Queen Village Gets a Big-Deal Sushi Bar This Week

When Royal Sushi & Izakaya opened, it was quite the surprise. After all, the restaurant took close to six years to open its doors; it was a saga that lasted far longer than any other restaurant opening in the city in the last decade. When it did open, there wasn’t any pre-opening press, no special announcement—it just opened.

And yet, the saga continues. According to a recent report by Philly.com, Jesse Ito, co-owner and chef of Stephen Simons and David Frank’s Queen Village Japanese project, is soft-launching his 10-seat sushi bar this Thursday, December 22. The bar sits in a back dining room of sorts, through a curtain past the izakaya.

This is not your typical neighborhood sushi bar; you won’t find cream cheese-stuffed Philly rolls anywhere on the menu. This is the real-deal: a bar where an 18-piece nigirizushi omakase runs you $110, or a smaller 10-piece nigirizushi omakase sets you back $55. Again, this is a soft launch, so although the bar seats ten, Ito will keep it to seven people at a time in the beginning stages. Reservations can be made between 6 p.m. and midnight.

• All Previous Royal Izakaya Coverage [EPHL]
• Jesse Ito's sushi bar opens at Royal Sushi & Izakaya [Philly.com]