Budonoko — the izakaya pop-up helmed by Eric Bedroussian, Dan Rabilwongse, and Josh Hartley — will open a brick-and-mortar at 654 N. Virgil Avenue come September.
Late last year, What Now Los Angeles reported that the trio had hopes of landing a stationary space in LA, but details were sparse as the project was in its infancy.
Now, information has emerged via Eater, and the selling points are almost as tasty as Rabilwongse’s mom’s Thai fermented pork sausage (soon to be sold from Budonoki’s brick-and-mortar). Here’s what we know:
Budonoki, which previously popped up at Melody Bar, Ototo, and Thunderbolt, will reside permanently on the ground floor of the Cha Cha Cha condominiums in a space that spans 1,700 square feet. The corner space was most recently occupied by Bolt coffee shop.
Regarding offerings, Budonoki’s will serve “bar food with strong Japanese influences, its focus primarily on pressed sushi, along with beer, sake, and cocktails.”
More specifically, Chef Rabilwongse will cook up items like flame-seared pressed sushi rolls with chopped and sliced salmon and soy-marinated serrano chiles to be paired with a lineup of sake and shochu cocktails including a spritz, swizzle, and frozen slushies. And, for dessert, soft-serve ice cream will steal the show.
Initially, Budonoki will seat 40 guests before eventually implementing its 30-40-seat patio space.
Of the forthcoming iteration Bedroussian says, “Our collective goal is to curate an experience for our guests, peers, and community that is fun, communal, accessible, honest, and, above all, delicious.”
