Irving On a Roll
West Coast sushi chain picks Irving megaplex for first Texas location
The Music Factory, Irving’s future entertainment megaplex, is filling up with more tenants. This time, it’s West Coast Japanese chain Kabuki, a casual dining spot with more than 200 dishes for anyone itching for anything remotely Japanese.
Kabuki has 17 locations in Arizona, California and Nevada. But the 6,000-square-foot space at the Music Factory will be the first in Texas.
“We’re super excited to be expanding into Texas,” marketing manager Hannah Grabe says. “Our CEO has wanted to for a long time. It was all about finding the right project, and the Music Factory is special and innovative. It’s bringing a dynamic group of tenants into a unique space.”
The expansive menu, devised by executive corporate chef Masa Kurihara, includes sushi rolls, sashimi, noodle dishes, hibachi grill plates and signature seafood plates such as Chilean sea bass. There are also entire sections devoted to vegetarian and gluten-free options.
Grabe says that Kabuki will be a family-friendly restaurant that also caters to the sake bomb and adult crowds. “We really do have something for everyone,” she says.
Beverage director Yuji Matsumoto, North America’s first Master Sake Sommelier, has a sake-centric menu that includes the My Ku Coco Saketini and the Mint Sakerita, as well as a traditional sake bar.
Kabuki plans to open when the Music Factory becomes fully operational in mid-2016. Grabe says the chain is exploring other opportunities to expand into Texas, but for the time being, nothing else is set in stone.
Earlier this month, the Music Factory revealed its first restaurant tenant, local chain Gloria’s Latin Cuisine. That will be the 13th DFW location for Gloria’s.
Located just north of O’Connor between U.S. Highway 114 and Las Colinas Boulevard, adjacent to the Irving Convention Center, the $165 million Music Factory complex will have an eight-screen Alamo Drafthouse, an 8,000-seat concert venue run by Live Nation, a 50,000-square-foot outdoor plaza for special events such as fashion shows and food festivals, and 100,000 square feet of office space. It can all be accessed by the DART Orange Line.
