After a year of wowing diners out of its tiny space with an even smaller sushi bar on Veterans Boulevard, New Orleans-area handroll hub Yakuza House has made its debut in a new, larger Metairie location at 2740 Severn Avenue.
Chef Huy Pham opened Yakuza House in 2021, his first solo venture after most recently working as a sushi chef at Daiwa, a longtime favorite in Metairie. It was instantly popular (despite being BYOB), making it tough to snag a place at its six-seat sushi bar or at one of a handful of dining room tables. Chef Huy is a first-generation Vietnamese American who fell in love with Japanese cuisine while working at the former Cafe Zen as a teenager, the chef has said. In addition to Daiwa, he worked locally at Hana Sushi and Rock-n-Sake, the latter of which he helped open in New York.
Upon opening, Yakuza House specialized primarily in handrolls, or temaki, and dressed nigiri, as well as a few sandos, and offered an omakase experience. At the new location, the menu expands on those offerings significantly, adding more starters, dressed nigiri pieces, and handroll sets, and adding a menu of donburi bowls and noodle dishes. In addition to a main dining room and wraparound sushi bar that seats 16, the restaurant has a private omakase dining room and an izakaya room, a bar/lounge area that serves its own snack-centric menu.
Yakuza House is currently open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Below, check out eight dishes to try and take a look inside its new Metairie digs.
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Ora king salmon sashimi with shiso furikake
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Santa Barbara uni with smoked trout roe
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Shima aji with yuzu zest
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Hotate (seared scallop) with foie gras, unagi sauce, and fried leeks
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Kanpachi (greater amberjack) with honey miso, shiso pesto, and fried shallots
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Sake toro (salmon belly) with garlic almond chili oil
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Otoro, Murasaki uni, Kaluga caviar, truffle pate, and gold flakes
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Ramen with cha-shu, sunny egg, sweet soy, shallots, and shiso
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