Key points:

  • A second location of UMI, the Buckhead sushi hotspot owned by Farshid Arshid and Charlie Hendon, will open in New York City this summer.
  • UMI-NYC will take over a space in the 63 Madison building on Madison Avenue in the heart of Manhattan.
  • Chefs Kazuo Yoshida and Dae Kulper will continue overseeing the sushi and Japanese fusion menus, respectively, at the New York City location.
Otoro sushi row on dark slate plate, topped with sesame seeds and microgreens, upscale Japanese restaurant dining
Otoro, fatty tuna. (Photo by Lara Kastner)

UMI, the swanky Buckhead Japanese restaurant known for its sushi and celebrity-spotting, will expand to New York City this summer.

Owners Farshid Arshid and Charlie Hendon plan to open a second location of UMI at the 63 Madison building on Madison Avenue. Located in the heart of Manhattan, UMI will count Madison Square Park, the Flatiron Building, and renowned restaurant Eleven Madison Park among its neighbors. 

“After 12 years in Atlanta, New York feels like a natural evolution – UMI was always envisioned as a gathering place for the creative community across art, music, fashion, and film, and there is no greater crossroads of culture and creative energy than [New York City],” Arshid said in a press release. 

Sliced medium-rare steak with sea salt flakes, asparagus, and mustard on a dark plate at Umi in Atlanta
Miyazaki beef A5 tenderloin steak accompanied with asparagus, ponzu sauce, and yuzukosho. (Photo by Lara Kastner)

Designed by French firm Gilles & Boissier, the team behind the Baccarat Hotel in New York and The Lana in Dubai, UMI-NYC will feature a similar layout to Buckhead. The restaurant will feature a main dining room with a sushi bar, along with an omakase room offering an intimate dining experience led by Chef Kazuo Yoshida.

Expect the design to lean sleek and modern with touches of traditional Japanese elements throughout and custom artwork from New York artist Daniel Arsham. 

As in Buckhead, Yoshida will oversee UMI’s sushi menu and nigiri-focused omakase in New York City, flying in fresh fish daily from Japan’s Tokyo Fish Market. Chef Dae Kulper, who joined UMI nearly a decade ago, will continue creating his popular Japanese fusion dishes in New York. The menu will include Umi’s uni risotto, lobster toban-yaki with lobster beurre noisette, and the avocado salad with wasabi vinaigrette. 

In addition to wines by the bottle and glass, look for an extensive selection of sake and tableside coffee service using the Hario hand-drip method. 

Umi-NYC, 63 Madison Ave., New York City. Opening June 2026.

Beth McKibben serves as both Editor-in-Chief and Dining Editor for Rough Draft Atlanta. She was previously the editor of Eater Atlanta and has been covering food and drinks locally and nationally for 15 years.