Restaurateur and chef Christian Lee, who owns Korean street food restaurant Tiger K Cupbob in Duluth, noticed a void in the Alpharetta dining scene.
But when he had the opportunity to open his own restaurant in the area, he “didn’t just want to do another Korean barbecue restaurant,” he said.
Enter Sabu, Lee’s new eatery on the ground level of the Hamilton Hotel in downtown Alpharetta. The restaurant’s extensive menu includes appetizers (octopus salad, asparagus tempura, dumplings); Japanese entrees (unagi don, ikura don) and Korean entrees (beef bulgogi, japchae, galbi tang).
Credit: Sabu
Credit: Sabu
There are also a variety of Japanese sushi rolls (Spider Man with soft shell crab, avocado and crab meat; and the Washington with salmon, yellowtail, avocado, tobiko and scallion) and Korean sushi rolls, known as gimbap (Shrimp Tempura Gimbap, Spicy Tuna Bimbap).
The full bar includes an 11-drink cocktail list with plans to include additional Asian-influenced drinks.
The space, which seats about 80 guests, including 10 at the sushi bar, utilizes grass and plants “to bring the outside in,” Lee said, since the restaurant doesn’t have outdoor seating.
Adding to the dining experience are robots that deliver food to tables although human waitstaff still takes orders and places plates on tables.
Credit: Sabu
Credit: Sabu
Sabu’s opening hours are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays.
The restaurant joins several other food and beverage concepts inside the Hamilton hotel, including Fulton’s Public House, Carrie’s Conservatory and Roaring Social speakeasy, plus the forthcoming Sorella Vicina.
35 Milton Ave., Alpharetta. 678-694-8786, sabuatl.com.
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