High-end Japanese restaurant in midtown Sacramento closes. It wanted to ‘change the scene’
Okesutora, a high-end Japanese restaurant in midtown Sacramento’s Handle District, has closed after less than a year in business.
Tuesday was the restaurant’s last night of service, said co-owner Mymy Nguyen. Opening such a fine dining concept was a risk, said Nguyen, who also owns the more casual Saigon Alley Kitchen & Bar, Sit Lo Saigon and Saigon 88, but one she was glad she took.
“With Okesutora, we took a chance, and while we are disappointed with the outcome, we acknowledge that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose,” Nguyen wrote in a text message. “This isn’t the first time we’ve had to shut down a restaurant, and it likely won’t be the last. However, our commitment to innovating and evolving the Sacramento food scene remains steadfast.”
Opened to great fanfare in October 2023 at 1801 L St., Suite 70, Okesutora initially only offered $195-per-person omakase service, a Japanese term referring to a prix-fixe menu designed by the chef. In Okesutora’s case, that was chef Hieu Phan, a Sacramento native who oversaw esteemed sushi chain Nobu’s Palo Alto location.
“Every time that we’re doing something, we’re hoping to elevate and change the scene,” Nguyen told The Sacramento Bee at the October opening.
A 14-course April menu included seven nigiri along with pan-seared sea bream, egg drop soup with shredded snow crab and braised octopus topped with “Japanese chimichurri” (shiso leaves, parsley and vinegar).
But Okesutora struggled to consistently fill its gray, minimalist space after the opening buzz wore off and eventually began offering à la carte items during the week. The exterior menu had been removed Thursday, and Okesutora’s website and social media pages had been deleted, with the restaurant listed on Google as “permanently closed.”
“We are proud of the risks we took and the impact we aimed to make, and we will continue to embrace new opportunities with the same spirit of experimentation and resilience,” Nguyen wrote in a text message.
This story was originally published September 12, 2024 at 2:51 PM.