I wanted to get Sunday mornings open for the community.”

Executive chef Noe Frausto

Hasu Japanese Restaurant
1309 Vermillion St.
Hastings, MN 55033
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Hasu Japanese Restaurant marked its ribbon cutting in Hastings with the kind of quiet confidence that comes from a place already settling into its rhythm.
The restaurant, one of the city’s newer dining spots, has been open for about three months, but the ribbon cutting offered a more official welcome. It also gave guests a closer look at a space that took nine months to transform, down to the individually placed wood slats that now give the dining room its warm, polished feel.
Owner Li Ta said the design came from experience as much as planning. After years working in Japanese restaurants, he said he could picture what the space needed almost as soon as he walked in.
“Instinct, right? Just instinct,” Ta said.
That instinct shows in a dining room that feels carefully put together without feeling stiff. The sushi bar, dining area and kitchen-centered concept all fit into a broader idea, Hasu is not trying to be only a sushi stop.
Ta said that is an important distinction.
“We are not only sushi restaurant, we are focusing on the kitchen,” he said.
Executive chef Noe Frausto said the menu reflects traditional Japanese cuisine, with sushi as part of the experience, not the whole story. Frausto, who has known Ta for nearly 12 years, said the two once rolled sushi together on Grand Avenue in St. Paul.
Frausto said the menu comes from years of work with sushi, teppanyaki and Japanese cooking.
“I’ve studied Japanese food, and I’ve, you know, I put a lot of work into it,” Frausto said.
So far, he said, diners have responded well. The restaurant plans to continue building out its offerings, especially ramen. Frausto said customers can expect more ramen options, along with more kitchen dishes and sushi choices.
That broader menu is part of the restaurant’s effort to help diners see Japanese food beyond raw fish. Ta said some people still think of sushi first when they hear Japanese restaurant, but Hasu is built around a fuller range of dishes.
“Traditional Japanese food is not sushi,” Ta said. “The sushi is just additional for customer to enjoy while they’re here.”
The restaurant is also expanding its hours. Frausto said Hasu has begun opening for lunch on weekends, with Saturday and Sunday service aimed at families and the wider Hastings community.
“I wanted to get Sunday mornings open for the community,” Frausto said.
That community focus came up more than once during the ribbon cutting conversation. Frausto said Hasu wants to be responsive to Hastings and what local diners are looking for.
“Hasu’s here for the community, whatever the community needs,” he said.
The restaurant also offers discounts to service members, including police, fire, EMS and military, whether active or retired.
For Ta, choosing Hastings came from seeing an opportunity. He said he noticed there was room in town for more Asian dining options, and Hasu now adds Japanese cuisine to that mix.
The opening also gives new life to a space that has clearly received a full visual reset. From the wall details to the layout, Hasu has the look of a restaurant built with patience, not just speed. Nine months of renovation is a long time to wait for opening night, but the result is a room that feels ready for both a weeknight dinner and a small celebration.
The ribbon cutting was, in one sense, ceremonial. The doors were already open, the menu was already being tested by customers, and the kitchen was already finding its pace. But it also served as a public marker, a way for Hastings to say welcome, and for Hasu to say it is here with more than sushi, more than dinner hours, and more still to come.