Takashi

Dear family and friends,

I’m sad to share that in light of Covid-19, our restaurant will not reopen.

In April 2010 we opened the doors to Takashi. It was the first of its kind in NYC, specializing in yakiniku horumon, Japanese-Korean fusion BBQ with roots in Osaka. We were eccentric: our menu proudly stated that we were “beef all beef and nothing but the beef”. We served the typical yakiniku fare for table-top grilling, like rib eye and skirt steak, alongside Chef Takashi’s one-of-a-kind inventions like niku uni, raw chuck flap topped with sea urchin, and testicargot, beef testicles cooked escargot style.

Soon after we opened, Sam Sifton gave us a glowing one star review in the NYT. Anthony Bourdain featured us on his NYC episode of The Layover. Anderson Cooper filmed a segment for his show. Chefs from all over the city gave their stamp of approval to our small but mighty establishment. We’ve loved being a part of NYC’s exciting food scene.

Unfortunately, the pandemic has dealt us a particularly deft blow. Social distancing will not be possible in our intimate space, where eating is communal and server interaction is high. Nor will we be able to survive financially with the reduced capacities that are bound to be part of the dining landscape in the near future. Pivoting to delivery or take out wouldn’t work with our menu where most of what comes from the kitchen is raw beef. Cooking at your table is a fundamental part of the Takashi experience, as crucial as the flavors. In my mind, you can’t separate the two.

April 2020 would have been our ten year anniversary, no small feat in NYC’s competitive arena. I’m terribly proud. I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed seeing all the wonderful people who’ve visited us over the years, many repeatedly. The faces I’ve seen smiling in delight at a their first bite of the yooke tartar; the surprise at the exquisite simplicity of the fillet mignon with garlic butter; the squeamish delight at squeezing a tube of brain cream topped with caviar; the oohs and aahs as the Cajun-style bourbon mega rib was flambéed. To eat at Takashi was to have all your five senses stimulated.

It’s been a glorious ride.

Thank you for the patronage, the love, and especially the support of our kitchen staff in recent donations from our community. They are the engine of our industry, the unsung heroes, and we must continue to support them during this difficult moment, especially because our social safety nets don’t afford them any protections. We have relied on them to be the backbone of our restaurants. We can’t abandon them now.

A sincere, deep thank you to everyone who passed through our doors over the last decade and enjoyed Chef Takashi Inoue’s singular talent for creating the most extraordinary dishes.

All great things must come to an end.

Love,

Saheem Ali