First Look: YYTime, a New Food Hall, Opening in Asiatown in Late-February

When I walk into YYTime, I find myself immersed in a fragrant cloud of smoke. On the floor of the kitchen is a makeshift altar with symbolic offerings of fruit, food and money. Candles flicker and incense smolders. The owner tells me that the ritual is designed to invite good fortune and prosperity into the building, which will soon welcome its first guests.

It’s been nearly two years since Sheng Long Yu announced his plans to convert the former National Tire & Battery property at E. 30th and Payne in Cleveland’s Asiatown neighborhood into an Asian food hall. Not surprisingly, his plans for the massive property have evolved during that time.

Instead of hosting five independent operators, each with his or her own street food concept, Yu says he was persuaded to run the whole show himself. Primarily, YYTime will be the new home for Dagu Rice Noodle, which opened next door to Koko Bakery in 2019. In anticipation of the move, Yu closed the restaurant late last year. Joining Dagu will be a bubble tea bar, yakitori station, and others, all operating out of a large open kitchen.

“YYTime is the name of the building and within the building we have the rice noodles, the bubble tea, the yakitori, the buns and all that,” Yu explains. “Later on, our goal is to expand, and depending on the different markets or spaces available, we could do the bubble tea or the yakitori or whatever.”

Since opening Shinto Japanese Steakhouse in Strongsville 20 years ago, the Chinese-born entrepreneur has opened Kenko Sushi in University Circle and Kent, Dagu Rice Noodle in Asiatown, Hell’s Fried Chicken in University Circle, a second Shinto location in Westlake and Lao Sze Chuan at Pinecrest.

Given the state of the former semi-industrial property he inherited, Yu says that this was his most challenging project to date. The 10,000-square-foot building required all new electrical, plumbing and HVAC. The dining room seats 100 guests, far fewer than the space would allow. Next to the open kitchen is the bubble tea stall, which will serve coffee drinks, shaved ice, and milk and fruit teas with dozens and dozens of topping options.

The dining room will operate on a modified full-service model. Guests will be seated and given a tablet for ordering. The food will be delivered to the table via human or, possibly, a robot. Fans of Dagu Rice Noodle will find those soups and starters here, but the menu has been expanded to include more hot and cold appetizers. A yakitori station will offer skewers threaded with chicken, lamb, pork and seafood options. Pan-fried buns and dumplings will be stuffed with savory fillings.

A roomy soft seating area sits just inside the door, and it’s one of the most important spaces in the restaurant. YYTime, says Yu, translates into quality time spent with friends and family – an activity he hopes to cultivate at his latest creation.

“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.”

All of this activity gobbles a mere fraction of the building. Down the road, the facility will be used as a production and distribution hub for wholesale foods like buns and dumplings. Other plans include adding a family friendly arcade.

Yu says that he hopes to open the doors the last week of February.
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