Fuji Hiro Leeds: Cherished Japanese restaurant closes after almost 30 years in city centre
A cherished restaurant that first opened in Leeds back in 1997 has shut down after almost 30 years.
Fuji Hiro, at The Merrion Centre, was the first Japanese eatery to open in the city. But despite having become part of its fabric over the last three decades, it was announced earlier this month that the restaurant has permanently closed.
The news was broken to diners via a sign attached to the window of the venue, and a pop-up on the restaurant’s website said: “Fuji Hiro is currently closed until further notice.”
Fuji Hiro was consistently ranked among the best Japanese restaurants in the city and had four out of five stars based on 433 TripAdvisor reviews at the time of closing.
The YEP’s food critic was also a fan, with a review from 2022 commending the “flavourful” dishes and impressive “affordability”.
According to the venue’s website, the restaurant had an intimate 40 covers and was open for both lunch and dinner seven days a week.
The closure comes after a tumultuous period for hospitality in Leeds. Earlier this month, it was announced that The Shed Bar, known for hosting rock and indie gigs, was to close after 16 years.
And in December, fine-dining restaurant Crafthouse and its neighbouring rooftop bar Angelica closed as a result of “ongoing economic challenges”.
Soon after, city centre restaurant Kino closed its doors, as the team said they “just couldn’t make it work”. Meanwhile, in November, The Watermark Bar on Cross Belgrave Street revealed that it would close for good on New Year’s Day.
Earlier in 2024, high-end restaurants Craig Rogan at The Collective, Psycho Sandbar and Iberica all closed down.