On an unseasonably warm evening in Nashville, patrons of the buzzy, new restaurant Sushi-san lingered on the expansive patio at its Ashwood 12 South location. Inside, the upbeat energy was palpable. Old-school beats pulsated throughout the ambiently lit restaurant. Even on a Sunday night, there wasn’t an empty table in sight.
Sushi-san, led by master sushi chef Kaze Chan, is Chicago-based restaurant group Lettuce Entertain You’s second eatery to open in Nashville, after Aba in Wedgewood-Houston. It is the fifth Sushi-san location and the only one outside the Chicago area.
The restaurant, which seats 158 guests inside, has a warm, intimate feel. Leather banquettes and earthy velvet chairs flank light wood tables. Design highlights — like Venetian plaster walls, high ceilings with white oak beams, and a marron cohiba granite sushi bar — add to the interior’s richness. Sushi-san’s in-house design team collaborated with Nashville-based Remick Architecture on the project. And although the space is beautifully appointed, it’s also meant to be comfortable.
“What’s important for us is that when you come in here, it feels comfortable and it feels fun,” says Amarit Dulyapaibul, one of Lettuce Entertain You’s managing partners. “Ultimately, all the Sushi-sans feel like you are coming into our home for a great dinner party. … The service is really precise, but not at all stuffy or too serious.”
That philosophy extends to the dress code — or rather, the absence of one. “We want our guests to feel comfortable,” says Amarit. “So there isn’t a formal dress code here. If you’re wearing a hat, you’re welcome. If you’re wearing your yoga pants, you’re welcome. We have kids in here. We have families in here. Of course, they’re all welcome.”
There are multiple seating options, including a private 12-person dining room and a 68-seat patio, so guests can experience the restaurant in different ways. “You can sit in a booth,” says Amarit. “You can sit at the bar. You can sit with the guys who make all the magic happen at the sushi counter. You can lounge on the patio for cocktails during happy hour.”
He wants Sushi-san to become a neighborhood restaurant in Nashville, like it is in its other locations. “We have regulars that join us several times a week,” he says.
You’ve Got Options
Despite Sushi-san’s name, there’s plenty on the menu besides sushi. “A lot of people think, ‘I’m going to a sushi restaurant, I’m going to have salmon and tuna and nigiri and sashimi,’” Amarit explains. But the restaurant also offers an “incredible” vegetable selection, sizzling meats from a charcoal grill, and toasty rice from a charcoal oven, he says. And of course, fresh seafood and fish are delivered daily. There’s also an extensive Japanese whisky and sake menu.
Dining Al Fresco
Sushi-san’s large, partially covered patio, with pale-green resin chairs, concrete tables and greenery-filled planters, is a highlight. The part that isn’t covered is dotted with green-and-white market umbrellas. Amarit sees it being a seating option almost year-round. With Chicago as a home base, he and his team are experts on heating an outdoor patio. And Ashwood 12 South’s communal courtyard is a perfect gathering place, with retailers’ backdoors opening into the space.
For the Fun of It
A walk-up window serving soft-serve ice cream — with offerings like Okinawan vanilla and pineapple whip — sets the restaurant apart. Even customers ordering delivery online can join in on the fun. Larger orders come in a cardboard to-go container designed to look like an ’80s boombox. “So on a Sunday night, [when] you’re sitting at home and you’re having a kind of lazy day on the sofa, we’ll meet you in your living room,” Amarit says.
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