A high-end Japanese omakase restaurant from Zaiyu Hasegawa, the chef behind an acclaimed Tokyo dining destination, is a step closer to opening at 107 Norfolk St. on the Lower East Side. Community Board 3’s liquor licensing committee voted in favor of the application at a meeting this past week.
The application was filed under the name, “Den Kushi Fiori.” Omakase-style menus (averaging $180 per person at dinnertime) will be offered on the main floor with a more affordable and casual option in the cellar. The formal upstairs restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to midnight. The downstairs space will stay open until 2 a.m.
Hasagawa opened Den in Tokyo in 2007 and last year was voted, “Best Restaurant in Asia.” The business will be owned by German investor Jannik Wambsganss.
107 Norfolk St. was most recently home to the Lisa Cooley Gallery. But it is probably best known to anyone with more than a few years of history on the Lower East Side as the former home of Tonic, the legendary and influential avant-garde music venue that shuttered in 2017.
The full community board will vote on the application this coming Tuesday evening. The final decision rests with the State Liquor Authority. Community board votes on liquor permits are recommendations. At the committee meeting, speakers testified both for and against the proposal. You can listen to the full discussion here.
