A new omakase counter called JuNi has opened at The Juniper, at 1081 Juniper St. in Midtown Atlanta, offering an evening tasting menu that runs $185 to $225 per person while a casual donburi program prepares to launch downstairs at the end of October. The restaurant comes from Yukihiko Tanaka, the chef behind Circle Sushi in Sandy Springs and Circle Noodle in Roswell, and occupies space at the corner of 12th and Juniper streets.
JuNi is split into two distinct dining spaces, according to Rough Draft Atlanta, which first reported on the opening. Upstairs offers a refined omakase experience currently limited to a single nightly seating at 7 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, while downstairs will eventually serve donburi — Japanese steamed rice bowls topped with meat or seafood and vegetables — for both lunch and dinner. Tanaka told the outlet he hopes to draw customers who have followed him from Circle Sushi and Circle Noodle to his new Midtown venture.
The upstairs tasting menu runs eight to 16 courses depending on availability, with dishes including a bluefin tuna sashimi sampler and a chawanmushi topped with uni and garnished with truffle dashi, a nod to French technique layered onto the traditional Japanese custard. The report notes that the menu's exact composition depends on seasonality and availability at fish markets in Japan. Diners can pair the meal with sake or umeshu, and Tanaka recommends ordering a flight of five sakes rather than matching a different pour to each course. JuNi plans to add a smaller lunchtime omakase in the coming months, and the restaurant asks guests to follow its dress code and avoid wearing perfume, with reservations recommended.
A Tower Built Where Midtown Institutions Once Stood
JuNi's address carries weight for longtime Midtown residents. The site was formerly home to Joe's on Juniper and Einstein's, two Metrotainment Cafes properties that closed in 2021 to make way for the dual-tower residential development now known as The Juniper and The Reserve at Juniper, per the same Rough Draft Atlanta report. Before demolition, Einstein's had operated at 12th and Juniper for roughly 30 years, while Joe's on Juniper had been open since 1998, according to the AJC.
Community advocates and patrons have noted that the 2021 redevelopment eliminated two long-standing LGBT-friendly gathering places and popular patio venues along the Juniper Street corridor, as Tomorrow's News Today has reported, a shift that also saw nearby Henry's Midtown Tavern close in 2023 after its lease expired. The project pairs a 37-story building with 320 apartments and a 34-story tower with 167 units, a joint venture between Middle Street Partners and AECOM-Canyon Partners, according to REBusinessOnline. Residents began moving into the twin towers in May 2025.
Luxury Towers, Luxury Price Points
JuNi's clientele is, in part, built in. Studio apartments at The Juniper start at $1,896 a month, while penthouse listings reach $12,879 monthly, according to Urbanize Atlanta's coverage of the development. That resident base lines up with JuNi's pricing strategy, which positions the restaurant comfortably within — if toward the lower end of — Atlanta's luxury omakase tier.
JuNi joins Atlanta's high-end Japanese dining scene. Mujō's chef, J. Trent Harris, picked up a 2026 James Beard Award nomination for Best Chef: Southeast and had been set to open a second concept, Koshu Club in Buckhead, on April 14.
JuNi adds another Japanese dining option to Midtown.
Pizza Moves In, a Danish Bakery Moves On
JuNi isn't the only new name appearing at 1081 Juniper St. Neapolitan pizzeria Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza put up signage for another location at the development over the weekend, expanding a Metro Atlanta footprint that already includes Buckhead, Inman Park, and Sandy Springs. The chain's Miami Beach original earned a Michelin recommendation in 2022.
Not every tenant plan panned out. Freddy Adkins and Mikkel Jensen had sought the JuNi space for their Danish cafe and bakery concept, but the deal did not materialize, and the two are now searching for another Midtown location to open instead, Rough Draft Atlanta reported.
