Asian food lovers will soon have a haven on University Avenue.
The owners of Bento Cafe and Mochi Frozen Yogurt will be opening a new Pan-Asian restaurant in the former location of University Copy.
The new restaurant, SushiCHAO, will bring Bento Cafe favorites closer to campus.
"The food will mostly be Asian, mostly Korean, Chinese and Japanese," said Paul Cheng, SushiCHAO's general manager.
Construction has started on 1620 W. University Ave., and the project should be completed by the beginning of October.
SushiCHAO will be a self-serve restaurant. Customers will choose the amount of food they want and pay by weight.
Cheng said the price will probably be 49 cents per ounce.
The new location right across from UF's campus will allow customers to grab food for lunch or as a late-night snack while in midtown. The restaurant will probably be open until 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. on some nights of the week, Cheng said.
SushiCHAO will have a takeout window facing University Avenue to make it easy for customers to grab food in the wee hours.
For those who would like to dine in, there is the option of indoor and outdoor seating. Customers will be allowed to park in the lot in front of SushiCHAO, the same one used for Mochi Frozen Yogurt.
"We hope this eating trend will help our Bento Cafe and Mochi Frozen Yogurt family while still bringing the same cuisine our customers have grown to love," Cheng said.
