Tyson News

Hipster Austin Japanese concept Uchiko will open restaurant in Plano

Sushi so hip.

Uchiko

Plano is about to get a dose of Austin-style hipness: Hai Hospitality, the Austin-based restaurant group fronted by chef Tyson Cole, is opening a location of Uchiko, one of his Japanese concepts, at Legacy West.

According to a release, Uchiko Plano will open in summer 2023.

Uchiko is a spinoff of Uchi, Cole's nontraditional take on Japanese food which debuted in Austin in 2003. The first Uchiko opened in Austin in 2010 as a more casual companion to Uchi, with a menu featuring "hints of smoke and char" to differentiate the two concepts. A Houston Uchiko opened in May 2022, and there's another planned for Miami Beach in 2024.

Their menu features sushi and sashimi; hot and cool tastings such as kanpachi crudo or fried cauliflower; various seafood cuts such as fluke, snapper, and tuna, sometimes smoked, sometimes marinated, sometimes seared; and appetizer-style dishes such as tempura and karaage fried chicken. There is also an omakase chef tasting with five or 10 courses.

In addition to Uchi and Uchiko, there is also Uchiba, the bar-driven restaurant spinoff of Uchi; and their non-Uchi concept Loro, the Asian smokehouse and bar from Cole and Aaron Franklin, which debuted in Dallas in 2021 and will open a location in Addison in the fall.

As with all of their restaurants, Uchiko Plano will be designed by Michael Hsu and idStudio4. The restaurant will seat approximately 185 people and include two private dining rooms.

It's time for a quote from Tony Montero, the CEO of Hai Hospitality.

“We could not think of a better place to open Uchiko Plano than in this growing luxury business and entertainment hub, and following the warm reception we’ve received since opening Uchi Dallas,” Montero says. “We’re excited to expand Uchi’s sibling brand to Legacy West and look forward to sharing the truly special experience of dining at Uchiko with our Plano community. We hope to create a new and truly special dining destination in Plano.”

openings

Bagel News

Buzzy Northeast chain PopUp Bagels ready to debut in Dallas

PopUp Bagels

PopUp Bagels coming to Dallas.

A buzzy bagel concept founded in the Northeast is coming to Dallas: Called PopUp Bagels, it famously started as a backyard project during the pandemic, and will open a location at Inwood Village, in the former I Heart Yogurt shop (which only just closed), next to the Inwood Theatre at 5450 W Lovers Ln. #143.

Signage has already gone up on the location and according to a spokesperson, the shop will open in early spring.

PopUp Bagels was founded in Westport, Connecticut by entrepreneur and home baker Adam Goldberg, with his cousin Jeff Lewis, as a side project during the pandemic, when everyone was baking at home. The bagels earned such a warm reception that Goldberg started hosting bagel popups in various locations near his home.

The concept's success has been helped by a national surge of interest in bagels, as well as viral moments on TikTok and other social media. Goldberg sold the concept to equity growth firm Stripes in 2023, who drew celebrity investors such as Paul Rudd and Michael Phelps, with plans to open hundreds of locations across the U.S. Talk is cheap but for now, there are 23 locations in New York, Maine, Florida, Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, and North Carolina.

One of their selling points for a seamless expansion is that they've kept things simple including a compact menu of bagels, spreads, and a pound of smoked salmon. There's a minimum purchase of three bagels, along with a mandatory tub of cream cheese or butter, for $12, and they only offer five flavors: plain, salt, poppy, sesame, and everything.

Bagels are sold whole only, no sandwiches and also not sliced — leading to their nickname "rip and dip," in which customers rip the bagels and dip them into spreads. Their texture is softer and lighter than the classic New York dense bagel, making them easier to "rip."

They're also known for their collaborations on over-the-top schmear flavors — beyond their regular original cream cheese, scallion cream cheese, and vegan cream cheese — which they rotate in with frequency. Recent specialty schmears include Honey Chipotle Cream Cheese, Salted Maple Banana Bread Schmear, Cheez-It Schmear, and a Lemon Pepper Schmear just announced with WingStop that summons the wing chain's Lemon Pepper sauce.

bagels openings