Kazuo Yoshida, a sushi chef who wowed the critics during his stint at Williamsburg’s 1 or 8, just opened his own restaurant in Chinatown. Juku is located at 32 Mulberry St., in the sprawling space formerly occupied by the nigh club, Le Baron.
As Eater explained yesterday, Juku consists of a reservations-only omakase counter, a 36-seat izakaya-style dining room and a downstairs lounge and private events space that has not yet opened. Two menus are available at the sushi bar (there are $80 and $120 options). There’s a full bar featuring custom cocktails from Tim Cooper (Sweetwater Social in Noho, Goldbar in Little Italy).
Juku’s co-owner, Max Levai, was a partner at the controversial club, Happy Ending, on the Lower East Side, a fact that didn’t sit well with Chinatown locals who opposed Juku’s liquor license application when it came before Community Board 3.
You can check out the restaurant’s menu here.
