After His Father Died, a Son Reopened Eagle Rock's Mia Sushi as CAYA

The new name stands for Come As You Are, and the remade spot at 4741 N. Eagle Rock Blvd. opened Sept. 11.

When Calvin Yao's father died, the family's sushi restaurant on Eagle Rock Boulevard passed to him. He kept the address. He didn't keep the name.

Mia Sushi, at 4741 N. Eagle Rock Blvd. in Eagle Rock, is permanently closed, and CAYA Sushi held its grand opening in the same space Sept. 11, The Occidental reported. Yao told the Occidental College student paper that he rebranded to start fresh, and that CAYA stands for Come As You Are.

That's a funny name for the room he describes. Yao wanted a date-night look, more upscale than before, and something "almost like a Japanese sports bar in a way," he told The Occidental, where people can watch a game and eat a little.

Ronaldo Sebastian Serquen, a sushi chef there who's spent six years cooking, says the dress code is the name. The place may look elegant, he told The Occidental, but sweats and sandals are fine. "We're not Nobu," he said.

The menu mixes Japanese, American and French cooking. Johnny Tran, the consultant head chef, said he brought the French American side and Yao brought the Japanese. Yao said the Hamachi Supreme, yellowtail with citrus ponzu and orange segments, is among the most popular plates. The Infatuation's listing calls it a sushi and sake bar, points to otoro nigiri and uni udon carbonara, and notes a covered patio out front.

Some of the fish comes from Baja, Mexico, and Japan, according to Tran, who said the kitchen switches suppliers from time to time because seafood is being overfished. He also said he trains the staff to use every ingredient as fully as they can, and that finding the right crew was one of the hard parts of opening.

The early verdict has come from Mia's old customers. Tran said many old regulars have come in, told him the place got better and kept returning. Serquen said he'd rather work there than at a big chain, because the locals know everybody and greet him by name.

It isn't the only family place in the neighborhood starting a new chapter. Zero Fox, a family-run restaurant, coffee shop and sports bar, opened on York Boulevard in September, The Occidental reported. Two family businesses, opened weeks apart, both betting that Northeast L.A. wants somewhere to eat with the game on.

Yao's next moves are brunch hours with their own menu, a bigger menu overall, and events like mahjong nights and sushi-making classes, he told The Occidental. He's clear about what he thinks keeps a neighborhood place going, and it isn't the fish.

"Sushi or food, you can get it anywhere," Yao said. What brings people in, he said, is the personal connection with guests and the service they get.

Source: theoccidentalnews.com, retrieved October 10, 2026. Other sources: theinfatuation.com.