Sushi lovers, rejoice: Berkeley is getting a new fishy-fish place from Kyle Itani, the chef behind buzzy Oakland restaurants such as Yonsei Handrolls and Itani Ramen.
Itani Sushi is scheduled to open Sept. 20 inside the Epicurious Garden food hall in North Berkeley, in the neighborhood formerly known as the “Gourmet Ghetto.” The restaurant is the brick-and-mortar evolution of the chef’s pandemic sushi project, Nikkei Sushi, and will offer grab-and-go prepared sushi as well as made-to-order nigiri, rolls, salads, rice bowls and ramen and soba noodles. There will also be a few items from Itani’s other restaurants, including gyoza and housemade yuzu lemonade.
Fans of East Bay sushi joints should delight in the news that sushi chef and partner Jeremias Jimenez was the head chef at Mujiri, a sublime but bargain-priced operation on San Pablo Avenue.
The Epicurious Garden food hall had recently lost another sushi tenant, Kirala 2, so Itani’s arrival is fortuitous. It turns out he and Kirala owner Akira Komine are friends.
“He was looking to retire from his 35 years of Kirala and 17 years of Kirala 2. He asked if I wanted to take over Kirala 2, his takeout-sushi concept, give the place a modern revitalization and continue on the legacy of what he started, but with my version of it,” says Itani in an email that must be quoted further.
“How could I refuse? The stars aligned, fate spun in harmony, the syzygy occurred, the Aether breathed in sync, the Moiria wove a smooth thread, the spheres hummed in concord, the Pleiades whispered, the Great Year turned its cycle, and I ended up with my next restaurant.”
Itani’s restaurants have recently been in a state of flux. This year saw the closure of his Japanese cantina, Good Luck Gato, and the neighboring bar Ninth Life in Oakland. And now he’s planning a new private-dining and event space — the Annex — at the former Ninth Life address.
Details: Open beginning Sept. 20 at 1511 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley; itanisushi.com.
