Scottsdale has no shortage of sushi restaurants, ramen shops or Japanese-inspired dining. But a new project coming to The Sydney could change the way Scottsdale experiences Japanese food.

Atashi Yokocho, a new Japanese food hall from Valley restaurateur Huy Truong, has signed a lease for approximately 14,000 square feet at The Sydney, the massive entertainment and retail development near Loop 101 and Pima Road.

And this isn't your typical food court.

Atashi Yokocho is inspired by the yokocho, the narrow food alleys found throughout Japan where small restaurants, bars and food stalls are packed together, creating an energetic, walkable dining experience. The Scottsdale version is expected to feature at least 15 individual food concepts, each focused on a particular style of Japanese cuisine.

For Scottsdale diners, that's a pretty big deal.

The idea behind Atashi Yokocho is relatively simple: instead of asking diners to choose between sushi, ramen, yakitori or Japanese barbecue, bring many of those experiences together in one destination.

Truong has already made a name for himself in the Valley's Japanese dining scene through Mensho, the Tokyo ramen concept with locations in Mesa and Phoenix. He's also preparing to bring Udon Shin, a specialized Japanese noodle concept, to Mesa's Asian District.

But Atashi Yokocho is a much bigger swing.

According to reporting from The Arizona Republic, Truong has spent the past year and a half making more than a dozen trips to Japan, meeting with chefs and restaurant operators and working to bring authentic Japanese culinary concepts to Arizona.

He has already confirmed partnerships with approximately 10 chefs from Japan, including chefs connected to Tokyo, Osaka, Akita and Fukuoka. The chefs will help develop menus and train staff for the concepts coming to Atashi Yokocho.

That connection to Japan is what makes this project particularly interesting.

Rather than simply creating American restaurants with Japanese-inspired menus, Truong is bringing Japanese chefs and Japanese food traditions directly into the project.

This is probably the most important thing to understand about Atashi Yokocho.

When we hear "food hall," most of us picture a large open room surrounded by counters, with diners ordering food and carrying it back to communal tables.

That isn't really the idea here.

The concept is modeled after Japan's yokocho — intimate alleys filled with small restaurants and food-focused businesses.

Each space is expected to have its own identity, allowing diners to move through the destination and experience different styles of Japanese cooking.

The project is expected to include 15 or more small eateries, with some concepts potentially being extremely intimate. Phoenix New Times reported that the individual restaurant spaces could range from very small operations to larger concepts, helping create the feeling of wandering through a Japanese dining district rather than sitting in one giant cafeteria.

And that could be the secret sauce.

You aren't necessarily going to Atashi Yokocho for one restaurant.

You're going to explore.

Maybe you start with yakitori. Then grab a hand roll. Then split some ramen. Then someone convinces you that you absolutely need to try the yakiniku.

That's the experience the concept appears designed to create.

One interesting detail is that not every space needs to be permanently occupied.

Truong has discussed leaving a few spaces available for local restaurant pop-ups, giving chefs and restaurant operators an opportunity to introduce new concepts to Scottsdale diners.

That could keep Atashi Yokocho evolving after it opens.

And for a food hall built around discovery, that's a smart idea.

Instead of visiting once, checking everything off the list and moving on, rotating concepts could give regulars a reason to keep coming back.

Atashi Yokocho will be part of The Sydney, the approximately $100 million, 26-acre entertainment-driven development located on Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community land near 90th Street and Loop 101.

The planned address for Atashi Yokocho is 7339 E. McDonald Drive, Scottsdale.

The Sydney itself is shaping up to be an important new destination for Scottsdale, with restaurants, entertainment, and hospitality all planned as part of the larger development.

That makes the location particularly interesting.

Atashi Yokocho won't simply be another restaurant opening in an existing shopping center. It will be part of a much larger destination that is still developing.

The Sydney is a new 26-acre entertainment, dining, hospitality and retail destination taking shape near 90th Street and Loop 101 in Scottsdale.

The roughly $100 million development is being built on Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community land and is designed to bring together restaurants, entertainment, retail, and hospitality in one destination.

One of the project's anchors is REVERB by Hard Rock Scottsdale, adding a major hotel component to the development.

And now, with Atashi Yokocho joining the lineup or The Rustic, Pickle & Social, Goodsurf, Bistecca & City Winery, The Sydney is shaping up to become an even bigger destination for Scottsdale's dining scene.

The Sydney
📍 Near 90th Street & Loop 101
Scottsdale, Arizona

We'll be keeping an eye on The Sydney as more restaurants, entertainment concepts and opening dates are announced.

Here's the part where you'll need to be patient.

Atashi Yokocho isn't coming this year.

Current reporting points to an opening in 2028, although some local development reporting has described the timing as late 2027 or early 2028. For now, there is no firm opening date.

What is confirmed is that the lease has been signed and the project is moving forward at The Sydney. (Biz Journals)

That gives Scottsdale food lovers something to watch over the next couple of years as the individual concepts and chefs are announced.

And honestly, we're OK waiting for this one.

Scottsdale has become incredibly good at upscale dining.

We have steakhouses. We have Mexican restaurants. We have Italian restaurants. We have sushi. We have celebrity-backed concepts, resort restaurants, and some seriously impressive independent operators.

But Atashi Yokocho is different.

It's taking an entire cuisine category and creating a destination around it.

A 14,000-square-foot space with 15 or more Japanese food concepts, connections to chefs in Japan, and a design inspired by Japanese yokocho culture is something Scottsdale hasn't really had before.

And the potential variety is what has us most interested.

You could have a completely different experience every time you visit.

One night might be all about ramen and yakitori.

Another might be sushi and tempura.

Another could be yakiniku and sake.

And if the rotating pop-up idea comes together, the lineup could continue changing.

That's not just a restaurant.

That's a dining destination.

Put this one on your Scottsdale restaurant watch list now.

We're still a couple of years away from opening, and plenty of details — including the final restaurant lineup — will likely change before the doors open.

But the foundation is already pretty exciting.

Atashi Yokocho will bring a collection of Japanese dining experiences together at The Sydney, with a lineup expected to include ramen, udon, sushi, yakitori, yakiniku, tempura, robatayaki, kaiseki and more.

And perhaps the biggest reason we're watching?

The chefs.

Bringing Japanese chefs into the process — rather than simply borrowing Japanese flavors — could make this one of the most authentic and interesting Japanese dining projects to hit Scottsdale.

For a city that loves its restaurants and loves discovering what's next, Atashi Yokocho could be a very big deal.

Location: The Sydney
Address: 7339 E. McDonald Drive, Scottsdale, AZ
Size: Approximately 14,000 square feet
Planned concepts: 15+ Japanese food concepts
Cuisine: Japanese
Expected opening: 2028
Developer/Restaurateur: Huy Truong

We'll be watching this one as the restaurant lineup and opening plans come together.

Read the original KTAR/Phoenix Business Journal report

Read the Scottsdale.com article