An Omakase Pop-Up Becomes a Restaurant This Fall, Joining the Westside’s Burgeoning Sushi Scene

A new omakase restaurant is headed to Atlanta’s westside, adding to its burgeoning sushi scene centered around Howell Mill Road and Brady Avenue.

Chef Leonard Yu takes his roving sushi pop-up Omakase Table permanent when it opens at the Seven88 complex on West Marietta Street in early November.

Fans of Yu have followed him since his days popping up at Silom Thai and Sushi on Lenox Road, and then at Brush Sushi Izakaya in Decatur where he offered a six-seat omakase featuring 15 to 20 courses of tara shirako, sashimi, nigiri, and hand rolls on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Yu always ends his omakases with a hand roll to showcase nori.

Yu brings this intimate pop-up experience to life on a larger scale at the West Marietta Street restaurant, which will offer two seatings of 16 people per night. Yu and two chefs will then divide the group among them, with each serving four to six people at the sushi bar.

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“He’s very process-minded, so he wanted to test out the concept first before opening a restaurant,” Omakase Table general manager Jenna Phravorachit says. “It went very well and grew popular, so he thought it’s the perfect time to open.”

Yu chose the West Marietta Street location due to its accessibility. It lies just beyond the fray of the bustling dining district along Howell Mill Road and the growing collection of sushi restaurants now open there, something Phravorachit says Yu kept in mind when searching for the right location.

“He didn’t want this restaurant to be an afterthought for people or a destination restaurant. This restaurant is personal for him, like he’s inviting you into his home,” says Phravorachit.

At a U-shape sushi bar in the center of the restaurant, Yu plans to offer an extensive 20-course omakase similar to those he served during his pop-up days. At $225 per person, it includes 12 courses of nigiri, dessert, and the option to add cocktail, wine, and sake pairings. Priced at around $195 per person, a more focused omakase of 15 to 17 courses, and seating only four people per service, should launch in the coming months. A small takeout menu is in the works, too. Phravorachit says people will need to order that at least 24 hours in advance for pick up at the restaurant.

As with Yu’s pop-up, Omakase Table the restaurant will also feature fresh fish flown in weekly from Toyosu Fish Market in Tokyo, Japan.

Phravorachit says they’re aiming for a November 1 opening, with invitation-only previews taking place starting in mid-October. People can sign up for one of the coveted sneak peeks via an online waiting list.

Omakase Table joins a handful of sushi restaurants in the area, including neighboring Eight Sushi Lounge at the corner of Brady Avenue and 8th Street and Mujo, O-Ku, and Kinjo Room on Howell Mill Road. Sushi Hayakawa relocates from Buford Highway to Star Metals on Howell Mill in the coming months.

788 West Marietta Street, Atlanta. Prepaid reservations only. Opening hours forthcoming.