The cuisine of Junya Watanabe (Courtesy photo)
Food, Little Italy

‘Fashion Designer-Turned-Chef Brings His Creativity to Little Italy’

By Frank Sabatini Jr.

A slice of the Convoy District is rolling into Little Italy on Dec. 6 with the opening of RakiRaki Commons, a multi-culinary concept headed by Japanese-cuisine trailblazer Junya Watanabe.

The venture inhabits the smallish space where Watanabe operated his lauded vegan sushi spot, Yasai. Select items from that menu will remain, as well as vegan and non-vegan dishes from his other Convoy-area restaurants: RakiRaki Ramen; Junya’s Crispy Karaage; and Matsuoka.

A spokesperson for the project tells us the combined offerings will be contained on one menu, with items from RakiRaki leading the pack. Full wait service is in place, and the atmosphere captures a mix of reclaimed wood, zinc countertops, and oversized Japanese lanterns. Introductory specials include 99-cent Sapporo draft beers and sake after 10 p.m. daily with the purchase of any food item.

The Tokyo-born Watanabe is a former fashion designer who fell in love with ramen while living in New York. After veering into the culinary world, he opened his first RakiRaki Ramen shop in 2011 on Convoy Street and has since generated a buzz for his balanced flavors and creative presentations.