Royal Sushi & Izakaya’s Jesse Ito is opening a new restaurant in Center City — but forget about sushi

Jesse Ito, Philadelphia’s most celebrated sushi chef, told The Inquirer that he is planning a new restaurant near Rittenhouse Square, an offshoot of his Royal Sushi & Izakaya in Queen Village.

But unlike at Royal, whose eight-seat omakase counter is arguably the toughest reservation in town (even at $300 a head) — and remains the gold standard for omakase in Philadelphia, according to Inquirer critic Craig LaBan — there will be no sushi on the menu, Ito said.

While Royal’s main room at Second and Fulton Streets is also an izakaya, its menu includes rolls, sashimi, and chirashi. The new restaurant, on the former site of Foodery at 1710 Sansom St., will have a “distinct menu, but it also will have fresh takes on Japanese comfort food,” said Ito, an eight-time finalist for a James Beard Award. He said it will aim for a similarly “fun, energetic” vibe.

Ito said the restaurant, slightly larger than the original izakaya, is about a year away. He and partners Stephen Simons, David Frank, and Royal chef de cuisine Justin Bacharach are still working out details, such as the name and menu. In his new role as a partner, Bacharach will also be the new restaurant’s executive chef.

» READ MORE: What makes Royal Omakase so special?

It’s been nearly eight years since Royal opened at Second and Fulton Streets. “We’ve always been looking for a second place,” Ito said. “We were just waiting for the right opportunity.”

Simons and Frank’s restaurant holdings include Royal Tavern, Cantina Los Caballitos, Cantina Dos Segundos, Khyber Pass Pub, Triangle Tavern, and Royal Boucherie.

In spring 2016, Simons and Frank brought Ito and his father, Masaharu “Matt” Ito, into the fold shortly after the father-son pair sold Fuji, their critically acclaimed Japanese restaurant in Haddonfield. (It still exists, but under different owners.) “I got tired of going over the bridge for sushi,” Simons said at the time, to explain their interest; he and Frank were longtime customers.

Matt Ito, from Oita Prefecture on Kyushu, began his American sushi career in 1976 at Sagami in Collingswood. He left in 1979 to open Fuji in Cinnaminson. When a construction project was announced in 2007, he and his son relocated to downtown Haddonfield. Matt Ito still works at Royal, cooking the sweet rolled omelette that caps each meal at Sushi.

The real estate deal was brokered by Veronica Blum of MPN, representing the tenant, and Kevin Healey of Tri State Commercial Precision Realty, representing the property owner.