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After 13 years on Buford Highway, chef Atsushi “Art” Hayakawa will relocate his eponymous restaurant Sushi Hayakawa next year to the ground floor of Star Metals on Howell Mill Road. The news was shared on Facebook, with the post stating that the restaurant will remain open on Buford Highway, only closing intermittently as it continues to prepare for its move.
“We have been working on the relocation for a few years now,” a representative for Sushi Hayakawa tells Eater. “We explored a number of properties around town and ultimately settled on Star Metals. They have been great to work with, they really care about our commitment to a traditional Japanese dining experience, and they are supporting our vision for the new space.”
Unlike its space on Buford Highway, Sushi Hayakawa at Star Metals will feature just eight seats at its sushi counter. The relocation comes down to the restaurant’s customer base.
“We’ve paid attention to where our customers are traveling from to come see us. This relocation will reduce their travel time and burden,” the representative says. “It will not be the same experience. The new location will allow us to do some very special things with our omakase.
Hayakawa first opened Sushi Hayakawa at International Plaza on Buford Highway in 2008, becoming one of Atlanta’s premier sushi destinations. In 2018, the restaurant began offering an elaborate two-and-a-half hour honkaku omakase. The one-on-one, 14-course sushi extravaganza with the chef has since become a must-try for sushi lovers living in or visiting metro Atlanta.
During the height of the pandemic, Hayakawa offered curbside pick-up and bento box lunches for takeout to help keep the restaurant afloat while the dining room remained closed. The restaurant reopened for limited dine-in service earlier this spring, and discontinued its to-go options.
Sushi Hayakawa joins several new restaurants opening at Star Metals over the next year, including UK-based Wagamama, beer and wine bar SMR Tap, and dart bar and restaurant Fight Club. Alabama-based coffee shop and roastery Prevail Roasters opened at Star Metals last fall and is located on the ground floor residence lobby of the complex
Upon completion, the Star Metals property will include office, retail, and restaurant space, over 400 apartments with amenities like a rooftop pool and a dog park, and a 176-room boutique hotel.
1050 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta. sushihayakawa.com.
