yoshida, according to a statement. (The Yoshidas also own Michelin-starred Kyo Ya.)

Vendors sliding into the 20,000-square-foot market include a bakery called Café Japon, where Japanese bread and matcha lattes will be served, and Mika N’ Momo, a Japanese juice and salad bar that will focus on vegetables like shiso and komatsuna. Others will sell soba and udon noodles, wagyu steak, sushi, and more Japanese fare. See the full list below.

The menu at Wakuwaku, the izakaya restaurant and bar, will have Japanese tapas like grilled chicken skewers and sashimi, plus local craft beer. Meanwhile at Kuraichi, the liquor store, diners will be able to shop for sake, Japanese whiskey, and wine. And Sunrise Mart will have its own butcher shop and seafood market.

Located at 934 Third Ave., Industry City has already evolved into a culinary destination with food from around the world, with vendors like Yaso Tangbao selling Shanghainese street food to Belgian pastry maker Colson Patisserie. Japan Village is essentially operating as a food hall within a food hall.

It’s barely opened but plans to expand have already been inked. The owners have signed a lease for an additional 20,000 square feet of space within Industry City, which they aim to use for classes, exhibits, and other retail, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The Japanese market joins the likes of Italian-focused Eataly and French Le District that already operate as single-cuisine food markets in NYC. Others are on the way: Hill Country is imminently opening a food park dedicated to all-things Austin-style barbecue, and over at Hudson Yards, Spanish market Mercado Little Spain is slated to open in spring 2019.

Japan Village will opens this Saturday at 11 a.m. and closes at 7 p.m. Stay tuned for photos of the space.

Vendors include:

• Obentoyasan: Bento meals, made-to-order onigiri, and a miso soup station
• Café Japon: Japanese brea, cakes, teas, matcha lattes, and coffee
• Mika N’ Momo: Juice and salad bar centered on vegetables like shiso, mizuna, kabocha, mitsuba, and komatsuna
• Hachi: Japanese street food like okonomiyaki (pancakes), takoyaki (octopus balls), yakisoba (pan-fried noodles), taiyaki (fish-shaped sweets filled with red bean), and obanyaki (round cakes with assorted fillings)
• Setagaya: Tonkotsu ramen with black garlic
• Gohei: Soba and udon noodles
• Moriya: Rice bowls like gyudon (washugyu beef), Japanese curry, shogayaki (pork ginger), oyakodon (chicken and egg), and katsu-don
• Shokusaido: Japanese appetizers like agedashi tofu, hijiki seaweed salad, salmon nanbanzuke, tempura, croquettes, and fried chicken
• Brooklyn Steak & Lobster: Teppanyaki steak and lobster
• Omakase Sushi: Omakase menu