@akimorinyc / Instagram
Akimori Omakase Baran upscale kosher sushi restaurant with multiple locations in the tri-state area. Instagram This week, it was announced that it will be expanding to the Upper East Side in January 2024. Exact location and opening date details are yet to be announced (sign up for our newsletter for updates).
Akimori's existing stores are in Homecrest, Brooklyn and Lawrence, New York. We also prepare and serve sushi at our restaurants SALT in Long Branch, New Jersey, and Bonito in Manhattan's Flatiron District.
Akimori was founded by 27-year-old Teddy Kafif.In an interview with From the founder, Khafif revealed that his parents immigrated to the United States from Syria in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He grew up in a house where there were always visitors, so he developed a love for entertaining. After high school, Khafif worked in e-commerce, but quit after a few months because he hated sitting in front of a computer from 9 to 5. He had always wanted to work in the restaurant industry, and found work as a line cook and dishwasher at a French bistro in Brooklyn Heights.
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It was around this time that Khafif noticed the boom in Japanese restaurants in New York City and realized the need for high-quality kosher sushi. In an interview, Khafif talked about how difficult it is to learn Japanese cooking, given that many chefs don't speak English and ingredients are often written in Japanese. It took him years to fully understand the culture and cuisine before he was able to introduce them to the kosher community.
Khafif found work at an omakase restaurant in a Japanese hotel whose owner wanted to open a restaurant in New York. “Omakase” is a Japanese word that literally means “I trust you.” There is no menu for this traditional Japanese way of eating. Just trust the chef no matter what he serves. Although Mr. Khafif had little experience in the restaurant industry, the general manager gave him a chance and trained him. After working there for a year and a half, he became chef de partie at Masa, owned by Masayoshi Takayama, a famous three-star Michelin chef. He honed his skills at a restaurant in Takayama.
Khafif's goal was always to open his own restaurant. He spent all of 2019 meeting with investors, securing funding and even securing space in the financial district in 2020. But then the pandemic hit. Mr. Khafif quickly changed his mind, converted the basement of his New Jersey home into his commercial kitchen, and began hosting private dinners.
Akimori's first restaurant opened in 2022. Most of the restaurant's fish is shipped to JFK overnight from Japan, and some also arrives from Norway and the Mediterranean.
In addition to the Trust the Chef plate, which changes every night, popular menu items include tuna crispy rice, salmon fiesta, bluefin tuna flight, vegetable rolls, and classic rolls.
Akimori staff did not immediately respond to inquiries for further details.
