Uniform slices of buttery yellowtail dotted with thin coins of serrano and crunchy radish in a bright ponzu sauce, accented by herbaceous cilantro leaves. A fresh bite or two of yellowtail belly with ponzu jelly and serrano. Japanese milk bread topped with bluefin tuna belly, Japanese uni, pickled wasabi stem, caviar and truffle ponzu.
These were some of the offerings at a recent pop-up previewing the food coming to O-Ku, a new Japanese restaurant opening in Tampa next week.
The modern Japanese spot will showcase seafood sourced from Toyosu Market in Tokyo and a pedigree of veteran industry leadership.It’s set to open Thursday.
“That’s what I think makes O-Ku stand out, is our ability to be able to come up with creative new ideas for signature nigiris and dishes,” executive chef Billy Brannen said by phone Tuesday.
Brannen got his start working at a family-run Japanese restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, almost 20 years ago. He journeyed through several positions, working his way up to the sushi bar.
That’s where I got “hooked,” he said.
After honing his skills for over a decade in sushi restaurants in Savannah, Brannen wanted a larger platform on which to execute.
On a culinary exchange program in Japan in 2025, Brannen saw omakase places using things like dashi jelly and was inspired to make his own iteration. The result: ponzu jelly.
O-Ku has a vast dinner menu, from robata-style (charcoal-grilled) items to sushi rolls, with a varied selection of chef specialties, entrees, temaki (hand rolls) and ishayaki (stone-grilled) options. Both the Hamachi Carpaccio and the nigiri Hama Toro dishes will be available on the opening menu.
The food lineup seems built for both connoisseurs and the uninitiated.
“We always give homage to the tradition, but we want to implement different styles of cooking and ingredients,” he said.
The culinary director of O-Ku is Tokyo native Masatomo Hamaya, who cut his teeth leading kitchens such as Uchiko in Austin, Texas, and Ozumo in San Francisco, California. O-Ku is under the banner of Charleston, South Carolina-based Indigo Road Hospitality Group founded by restaurateur Steve Palmer.
“He (Hamaya) has a wealth of knowledge,” Brannen said. “He’s certainly someone that I can go to when I’m trying to push the dish over the edge and get that one missing component.”
As we enter red snapper season (beginning just a day after opening on May 22), the restaurant will offer it pan-seared, or some variation of a Gulf fish, Brannen said.
“I’m also going to do a lobster and shrimp dumpling, and I’m going to use Gulf shrimp,” he said. “Any way I can weave in some locality into the menu, I’m certainly going to do my best.”
Expect signature cocktails like the Soft Spoken, a Japanese-tinged version of a gin sour, with yuzu as the citrus component. A full spirit list, zero-proof options, wine, draft and packaged beer are also available.
We want to “highlight Japanese products that help bridge the gap between our beverage and kitchen program,” bar lead Camden Harris said.
Sake selections range from Kubota’s Manjyu, a pure rice sake that is crisp, dry and floral, to the nutty and tropical cask-strength Funaguchi from Kikusui.
O-Ku is located on the ground floor of Bayshore Gardens in South Tampa, while sister concept Maru is located on the rooftop of the same building.O-Ku’s interior has light wood tones and dim lighting, giving the space a “homey” feel, Brannen said.
2907 W. Bay to Bay Blvd. o-kusushi.com
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