Pacific View's Old Sears Is Now a Japanese Food Hall That Stays Open Past Midnight

On a Wednesday morning at the west end of Pacific View Mall, farmers' market stalls are up by 9 a.m. in the lot near Red Robin. They stand beside the old Sears building. An hour later that building opens its doors, and it doesn't close until 2 a.m.

So the corner runs a 17-hour day. It starts with produce and ends with ramen. Round1 Bowling & Arcade and YUU Japanese Food Hall opened in the former Sears space on October 10, the Ventura Breeze reported. A month in, the more useful story is what the building does to the rest of the clock. Pacific View's west corner now serves food until 1 a.m.

Fourteen Kitchens, Half of Them From Osaka

YUU takes up the whole first floor of the building. Round1 says the 14 restaurants inside are in the United States for the first time. Ventura is also the first place YUU itself has opened. Round1 CEO Akira Ide said in the opening announcement that "Ventura will be the first community to experience YUU Japanese Food Hall."

Here is the lineup Round1 published:

Seven of the fourteen come from Osaka. That tilts the room toward street food and small plates: takoyaki, kushiage skewers, onigiri, okonomiyaki. Three stalls serve ramen, and they barely overlap. The Los Angeles Times described bowls running "from tonkotsu to Sapporo miso and niboshi," the last made with dried sardines. Round1's own pages describe TOBUTA as rich tonkotsu with chewy noodles. They call Tonjinchi a clear broth "twice recognized by prestigious food guide." Choosing between them is about broth, not brand.

Two stalls don't serve Japanese cuisine. Pizzeria Da Naghino, from Kyoto, makes Neapolitan pies with crackly edges. Gelateria Il Brigante, from the coastal city of Kamakura, makes Sicilian gelato from scratch. Round1's Ventura location page has listed the gelateria as temporarily closed while it prepares to open.

How Close the Food Gets to Japan

Round1 staff traveled to Japan to train alongside each restaurant. According to the company's announcement, the original restaurants approved the recipes and how they're prepared. The Los Angeles Times reported that the project took three years and that new equipment went in to match textures and flavors. That includes a filtration system producing soft, low-mineral water like Japan's. Some ingredients are bought locally. Many are imported from Japan.

Hirotoshi Takahashi, Round One Entertainment's executive vice president and chief operating officer, gave the Times a candid figure:

"We can't say that it's 100% [the same] because of the difference in ingredients, but we are confident that it's well over 80%."

TONKATSU KEITA shows what that missing share looks like. Its 23-seat Tokyo restaurant uses Roppaku Kurobuta pork. The Ventura stall couldn't get the same pigs in America, so it uses heritage black pork instead, the Times reported. The paper also pointed to the light, tempura-like batter on Okonomiyaki Hana's cabbage pancakes. It noted that Curry bitSOMA cooks each ingredient separately before layering it into the curry. And it mentioned that Onigiri Gorichan fills Koshihikari rice balls with salmon flakes, pickled plums, or Spam and egg.

One Cart, Many Counters

Ordering works the same at every stall, which is why a group can split up and still eat together:

1. Order at a self-service kiosk, or scan the QR code on your table.
2. Add dishes from as many stalls as you like to one cart and pay once.
3. Watch for your order number on the screen above the kiosks or on the screen at each stall.
4. Pick each item up at its own counter and sit at any open seat. YUU doesn't take reservations.

So yakitori from Yamato, udon from Kidatake and a pizza from Da Naghino can share one table on one receipt. Each still comes from its own kitchen. The name fits. YUU comes from the Japanese word for "play," and Round1 built the building so that dinner leads straight into the rest of the night.

Upstairs, and Around the Bar

A wraparound bar anchors the food hall, with live sports on mounted TVs. The Times reported a full cocktail menu that includes premium sake. Round1's bowling alley and arcade are upstairs, with karaoke and rows of claw machines and other games imported from Japan. Takahashi told the Times the goal is an all-day destination that draws locals plus day-trippers from Los Angeles and the Central Coast.

Guests under 18 should check Round1's house rules before a late visit. The company posts them chain-wide and says policies can vary by location.

The Wednesday Market Shares the Lot

The Midtown Ventura Certified Farmers' Market sets up every Wednesday, year-round, in Pacific View's west parking lot. The market association describes its spot as near Red Robin and Sears. The state's certified-market registry, current as of October 1, 2026, lists it at 3301 E. Main St. from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Sears named in that listing is the building that now holds YUU.

Here's how a Wednesday plays out at that one corner:

YUU keeps the same 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. hours every day of the week. Any night is a late-dinner night, and the Wednesday overlap is the one day both halves of the corner run at once. A morning market run and a midnight bowl of Tonjinchi ramen now start from the same parking space.

A Mall With New Owners

The food hall opened under a new owner. Pacific Retail Capital Partners and Conversant Capital LLC bought Pacific View in a deal that closed September 17, the Ventura County Star reported. Pacific Retail, a Los Angeles retail real estate firm, took over leasing and management. The Macerich Co. had owned the property since 1996. The Star called it an 884,000-square-foot center in midtown Ventura. It opened in 1964, was last renovated in 2017, and is anchored by Target, Macy's and JCPenney, with Trader Joe's among its tenants.

Pacific View general manager Leisha Pomare said the deal for Round1 reflected a push to make the mall "a dynamic, experience-first destination," according to the Ventura Breeze in March. Ventura is also the test kitchen. The Times reported that the next YUU, planned for Escondido, will have a different lineup, including a kakigori shop and an Osaka takoyaki stand founded in 1986.

YUU Japanese Food Hall and Round1 Bowling & Arcade are at 3295 E. Main St., Suite 2, open daily from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., with the last food order at 1 a.m.

When we tell the story of a Midtown home, we cover the whole week, from the Wednesday market to a late table at the old Sears. If you'd like a guide who knows those details, reach out to Juliana Lisheski and Discover the Ventura Life.