Chef Abhi Sainju's Abhi Vestavia, a 100-seat restaurant in Cahaba Heights, is expected to open by the end of November 2026, bringing the sushi chef back to an area he left four years earlier when he closed his Summit location. The new spot adds to a growing list of concepts from a chef who has become one of Birmingham's most recognizable restaurant names over the past decade.
According to bizjournals.com, the planned opening will mark the chef's return to the area four years after closing his Summit location. Sainju already owns the pan-Asian establishments Abhi Eatery and Bar and Maro, both in Mountain Brook, according to soul-grown.com.
A Decade of Building a Restaurant Empire
Sainju's path to Cahaba Heights has wound through several concepts over more than a decade. He began his catering and pop-up business, Everest Sushi, in 2013, then collaborated on his first restaurant, Bamboo on 2nd, in 2015, per the same soul-grown.com account. He opened the original location of his namesake restaurant at The Summit shopping center in 2017, then opened the current Abhi's in 2019 before later closing the Summit spot.
Abhi Eatery + Bar in Mountain Brook, which features sushi and Nepalese-inspired dishes, opened in December 2019, according to al.com. Maro, located at 361 Rele Street in Mountain Brook, was described in that report as serving poke and other bowls with a focus on the lunch crowd. Sainju also opened Surf Hound Surf Club and Restaurant, a coastal-inspired concept at 2721 Cahaba Road in Mountain Brook Village, which the Village Living outlet reported would feature fresh oysters, fish tacos and a grouper sandwich.
A Neighborhood on the Upswing
Cahaba Heights has seen steady growth in recent years. Gross sales from the community's businesses, particularly retail, have trended up consistently over the past five to 10 years, even through the recession, according to otmj.com. The area was managed by Jefferson County before being annexed into Vestavia Hills in 2002, the same outlet reports.
That growth hasn't come without growing pains. City officials have said transportation, sanitary sewage and sidewalks are all things that must be reworked in Cahaba Heights, alongside a need for additional retail space, per otmj.com's reporting. Plans call for sidewalks running the length of Crosshaven from the Summit to Overton, building on sidewalk extensions already planned near Leaf and Petal.
As later reported by Bham Now, Sainju's new venture lands in a neighborhood that's been steadily adding retail traffic. In 2017, transportation, sanitary sewage and sidewalks were identified as areas needing work. For a chef who has cycled through pop-ups, bars and coastal-themed concepts across the Birmingham metro, Abhi Vestavia represents another chapter in a career built on reinvention — and, for longtime fans, a welcome return to familiar ground.
