{"id":264376,"date":"2026-06-12T13:19:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T13:19:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/264376\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T13:19:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T13:19:49","slug":"brooklyns-sushi-koju-elevates-omakase-experience-by-blending-traditional-preparations-with-unique-flavors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/264376\/","title":{"rendered":"Brooklyn\u2019s Sushi Koju elevates omakase experience by blending traditional preparations with unique flavors"},"content":{"rendered":"

A modern omakase experience is carving out a place for itself in Brooklyn\u2019s food scene.\n<\/p>\n

Sushi Koju is a new spot tucked away in the Ace Hotel, located at 252 Schermerhorn St., that blends together tradition and innovation in its menu. Led by Executive Chef Kevin Garrison, the experience aims to broaden the horizons of their diners.<\/p>\n

Garrison, who has spent his entire career in Japanese cuisine, teamed up with Hiro Nishida and LDV Hospitality to create the intimate 14-seat omakase restaurant. When developing the menu, Garrison knew first and foremost that the star of the show would be fresh fish.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like to use meat of any kind because I think that a sushi restaurant should flex its capacity to flex seafood and offer a substantial and meaningful meal by basically just utilizing ingredients from the sea,\u201d said Garrison.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Chef Kevin GarrisonPhoto courtesy of Hall PR<\/p>\n

Each patron of Sushi Koju will experience a 14-course omakase, carefully curated by Garrison, who walks guests through each course and its preparation. The menu features a selection of fresh, raw fish, as well as (at the time of publication) a miso soup and dessert. The intimate space allows Garrison to interact directly with guests while preparing and serving each dish.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There is an extensive menu of Japanese cocktails, whiskey and other beverages that pair with the dishes being served. The backdrop for the experience is the Japanese vinyl playing in the restaurant, providing a light ambiance against the flowing conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want you to feel relaxed so that you can enjoy yourself and ideally by the end of the meal, conversate with other people at the bar since the vibe is more, [feeling] relaxed, you feel comfortable, you have some good food, you have some sake, you get to share the experience with other people around you, and it creates a great environment that I am very strong to support and try to curate,\u201d said Garrison.<\/p>\n

\"Sushi<\/a>Sushi Koju\u2019s counter.Photo courtesy of Hall PR<\/p>\n

Garrison told amNewYork that he has an interesting vantage point from behind the bar. Though the menu changes regularly, Garrison incorporates unique flavor combinations in his omakase and is able to watch guests be more adventurous and try new things, which Garrison says is the whole point of a tasting menu.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just sort of wanna trust what\u2019s going on and let it happen, and then by doing that, you can learn more about your breadth of palate, what you actually really, really don\u2019t like, what\u2019s not so bad anymore, and what you really, really actually love,\u201d said Garrison. \u201cIt\u2019s like a learning experience, so you can understand your connection to sushi and food more.\u201d<\/p>\n

As we head into summer, Garrison is toying with the idea of adding a cold noodle dish to the menu, which is a common practice in Japan when the weather gets hot, and he\u2019s looking forward to experimenting with more citrus and spicy flavors in his omakase lineup.<\/p>\n

\"Menu<\/a>Menu items from Sushi Koju.Photos courtesy of Sushi Koju<\/p>\n

\u201cSummer flavors for me are usually citrus, punchy. They can be rich, but they\u2019re always airy, like light, but they can be rich, and then my favorite thing about summer is you can start sneaking in a little spice,\u201d said Garrison.<\/p>\n

The restaurant officially opened back in September and Garrison told amNewYork that guests have been truly enjoying their time.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reception has been exceptionally good. People really enjoy their time here, which is the most important part, so that\u2019s been really nice to hear that people are receiving what we want them to receive and having a really good experience and time here,\u201d said Garrison.<\/p>\n

For more information or to make a reservation, visit sushikoju.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A modern omakase experience is carving out a place for itself in Brooklyn\u2019s food scene. Sushi Koju is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":264377,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[5083,98,100,99,1070,102438,9,24,63,37268,613,26106,102439],"class_list":["post-264376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-amny-weekender","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-food","tag-kevin-garrison","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-omakase","tag-pm-newsletter","tag-sushi","tag-sushi-koju"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264376","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=264376"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264376\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/264377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=264376"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=264376"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=264376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}