Japanese Restaurant Kinme Omakase to Open at Bankers Hill in San Diego

The Azuki Sushi team at San Diego’s Bankers Hill has repurposed a nearby former Hachi Ramen location to open later this month as Kinme, an exclusive contemporary Japanese restaurant and omakase sake bar.

Shihomi Borillo and Nao Ichimura, who also own and operate Azuki Sushi, launched Artisan Bento in an adjacent space in early 2015, but closed the concept in 2017 to rename the space as a regular ramen bar, dubbed Hachi Ramen. Unfortunately, Hachi closed in 2020 during the pandemic, but the 900-square-foot space has been renovated to reopen soon as a cozy Japanese eatery called Kinme.

Named after the Japanese term for a gold coin, Kinme will be a restaurant with an ever-evolving tasting menu inspired by Japanese kaiseki and edomae-style omakase restaurants. The restaurant will offer two seats per day for a maximum of 10 diners and will offer an eight-course tasting menu for approximately $175 per person. Expect a focus on fresh seafood from San Diego and Bahia, as well as imported food from Japan’s famous Toyosu Fish Market. Particular attention will be paid to sake, burgundy wines and Japanese whiskey, as well as traditional Japanese matcha tea ceremonies.

Kinme starter menu highlights include the A5 Wagyu Tartar Puff with pickled daikon and caramelized onion jam; An expression of the Hassun season with steamed chawanmushi egg custard made with free-range egg, morel mushrooms and Dungeness crab ankake; Hanmono rice dish with edomae-style nigiri sushi (kobujime hirame with milpero koshō, kinmedai with kombu salt, chu-toro cured in soy sauce, saba oshizushi (pressed sushi), uni san diego, fried bincho 0-toro and anago); spring pea soup Van-mono with wild nettle oil.

Kinme opens March 15 at 2505 Fifth Avenue in Bankers Hill in San Diego. For more information and bookings please visit kinmeomakase.com.