Snow Crane Winging into Hyattsville

The latest concept from esteemed chef Takeshi Nishikawa will serve Japanese style ice cream.
Snow Crane Winging into Hyattsville
Photo: @snowcraneicecream on Instagram

A celebrated DMV-area chef is preparing to reinvent the local ice cream scene. Takeshi Nishikawa’s newest venture, Snow Crane, will be scooping innovative sweetness in Hyattsville next year, reports Eater Washington DC.

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Nishikawa has not settled on a final, precise location, however the venerable chef tells What Now DC that he is enthusiastic about bringing something new and distinctive to his home neighborhood. He states: “I actually live in Hyattsville-my wife and I like to take long strolls, and I see lots of great restaurants, and I think that’s what makes Hyattsville Hyattsville. I wondered what else could I do that this community could use?”

Nishikawa, who is incredibly prolific and busy, explains that his young daughter reaching her first birthday allows him a bit more time to pursue one of his many creative ideas. He says: “I always think of new businesses-there is no way to say ‘now is the optimal time.’ You look back and see what have I done and what am I doing, and you do it. The timing made sense to me, so I was like “why not?”

Snow Crane will allow Nishikawa to bring a taste of Japan to Maryland diners perhaps unfamiliar with the cuisine. He describes his vision for the concept as: “Affordable luxury, where not everything needs to be so expensive. We’ll have a very straight forward, concise menu. There are a lot of family oriented residents in the area, it could be where they go after dinner. It will also create cultural exposure. It adds more diversity to the neighborhood and I get to showcase Japanese food. I think this could be the new wave of Japanese sweets in the DMV region.”

Future regulars can look forward to a wholly fresh and delicious experience; Nishikawa adds that all the ice cream and syrups will be made-in house.

Nishikawa is hoping to debut the concept next spring, though he acknowledges that a number of variables may factor into determining a grand opening date. He explains: “Spring 2025 would be ideal, dropping at the time of cherry blossom season. You make a plan and life happens, it depends on what kind of commercial lease I sign and what kind of turn around it’ll take.”

Nishikawa explains that Snow Crane’s name was selected to reflect the unique nature of the eatery. He states: “It’s very Japanese, and has a lot of significance in terms of its elegance.Snow cranes are pretty rare-they almost went extinct in Japan. It’s simple and easy to resonate with people. I just wanted to come up with something that is elegant, sophisticated and clean.” 

Kelly Mintzer

Kelly Mintzer

Kelly Mintzer is an East Coast freelancer with a cat and a dream. She pops up on various blogs and websites, writing about horror movies, video games, and television shows. Her fiction has been featured in a couple of anthologies, and with any luck, will be included in a few more.
Kelly Mintzer

Kelly Mintzer

Kelly Mintzer is an East Coast freelancer with a cat and a dream. She pops up on various blogs and websites, writing about horror movies, video games, and television shows. Her fiction has been featured in a couple of anthologies, and with any luck, will be included in a few more.
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