High-end omakase restaurant Kōsen opens in Tampa Heights next month

It's now accepting reservations.

click to enlarge Kōsen's 10-seat, reservation-only sushi counter designed Matt Kelly of Make Studios. - C/o Omei Restaurant Group
C/o Omei Restaurant Group
Kōsen's 10-seat, reservation-only sushi counter designed Matt Kelly of Make Studios.
A unique fine dining concept will soon open its doors in Tampa Heights.

High-end omakase restaurant Kōsen lives at 307 West Palm Ave., right around the corner from Michelin-starred Italian restaurant Rocca and Armature Works. While a press release from its owners doesn’t specify a grand opening date, it states that Kōsen will debut sometime in October and is currently accepting reservations for next month.

All reservation-related information can be found on kosentampa.com.

Kōsen's offering is a unique, 20+ course reservation-only omakase menu at its 10-seat sushi counter, giving each guest an immersive and interactive dining experience. Adjacent to Kōsen’s intimate sushi bar is a 25-seat dining room named “,” which will boast a 10-course tasting menu out of its open kitchen. Kō—which is set to open a few weeks after Kōsen—“will take a modern approach to Japan’s culinary tradition of Kaiseki—showcasing the best of both land and sea."

This new Tampa Heights concept will be led by New York-based Chef Wei Chen, who spent many years in Kyoto mastering the art of sushi-making. Notably, Chen trained for seven years under master sushi chef Masa Takayama at NYC’s leading omakase restaurant Masa, which has maintained its steady 3 Michelin stars for the last several years.

A chef-driven, omakase experience—which directly translates into "I leave it up to you"—at Masa costs about $750, but we can hope Kōsen’s options are a bit more accessible for Tampa's average foodie. When the opening of Kōsen was announced last year, its owners estimated that its omakase dinners would run patrons $250 each.  Jimmy and Johnny Tung of the Central Florida-based Omei Restaurant Group—who’s Korean-American concept Doshi earned a spot on Orlando’s Michelin guide this year—are the forces behind Tampa Heights’ newest restaurant.

In addition to Kōsen and Doshi, the James Beard-nominated duo also operate multiple locations of Bento Asian Kitchen + Sushi and the Orlando-based French-Vietnamese spot Camille.

While Kōsen’s omakase offerings are highly-anticipated, other similar Tampa concepts include the Michelin-starred Koya and its Noble Rice sibling, Sushi Sho Rexley across the bridge in St. Pete and Hyde Park Village’s soon-to-open Japanese concept Ro, which will also be helmed by a Michelin-starred chef, Kiichi Okabe.

For the latest news on Kōsen and its highly-anticipated grand opening, follow its Instagram at @kosentamapa.
Location Details

Kōsen

307 W Palm Ave., Tampa Tampa Heights

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About The Author

Kyla Fields

Kyla Fields is the Managing Editor of Creative Loafing Tampa Bay who started their journey at CL as summer 2019 intern. They are the proud owner of a charming, sausage-shaped, four-year-old rescue mutt named Piña.
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