Owners of Bento will open new high-end Japanese restaurant 'Kōsen' in Tampa Heights

Bento already has a presence at Tampa Armature Works, but its owners have plans to try and bring New York and Tokyo vibes to a new restaurant across the street.

Today, restaurateur siblings Johnny and Jimmy Tung said their company Omei Restaurant Group will debut the high-end Japanese restaurant Kōsen at 307 W Palm Ave., right next to Rocca in Tampa Heights.

The concept's chef, Wei Chen, spent the last six years at Japanese restaurant Masa, a 3-Michelin star concept in New York City's Columbus Circle.

A press release said Chen has plans to do a $250 per person, 18-course reservation-only omakase, which includes 12 nigiri pieces. The omakase will go down in a separate room that can accommodate 10 people at the sushi counter, and a separate dining room will accommodate 25 people who can partake in a 10-course, $150 per person chef's tasting menu.

All ingredients will be sourced directly from Japan, according to the release, which added that, "The other Masa vets will make up the rest of the core team at Kōsen."

“I’ve fallen in love with Tampa and its emerging food culture over the years. I feel that Tampa deserves a world class Japanese restaurant," Johnny wrote in the release. "The Heights District is the perfect location for this because of the success of Armature Works and great restaurants, such as our neighbor, Rocca."

The last restaurant to operate out of the space was Xochitl Cocina Mexicana. If you need omakase right now, Koya is open now just two miles away at 807 W Platt St.