Umiya Sushi (pronounced oo-MEE-yuh), a growing all-you-can-eat Japanese restaurant chain, is coming soon to 3151 Johnston Street at the corner of Doucet Road in Lafayette, Louisiana, inside the former Drago’s Seafood Restaurant building.
A recently filed permit with Lafayette Consolidated Government (LCG) under the name UMIYALA LLC provides a strong clue about the restaurant planned for the property, which has remained vacant since Drago’s closed in February 2024.
Umiya is a Texas-founded, family-operated Japanese restaurant chain with several locations across several states, including Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee, and a few others, according to our digging.
Photos sourced via Umiya Facebook
The restaurant is known for its all-you-can-eat sushi, seafood, and grill concept. Instead of a traditional buffet, Umiya operates as a full-service restaurant where guests order directly from a menu.
Looking at menus from existing Umiya locations, items include traditional sushi and sashimi, specialty rolls, poke bowls, hibachi-style chicken, shrimp and steak, teriyaki dishes, fried rice, noodles, tempura, soups, salads, and a variety of appetizers.
Photos sourced via Umiya Facebook
Some of Umiya’s specialty rolls include the Umiya Super Roll, made with snow crab, avocado, seared salmon, crispy potatoes, and black garlic mayo. Other items include the Rainbow Roll, Mango Delight Roll, Shaggy Dog Roll, and even a Crawfish Roll.
Several Umiya locations also offer Japanese hot pot, where guests cook selected meats, seafood, and vegetables in broth at their table. However, we aren’t sure yet whether the Lafayette location will offer this option.
Prices at existing locations range with All-you-can-eat lunch prices from about $21 to $23 per adult, and dinner is around $33.
As for the building itself, previous businesses include Mellow Mushroom, Bako’s, Serrano’s Salsa Company, Bootie’s, Toucan’s, and U.S. Border Cantina & Grill. And if you go further back, the property was apparently home to Shoe Town and reportedly a gas station.
Renovation construction is soon to start with an estimated completion of about 8-10 months. No official opening date has been announced for Umiya Sushi in Lafayette.
For more information, visit one of the many location websites: https://umiyasa.com, https://www.umiyakaty.com, https://umiyatexas.com, https://www.umiyaraleigh.com, https://www.umiyamemphis.com/.
