One of Chicago’s most celebrated Japanese restaurants is officially joining the Wedgewood‑Houston lineup. Momotaro, the acclaimed Windy City spot from Chef Gene Kato and Boka Restaurant Group, is set to open its Nashville outpost on Friday, June 5, at 519 Houston Street in the Wedgewood‑Houston neighborhood. The new location will blend Momotaro’s signature sushi and robata cooking with a slate of Nashville‑only dishes and experiences. Doors are scheduled to open at 4:30 p.m. daily once service kicks off Friday.
What to expect on the menu
According to Nashville Lifestyles, Momotaro Nashville will roll out hand rolls, premium sushi and sashimi, and a wide‑ranging robata grill program, plus a new temaki hand‑roll experience that is exclusive to the city. The outlet reports that the kitchen plans to run a dry‑aged seafood program for bluefin tuna and kampachi and will fly seafood in multiple times each week from Tokyo’s Toyosu Market, while sourcing other ingredients from local partners like Radical Shoots and Valley Gold Farms. Reservations for opening week were listed as available via OpenTable in the announcement.
Local touches and the team
“Opening Momotaro in Nashville is an exciting next chapter for us and we’ve been inspired by the city’s energy and sense of connection,” Chef Gene Kato said in the announcement reported by Nashville Lifestyles. Boka co‑founders Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz told the outlet that Wedgewood‑Houston “checks every box,” calling the neighborhood a creative, community‑minded fit for Momotaro’s hospitality approach. The Nashville location will weave in Momotaro’s Chicago DNA while tailoring dishes for Music City, including a Nashville Hot Chicken Mapo Tofu twist.
Design and private rooms
The interior, designed by AvroKO, nods to Japanese mid‑century modernism blended with Americana touches, as noted on Boka Restaurant Group’s site. Expect rich wood paneling, denim and plaid textiles, and a traditional stock‑exchange‑style menu board. The space also includes several private‑dining options for parties from eight up to 50, plus an intimate eight‑person room that converts into a karaoke lounge, according to Boka Restaurant Group. Those features are part of a broader push to bring multiple Boka concepts to Wedgewood Village this spring.
Where it sits in Wedgewood‑Houston
Momotaro will anchor the ground floor of AJ Capital’s Wedgewood Village at 519 Houston Street, joining a growing lineup of recent arrivals in the neighborhood. Metropolitan Council records show that an exemption was filed and approved for on‑sale beer‑permit distance rules for Momotaro and sibling concepts at the 519 Houston address, a procedural step that cleared the way for the openings; see the Metropolitan Council for details. The broader Wedgewood‑Houston build‑out has been billed as a significant new dining and retail hub for the city.
Expect a busy first week. The Momotaro team and partners appear to be aiming for a mix of neighborhood hangout and destination dining that is likely to draw both local regulars and out‑of‑town visitors. For the latest updates and to join the waitlist, see Momotaro Nashville and the restaurant’s OpenTable listing.
