Ikina has already survived Capitol Hill Block Party and a packed “quiet” opening (Images: Ikina Sushi)

Michael Suzuki (Image: CHS)

If the crowds that filled Ikina Sushi between acts during the 2016 Capitol Hill Block Party last weekend are any indication, the new Japanese restaurant and sushi bar is going to be a hit on E Pike.

“I’m really happy with this location. I think we’ll do quite well,” said Michael Suzuki, general manager and chief chef at Ikina.

Suzuki estimates the Block Party brought in about 500 guests. A soft-opening on July 20 was also a crowded, Pike/Pine-packed affair. The plan is to open for good starting today. Happy grand opening.

A Madison Park resident, Suzuki said he spent time on E Pike and noticed how packed the area is late into the night which changed his perception of how to run the restaurant during the later hours.

Ikina is outfitted with a great sound system, he said, so music and dimmed lighting will set the atmosphere for late-night guests who will be served cocktails and small plates at the sushi bar.

Entrepreneur Shinsuke Nikaido, who has been serving Japanese-style hot dogs from his Gourmet Dog Japon carts since 2010, is the mastermind and the money behind Ikina.

“Basically (Ikina) is built on hot dog business money,” Suzuki said.

He said Nikaido, who is in his 60s, has dreamed of owning a Japanese restaurant for a long time.

CHS first talked with Nikaido about his plans for the new sushi bar in October as plans for the buildout came together. The space once host to nightclub King Cobra was temporarily lined up to be home to a Moneytree money lender. It has been empty for more than five years as the Comet shuttered and was then reinvented, and the neighboring Lobby Bar moved out.

The opening joins recent sushi restaurants in the area including most recent openings Gokan at 10th and Union from the Musashi restaurant family which debuted in spring 2015 and Yo Zushi which replaced departed kaiten sushi chain Genki on Broadway earlier this year.

Suzuki wasn’t involved with Ikina from the beginning, but said when he came on, he made some adjustments to the aesthetics, including raising the sushi bar, changing the color scheme from gray to a soft green and adding more lights.

(Images: Ikina Sushi)

(Images: Ikina Sushi)

He also created the entire menu.

Ikina’s dinner menu features noodle dishes, entrees, sushi and small plates that Suzuki said will pair nice with cocktails or beer, while most lunch menu items are priced around $10. He hopes the $10 lunch will attract college students from Seattle University and Seattle Central. “I want this to be a new lunch hotspot for the students,” Suzuki said, adding that all of Capitol Hill is welcome, of course.

Ikina has a full cocktail bar and a variety of sake. The staff was participating in its own on-site sake tasting Tuesday when CHS stopped by to chat with Suzuki.

Suzuki plans to offer sake tastings with food pairings and seasonal items in the future as well.

Suzuki’s career began in Japan where he trained as sushi chef as a teenager. “I went to a sushi college (or) slave camp of sorts,” he said laughing. He has worked at a variety of places as a Japanese and sushi chef including Bush Garden Restaurant and I Love Sushi in Bellevue where he was one of the original chefs. He’s also been a guest chef for Holland America Line cruises teaching food classes.

Most recently he’s been working with casinos to bring sushi bars and other Asian cuisine to their venues. His “baby” was the 12 Moons Asian Bistro at the Snoqualmie Casino, where he had a staff of 75 people. At Ikina, Suzuki has a staff of about 12, but is looking for more.

Ikina, with its full cocktail bar, food menu and sushi bar, will serve lunch Tuesday through Sunday from 11 AM to 2 PM Tuesday through Saturday happy hour will be from 4 PM to 6 PM, and dinner begin at 5 PM.

“We’re just ready to greet the world,” Suzuki said.

You can learn more on the Ikina Sushi Facebook page.