Hibachi Restaurant Eyes April Opening in Mahwah

The owner of a Hibachi and sushi restaurant that plans to open where East Tokyo Restaurant was in Mahwah says the new restaurant should be open this spring.

According to owner Liu Yichun, Sakura Hibachi and Sushi is in the midst of renovating the space inside the A&P shopping center, which East Tokyo vacated when it went out of business last year.

"We hope to open in April," Yichun told Patch Wednesday.

Yichun said he owns several other Japanese and Hibachi restaurants, mostly in Pennsylvania.

"We visited this space, and knew it was perfect for a hibachi restaurant," he said of why he chose to open in Mahwah. "It's clear the community is looking for a good, affordable hibachi option."

Sakura has already installed signage at the restaurant, and plans to continue prepping the space over the next few months.