In his 35 years working in the restaurant industry, Aaron Chan knows diners don’t always have time for sit-down meals.
This week Chan and his wife, Susan Qiu, opened Mitsuru Express, a quick casual restaurant at 620 N. Second St. in Harrisburg in the same block as The Vegetable Hunter and FireHouse Restaurant.
Mitsuru is a spin-off of Chan’s other restaurant, Mitsuru-Ya Chinese and Japanese at the Queengate Shopping Center in York County.
“I realize people in downtown are pretty much fast because they need to work,” he said. “I think takeout is the way to go for them.”
Chan, who was born in Hong Kong and raised in Baltimore, said he purchased the corner building at the recommendation of his realtor. With his nearly 10-year-old York restaurant running smoothly, he said he was ready to tackle a new project.
Mitsuru Express, a quick casual restaurant, opened this week at 620 N. Second St. in Harrisburg.
The restaurant operates under the moniker “Japanese fast food” and replaces the former Capitol Express Grille and Aleco’s Café & Restaurant with a handful of tables and counter-side ordering.
The menu is basic, yet with nine teriyaki combinations – chicken, beef, shrimp and salmon with rice or noodles - there is something to appeal to everyone. An a la carte section covers standards such as egg rolls, sesame salad, seaweed salad, wonton soup and fried gyoza. (Prices are reasonable at $6.50 for chicken teriyaki up to $11 for a beef/shrimp/chicken combo.)
In the future, Chan said Mitsuru’s menu will expand with items such as sushi. He said he traditionally waits until his restaurants are up and running and staff trained before he fully develops the offerings.
The restaurant is open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Phone is 717-695-6359.