A highly-anticipated new Japanese restaurant has opened in New Orleans, but it’s keeping a profile so low it feels almost hidden.
Kira Omakase (601 Tchoupitoulas St.) began service last week as a distinct restaurant found inside Kira. That’s the high-style Mediterranean/Japanese restaurant opened late in 2025 by local restaurateur Billy Blatty. He developed Kira Omakase as a separate entity and recruited a chef who’s had a hand in guiding modern American sushi culture.
That’s Yoshi Okai, one of the best-known sushi chefs in the U.S. for his decades at Japanese restaurants in Austin, Texas. In 2017, he was named to the Food + Wine national list of Best New Chefs. He moved to New Orleans this spring to be executive chef and partner at the new Kira Omakase.
The omakase, or a chef-guided set menu meal, is served at a 12-seat counter. Expect a progression of 20 courses, including about 15 different pieces of nigiri and other dishes, for $175 per person, with sake pairings available…