The former Drago's building on Johnston Street has a new restaurant name attached to it: Umiya Sushi.

The all-you-can-eat Japanese dining concept is planned for 3151 Johnston Street, at Doucet Road, according to local reporting published this week.

For Lafayette diners wondering what would take over the vacant property, that is the central update: a planned tenant has been identified, but the restaurant is not yet an announced opening.

What the local reporting says

In its October 20 report, Developing Lafayette points to a Lafayette Consolidated Government permit filed under UMIYALA LLC as evidence connecting Umiya to the site.

The property has been vacant since Drago's closed in February 2024, according to that report.

The 97.3 The Dawg story also reports the planned restaurant and notes that Lafayette-specific opening details remain outstanding.

For readers placing it on the map, the address is the familiar Johnston-and-Doucet corner.

All-you-can-eat, ordered from the table

The concept described in the local reports differs from a walk-up buffet: guests choose dishes from a menu while seated, with food brought to the table.

That distinction helps explain what is being proposed without suggesting that every detail of the Lafayette dining room has already been finalized.

Umiya's San Antonio menu page offers separate lunch and dinner menus and describes a selection of sushi, sashimi, specialty rolls and Japanese-inspired dishes.

It is a useful preview of an existing operation, not a published Lafayette menu.

A restaurant's menu can also look different between lunch and dinner, so the presence of an item at another location does not establish when or whether it will be available here.

Beyond sushi rolls

Existing-location menus discussed in the reporting include cooked choices such as hibachi-style dishes, tempura, fried rice and noodles, alongside sushi and sashimi.

That range could make the concept worth watching for groups with different food preferences, although Lafayette's final offerings still need confirmation.

Some Umiya locations have hot pot, but neither local story confirms that feature for this address.

Anyone particularly interested in hot pot should wait for a Lafayette announcement rather than assuming it comes with the brand name.

The same caution applies to prices: figures quoted for restaurants in other cities are not a Lafayette price list.

We are leaving those amounts out of this preview so an out-of-town menu does not get mistaken for a local offer.

What to watch next

There is no confirmed Lafayette opening date in the reports reviewed for this story.

A construction estimate is not a reservation date, and diners should wait for an official local announcement before planning a visit.

The next useful details will be the opening schedule, local lunch and dinner pricing, operating hours and a Lafayette menu.

Families may also want to check children's pricing and any all-you-can-eat ordering rules once those details are available.

For now, the news is a planned restaurant at a recognizable address, rather than a review of a business already serving customers.

Umiya's existing-location website provides background on the concept while Lafayette waits for its own details.

Once those details are released, diners will be better placed to decide whether the new option fits a quick lunch, a family meal or a longer evening out.

The Johnston Street location will be one to watch as the proposed project moves toward an opening announcement.