POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – How does sushi on the beach sound?
Well, a father and son duo from New York have created just that experience in Pompano Beach.
We know that Miami and Fort Lauderdale are hotspots to open up shop, but the owners say they see Pompano Beach as up and coming, so they had to catch the wave.
So the New York-based restaurant, Sushi Lab, has ridden the wave to South Florida and the results from the experiment may leave your taste buds wanting more.
The restaurant, created by father and son Hank and Brandon Fried, is located inside the Residence Inn by Marriott.
“My son and I had a concept of possibly doing sushi -- we would do a little thing in the lobby when people come to check in,” Hank Fried said. “Then we had a sushi lab counter. We had a counter in the lobby, it had four or five seats. It became super successful.”
From the hotel lobby to a rooftop in New York, and now three years later, their Omakase experience is looking at the ocean.
At the restaurant, you can eat and drink like you’re in chemistry class, with drinks served in beakers and food served on lab glass.
Some food is even torched in front of your eyes.
“The vibe, and a lot of the chefs are very entertaining and they intermingle with the guest. And it’s a fun place to be,” Hank Fried said.
Chefs at Sushi Lab have creative control, and even though they’re a New York-based restaurant, there are some dishes that you get in South Florida that you can’t get there.
“We try to keep everything simple and while not traditional all the time, it still brings back to how Japanese eat their sushi, as well,” Chef Thomas Chik said.
Like the toro fatty tuna topped with caviar and the Wagyu lollipop that has Wagyu, of course, truffle sea salt and pickled wasabi on top of crispy rice.
The beachfront restaurant offers up locally and flown in fish, and you can dine inside or out.
Hank Fried says he sees Pompano Beach as a new hotspot in South Florida.
“And we decided, you know, (to) open a Sushi Lab on the ocean. Nobody else has that, so let’s do Sushi Lab on the ocean,” he said. “And if you come with a significant other, you can still have a cheeseburger and Omakase, so it works out great for everybody.”
For more details on Sushi Lab, click here.