A popular Atlanta pop-up is slated to open its first permanent location by the end of the year.
Ok Yaki, which owner and chef Corban Irby launched as a pop-up in 2016, will be located at 714 Moreland Ave. SE in the newly renovated Seville complex in the East Atlanta neighborhood.
The restaurant will focus on the pop-up’s core dishes of okonomiyaki, yakisoba, and gyoza cooked primarily on a large teppan griddle, along with some new menu items including karaage chicken and Japanese curry, as well as vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes. The bar will feature Japanese-style draft beer in frozen mugs, as well as sake, shochu and whiskey highballs.
The restaurant’s layout will accommodate 45 guests, with 15 bar seats around the open kitchen in the front, along with four booths and six barstools at the full wet bar in the back. The bar will feature a window allowing access to the 1,000-square-foot patio.
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Irby, who developed an interest in Japanese street food after living in Osaka years ago and returning to visit several times, envisions a minimalist design that he hopes to adapt and evolve to the space as the restaurant grows.
Although the main focus will be on the brick and mortar, Ok Yaki will continue doing pop-ups around Atlanta after the grand opening.
“I think it’s really important to continue the hard work of the popups so that we always remember where we came from,” Irby said in a prepared statement.
Ok YakI plans to be open from 5 p.m.-2 a.m. five nights a week.
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