It’s time for another coffee, New York, because one your favorite omakase restaurants is currently getting ready to extend its hours well into the night.
Ikebana Zen is a popular omakase sushi restaurant from restaurateur Andrew Yuan. Growing up in Jiangsu, China, Yuan developed an incomparable love for food, and when he spent time in the United States he felt that the country’s Japanese restaurants were offering lacking the powerful serenity that he always associated with Japanese cuisine. Endeavoring to create one of the country’s premiere Japanese restaurant experiences, Andrew moved to New York and and Ikebana was born.
Named after the Japanese art of flower arrangement, Ikebana bears the rare honor of being one of the few New York restaurants to open and survive during the Covid-19 pandemic. Owing to Andrew’s cunning business expertise and his adaptability and willingness to pivot, Ikebana has been going strong for two years since opening at the start of 2020. With a kitchen lead by the incredibly talented Chef Mou, Ikebana uses its cuisine to foster a deeper connection between their diners and nature, merging the joyful nature of flowers with Ikebana’s flavorful cuisine.
Now, over two years after launching the original concept, the Ikebana team is currently planning on making some changes to their operating hours. Previously, the restaurant was open from 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM from Sunday through Thursday (and closed on Mondays) as well as as 5:30 PM – 11:30 PM. However, now that the more extreme impacts of the pandemic have subsided and indoor dining has generally resumed citywide, Ikebana is now hoping to extend its operation well into the night. Yuan is currently meeting with the Hells Kitchen community board to propose the new operating hours of 11:00 AM – 2:00 AM Sunday through Wednesday (now open on Monday this time around, sorry Garfield), and 11:00 AM – 4:00 AM on Friday and Saturday.
The new operational change will see the former dinner spot transformed into an all day concept, serving up lunch in the afternoon and premium Japanese cocktails late into the night. The change will nearly double their total amount of operating hours, which will be a substantial change to the way the restaurant has been operating. Andrew has just finished some serious renovations to the space as well, so guests will be able to enjoy their favorite Japanese food with an exciting new atmosphere. Andrew is still in the process of acquiring the necessary approval for the change, but you can follow Ikebana on Instagram for updates as the story progresses.
