South American Osaka Will Bring Acclaimed Nikkei Food to Brickell

South American restaurant chain Osaka is slated to open a Brickell outpost in July as part of the brand's international expansion that also includes a possible London location.

After eating their way through Europe and Asia on surfing trips, friends Diego de la Puente and Diego Herrera launched Osaka in Peru as a weekly pop-up in a friend's restaurant. Eighteen years later, they operate nine restaurants throughout South America in cities including Buenos Aires, Quito, São Paulo, and Bogotá, amassing a reported gross revenue of $20 million.

With its Miami kitchen helmed by Peruvian executive chefs Rogger Quispe and Juan Alfonso Urrutia, Osaka will showcase the food of the people of the Japanese diaspora who settled in Peru in the 19th and 20th Centuries and expanded on their traditions by incorporating local ingredients. The hybrid cuisine is known as Peruvian Nikkei, a marriage of ancient traditions and modern textures.

"Nikkei is about the Peruvian intensity of flavor and the simplicity of the Japanese food," de la Puente says. "Where one ends the other begins; cold and hot dishes blend the best of both."
Located in the Brickell House condominium, Osaka will have a Japanese-inspired design fusing modern architecture, feng shui, and Peruvian accents. It will feature a big ceviche and Nikkei bar at the heart of the dining room, which will be accented with adobe walls and wooden floors that open to a small terrace. A DJ will spin a few nights a week.

The Brickell menu will feature a blend of new-for-Miami dishes and Osaka staples, including nigiri sushi; ceviche options like wasabi ceviche with seafood and citrusy, spicy leche de tigre; Nikkei omakase platters; izakaya sharing-style plate; and other offerings with fresh vegetables, seafood, fish, Kobe, duck, and chicken.

Prices are not yet available, but de la Puente assures Osaka will not empty your wallet. The restaurateur, who's in the process of relocating to Miami, says the eatery will stand out for its well-priced fare. "We are coming with a good offer in terms of flavor and more affordable prices if you compare to other Asian fusion restaurants like Novikov, La Mar, Nobu, and Zuma."

Osaka. 1300 Brickell Bay Dr., Miami; 786-627-4800; osaka.com.pe. Opens July 2019.