BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – October 3, 2018 – Momotarō, an Asian café serving poke bowls, sweet and savory crepes, rolled ice cream and teas, is proud to announce the opening of its new Five Points South location in Pickwick Place at 1011 20th St. S. To celebrate the opening, Momotarō and the Five Points Alliance will co-host a ribbon cutting on Oct. 10 from noon to 1 p.m. The public is welcome to attend and enjoy the opening of the new restaurant.

WHAT:    Momotarō Ribbon Cutting & Grand Opening

WHEN:   Wednesday, Oct. 10 - noon to 1 p.m.

WHERE:  011 20th St. S. – Birmingham, AL 35205 

“We wanted to bring something new and unique to Birmingham,” says Momotarō Manager Ben Yu. “We wanted to be among the first cafés in the south to offer our fresh and unique Asian cuisine. Everything from the food to the décor in our café is designed to be eye-catching. We pay a lot of attention to detail and really try to stand out because when our guests come here, we want it to be an experience.”

Momotarō’s take on Asian cuisine fuses street food flavors and concepts from Japan and Thailand and serves them in a modern and sophisticated fast-casual café setting. All of the menu items at Momotarō are assembled, plated and prepared right in front of guests, and a host of fresh ingredients are easily viewable along the 32-foot marble top counter.

On the menu, guests can find build-your-own poke bowls and rolled ice cream, Japanese crepes - both sweet and savory - and an assortment of Thai-inspired flavored tea and milk tea. Each tea and juice drink is made fresh to order and is highly customizable. With eight different types of tea leaves and numerous flavoring options, Momotarō boasts one of the most diverse flavored tea palettes in the city.

The new location in Birmingham is Momotarō’s third in the nation, with cafés in State College, Penn., and Ann Arbor, Mich. The 2,350 square-foot space that Momotarō occupies in Five Points South can seat more than 40 guests and was completely redone and transformed in preparation of the opening. The space contains new plumbing, a new kitchen and a custom-created, hand-crafted interior – all built and installed by Yu and his team. The contemporary Cyprus wood and Asian-style rope adorning the walls were all cut and hung by hand in-house, and the red and white colors seen throughout the space are reflective of Asian culture and symbolize fortune and happiness.

The name Momotarō translates to “Peach Boy” and originates from the name of a popular Japanese folklore story in which the hero – Momotarō – is discovered by his parents floating down a river inside of a peach. The peach namesake is reflected in Momotarō’s tea flavors and its logo.

“We want people to talk about our logo,” says Yu. “People always talk about how the peach looks like a butt, and that’s what we want – we want people to be talking about us.”