A Japanese-Brazilian fusion steakhouse is getting ready to turn on the heat in Tysons.
Churasuko — the latest venture from restauranteur Derek Liu, who founded Gyuzo Japanese BBQ and Uzu Revolving Sushi in Rockville, Maryland — anticipates opening in early December on the ground floor of the Lumen apartments at 1755 Tysons Central Street.
Logistical preparations and construction on the two-level space last occupied by the short-lived barbecue restaurant Jack’s Ranch are wrapping up, Liu’s business partner, Danny Nguyen, told FFXnow earlier this week.
“We’re at the tail end of opening up these doors, and we want to invite the community to come out and hopefully be welcomed as a new neighbor in the Tysons area,” Nguyen said, adding that the team is aiming to soft-open the week after Thanksgiving before publicizing a grand opening at a to-be-determined date.
Supported by Edward Wong, founder and CEO of the prolific IVEA group, who helped secure the lease, Liu has been working on Churasuko for more than two years, ever since the team took an initial tour of the vacated Jack’s Ranch space.
When brainstorming possible ways to take advantage of the unusual layout, which spans approximately 9,200 square feet with two kitchens, an elevator and a carryout area, they developed a plan to combine their experience with Japanese cuisine with the all-you-can-eat or rodízio-style barbecue popular in Brazil, which is home to the world’s largest Japanese population outside Japan.
Leaning into the space’s multiple levels, the restaurant will offer a la carte service on its first floor, where diners can try more “premium” items, while the upper floor will have all-you-can-eat service, with servers bringing skewers of meat to tables and a sushi buffet bar.
The venue will also feature three different bars, including wine and draft beer bars on the upper level, and a private party room. While the maximum capacity is around 298 people, Nguyen says the seating will likely accommodate closer to 200 and 250 people.
According to Nguyen, the menu, which will include some vegetarian and gluten-free options will be completely different from Gyuzo and Uzu, which opened in 2020 and 2024, respectively, and are both highly rated, at least on Yelp.
Planned signature offerings will include a Fire and Ice Seafood Tower and a Wagyu Experience.
The restaurant will utilize churrasco grills imported from Brazil, and Brazilian-trained staff will be on hand to complement the foundation in Japanese cooking provided by Liu, who will work alongside two chefs that also helped him open Gyuzo in Rockville five years ago.
“It just made sense for that location to really bring an elevated experience, not just like a Fogo de Chao or Chima or Texas De Brazil, but taking that and really … bringing people an experience that’s like no other,” Nguyen said. “… It’s literally the only concept in the United States where we’re fusing Japanese flavors and marinades and influence with Brazilian culture and tradition.”
Though it’ll be a couple more weeks before Churasuko opens its doors, some local residents and workers might’ve already gotten a taste of the restaurant’s offerings, thanks to a carryout window that has been quietly operating for a few months now.
The carryout section has a separate menu focused on more casual dishes, such as rice bowls, ramen and sushi rolls, that can be ordered online or through the delivery apps Grubhub and Seamless. The menu may be revamped to more closely align with the main restaurant once that opens, Nguyen says.
“[The takeout side is] a little bit more casual, a little bit more fast to get the kitchen and staff ready,” he said. “It’s a good place for everybody to learn and get to know the neighbors and the businesses around.”
According to Nguyen, the uniqueness of the concept has already attracted interest from investors who would like to bring it to other locations, like New York City, Miami and Las Vegas, but for now, the team is focused on delivering a dining experience to remember in Tysons.
“We’re trying to bring that feeling to Tysons Corner to give people a home away from home,” Nguyen said. “But I personally am very excited to for people to try the food, to really see our love and our passion for tradition and culture … and for people to really just sit down and take that in.”
