The Loop by Hachiroku has opened a second Japanese grocery store, this time at the “Square 10” development at the ex-Coliseum site — marking the local restaurant’s fifth location to open in and around downtown in the past four years. This new Loop opened on July 31 at 20 George S t., in the ground-floor retail space previously occupied by the down-sized Elm City Market. Just like the first Loop, which opened in 2024 in at the Audubon Square development at 367 Orange St., the new Loop sells fresh produce, packaged snacks, a wide array of Japanese ingredients, and prepared food like sushi and sashimi. Also like the first Loop, this second location is in a building developed and owned by the Norwalk-based Spinnaker Real Estate. The Loop at 20 George St. is the fifth Hachiroku spot to open in New Haven since 2022. It joins Hachiroku Shokudo Sake Bar at 261 Orange St., Handroll at 966 State St., 116 Cocktail Bar at 116 Crown St., and the Loop at 367 Orange. Yuta Kamori, who owns Hachiroku, said that his Japanese restaurant decided to expand yet again in part because “we saw the space was there” at 20 George, and in part because the building is owned by Spinnaker, who is also the Loop’s landlord at Audubon Square. He said Spinnaker reached out and asked if Hachiroku wanted to move in. “We were thinking [20 George was] way too close” to the other Loop, Kamori said. But, given the limited grocery options in the area — and given that that part of town might become “more like Wooster Square” in the next few years, thanks to all of the new developments — Kamori decided to negotiate a lease and open a second Loop spot. “We just like New Haven,” Kamori said about why Hachiroku has opened five locations since 2022. “New Haven has good people.” Plus, it had — and has — and under-met need for “authentic” Japanese food and groceries. Kamori said the new Loop location will be more of a grocery store than the first Loop; “we have no dining area, only a patio area,” he said. The store has “eggs, dairy, more fresh produce and vegetables, fresh fish from Japan, fresh cut Wagyu beef.” He said he’s got a “good connection with a meat supplier in New York” to help keep the Loop well-stocked with “restaurant-quality” fish and other food. Kamori is originally from Wakayama, Japan; he lived in New York City for 15 years before starting his first Japanese food business in the Boston area. That was before Covid. The pandemic led him to pivot to takeout, which proved successful. He said he found himself driving frequently between Boston and New York, stopping at Japanese grocery stores in Stamford and Hartford — and keeping an eye out for locations in New Haven where he might be able to open a restaurant. He found the 261 Orange St. spot in New Haven and opened the first Hachiroku in 2022. “We want to expand every year. That’s our goal,” he said. He may now have to start looking outside of New Haven, too. Ultimately, Kamori said, he’s trying to “bring in Japanese culture, authentic food” to New Haven with Hachiroku. This second Loop marks the latest step in that effort. The post Hachiroku Expands, Again — With A 2nd “Loop” Market appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less