Photo by Saba Shioyaki
CEO of Castellucci Hospitality Group, Fred Castellucci has done the big, bustling restaurant thing—he and his family operate the Iberian Pig, Cooks & Soldiers, Sugo, and Double Zero Napoletana. When he and chef J. Trent Harris launched Mujo in 2023, they were aiming for something vastly different. The 21-seat, reservation-only omakase restaurant earned a Michelin star that year and has since maintained its prestige. Now the team is focused on another intimate Japanese restaurant—this one in Buckhead. Located in the new Ninetynine West Paces apartment building, Koshu Club will serve a concise, a la carte menu featuring charcoal-grilled seafood and meats, as well as small plates and sashimi. Wine, sake, and Japanese cocktails will also play a large role. It’s slated to open in February.
“Jordan [Harris] has this incredibly deep knowledge of Japanese cuisine and culture,” Castellucci says. “We wanted to do an a la carte restaurant that was still fine dining—still elegant, still elevated, that allowed us to showcase different elements of Japanese cuisine and make it a little more approachable.”
Harris will oversee the culinary teams at both Mujo and Koshu Club. His mentor, Tomoyuki Hayashi, recently joined Mujo as executive sushi chef. Mujo’s chef de cuisine Keith Miller will lead the kitchen at Koshu. “We want to feature some styles of cooking that don’t have a home at Mujo,” Harris says. “It’ll be the same level of quality of food, with ingredients purchased from the same suppliers.”
Courtesy of Castellucci Hospitality Group
There will be 14 dishes, changing frequently. Meat, seafood, and vegetables will be slow-grilled over binchotan charcoal, a process called sumibiyaki. Other items classify as yōshoku, or influenced by Western cooking styles. These may include familiar offerings like tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet), omurice (fried rice wrapped in an omelet), and karaage (Japanese fried chicken).
“It’s similar to the way you’d order in an izakaya: ‘I want this vegetable, but I also want this fish and to try this piece of meat,'” Harris explains. “It’ll feel like a supper club.”
The name Koshu comes from a Japanese word that speaks to both the aromatic scent of alcohol and a variety of white wine from that region in Japan. As such, alcohol will play an important part at the restaurant. Castellucci Hospitality Group beverage director Nicolas Quinones is working with Mujo sommelier Kiki Austin to design the drink lists. Castellucci says to expect a wine cellar with more than 500 bottles, primarily from Champagne, Burgundy, and Bordeaux in France. That’s in addition to the 50 to 100 Japanese sakes available. For cocktails, “it’s about minimalism—as few ingredients as possible, of supreme quality—with exceptional glassware, high attention to detail in the garnishes and as the ice,” Castellucci says.
Designed by Smith Hanes Studio, the tiny restaurant includes a fifteen-seat bar and ten cozy booths. The decor is intended to be a surprise, but lighting promises to be soft and amber.
“I want to really strive for the same level of quality that we execute at Mujo, but you don’t necessarily have to commit to a three-hour meal,” Harris says. “For anyone who’s been there, the energy should feel familiar.”
