The chef behind JUJU and Susuru is opening a Japanese bento-and-matcha house on Mills Avenue, with boxes built around seasonal fish from Tokyo’s Toyosu Market.
Quick Facts
- Status: Open now in a soft opening
- Where: 714 N. Mills Ave., Orlando, in Mills 50
- What: Chef’s-choice bento boxes, matcha and Japanese ceramics
- Price: Boxes run $25 to $75
- Ordering: Signature boxes by online pre-order; a limited number of simpler boxes for walk-ins
- Soft-opening hours: Walk-ins Thursday through Saturday from noon until sold out; signature-box pre-orders drop every Wednesday for Thursday–Saturday pickup
What’s opening
Hayashi Tarō calls itself an orizume house. Orizume is the Japanese practice of arranging a seasonal meal inside a wooden box, and here that means omakase-style bento: the chefs decide what goes in, built around seasonal fish shipped from Tokyo’s Toyosu Market. According to the restaurant’s opening announcement, the boxes range from traditional nigiri to kaisen donburi, a rice bowl topped with a mosaic of seafood, with cooked kaiseki-style boxes on select days. Prices run from $25 to $75.
Who’s behind it
Chef-owner Lewis Lin is the chef behind JUJU and Susuru. For Hayashi Tarō, he has teamed up with David Tsan, the former executive chef of Norigami.
Tea and ceramics, too
The concept is built on three things: tea, food and the vessel it comes in. That means a matcha program with each bowl whisked to order, plus Japanese ceramics for sale, including matcha bowls and plates made in collaborations between ceramicists in Japan and Orlando artists.
How ordering works
This one rewards planning ahead. The signature boxes are sold by advance online pre-order, and the cutoff is midnight the night before pickup. If you just show up, there will be a limited number of simpler boxes for walk-ins. A small omakase counter is set to open in late November for evening service, by reservation.
During the soft opening, walk-ins for the simpler boxes and matcha run Thursday through Saturday from noon until sold out, and pre-orders for the signature boxes drop every Wednesday for Thursday-through-Saturday pickup.
Why We’re Hyped
Omakase usually means a reservation, a counter seat and a long evening. Hayashi Tarō puts the chef’s-choice format, Toyosu fish included, in a box you order ahead and take home. It’s a lower-key way into that kind of meal, and the counter coming in late November gives you a reason to come back for the sit-down version.
The Details
- Status: Soft opening
- Address: 714 N. Mills Ave., Orlando, FL 32803
- Price: Bento boxes $25–$75
- Ordering: Signature boxes by online pre-order (cutoff at midnight the night before pickup); limited simpler boxes for walk-ins
- Soft-opening hours: Walk-ins Thursday–Saturday, noon until sold out · signature-box pre-orders drop Wednesdays for Thursday–Saturday pickup
- Omakase counter: Opens in late November for evening service, by reservation
- Website: hayashitarofl.com
The Details
- Location
- 714 N. Mills Ave., Orlando 32803 (Mills 50)
