Owners claim it’s not the end, but in fact a new beginning...
In a sudden announcement that has shocked fans of Manchester’s best restaurants, highly acclaimed Japanese restaurant Umezushi has issued a statement announcing it is to close its doors next month.
The tiny, 18-seat ‘sushi cave’, situated beneath the railway arches on Mirabel Street, has gathered a huge number of awards, accolades and guide entries since it opened in 2012. In his Guardian review, Jay Rayner described it as ‘a hidden temple to the worship of good things’, and Confidentials publisher Gordo even scored it a rare 19.5/20 when he reviewed it in 2017, calling it ‘one of the best curated Japanese dining experiences, not just in Manchester, nor England, but the world.’
Umezushi scored a respectable 4/10 in the most recent Good Food Guide 2020, who referred to it as ‘where readers go for the good stuff.’ And head chef Omar Rodriguez Marrero is up for Chef of the Year award at this year’s Manchester Food and Drink Festival.
In 2017, Confidentials reported that the award winning Japanese restaurant had secured the lease on a second archway across the street with plans to turn it into 'Kitchen in an Arch', a prep kitchen and workshop with a specialist seafood deli selling all the components for customers to be able to create sushi and sashimi at home.
This particular project never materialised, but instead, the converted space was taken over by Umezushi’s expert saki supplier Kasia Hitchcock who turned it into The Sparröws spätzle restaurant with her chef partner Franco Concli.
Owners Terry Huang and Hanna Michnowicz issued a statement earlier this afternoon informing people of their decision to close ‘Umezushi as we know it’ on 20th October, but promising that this is not where their story ends, saying ‘This is not the end for us. We are constantly exploring new ideas and new possibilities. We are hoping to bring you the same philosophy in a brand new setting.’
Below is Umezushi's full statement:
Dear all,
We are writing to inform you that Umezushi as we know it will be closing its door on 20/10/2019.
The past 7 years has been a great experience for all of us at Umezushi. We have learned a huge amount about sushi, about operating a restaurant, about people, and most importantly about ourselves.
We have also built incredible connections with many people that we know will last beyond Umezushi. Unfortunately, not all good things can last. Umezushi, regrettably, is another one and reasons, there are many, but none is worth mentioning.
This is not the end for us. We are constantly exploring new ideas and new possibilities. We are hoping to bring you the same philosophy in a brand new setting. On behalf of the Umezushi team, We would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support in the past 7 years.
Best regards Terry & Hanna
