New Korean-Japanese restaurant set to open in Hastings town centre

Kokoro already has outlets in 29 locations across the UK and now hopes to take over an empty unit in York Buildings, Wellington Place.

The chain serves Korean and Japanese food such as sushi, sashimi, chicken katsu curry, sweet and sour chicken, gyoza dumplings and udon noodles in takeaway containers.

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It is seeking planning permission to convert the ground floor into a customer area with limited seating, a kitchen and food preparation area. The upper two floors would be used as storage and staff areas, including staff toilets, a manager’s office, and walk-in fridges and freezers. The proposal also includes a kitchen extraction system to the rear of the property as well as new fascia signage and a projecting sign. If Hastings Borough Council gives the application the green light, the eatery would open from 11am to 10pm seven days a week.

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Kokoro - which in Japanese means heart, mind or soul - was founded by owner Rak-Kyu Park. Its first branch opened in Kingston-Upon-Thames in 2010. A spokesperson for the chain said: “From small beginnings, the restaurant took flight as people began to fall in love with our food. Now, years later, we have stores across the country and customers flock to eat our hearty soups and scrumptious sushi. Our focus on quality service, supported by the use of fresh ingredients and environmentally-conscious packaging ensures we meet the needs of the modern customer.”

New restaurant to open in Hastings shopping centre

The Hastings unit was a former estate agent office, run by Property Cafe Ltd, and is in a conservation area. York Buildings were built by William Ransom & William Ridley in 1811. They were originally houses and their gardens were in what is now York Gardens.

Kokoro opened an outlet in Eastbourne in July last year. It also has stores in Eastbourne, Brighton, Chichester, Horsham and Crawley.