"Bar Japonais had only been open about a year and a half when it shut down for a rebrand. The 14th Street restaurant was initially billed as a French-Japanese izakaya with a lot of fusion dishes and limited sushi. But it turned out the main thing diners wanted was, in fact, sushi, especially after the restaurant brought in chef Masaaki "Uchi" Uchino, the Sushi Nakazawa alum behind Kiyomi omakase counter."
""We got to the point where we were pretty much fully Japanese and rather than explaining the French aspect to the restaurant, we wanted to just become fully Japanese and lean in on that direction," says co-owner Dean Mosones, who's also behind French-Chinese restaurant Bar Chinois. So, the dining room closed in December and reopened this week as Katsumi, a vibe-y Japanese restaurant with expanded sushi offerings, new cocktails, and a lounge area with weekend DJs."
"The new menu still has plenty of fusion, but with a more global range of influences. Sashimi and other raw dishes span from salmon aji amarillo with passionfruit and scallion oil to a beef tenderloin carpaccio with creamy Cipriani-style sauce. You'll find traditional nigiri, but also more maki, such as the "sour cream and onion crunch" roll with caviar, black porgy, and potato crunchies."
Bar Japonais closed after about a year and a half and reopened as Katsumi, a fully Japanese-focused restaurant emphasizing sushi, cocktails, and a lounge with weekend DJs. The original French-Japanese izakaya concept shifted because diners favored sushi, prompting co-owner Dean Mosones and chef Masaaki "Uchi" Uchino to lean into Japanese offerings. The menu blends global fusion with traditional nigiri and inventive maki, plus sashimi ranging from salmon aji amarillo with passionfruit to beef tenderloin carpaccio. Omakase service has been paused while Uchino prepares a standalone Kiyomi counter downtown. Chef Jhony Bautista added hot dishes such as soupless soba with pork chashu and lobster koganeyaki.
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