Courtesy of Sozou
Three years after it was first announced, chef Fuyuhiko Ito’s long-awaited Sozou has arrived in Midtown. The Japanese restaurant, centered on robatayaki, sushi and shareable plates, is now open on the ground floor of Ten Twenty Spring at Spring Quarter.
The restaurant is the third concept in the building from culinary director Fuyuhiko Ito and his wife, executive pastry chef Lisa Ito, who also operate rooftop lounge Celestia at Terrace and the 16-seat omakase bar ISHIN by Ito. At ISHIN, Ito remains behind the counter, while Celestia is led by executive chef David Martin Garcia. Sozou, however, features a much bigger stage: 3,800 square feet that feel even more spacious thanks to 22-foot ceilings, 120 dining room seats, a sushi bar, traditional bar, and a mezzanine.
Sozou means “to create” or “to imagine.” Ito says the name was inspired by the idea that “imagination and creation can change the world.” Sozou is less formal than ISHIN but still grounded in Japanese technique. “Simple but delicious is the goal,” he says.
Courtesy of Sozou
The menu is a la carte with a focus on “traditional Japanese grilling techniques” using a robatayaki to cook fish, meat, and vegetables. Chilean sea bass, black cod, tomahawk steak, and lamb chops anchor the richer side of the menu, while seasonal vegetables—corn, blistered shishito peppers, green beans, asparagus and spring onions brushed with teriyaki—round it out.
On the lighter side, expect nigiri, sashimi and a tight list of rolls, including lobster tempura and spicy tuna, with fish flown in four to five times a week from Tokyo’s Toyosu Fish Market. Nevertheless, Ito insists he doesn’t “want this to be a sushi roll house.” Chef Jey Oh, former owner of Sushi Huku, will lead the sushi program grounded in classical precision.
The kitchen also serves crispy rice, along with caviar and potato chips, shrimp tempura, dressed avocado salad, dashi mussels with Japanese watercress and green onion, hamachi crudo, and whitefish tartare. Ito says he expects the grilled romaine with creamy sesame dressing to be hit.
For dessert, offerings include a strawberry soufflé with matcha ice cream, corn ice cream with popcorn crunch inspired by a flavor popular with Japanese children, and a tropical fruit parfait.
Courtesy of Sozou
Drinks will play off the same mix of Japanese technique and creative control. The restaurant is awaiting its liquor license. However, the cocktail list will include the Isla Verde, made with coconut oil-washed Toki whisky, green apple cordial, clarified lime, and coconut water, and the Sake Spritz, a delicate, lightly spicy mix of Thai pepper-infused junmai sake, shiso syrup, acid-adjusted honey, and bubbles. Savory flavors show up in No. 4, a martini with black truffle-infused Roku gin, cheese-infused Carpano dry vermouth, mushroom liqueur, and koji rice. Sake and wine lists are available as well.
That balance of polish and ease carries into the Sozou space, designed to feel open and social rather than hushed. Ito describes the decor as modern, with stone, wood, and other natural materials. Large windows provide a view of the development’s landscaped front yard and the historical Patterson House, where Hal’s “The Steakhouse” will open in 2027.
“Sozou is a place to be seen and socialize,” Ito says. “I just want everyone to enjoy themselves.”
Courtesy of Sozou
