A JAPANESE restaurant in Birmingham is reopening its doors later this month after being closed for over two years.

Yakinori on New Steet was forced to close in September 2022 due to severe flooding but has announced it will return to the city centre on November 21.

Owner Ali Karakaya is ecstatic about the reopening, saying it feels like “winning the lottery”.

He said: “The last two years we have been trying to get back to the place where we first opened - the place we love!

“We have such loyal customers, some of them even saying “I have missed you guys so much” and “I’ve been waiting a long time for you to re-open, I may cry that day”.

“We are excited that we get to go back to our loyal Yakinori customers once again.”

The restaurant prides itself on having the ‘No. 1 katsu curry’ and is running a special promotion surrounding its famed dish on the opening day.

Yakinori will be offering their katsu curry box, plus its vegetarian alternative, for just £1, raising money for Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

All the proceeds from the katsu sales will go towards the vital work of the charity, with Mr Karakaya choosing to do so simply because he says, “children are the future” and “this is such a great cause”.

Speaking on Yakinori’s promotion, Katie Harris, Corporate Partnerships Officer at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said “We’re thrilled to see Yakinori re-opening and we’re so grateful they’ve chosen to continue their ongoing support with this new fantastic initiative.

“With the proceeds of their £1 katsu curry deal being donated to our charity, anyone partaking will be helping us continue to do more for the 100,000 sick kids treated at Birmingham Children’s Hospital every year.”

Mr Karakaya added: “Being an independent business, we put our passion into everything we make.

“Every Katsu Curry we serve, our hearts go into it.

“If you love Katsu Curry then you should come down to Yakinori for this incredible offer we are running for such a great cause.”

The Birmingham branch was the very first Yakinori site to open, with other restaurants later opening in the West Midlands in Selly Oak and Solihull.