Renowned Hawaiian Chef Closes His Downtown Restaurant and Sushi Bar

Downtown’s Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar, the first mainland location of renowned Hawaiian chef D.K. Kodama’s restaurant collection, has closed. Though the restaurant hasn’t made a formal announcement on its website or social media accounts, Google and Yelp users, as well as Facebook commenters, report it as closed. One Yelp reviewer even showed up for a reservation, only to find the restaurant shut down. Sansei confirmed its closure to Eater but was not able to offer more information at press time.

Sansei opened at 9th and Pine in February 2016, marking Kodama’s fifth restaurant and his first outside of Hawaii. The Seattle location (815 Pine Street) shared a menu with the Hawaii restaurants, serving ahi poke, lobster and blue crab ravioli, shrimp tempura, nigiri, sashimi, and various sushi rolls. There was also a daily fresh sheet with dishes unique to the Seattle location that made use of locally sourced ingredients.

Kodama also operates Sansei locations in Kapalua, Kihei, Waikiki, and Waikoloa.

• Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar - Seattle [Official]
• All Coverage of Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar [ESEA]
• Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar - Seattle [Facebook]
• Sansei Brings a Taste of Hawaii With New Downtown Restaurant [ESEA]