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

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 “Kō,” 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.

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This article appears in Best of The Bay 2023.