The black tiger jumbo shrimp fajitas with thick cut, twice-fried...

The black tiger jumbo shrimp fajitas with thick cut, twice-fried plantains or tostones and a mango margarita at Hana & Rosa in Huntington. Credit: Newsday/Melissa Azofeifa

Huntington’s newest restaurant is sizzling with flavor.

Hana & Rosa, a Japanese and Mexican fusion restaurant, opened in November at the space on New York Avenue that used to be Mission Taco.

When owner Chuck Liu took over the space, he heeded the advice of previous owners and kept most of the staff who worked at Mission Taco, which helped inspire the fusion concept for the eatery.

"Hana is a traditional Japanese name for a lady; it means flower, and Rosa is a traditional name [in] Spanish, and it means flower too so it’s more like a fusion concept, where the east meets the west," Liu said.

Liu — a Queens resident and owner of Chakra Japanese Fusion in Flushing — kept most of the Mexican fare from Mission Taco’s menu. Some of the Mexican cuisine on the menu includes grilled shrimp quesadillas ($21.95) and jumbo shrimp skillet fajitas ($28.95) served with rice, beans, pico, guacamole and cheese.

Chef Edgar Mancia and his kitchen staff received training on how to cook the Japanese dishes on the menu, including ramen, which features prominently. Their chicken katsu ramen ($18.95) is made with Japanese-style fried chicken, wakame, soft boiled egg, nori and scallions.

The menu will also include traditional izakaya (bar in Japanese) snacks like Tako Yaki ($9.95) fried dough balls stuffed with octopus, tempura, pickled ginger and green onion, and Japanese-style chicken wings named Hana wings ($10.95). They also have a variety of sakes and Japanese beers imported from Japan.

Renovations took just about over a month, Liu said. They worked with an independent designer from China on a logo, which also adorns a wall across the dining room. The mural is of two women, one  in anime or manga style, and one drawn in traditional Spanish style, adding a pop of color to the eatery's modern urban-industrial aesthetic. The bar is also embellished with Japanese lanterns.

Though Liu is new to the area, it didn’t take him long to recognize Huntington’s popularity on Long Island.

"We just want to serve this community as best we can," Liu said.

Hana & Rosa, 371 New York Ave., Huntington, 631-614-8226. Open 4 to 10 p.m. on Sunday, Tuesday-Thursday; 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

 
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