Sushi No More
Downtown Dallas sushi restaurant goes out with a half-priced bang
After 10 years of slinging sushi and sake in Victory Park, Kenichi will close at the end of April. That's the sad part. The happy part is half-price discounts until the day it closes.
According to a release, Kenichi had a 10-year lease that was coming to an end and the owners decided not to renew. "It has been a great run and we are thankful to our guests for their loyalty all these years," says co-owner Josh Babb.
Kenichi opened as Victory Park was just launching. It was the third branch of the Kenichi chain, founded in Aspen, Colorado, in 1991, and an offshoot of the branch in Austin. The Austin location closed in 2014.
The Dallas Kenichi persevered despite the challenges presented by the lackluster environment at Victory Park. The restaurant was especially attentive to its sake program, hiring a sake sommelier and amassing one of the largest collections in the city.
Babb is busy with his various and sundry other concepts including Musumé at Hall Arts, Shooters in Victory Park, Chop Shop in Carrollton, and Chop Shop Live in Roanoke, and he has no plans to reopen Kenichi.
But the restaurant is going out in style with a deal that seems sure to guarantee a full house until the day it closes the door: 50 percent off food and sushi for the month of April.