Kinzo Sushi restaurant brings sophisticated omakase and sake to Frisco

A new sushi restaurant has debuted in Frisco with the noble mission of bringing the omakase experience to residents in the area and saving them a drive to Dallas.

Called Kinzo Sushi, it just opened in North Frisco near Little Elm, at 14111 King Rd. #2100, where it's serving sushi, plus special hot and cold dishes, plus a full bar.

The restaurant is a partnership between manager Kyle Choi and chef Leo Kekoa, who previously worked for Nobu.

"I used to be a customer at Nobu, and chef Leo and I would talk about opening a place," Choi says. "We wanted to bring omakase, temaki rolls, and the finest liquors to Frisco."

"I used to spend time in Japan and would go to all these good omakase places," he says. "When I moved back to Dallas, I couldn't find any on the north side of town. People who live in Frisco were driving an hour if they wanted omakase."

Omakase is the dining experience in which the chef prepares a multi-course tasting menu of dishes made to order, with lots of personal interaction between chef and diner, often at a premium price.

Kinzo has a mini omakase for $75 with:

• appetizer
• cold dishes
• house salad
• five nigiri
• one handroll

Cold dishes could include hamachi, kanpachi, salmon yuzu miso (seared salmon with miso and microgreens), and snapper with Fuji apple.

Starters include crab tartar, toro tartar caviar, spicy tuna & crispy rice, oysters, and oyster shooters.

Salads include edamame, seaweed salad, an arugula salad, a house salad, and tuna salad.

Hot dishes include miso black cod, Chilean sea bass, Kahuku shrimp truck, and A5 Wagyu hot rock. They bring in seafood from the famed Toyosu Market in Japan.

Their other big theme is temaki -- hand rolls, which have also become a trend in Dallas. Their selection includes one with shrimp tempura, and another with crab & avocado.

They also have a Yakitori section with shishito pepper, chicken thigh, and cod, cooked on skewers over a flame; plus veggie dishes such as Brussels sprouts and asparagus.

A full bar features craft cocktails including a collection of martinis such as pear martini, espresso martini, and lychee martini. There's a large selection of sake by the bottle including a sparkling sake, and a creative wine list with whites, reds, and rose.

While omakase and temaki are their signatures, they accommodate walk-in customers who just want to order some sushi or yakitori grilled skewers.

"Simple is best, but it's often the hardest to achieve," Choi says.

They're currently open Monday-Saturday for dinner, but Choi says they'll add lunch down the road.

"We are at the border of Frisco, Little Elm, and The Colony, and there's a big audience -- we just wanted to bring good food to the neighborhood," Choi says.