The award-winning Austin-based restaurant Uchi is making its way to West Hollywood, located at 9001 Santa Monica Blvd.
The new restaurant will move into the ground floor of the Nine Thousand One building at some point in 2023. The contemporary Japanese restaurant first debuted under Chef Tyson Cole in Central Texas in 2003. After a few years, the owner was recognized with best chef honors from Food & Wine in 2005. Then, in 2011, the James Beard Foundation recognized Cole for his innovative fusion cooking. This will be the sixth Uchi location, with restaurants in Austin, Houston, Dallas, Denver, and Miami, all under the Hai Hospitality Restaurant Group.
After much influence from Los Angeles residents and its culture, the Texas-based restaurant will finally expand into California. The new restaurant, designed by ORA, will be able to seat up to 180 diners in its indoor/ outdoor dining areas. Guests can expect to find Japanese-inflected cold and hot small plates such as sushi, sashimi, and some omakase options. The new West Hollywood location will likely feature Uchi’s signature dishes, the “hama chile” (yellowtail sashimi in ponzu), and hot stone-seared wagyu beef.
“We aim for the space to feel timeless and easy,” Oonagh Ryan, founding principal at ORA, told Eater LA an email. “It will be a space that blurs the boundary between interior and exterior, taking advantage of the weather and beautiful light quality unique to southern California.”
