A new Japanese restaurant and sushi bar has opened up in downtown Mercer Island. Sushi Joa, owned by Bellevue residents Kay and Richard Kim, offers Islanders fresh sushi rolls, teriyaki, tempura and various other Japanese and Korean dishes.

Located on 78th Avenue S.E., right next door to Alpenland, the new restaurant replaces Lil’ Tokyo Teriyaki.

The Kim family has been in the restaurant business for a long time. Richard Kim and his wife previously owned a sushi bar in Bellevue called Bento Box. They sold the business a few years ago. The move to Mercer Island, the owners agreed, was about location.

“We had to find a good spot, and Mercer Island is on the Eastside but close to Seattle,” Kay Kim said.

After only five days of being open, the one-room restaurant’s simple tables were filled with several lunch diners on Oct. 30. Business, although not yet booming, was already steady.

The Kims hope that once they “get the word out” with advertising, more Islanders will show up.

“We offer full-service dining and take-out,” Kay Kim said.

The restaurant has a number of daily specials; from $1 (per piece) Sushi Night on Mondays to Half-Price Sake Night on Tuesdays and Family Night on Wednesdays, when children and seniors get a meal for free. All that the owners are waiting for now are patrons.

Sushi Joa, 2717 78th Ave. S.E., is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and for dinner from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The restaurant is closed on Sundays.

For more information, visit www.sushijoa.com or call 230-4120.