The original, near White Rock Lake, has served xiao long, hand-pulled noodles, Mongolian beef and orange chicken since late 2024. By spring 2025, Romano and his co-founder Jia Huang were already looking to expand.
They plan to open five MiYa Chinese restaurants, including the original, then pause. A restaurant in Fort Worth is expected to open next, followed by one in Frisco. The team is also planning to open a location in San Antonio, Romano’s hometown, in the Alamo Heights neighborhood.
Romano would like to open a fifth in Highland Park or University Park but he hasn’t secured a lease yet.
Romano was raised in the restaurant industry; his uncle is Phil Romano, who helped create Eatzi’s, Fuddruckers, Romano’s Macaroni Grill and more. David Romano attributes the growth of MiYa to co-founder Jia Huang, who was born and raised in Fujian Province in China. Huang and David Romano had worked together on Wok Star Chinese, which was sold to Local Favorite, the Dallas company that recently acquired Cotton Patch Cafe and owns many D-FW restaurant brands like Twisted Root Burger Co. and the nearly 110-year-old El Fenix.
At MiYa, Huang has helped chefs fine-tune dishes like the scallion pancakes and bao, two things she ate for breakfast as a child.
She’s also a natural connector, Romano said. “There are not many people in the city Jia doesn’t know.”
When MiYa opened in Casa Linda, designers jazzed up an old Pei Wei with pink patterned chandeliers. It was quickly recognized by neighbors as a family-friendly spot, and it’s a nice fit alongside locally-owned restaurants like Rodeo Goat burgers and the new Salisbury’s Pizza.
As MiYa expands, Romano said he was looking to open restaurants “right in the middle of neighborhoods.”
“We don’t want a restaurant row,” he said, shrugging off the idea MiYa might fit in the middle of a pricey dining district. “We imagine people coming down from apartments and eating at our restaurant.”
MiYa Chinese is expected to open two North Texas restaurants in 2027: at 5912 Convair Drive, Fort Worth (near Bryant Irvin Road) and at 5302 Dallas Parkway (near Lebanon Road), Frisco. The original restaurant remains at 9540 Garland Road, Dallas.