A sprawling Japanese fine-dining destination is taking shape at the base of the Bank of America Tower in Midtown Manhattan, built around a kaiseki menu that changes with eight seasonal rotations tied to Japan's 72 microseasons. One Bryant Park, as the project is called, sits at 135 West 42nd Street near Sixth Avenue, in the space that once housed Aureole.
According to the restaurant's own site, onebryantparknyc.com, the kaiseki experience is structured around eight seasonal menus inspired by the philosophy of the Seventy-Two Microseasons, with Culinary Director Tadaaki Ishizaki overseeing what the restaurant describes as New Japanese: a distinctly contemporary expression of Japanese cuisine. A profile from hallpr.com identifies restaurateur KwangHo Lee as associated with Listen & Feel Hospitality and describes the project as a 10,000-square-foot Japanese fine dining destination opening at the base of the Bank of America Tower.
The project traces back to a February 2025 announcement from the Durst Organization, which said the team behind the Japanese dining destination Momoya had signed a lease for a new restaurant concept on the ground floor of One Bryant Park, per durst.org. As WhatNow has reported, the space occupies a roughly 10,000-square-foot, two-level footprint, according to Crain's New York Business.
Three Concepts, One Address
Rather than a single dining room, One Bryant Park is shaping up as three distinct experiences under one roof. As reported by ny.eater.com, the project brings three dining experiences together in what had been Aureole, including the relocation of Kappo Sono, a 10-seat kaiseki counter led by chef Chikara Sono with menus that change twice monthly, alongside the Kumiko Room, a 14-seat omakase sushi bar from Yoshihiko Kousaka.
The same Eater report describes the flagship as a 150-seat Japanese fine dining restaurant led by chef Tadaaki Ishizaki, while the hallpr.com profile separately describes an elegant 60-seat main dining room. The two accounts conflict on capacity, and it is not clear from available reporting whether they describe different rooms within the complex or a revised plan.
What's On the Plate — and in the Glass
Beyond the main kaiseki program, the menu will include à la carte options that change with the seasons, built around subtle shifts in nature, ingredients, and availability, per WhatNow. Kaiseki is a seasonal, carefully composed style of Japanese dining.
At Kumiko Room specifically, chef Kousaka is expected to serve a $325 seasonal menu covering three appetizers followed by 10 to 14 pieces of sushi, soup, and one dessert, according to robbreport.com.
The beverage side of the operation is just as ambitious. The hallpr.com profile describes an expansive beverage program featuring more than 500 selections of wine and sake, alongside Japanese whisky and seasonal cocktails.
Design Rooted in Japanese Craft
The interior was designed by Osamu Tsuchiya, founder and CEO of Studio Canall, who combined Japanese materials and design details with the building's Western architectural bones, according to WhatNow. The dining room's ceiling carries an arched oak design, and the space uses light and shadow as deliberate design elements, evoking komorebi, the Japanese word for sunlight filtering through trees. A Bocci light fixture inspired by roots and branches anchors part of the room, while the bar blends Japanese craftsmanship with the look of a classic Western bar, featuring naguri-textured wood and details inspired by Japanese tea rooms.
Taken together, the project reflects how thoroughly New York's luxury dining scene is embracing kaiseki's emphasis on seasonality and ritual — not as a single restaurant trend, but as a framework flexible enough to support three very different rooms inside one Midtown address.
