Why Redmond Town Center Keeps Turning Retail Space Into Restaurants

"A sort of food row destination" is how the broker who handled a new sushi bar lease at Redmond Town Center described one stretch of the center to the Puget Sound Business Journal, in coverage picked up by MyNorthwest in January 2026.

The space that will hold Te-Hand Roll Bar was previously Asher Goods. Two other units, formerly Claire's and Sunglass Hut, were still open to tenants as of that January report, and the broker said he would prefer a food or beverage operator for them this time. Read together, that points to a leasing strategy, and this fall brings two visible results of it.

The Storefronts Behind the Phrase "Food Row"

Redmond Town Center describes itself as home to over 120 stores and 20 restaurants. The same broker said he had wanted to dedicate a space to sushi there for quite some time, and that he sees a strong Eastside affinity for it in a market that already includes Momiji, Sushi In Joy, and Musashi's.

That appetite is about to get tested twice in the same season.

The Two Additions Landing This Fall

The food hall is the larger bet. Developer Greenbridge Properties is billing the Eastside Food Collective as the largest culinary destination on the Eastside, and the vendor mix backs up the ambition: Japanese ramen, Ethiopian injera, Neapolitan pizza, and Pacific Northwest seafood under one roof, with a central bar pouring local craft cocktails and Washington wines. Half of the sixteen vendors are first-time restaurant owners. Project lead Anika Desai told the Redmond Gazette that the neighborhood's food scene has expanded quickly enough to justify giving new chefs an entry point.

Te-Hand Roll Bar is a smaller, more specific bet. It's the second concept from the owners of Kuro Sushi in Bellevue, and owner Jin Lee has said he's drawing on Hello Nori, a hand-roll bar in Vancouver, B.C. that has expanded to five other Canadian locations. The Redmond location takes over a 1,487-square-foot space previously used by Asher Goods.

Who They're Joining

Neither addition is opening into empty territory. Redmond Town Center already has Kizuki Ramen, Thai Ginger, the wine lounge Sama Cellars, and Dong Ting Chun, a Hunan-style restaurant whose group opened its first location in San Gabriel, California, in 2006. Fork & Spoke, a bistro pairing Pacific Northwest ingredients with Filipino-inspired dishes, sits just minutes away.

The Saturday Market Winds Down as the Hall Opens

The Redmond Saturday Market, now at 9900 Willows Rd NE, has run since 1976. It bills itself as the oldest open-air market on the Eastside, and master gardener Georgia Erskine founded it on vacant downtown land leased for a dollar a year. This year marks its 51st season. It is dog-friendly, accepts SNAP and WIC, and sells produce, cut flowers, and lunch items such as crepes and seafood chowder on Saturdays.

That season runs through October 31, and the Eastside Food Collective is slated to open in October. For a few weeks the two overlap, one outdoors on Saturday mornings and one indoors under a 12,000-square-foot roof.

What Changes on the Block

Between the sushi bar, the food hall, and the restaurants already open, Redmond Town Center now offers ramen, Hunan cooking, Ethiopian injera, Neapolitan pizza, and hand rolls on a single property in Redmond.

The former Claire's and Sunglass Hut units were still open to tenants when the sushi bar was announced in January 2026, and the broker said he preferred a food or beverage operator for them.

The Eastside Food Collective is due to open at Redmond Town Center this October. Questions about Redmond? Reach out to Deepti Gupta Real Estate.