South Florida's OMAKAI is crossing state lines for the first time, announcing two Chicago locations and a simultaneous push into Orlando and Miami's Brickell district — the brand's most ambitious expansion since its 2019 Wynwood debut.
The Footprint
The Fulton Market location, at 951 W Fulton Market, will seat 66 guests across a ground-floor dining room and a basement bar, operating the brand's full sushi concept. A second Chicago unit — an OMAKAI hand roll bar — will occupy 507 N Wells Street in River North and seat 30 at the counter. Both are scheduled to open before year-end and will run lunch, happy hour, and dinner service. OMAKAI's 'Homeakase' takeout sushi boxes will be available for delivery via UberEats at both addresses.
Back in Florida, the brand has also signed its first lease in Orlando, adding a new state market to the network, and has committed to a new OMAKAI sushi location plus a second hand roll bar in Miami's Brickell neighborhood. That brings the total active expansion pipeline to at least five new units across two states.
Why Chicago
The brand has grown steadily since founders Diego and Pedro Quijada, Nicolas Sayavedra, and Chef Aaron Pate opened the original Wynwood location. Since then, OMAKAI has added outposts in Coconut Grove, Doral, Aventura, and Downtown Miami — building a loyal consumer base around accessible omakase, a format that has gained traction nationally as an antidote to both fast-casual sushi chains and prohibitively priced chef's-counter dining.
Chicago's Fulton Market corridor has become one of the most competitive fine-casual dining corridors in the country, attracting national operators and independent culinary concepts alike. For a brand positioning itself between high-end omakase and mass-market sushi, the district's food-forward consumer base and restaurant density represent a credible first test outside Florida.
"Expanding beyond Florida for the first time is a defining moment for everyone who has been part of the OMAKAI journey," said Diego Quijada, founder and CEO of OMAKAI. "We can't wait to introduce a whole new community to accessible omakase, with warm rice, crispy nori and kind service every single time."
What's Next
Exact opening dates, hours, and reservation details have not yet been released and will be communicated in the coming weeks. The simultaneous multi-city buildout — Chicago, Orlando, and Brickell — signals a shift from the brand's earlier, measured location-by-location growth within a single metro area, and will test its operational infrastructure across geographically dispersed markets.
For operators and foodservice investors tracking the accessible omakase segment, OMAKAI's expansion follows broader consumer-driven demand for chef-curated experiences at approachable price points — a trend that has driven growth across the fast-casual Japanese dining category even as overall restaurant traffic remains uneven. Hand roll bars in particular have emerged as a capital-efficient format, requiring smaller footprints and less kitchen complexity than full sushi-counter concepts, a dynamic explored in recent coverage of emerging restaurant formats within the foodservice sector.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
