The aroma of teriyaki chicken, egg rolls and sushi rolls has come to Austin with the opening of the newest restaurant in town, Japan Panda.

The restaurant is owned by Henry Zheng and his wife, Annie. The couple have three children: Jason, Angela and William. They have lived in Ames, Iowa, for the past 18 years, where Zheng owned another restaurant but sold it because “there were too many restaurants,” and he opened Japan Panda at 100 14th St. SW

Zheng is originally from the Fujian province in China and is a citizen of the U.S.

He said they chose Austin because it’s a cool location and there is currently no sushi restaurant here, just one of their specialities offered.

“I need to find out in this location what kind of food [people] like,” Zheng said. “For sushi, some like it raw, some like it cooked.”

Japan Panda serves three sushi rolls including the California roll, baked spicy salmon roll and spicy crab roll. Their entrees include traditional Asian food such as orange chicken, sweet and sour chicken and teriyaki.

For appetizers, they have pan fried dumplings, crab rangoons, chicken wings and egg rolls. Sides include chow mein, mixed vegetables and fried, white or brown rice. Pepsi products are available for beverages.

Meal sizes range from one entree and one side to three entrees and one side. They also offer kids’ meals, which is one entree and one side and a 12-ounce drink. And they have a family dinner option.

He said he might also consider delivery options in the future.

Zheng is no stranger to the restaurant business. His parents owned a restaurant on the east coast and his family has owned three other restaurants in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Zheng said they hope to move permanently to Austin soon and stay here longer because the cost of living is less expensive than Ames. Currently, he stays in Austin and his wife drives back and forth from Ames.

The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and closed on Sundays.