Umi announces second location opening in New York City

“We’re humbled to plant roots steps from Madison Square Park alongside some of the city’s most forward-thinking and admired restaurants and hotels like Eleven Madison Park and The Ned Nomad,” Farshid Arshid, an owner of Umi, said in a press statement. “After 12 years in Atlanta, New York feels like a natural evolution — UMI was always envisioned as a gathering place for the creative community across art, music, fashion and film, and there is no greater crossroads of culture and creative energy than this city.”

Arshid and co-owner Charlie Hendon told Eater New York that they believe Umi will fit into a space left behind as sushi restaurants have shifted toward omakase service, the high-priced, chef’s tasting menu style that has proliferated in both Atlanta and New York.

Credit: Courtesy of Lara Kastner

Credit: Courtesy of Lara Kastner

Umi, which was named one of Atlanta’s 50 best restaurants by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last year, offers a broad selection of sushi and cooked items. The model is comparable to that of the wildly influential Nobu, which has grown into a global chain of restaurants and hotels.

In Atlanta, Umi does offer an omakase service labeled M @ Umi. The group also operates Himitsu, the speakeasy-style cocktail bar next door to Umi.

When Umi opened in 2013, the kitchen was helmed by Fuyuhiko Ito, who left after a decade to open a trio of new restaurants in Midtown: rooftop cocktail bar Celestia, omakase counter Ishin by Ito and the forthcoming sushi restaurant Sozou.

Credit: Courtesy of Lara Kastner

Credit: Courtesy of Lara Kastner

The culinary team behind Umi now consists of co-executive chefs Todd Dae Kulper and Kazuo Yoshida, who oversees the sushi program. Yoshida first began working in sushi restaurants in the U.S. when he moved to New York from Nagasaki in 1992. He relocated to Atlanta in 2025 to take charge of M @ Umi.