Asian street food coming to UTC

A new addition is coming to the dining scene at University Town Center. Hawkers Asian Street Food is “coming soon” to the West District at UTC, according to a statement from Benderson, which owns the shopping and dining destination.

The Hawkers brand launched in Orlando in 2011 and has grown to 16 locations in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, Virginia and Texas. 

Inspired by open-air markets in Asia, the eatery at UTC will serve dishes like pad Thai, Korean twice-fried chicken wings and Malaysian roti with curry dipping sauce. With a focus on shareables, there will be a small plates menu with items like bao buns, dim sum, meat and seafood, with larger dishes like curry plates, noodles, soups and rice also available. The restaurant will offer craft cocktails and sake too and plans to debut its first street food sweet shop.

Hawkers Asian Street Food will occupy a 5,054-square-foot space along Cattlemen Road.

“We’ve been looking forward to bringing Hawkers to Sarasota for a long time, and there is no better home than what the Benderson team has built at UTC,” Hawkers Asian Street Food CEO and co-founder Kaleb Harrell says in a statement.

“We’re bringing the Hawkers experience people know and love, plus something we’ve never done before: our first street food sweet shop," Harrell says. "I don’t want to give away all the details yet, but let’s just say you’ll definitely want to save room.”

Hawkers Asian Street Food earned a 2022 Michelin Guide Recommendation for its original location in Orlando.

When it opens, the eatery at UTC will be one of more than 80 restaurants at UTC, which also features over 250 stores, three hotels and office space. The district spans more than 4 million square feet near the intersection of Interstate 75 and University Parkway, on the border of Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Recently opened restaurants at UTC include Just Salad and Pure Green. Coming in 2027 are BrickTop’s as well as Olivia and On Swann.