Where is sushi in Bricktown ? I used to love Lotus, ate there almost once a week. Can we please get another good sushi restaurant in Bricktown. Am I the only one that ther is a lack of variety ?

I think a sushi bar in Bricktown and/or the CBD is something that is sorely lacking. I'd even take one in Automobile Alley, the Arts Quarter, or Midtown. There is definately a market for it.

I know one of the restaurants inside the Colcord is supposed to be a unique seafood eatery, including the revival of the oyster bar, perhaps sushi will be among their offerings.

I'd settle for a Nobu anywhere downtown! :)

Personally, I think either Automobile Alley or the Arts District might be a nice place for a Sushi Bar.

Currently there are no sushi restaurants in Bricktown after Lotus closed. I believe there are one or two in the CBD but are only open during normal M-F business hours. Perhaps in the ground or basement levels of one of the office buildings? I'll check around and get back with you.

Just curious. If there was such a market for it (sushi), why did Lotus close? Was there something other than lack of business to blame? I ate there once for a business lunch and it was good, but there were hardly any people there at the time.

There were some really bad financial decisions made. Also, I think it may have been a little early. If it opened tomorrow....who knows??? I loved it, though.

I think a Japanese Steakhouse/Sushi bar would do good in Bricktown.

I think a Japanese Steakhouse/Sushi bar would do good in Bricktown.

You might get your wish sooner than later... :tiphat:

Really?! Come on spill the beans!

I'd settle for a Nobu anywhere downtown!

I'd settle for one anywhere in the city. I might even go to (gasp!) Memorial/Edmond for that. ;)

Every time I went to Lotus is had what I would call a good crowd. Usually weekends is when I would stop by. I don't thinks that they closed because of lack of business. I definitely liked the feel and atmosphere that was there, and the quality of food was excellent.

If anyone knows of a Japanese steak / sushi coming to downtown, let us know. This is why I come to this forum to find out then inside news.

A coworker who is a friend of one of Lotus' proprietors told me that it was the rent that finally broke its back. She said they indeed were busy. But with rent at $8000 a month, it was tough to make ends meet. $8000!

A couple of thoughts: Bricktown property owners indeed have a ridiculously inflated sense of their building's worth. And I wonder if the owners fully realized how huge a fixed cost rent was. They should have known that even busy nights may not be enough to produce profits.

Sushi-Neko seems to be doing VERY well up on Western Avenue. Perhaps they would consider expanding into Bricktown. Their restaurant is very stylish and has some great food to boot.

Naah, I say - leave Sushi Nekko up on Western. I mean, there needs to be more to OKC than JUST bricktown, and SN is the anchor of the "Japantown" area of the N. Western Avenue Entertainment District.

I think a Japanese Steakhouse/Sushi bar would do good in Bricktown.

Something like a Shogun gardens, great idea!

Please Buddha! No more 'Japanese steakhouses' (theme restaurants).

If you want a really authentic Japanese experience....we need that place up in NH called Tokyo to expand to the downtown area. They have the best sushi and Japanese food in town. Notice all the Nihonjins in there?

Ever see a Japanese inside Neko? I asked the token Asian waitress if they had shabu-shabu and she never had even heard of it.

And speaking of that...someone needs to take a chance and open a shabu-shabu/yakiniku restaurant in Oklahoma City. Okies love meat...and it's absolutely delicous. I'm convinced it would be a success.

Forget about any chains locating in OKC. Something that I never hear about in the OKC market is chains/outside owners opening in OKC market and taking money out of the city area.

OKC needs to keep as much money as they can in the OKC market, not let someone outside make money here from Oklahomans then take it out of state.

In Las Vegas they talk all the time about not wanting money to be taken out of the state.

No more chains from outside the OKC area in Bricktown. We need local owners who live and reside more than 80% of the time in OKC to open stuff in Bricktown.

NDN: I don't care where the owner resides so long as the restaurant experience is unique, or at least the venue fits well with the Bricktown theme.

A Dave & Busters, for example, would be perfect there.

I'm with OKCNDN, We need more local and original ownership. Not so many chain restaurants and chain retail.

If you want a really authentic Japanese experience....we need that place up in NH called Tokyo to expand to the downtown area. They have the best sushi and Japanese food in town. Notice all the Nihonjins in there?

Ever see a Japanese inside Neko? I asked the token Asian waitress if they had shabu-shabu and she never had even heard of it.

And speaking of that...someone needs to take a chance and open a shabu-shabu/yakiniku restaurant in Oklahoma City. Okies love meat...and it's absolutely delicous. I'm convinced it would be a success.

So, does Tokyo server shabu-shabu or yakiniku? I love Tokyo but have never noticed that on the menu.

I don't think Tokyo offers it on their menus but I called them a few years back and they said they would specially make it for around $50 a serving. I take it they serve it local Japanese ex-pats.

That's my point....someone needs to take a chance and get it going. There are a lot of fads out there waiting to catch on. Speaking of fads...just look at sushi.

nm

FWIW, I heard that a new place in Bricktown will be carrying sushi: Bricktown RAW is what I think it is called.

Yeah, it's open, it took over the space from Wild Coconut or whatever that club was on the canal across from the old J. Franks. Glad to see sushi in Bricktown again.

Yeah, it's open, it took over the space from Wild Coconut or whatever that club was on the canal across from the old J. Franks. Glad to see sushi in Bricktown again.

Yes, there is a Sushi joint. And yes, it's at the "RAW" which use to be the "Wild Coconut", then "The Escape" and now the "RAW". They also serve Chinese food from 11:00 to 3:00 (not very long hours though). Then there is the club that is further in the back which opens late and closes very late. They also opened a Coffee shop (not sure of the hours). How do I know all this? They are right above me. THE DUNGEON HAUNTED RIDE IN 3D or for you who dislike scary stuff, ADVENTURES IN SANTALAND.

You folks need to visit Bricktown more often. Things change fast around here.

Thanks for keeping us posted dungeon and good luck, along with the new venues, Raw et al.

For your viewing pleasure, I posted pics of Bricktown RAW and Othello's in my gallery:

http://www.okctalk.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=204

this is what i am talking about positive comments about okc

Good stuff. Those look like some well thought out businesses. Bricktown is a real 'survival of the fittest' environment when a lot of public money isn't being squandered on some lower-bricktown boondoggle.

businesses come and go that is called economics

i'm so to be a sore but i ate at both lotus and raw and they both were horrible! the service & sushi at lotus was sub-par and raw was mediocre. you should really go to toyko/sushi neko for good sushi.

Gaijin Sushi will open in Midtown soon, and it might be also opening in the CBD another lunch place, I don't know.

Yes, Gaijin will be opening in a couple months in the Park Harvey. Not sure what their hours will be.

Whoever said the rent was 8 grand a month @ Lotus is
misinformed. You can't rent a bathroom stall in bricktown for 8 grand.......
besides, lotus netted well over 8 grand in a single weekend....

Lotus went under because:

A: improvements were tenant provided, which left them in debt on opening day.
B: rent was nearly 15K per month and went up from there.....
C: they opened prior to the theatre and bass pro, and the hornets
and the month they chose to open KILLED them intially (they opened in January
as I recall

They were underfunded, well mired in debt.

The killer came though when the company carrying the note on their
kitchen equipment, all restaurant supplies, even their expensive lighting
sold the note to Arvest bank for around 75 cents on the dollar and Arvest
called the note due immediately...putting them out of business overnight!

On a positive note, 3 degrees, the restaurant opening there now, chose
to bring back a lot of the atmosphere that Lotus had......they even pulled
all the expensive led lighting and that van gogh glass that sat in storage
for three years and they put it all back in........they are doing it right though....
they are not opening until they have the funds to support a large staff
at a prime time of year and until then they are doing catering only...........
I've been in the space and it is top rate.......they won't have rent issues as
the restaurant is being run by the building owner, French Hickman's wife........

Should be a great place to eat......

Lotus went under because:

A: improvements were tenant provided, which left them in debt on opening day.
B: rent was nearly 15K per month and went up from there.....
C: they opened prior to the theatre and bass pro, and the hornets
and the month they chose to open KILLED them intially (they opened in January
as I recall

They were underfunded, well mired in debt.

The killer came though when the company carrying the note on their
kitchen equipment, all restaurant supplies, even their expensive lighting
sold the note to Arvest bank for around 75 cents on the dollar and Arvest
called the note due immediately...putting them out of business overnight!

That might be the official story, but IMHO they failed because they tried to be too many things to too many people.

The sushi was decent, not great. I walked in one day and just about walked right back out when I looked at the menu and saw they were offering sushi on one side and submarine sandwiches (and burgers and nachos as I recall) on another. When the signs then went up that said "Kids Eat Free" on (name your night here), to me that was their death knoll.

There's an old credo in the restaurant biz: do one thing, do it well, don't try to over expand your menu choices.

I just posted in the Norman forum about how Greg Hughes, owner of In The Raw in Tulsa, is opening a sushi restaurant in Norman, in Campus Corner. The same article, from the Tulsa World, states that he is also looking at locations in Bricktown. Would be great to see something along Sheridan near the new hotel, maybe a new building on an existing parking lot?? We can only hope.

I just posted in the Norman forum about how Greg Hughes, owner of In The Raw in Tulsa, is opening a sushi restaurant in Norman, in Campus Corner. The same article, from the Tulsa World, states that he is also looking at locations in Bricktown. Would be great to see something along Sheridan near the new hotel, maybe a new building on an existing parking lot?? We can only hope.

I saw that, too.

Perhaps the spot between the Wormy Dog and Spyce?

There's a sign (vinyl banner) on the back of the Mercantile Building that says "RAW Bricktown" on it. I haven't gone to explore. My guess is there is a sushi place going in there somewhere.

On another note, GaiJin awnings signs have gone up on the corner of Harvey and Main, right next to the Park Harvey health club. Looks like they're progressing quickly with this location.

Frittergirl, actually Bricktown RAW has been there for months (read page 1 of this thread). If anything they might not last much longer because I never see them busy, but again, I'm not over by them too often, that's just what I hear.

Gaijin Sushi is going in at the base of the Park Harvey....I think someone above asked about downtown, too....

Yeah, there is another thread about Gaijin. They also are opening a MidTown location.