Japanese Restaurant Gaijin Opens Today

A while back we reported that Gaijin, a new Japanese restaurant opening on 31st Avenue, and tonight is their grand opening! Here’s what they posted on their Facebook page:

“Dear guest, we are having a Grand Opening / Ribbon Cutting ceremony with the Chamber of Commerce Tuesday between 4 to 6pm. We will also be passing out complimentary champagne and hor’derves [sic] to all of our guest. Please join us in celebrating this special ceremony.”

They describe themselves as a “restaurant [that] focuses on traditional Japanese cuisine using traditional techniques with a modern twist.” As stated in our earlier post, Chef Mark is in charge, along with Chef Brooke Dennis, whose background is with Aureole, Chikarashi, and One If By Land, Two If By Sea. Mark’s background is with Momotaro, Kaze Sushi, Sushi Samba, and Sixteen. Here’s more about him on the website:

“His artistic eye and creative skills are influenced by his training under Chef Kaze, a veteran Chicago sushi chef with a 30-year history of opening innovative and wildly successful sushi restaurants (Heat, Mirai Sushi, Macku Sushi). Chef Mark served as sushi chef at Kaze Sushi, the namesake establishment founded by Chef Kaze and rated one of the top ten sushi spots in the nation by Bon Appetit. He was Executive Sushi Chef at several prominent Chicago Japanese restaurants. Most recently, he collaborated with both Chef Kaze and Michelin-starred chef Jeff Ramsey, renowned culinary engineer of BABE, to develop the menu and design the sushi bar for the opening of Momotaro, a multi-dimensional sushi spot, izakaya and bar that quickly became one of the hottest new restaurants in the area. Following his success in Chicago, Chef Garcia felt it was time to bring his culinary inspiration to New York.”

He has what is considered an “outsider” perspective when it comes to Japanese food, hence the name of the restaurant, Gaijin (which means “outsider”).

Here are some photos of their food from the website (their Instagram page has a lot of choice shots, too):

They have a pretty positive Yelp review, too. So head on over and check them out later this afternoon! And if you’ve already been, let us know what we should order when we stop in for a meal.

Gaijin (37-12 31st Avenue, Astoria. 929-328-2890)
gaijinny.com | Facebook | Instagram | Yelp | Youtube