One of downtown New Orleans' lingering dead zones is about to get loud, flashy and full of flying shrimp. Uni Sushi & Hibachi is set to take over a 3,700-square-foot ground-floor corner in the Fulton Place parking garage at Roosevelt Way and Common Street, bringing hibachi tables, a sushi counter and a full bar to a spot that has sat empty for years. The owners say they plan to run from late morning into midnight every day, hoping to swap dark windows for dinner, drinks and what they call a little showtime.
City filings list the hours as 11 a.m. to midnight and show more than 100 seats spread across three dining rooms and a bar area, all within that 3,700-square-foot footprint at Roosevelt and Common, according to NOLA.
The timing lines up with a broader wave of downtown hotel and building conversions that developers say will breathe more life into the Convention Center corridor. The City Council recently advanced zoning changes that clear the way for a proposed $600 million, 1,000-room Omni headquarters hotel, according to Biz New Orleans.
The Uni Sushi & Hibachi space sits in a property owned by Thomas Gigliotti's Parking Management Services, which runs several downtown garages and hotel valet operations. The restaurant application lays out four hibachi tables, a sushi counter, alcohol service and a build-out budget topping $1 million, NOLA reports. Management also plans a second, faster-format sushi outpost in the garage lobby, and the same corridor is getting another big hospitality player as Kailas Companies converts the upper 18 floors of the former Bank of New Orleans building at 1010 Common St. into a 250-room Fairmont New Orleans, slated to open in mid-November, according to NOLA.
What To Expect Inside
Plans call for an energetic hibachi setup where chefs work the grill in front of diners, along with more traditional sushi-bar seating for those who prefer their dinner with a little less sizzle. A separate dining room is designed for quieter meals away from the hibachi spotlight.
In the lobby, a faster-format sushi window is on the drawing board for quick orders, aimed at convention visitors hustling between sessions and downtown workers grabbing something on the go. Altogether, the owners are pitching the project as a way to turn an underused ground floor into a late-evening dining option and a new neighborhood hangout.
Timeline And Next Steps
Permits have been filed, and the build-out is set to move forward once contractors are locked in and inspections are scheduled. The restaurant has not announced a firm opening date. Expect more details on menus, staffing and an official debut once construction permits and tenant signage start showing up on site.
