UPDATE: This is why you come to this blog
The original article I wrote on the story of Ichimura retiring is below. I knew something didn’t smell right. Sniffed that out like scrappy doo (the more nose-tuned version of scooby doo). Ichimura-san himself took to Instagram to refute Eater’s story that he was retiring. See below, and read on for what I wrote before his post.
UPDATE 2: Ichimura-san has issued a statement to The Sushi Legend
Paraphrasing here, but essentially: “I’ll make sushi until I die”.
Well then.
ps: journalism.
Sushi Ichimura, home to the legendary Eiji Ichimura, is closing in August, 2025. Ichimura-san himself is retiring after a long and storied career.
Melissa McCart had the story earlier today. I have some thoughts on this, but first an ode to Ichimura-san himself.
Eiji Ichimura needs no introduction to New York residents, but just in case you’re new here, let’s try.
He moved to New York City in the 80s, plying his craft at Takesushi (which still exists today in Queens – go). His first eponymous sushiya, Restuarant Ichimura, thrived in the late 2000s, a few years ahead of its time. Then came Ichimura at Brushstroke – and THAT Pete Wells review.
Wells’ three star review legitimized high-end sushi in broader foodie circles. In fact, I consider it one of the three sushi’s ascent in 2012, along with the wide-release of Jiro Dreams of Sushi and Instagram’s popularity surge. Pete kindly commented on his review’s impact to us (link here).
A brief stop at 69 Leonard followed. That was supposed to be Ichimura. It ended in lawsuits. The less said the better. Ichimura left for Uchu, a since-closed restaurant in Chinatown, which I reviewed in late 2019. I found his counter there to be a true sushi temple, and Michelin agreed – it received two stars.
And then, finally (it seems), Sushi Ichimura in TriBeCa.
I reviewed the sushiya when it opened in 2023 (here). I found it very enjoyable, save for having to watch a psycho nearby dump ginger on his uni. The closure and Ichimura’s retirement is undoubtedly a big loss to the New York City sushi community. Operators Kuma Hospitality Group say they’ll open a new spot inside, but it’s unclear what that will be.
I have eyes on Manabu Asanuma
Ichimura-san’s sous chef, he’s an expert at Kaiseki cuisine. I loved many of the courses he produced during our visit. If he’s not asked to take over the reins of New Restaurant X, my guess is he’ll be high in demand somewhere else.
I do have a few thoughts about the closure
This might be the skeptic in me, but it’s impossible to ignore this closure in the context of a broader downturn in New York City’s sushi market.
Two months ago, I released the New York City Omakase List for 2025 (link here). For the first time in the four years I’ve been doing this, the number of sushiya on the list stayed flat. And, perhaps even more tellingly, there were a few price decreases over PY (that’s what douchebags call the year before). That hadn’t happened before.
Is the sushi bubble popping?
A quick glance at Sushi Ichimura’s reservation availability for April doesn’t exactly paint the prettiest picture:
That’s not a knock on Sushi Ichimura. It’s high on my 2025 New York City Sushi Guide, received michelin stars in multiple years, and holds a 4.9 on Google. Rather, it’s an indictment on the current market.
This is the second renowned sushiya to close in TriBeCa in as many months.
When the first, Sushi Azabu closed, I wrote this:
And there should be broader concern on the sushi scene in New York. Right now, it’s a mile wide and an inch deep – there so many chalkboard omakase options I can’t keep up, and it’s fair to wonder how sustainable the bubble is. If it bursts, my only hope is that great, traditional sushiya aren’t caught in the fallout.
Fair to wonder if that was prescient. Also fair to wonder why I love quoting myself so much (overmothered perhaps).
I would also be surprised if this is the last New York sushi addicts have seen of Ichimura-san. He is 71, and like anyone, he deserves a comfortable and peaceful retirement. I just know that, over the last 13 years, he’s had four different sushiya stops, with – I believe – a few pop-ups mixed in. Just a hunch, but I think he’ll be back in some fashion.
But just to be sure, if you haven’t had the pleasure of eating with Eiji Ichimura before, try and get to Sushi Ichimura by August.
