Ichi Roll Description

Restaurateur Henry To and business partner Michael Tao have opened not one, but two new venues in the last month as part of the Sake-X Group, expanding their Japanese-leaning foodie empire.

Riding on the coattails of the success of their Dagu Lu outpost Sake Ichi Yakitori (酒一烧鸟酒场) (that opened four years back, yet still garners quite the crowd), the duo opened Sake Ichi Oden (酒一关东煮酒场) on Shanxi Nan Lu in the beginning of November, doling out steaming bowls of Japanese comfort soup – called oden – in a dimly lit, all wood-outfitted space, just in time for winter.  

Just next door is Ichi Roll – a casual alternative to the high-end sushi and omakase houses – serving maki-style hand rolls and sashimi in a pleasantly bright and contemporary setting, which opened in the same week as its neighbor.

So, while the two venues are inherently distinct – a classically retro soup and sipper hangout and a straightforward, modern sushi roll spot – together they form a symbiotic relationship that belongs on a backstreet of Osaka’s trendiest neighborhood, each enhancing the offerings of the other, while simultaneously sharing a wall.