The three-storey, 3,900sq ft restaurant will launch on Wardour Street in the site previously occupied by Japanese restaurant Ichibuns.
The ground floor will be centred on a charcoal-powered robatayaki grill, with a menu featuring street food-inspired Japanese dishes including more than 20 different preparations of chicken yakitori, and sharing cocktails.
Yatay’s first floor will have a 50-cover ‘izakaya sake shop’ dining room with a menu of sharing plates, including those prepared on a traditional robata charcoal grill. Dishes will include fried gyoza, tempura vegetables, Asian salads, pickles, with a drinks list of sake and Japanese sangria.
The basement will be home to the a late-night bar inspired by ‘roller zoku’ – Tokyo’s underground street culture – serving cocktails. The bar will sit alongside a record room that will have a DJ booth.
“Inspired by the streets and the underground culture of Japan, we are delighted to be bringing this unique and delicious offering to London for the first time,” says Andy Cook, co-founder and head of culinary at Yatay.
“With its world-renowned status and commitment to championing authentic Far Eastern cuisines and culture, Chinatown London was the first, and only, location on our list – there is nowhere else we’d rather launch our dynamic and multi-faceted experience in the capital.”
“Chinatown London reflects trends and traditions from across the entire ESEA region; Yatay adds to this with its unique take on what is culturally relevant in Japan today,” says Julia Wilkinson, restaurant director at Shaftesbury.
“Like the recently signed Kiwa Sushi & Grill, Yatay has a distinct identity, and these two concepts complement each other well, highlighting the variety of flavours and items a chef can create using a robata grill.”
Camilla Topham and Disrtkt represented Chinatown London while DCL acted for Yatay.