Irving's Beloved Japanese Izakaya Mr. Max Has Been Reborn

Inside the new Mr. Max. [Photo: Mr. Max/Facebook]

Fans of the departed Mr. Max (or those who never got to go) will be pleased to learn that Irving's Japanese izakaya has been resurrected. The charmingly authentic hole-in-the-wall known for ramen, sashimi, and other casual Japanese fare like tonkatsu (and the bizarro fermented soybean dish, natto) closed in early 2014; late last year it was purchased by Las Vegas-based Mon Group Restaurants and after some modifications to the interior and the menu, it reopened for business last night.

One minor caveat: The new menu is apparently only in Japanese for now, according to a Yelp review posted yesterday. (According to the same review, the previously-somewhat-dingy bathroom has gotten a major upgrade.)

Mon Group, which owns several Japanese restaurant concepts in Vegas, also has another Dallas project on the horizon: A Richardson outpost of Monta Ramen, which currently has two locations in the Las Vegas area. Originally slated to open in summer 2014, it's now estimated to debut at the "end of March or beginning of April," per a rep for the restaurant group.

Mr. Max is open for dinner only; per Yelp, business hours are Monday through Saturday from 6 p.m.-11 p.m.