CLEVELAND, Ohio — Sushi Kuwahata is proving that high-end Japanese omakase experience isn’t just for dinner with its new lunch program featuring a dine-in nigiri omakase and elaborate takeout boxes.
The reservation-only restaurant above Harmony Hi-Fi at 2054 Fulton Road has built its dinner omakase experience that spans two-and-a-half to three hours for $300 a person. Now, chefs Kwan and Ryan Endrian have expanded to offer both dine-in and takeout lunch options that still feature premium-quality fish from Japan in a more casual, quicker format.
The new nigiri omakase lunch experience features around a dozen courses in a one-hour format, offered Thursdays through Sundays with one noon seating at the restaurant’s hinoki counter. The lunch is $150 per person, and only eight seats are available for each service. Sake pairings are included, along with fresh wasabi ground for each diner and the restaurant’s signature soy sauce, all directly from Japan.
A handroll during lunch at Sushi Kuwahata in Ohio City.Alex Darus
The counter uses two rice preparations — Kuwahata’s sushi rice and a red vinegar rice — a little detail that makes a big difference in the experience.
The lunch includes several pieces of nigiri hand-prepared by Kwan, along with one hand roll made with the highest quality nori they can get from Japan.
“Omakase dinners are two and a half to three hours, but not everybody wants to sit down that long,” Kwan said. “People enjoy nigiri, they’re in and out.”
“That is what Japan looks like right now,” he added.
Along with the dine-in lunch omakase, Sushi Kuwahata now offers a limited selection of curated to-go bento boxes available for pickup. Takeout is available Thursdays through Sundays, with pickup at 11:30 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. at the restaurant’s waiting room on the second floor. Each item is limited to 10 per service.
The bento-style boxes feature elaborate presentation and come with freshly ground wasabi and the restaurant’s signature soy sauce in perfectly portable bottles. Everything from the rice to the soy sauce to the wasabi to the fish is imported from Japan, and the presentation for the to-go options echoes the attention to detail for in-person diners.
The anago eel box (left), the maguro box (middle) and chirashi box (right) from Sushi Kuwahata in Cleveland.Alex Darus
The takeout menu includes:
· Futomaki ($65), a traditional Japanese large roll with maguro (tuna) — akami, chutoro and otoro — and the chef’s choice of seasonal ingredients like radish, mushroom and other fresh produce
· Bara Chirashi ($95), cubed chef’s choice of seasonal fish on a bed of Sushi Kuwahata sushi rice
· Maguro ($80), four types of maguro (tuna) cuts — akami, chutoro, otoro and zuke — on a bed of Sushi Kuwahata sushi rice
· Anago ($80), Kwan’s signature saltwater eel on a bed of Sushi Kuwahata sushi rice with anago sauce
Now that Kuwahata has stabilized its dinner service, Kwan and Endrian can expand to lunch options, bringing the format from Kwan’s Los Angeles restaurant concept KOGANE to Cleveland.
The lunch program builds on Kuwahata’s omakase dinner experience, which reopened in its original Ohio City location in April. Kwan leads guests at the hinoki counter through a progression of 15 to 17 courses, with each piece prepared and served directly at the counter, one at a time.
The futomaki lunch box from Sushi Kuwahata in Ohio City.Alex Darus
The fish remains the star of the show at Kuwahata. Kwan heads to Cleveland Hopkins Airport multiple times a week to pick up fresh fish shipped directly from Toyosu Market in Tokyo. He develops the menu on a micro-seasonal basis, with factors like ocean conditions and weather affecting what he can buy.
The chefs also host hand roll nights every Tuesday downstairs at Harmony Hi-Fi with their Kyuu Juu pop-up concept.
All Sushi Kuwahata experiences are prepaid with a service fee included. Reservations for both the lunch and dinner omakase, plus takeout orders, can be made on Resy.
Dining and Cooking