Food court favorite leaves St. Clair Square, will be replaced with similar fare
Sarku Japan, a Japanese quick-service restaurant serving teriyaki stir-fry entrées, rice and sides, has closed its location at St. Clair Square mall.
The eatery’s lease expired, said Christine Poehling, marketing director for CBL Properties, which owns the mall.
Sarku has vacated its spot in the food court and will be replaced by a similar business, YiHi Japan.
Poehling said YiHi Japan is expected to open by the end of the month.
Justin Lin of GCI Restaurant Group LLC said preparations for YiHi Japan will be fairly quick and that the restaurant should be ready to open in a few weeks.
Lin confirmed that the menu will match those of other YiHi Japan locations and will feature teriyaki stir-fry dishes with chicken, shrimp, beef, beef and shrimp, and chicken and shrimp.
Appetizer options will include maki rolls (Japanese spring rolls), fried rice, chicken egg rolls, vegetarian soba, vegetarian D’Lite, cream cheese rangoon, and noodles.
GCI Restaurant Group also owns Mango Thai, which is currently under construction in the space next to YiHi Japan, previously occupied by Takozz.
Lin said Mango Thai is expected to be ready to open in about a month.
Takozz closed its mall food court location in July and continued operations through food trucks and a St. Louis-area ghost kitchen. The business reopened in December on the mall’s lower level in the former Olga’s Kitchen space.
