Downtown restaurant to add sushi bar
Feb. 14, 2024
A downtown restaurant is adding a sushi bar.
Pho Thai in Shriver Square is taking advantage of the building’s change to a single front entrance to expand with the aptly named Sushi Bar.
Now that the secondary front entrance on the south side of the building at 11th Street and Phillips Avenue has been closed, Pho Thai will expand to reach the windows along Phillips.
Diners will be able to sit at a counter along the windows and watch the activity downtown, said co-owner Kim Ueng.
Sushi chefs – Ueng said he’s planning to have at least two on staff — will work at a station between the counter and the main dining room, which will continue to be separated with glass panels but have a doorway.
Construction has started, and Ueng said he hopes to open Sushi Bar in six to eight weeks.
Diners will be able to order from both menus in either space. Pho Thai, which opened in 2019, features Vietnamese and Thai dishes, along with a few Chinese.
Sushi Bar’s menu will feature sushi, sashmi and rolls, including about 50 chef special rolls, said Ueng, who created those recipes, taking suggestions from customers.
“I have a lot of customers who know me, and they ask me, ‘Kim, can you come to our house and be a private sushi chef?’ … I’m just excited for customers to see our menu addition to what we’ve got in Pho Thai.”
The seafood and fish will be imported directly from Japan and will feature offerings like albacore, mackerel, sea urchin and oysters.
“We use high-quality ingredients. It’s almost like nonprofitable for us,” Ueng said. “The goal is to profit and serve a high quality of sushi to customers.”
Diners will be able to order a glass of sake or negroni with their sushi. Like Pho Thai, takeout and third-party delivery will be available.
While downtown Sioux Falls has four restaurants that serve sushi, Ueng said Sushi Bar will provide a unique experience by giving diners a view of Phillips Avenue. The counter will have 15 seats.
“I don’t want customers to think this is just another sushi bar. This is a different sushi bar. That’s what we aim for.”
Earlier this month, Pho Thai announced another expansion: a second location in a retail center along 34th Street west of Louise Avenue. That location will not serve sushi, Ueng said.
He’s excited, however, about adding to the entertainment and dining vibe of downtown.
“Good sushi is getting popular,” Ueng said. “I encourage people who have never tried it to give it a shot.”
