After Sudden Closure, Harlem's Sushi Inoue To Reopen on 125th

HARLEM, NY — Months after it closed abruptly, Sushi Inoue is plotting a return to Harlem as part of a new development on 125th Street.

The upscale sushi bar first opened in 2015 on Lenox Avenue near West 129th Street. Its chef, Shinichi Inoue, imported his fish from Japan all the way Uptown, where he blessed and thanked each shipment before slicing and serving it.

In 2016, it earned a Michelin star, becoming the first-ever Harlem restaurant to win the prestigious honor.

In December 2020, though, Sushi Inoue closed abruptly on Lenox Avenue. There was little explanation, though the city was still in the midst of the pandemic.

The restaurant is set to reopen early next year on West 125th Street near Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard, a spokesperson announced. (The news was first reported by Eater.)

It will be part of the Victoria Theatre's redevelopment at 233 West 125th St., a few doors down from the Apollo Theater.

Last month, the Apollo revealed it would itself be expanding as part of the Victoria project, which entails a new 27-story building and the rehabilitation of the historic ground-floor theater.

Sushi Inoue will sign a 15-year lease, paying $150 per square foot to occupy the space.

Officials have not shared an expected completion date for the entire Victoria project, but the Apollo, like Sushi Inoue, has said it expects its own expansion to be ready by early 2022.