Popular hibachi food truck opening first brick & mortar this year
When you serve hibachi this good, it’s only a matter of time before you need to expand into a larger, more permanent space.
Blasian Grill, owned by Joe Russell and Chef Kosal Long, is a well-known food truck, gaining popularity around the city for their high-quality hibachi, fried rice, and soba noodles.
Although their loyal customers don’t mind grabbing a box and eating it on the curb or in their car, Russell and Long knew it was time to expand.
“The business is going really well – we rocked with the truck for a few years, but we need more space to cook more food with more demand, and all of that,” explained Russell.
They’re opening their restaurant exactly where their food truck is parked at 801 Harrisburg Pike. Customers will still be able to enjoy their favorites, like the Teriyaki Tofu hibachi, or Trio Combo with steak, chicken, shrimp, and their signature spicy yum-yum sauce.
And although they’re sticking true to their hibachi-style of cooking, there won’t be onion stacks lit on fire, or shrimp thrown in your mouth, or eggs tossed through the air (but Chef Kosal could do that – he was trained at a Japanese steakhouse). “We don’t need that,” laughed Russell. “We focus on food quality. We’re trading in tricks for the quality.”
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The duo is planning on keeping their food truck for special events and catering. They’ve catered graduations, weddings, and other parties, and will continue on doing so.
The name of the business is a nod to Russell and Long’s blended families of Asian and Black identities. Long is married to Russell’s sister. They both unfortunately got laid off years ago on the exact same week, and they took it as a sign to start their own restaurant business. “He was a chef, I was in business, so we thought, ‘Why not do our own thing with food?’”
The space will fit around 20-30 people at a time, and once they receive their liquor license, guests can enjoy Asian inspired cocktails with their hibachi, as well.
Blasian Grill’s new brick & mortar should be open by late spring or early summer, but until then, you can order from their food truck parked at their Harrisburg Pike spot. Check out their Facebook or Streetfoodfinder for daily hours.
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