A modern Japanese izakaya serving sushi, ramen and yakitori is coming to downtown Clearwater’s Cleveland Street corridor, adding another dining and nightlife destination to the redevelopment reshaping the city’s downtown core.
Hanami Japanese Izakaya will open at 635 Cleveland Street beside the future $50 million EVO Family Entertainment Center, placing the restaurant within one of downtown Clearwater’s fastest-changing redevelopment corridors. The addition brings another street-level business to the 600 block, where developers and property owners are restoring buildings and repositioning storefronts to create a more walkable entertainment and dining district.
The future EVO entertainment complex is expected to increase evening traffic and regional visitation once completed. As a result, restaurants and hospitality operators are increasingly moving into the area to capture that activity and help rebuild downtown Clearwater’s nighttime economy.
Hanami is designed as a modern Japanese izakaya, a social dining concept rooted in the Japanese tradition of gathering over food and drinks late into the evening. The restaurant will feature a contemporary street-facing layout intended to support the growing pedestrian traffic and nightlife activity emerging along Cleveland Street.
“I’ve been looking for the right location to introduce a concept like Hanami, and what’s happening along Cleveland Street immediately stood out to me,” said restaurateur Sheng Long Yu. “This district is evolving into something modern, energetic and experience-driven, and Hanami is designed to be part of that momentum. We want this to be a place where people come together, stay awhile and create memorable experiences through incredible food, atmosphere and hospitality.”
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Yu has operated restaurant concepts across the United States for more than 30 years, including Japanese steakhouses, sushi restaurants and ramen concepts in multiple markets.
The restaurant’s name references the Japanese tradition of gathering beneath blooming cherry blossoms, a cultural custom centered on shared meals and social connection. That influence will shape both the restaurant’s atmosphere and its broader dining experience.
Hanami’s location places the restaurant between the Pinellas Trail and downtown Clearwater’s evolving entertainment corridor, where public and private investment has accelerated during the past several years.
Cleveland Street Alliance, which is coordinating redevelopment activity along the corridor, said the broader effort focuses on restoring historic properties while attracting new businesses and destination-oriented tenants back into downtown Clearwater.
An opening date for Hanami has not yet been announced.
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