Foxwoods Bringing Hollywood to Connecticut With Japanese Restaurant Yamashiro
Posted on: February 17, 2026, 11:20h.
Last updated on: February 17, 2026, 11:20h.
- Foxwoods is bringing Hollywood icon Yamashiro to Connecticut
- Yamashiro is a Japanese restaurant in the Hollywood Hills
- Yamashiro follows The Bedford by Martha Stewart at the tribal casino
Foxwoods Resort Casino continues to diversify its culinary attractions. The latest concept brings a piece of Hollywood to the Connecticut destination.
The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation is celebrating Foxwoods’ 34th year this February. On the heels of announcing a grand opening for The Bedford by Martha Stewart, Foxwoods has confirmed that Yamashiro will open its third location at the tribal resort casino.
Yamashiro, which translates to “mountain place” in Japanese, is a landmark in the Hollywood Hills. The restaurant, dating back to the 1960s, is inside a historic Japanese-style hilltop mansion that offers panoramic views of the Hollywood Sign, Griffith Observatory, and downtown Los Angeles.
A replica of a Kyoto palace, the mansion was completed in 1914 by brothers Adolph and Eugene Bernheimer as a residence and Asian art museum. The property sits 250 feet above Hollywood Boulevard.
Film producers Elie Samaha and Steve Markoff own Yamashiro through an entity called Samaka.
Yamashiro Restaurant
Along with its iconic Hollywood Hills location, Yamashiro opened a Miami restaurant atop the Gale Hotel last fall. Los Angeles-based Boulevard Hospitality Group, which manages the Hollywood restaurant and is licensing the Yamashiro brand elsewhere, says Foxwoods will be its next destination.
Foxwoods is the perfect setting to bring Yamashiro’s next chapter to life. Hollywood represents our legacy, Miami reflects our modern evolution, and Foxwoods is where those two worlds collide,” said Freddy Braidi of Boulevard.
“This location captures the soul of Yamashiro while embracing the energy of a world-class resort destination. The Northeast has never seen anything like Yamashiro Foxwoods,” Braidi added.
Foxwoods President and CEO Jason Guyot called Yamashiro an “immersive dining” experience. He detailed that Yamashiro will transition into a nightclub on Friday and Saturday nights, with a live DJ spinning records.
“[Yamashiro’s] arrival at Foxwoods is a defining moment in our journey and a turning point for our dining and nightlife scene. We’re bringing the pulse, energy, and legacy of Yamashiro to Foxwoods, creating evenings defined by iconic dining and vibrant energy you won’t find anywhere else,” said Guyot.
Yamashiro Opening
Foxwoods and Boulevard Hospitality didn’t specify an exact opening date for Yamashiro, saying only that it would likely take its first reservations within a year.
The interior of Yamashiro will take time, as Foxwoods and Boulevard plan to create a unique space. The plan, a release from the casino says, is to pair “artful Japanese-inspired cuisine” in a “dramatic setting” that celebrates the “cultural legacy” of the Hollywood restaurant.
While Yamashiro remains popular in Hollywood, with weekend reservations needing to be booked early, not everyone is a fan. On Yelp, the restaurant maintains a 3.6/5 rating on 6.8K reviews, with critics often citing “mediocre” or “uninspired” food relative to its high price point.
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