A hidden sushi counter just opened beneath one of Manayunk's longtime Thai restaurants, and it's bringing something the neighborhood has never had: omakase. Aogami opened last Friday at 4343 Main Street, tucked below Chabaa Thai Bistro, offering a multi-course, chef's-choice tasting menu in a BYOB setting with roughly 20 seats.
The restaurant comes from chef Nongyao “Moon” Krapugthong, who also owns Chabaa Thai Bistro upstairs and Yanako sushi bar next door, as reported by 6abc Philadelphia. According to the station, Krapugthong said she wants guests to feel “intimate, exclusive, small, beautiful, and cozy together,” and that she believes the neighborhood and surrounding area are ready for omakase. Behind the counter is chef Tom LoMonte, who 6abc identifies as Aogami's itamae — a Japanese term LoMonte told the station translates to “in front of the board.” LoMonte said he'd be content spending his day turning raw fish and rice into artwork, 6abc reported, a sentiment that captures the kind of close-quarters, chef-driven experience Aogami is built around. Omakase itself simply means “the chef's choice,” per the same report.
What's on the Menu, and for How Much
Descriptions of the tasting menu's length vary across coverage. 6abc's report states that Aogami offers six courses for $85, while PhillyVoice describes a prix fixe menu of roughly 16 courses for the same $85-per-person price, and Aogami's own website says the experience runs about 16 courses, beginning with small bites before moving into a nigiri-focused tasting. Beyond the set menu, the bar also serves à la carte nigiri, sashimi and hand rolls, according to The Pass. The restaurant sources its fish from Japan, New Zealand, Spain and beyond, per Aogami's website, which also describes the food as combining classic Japanese technique with unexpected flavors and modern influences.
Seating figures also differ depending on the source. 6abc reports 20 seats total, a number echoed by the Inquirer's description of a 20-seat BYOB setting. PhillyVoice, meanwhile, describes the space as seating nine people at the bar and 12 more at its dining tables. Either way, the room is small and designed for close contact between diners and the counter — in keeping with Krapugthong's stated goal of an intimate, cozy space.
A Chef With Deep Roots in Philly Sushi
LoMonte arrives at Aogami with a résumé built around some of the city's established sushi and izakaya kitchens. The Inquirer's fall dining preview notes he previously worked at Zama, Izakaya by Yanaga, Pod and Yanaga Kappo Izakaya before taking the itamae position at Aogami. That background lines up with Aogami's billing as an intimate omakase bar tucked beneath Chabaa Thai Bistro, as The Pass described it when the restaurant opened on September 25.
Multiple outlets have flagged Aogami as a milestone for the neighborhood. Visit Philadelphia's events roundup put it plainly, noting that Manayunk just got its very first omakase in Aogami. 6abc's report similarly frames the restaurant as an underground omakase bar and sushi speakeasy, and as the first omakase experience in Manayunk specifically.
Part of a Citywide Omakase Boom
Aogami's debut lands amid what Philadelphia Magazine calls something of an omakase explosion in Philadelphia over the past two years. The outlet notes that the city's omakase offerings range enormously in price, anywhere from $65 to $300 per person, which places Aogami's $85 entry point toward the more accessible end of that spectrum. By comparison, Royal Sushi & Izakaya in Queen Village charges $355 a person for a 17-piece tasting at its eight-seat counter, while Yuhiro Omakase in Fishtown offers a $78 experience, according to the Inquirer's guide to the city's sushi counters.
Other comparisons underscore just how varied the format has become across Philadelphia. Dawa Fish in Fishtown runs a 22-dish omakase for $180, and Hiroki serves a 21-course menu for $195 with an optional $70 sake pairing, per the same Inquirer roundup. Philadelphia Magazine also points to Kichi's 90-minute, 15-course omakase for $95 and Hiroki's pricier 20-course menu at $185, while the Inquirer notes that Philly Sakana in Queen Village has trimmed its seating from 14 to 10 since opening in 2019 as it upgraded its 23-course, $198 experience. Against that backdrop, The Pass summed up Aogami's arrival simply: Philadelphia's omakase scene has a new room.
