![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/hiya.jpg\" "\\"The")
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The upscale omakase restaurant Hiyakawa is turning into a more casual Tokyo-style spot for the rest of the summer, like it did in 2025.<\/p>\n
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Last year, in the middle of a hot, brutal, economically challenging season that saw many Miami restaurants falter and diners grow wary of spending<\/a>, Hiyakawa in Wynwood decided to make a temporary change.<\/p>\n The upscale omakase-style restaurant\u2019s owner, Alvaro Perez Miranda, decided to transform the luxurious Hiyakawa into a more casual, affordable izakaya-style venue, just for a month.<\/p>\n The pop-up was an immediate hit. And so once again Hiyakawa is pausing service of its usual tasting menu to bring back a new izakaya menu from chef de cuisine Jamie Liu, who runs the kitchen, and chef Royce Appling, who oversees the sushi counter.<\/p>\n Perez Miranda said the return of the pop-up felt inevitable.<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t expect last summer\u2019s izakaya to take off the way it did,\u201d he said. \u201cBut Miami clearly wanted more of this side of Hiyakawa. Bringing it back felt like the only option.\u201d<\/p>\n This summer\u2019s menu will include items like hitsumabushi (a Donburi bowl with sliced eel or wagyu); chazuke with salmon and ikura; rice bowls with baby sardines and futomaki (a fat sushi roll). You\u2019ll also find soft shell spider crab tempura, savory pancakes with stir-fried noodles and pickled vegetables.<\/p>\n The idea is to share several different plates, listen to the music \u2014 an izakaya\u2019s ambiance is much different than that of an upscale omakase restaurant \u2014 and hang out with your friends without a lot of fuss.<\/p>\n \u201cIzakaya culture is all about having fun and connecting with people over food \u2014 it\u2019s not precious,\u201d explains chef Liu. \u201cGetting to play with these dishes, get a little messy and bring that energy back to the kitchen is one of my favorite parts of the summer.\u201d<\/p>\n Chef Appling also enjoys the switch.<\/p>\n \u201cThe izakaya format lets me get playful with technique while still holding the same standard we bring to the omakase tasting menu,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Also new this year is a partnership with JoJo Tea for a special tea program in addition to the restaurant\u2019s sake and wine menu.<\/p>\n The pop-up, which begins Aug. 5, is slated to run throughout the month of August. Last year\u2019s izakaya was so popular, though, it spilled over into September.<\/p>\n Hiyakawa, which opened in 2020, is only one of the spots owned and operated by Perez Miranda and his APM Restaurant Group. Founder of the casual sushi bowl favorite Wabi Sabi, Perez Miranda is also the owner of Midorie and Ogawa in Little River, which earned a Michelin star in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n He\u2019s also the force behind Emelina, the high-end Cuban restaurant in West Palm Beach that earned a Michelin star earlier this year.<\/a><\/p>\n Izakaya at Hiyakawa<\/p>\n Where: 2700 North Miami Ave., #5, Miami<\/p>\n Starting: Aug. 5<\/p>\n Reservations: Resy<\/a><\/p>\n![\"There\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/food1.jpg\" "\\"food1.jpg\\"")
There\u2019s a whole new menu at this summer\u2019s izakaya pop-up at Hiyakawa in Wynwood. James Jackman <\/p>\n![\"One](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/food2.jpg\" "\\"food2.jpg\\"")
One of the new dishes at Hiyakawa\u2019s summer izakaya menu. James Jackman <\/p>\n