It’s been a long time coming — since 2009 — but Alexandrians will finally see a restaurant open at 3000 Duke St. come Friday morning.
Japanese buffet restaurant Umiya Sushi will officially open their doors Friday, Aug. 8 at 11 a.m., after the long wait by Alexandria residents.
For three decades, the location was home to the very popular family restaurant Generous George’s Pizza & Pasta Place, but after it closed in 2009, the location remained vacant. For quite some time, local foodies waited for Yates Pizza Palace to open in the spot.
The Yates family worked in the late 2010s to build a new, more modern restaurant with rooftop seating there, with plans to open Yates Pizza Palace. Those plans never came to fruition after Jeffrey Yates passed away from cancer in 2018.
On Friday, the 13,000-square foot, three-story building will open its doors to the all-you-can-eat Japanese buffet that bills itself as an “authentic taste of Japan.” The restaurant offers an all-you-can-eat buffet at differing price points, starting at $39.95.
“Our intimate sushi bar specializes in Edomae-style traditions, where chefs transform daily deliveries of pristine fish into artful nigiri, delicate sashimi platters, and perfectly balanced traditional rolls,” the restaurant notes…