Philadelphia’s dining scene will get a double boost next year as restaurateurs Kenjiro Omori and Biff Gottehrer team up to launch two new concepts.
The duo met in high school and later worked together as sous chefs at Dandelion in Rittenhouse roughly a decade ago.
“It’s always kind of been a conversation we’d have to do our own thing. So now, we’re back together. Biff and I will be taking charge of the culinary and conceptualization of things,” Omori told What Now Philadelphia.
They plan to open O’Morrey’s first, at 1720 Sansom Street in Rittenhouse.
O’Morrey’s marks a meaningful return for Omori. The building once housed Genji, a Japanese restaurant his parents ran for nearly 30 years, followed by three other concepts. The space still carries its 1990s look, and Omori said they plan to revamp it.
“My parents own that building. They operated a Japanese restaurant there. It’s definitely a full circle moment for me. I actually was a dishwasher there,” Omori said. “O’Morrey’s is also kind of an inside joke I’ve had on the backburner. It’s just, throw an apostrophe in my name and change up the spelling.”
The menu is still in development, but the plan is to serve elevated bar food alongside a curated cocktail program.
The second concept, Tako Taco, will bring a Japanese-Mexican blend to 1648 E. Passyunk Ave., taking over the former Bing Bing Dim Sum space.
“Biff is very heavy into the Mexican cuisine; he started at El Vez. I’m Japanese American. It’s a fun mix of the cultures. ‘Tako’ means ‘octopus’ in Japanese, and then, obviously, you know, taco,” Omori said.
The menu is also still taking shape, though an octopus dish may make the cut.
Omori said he’s excited about the partnership and eager to bring their vision to life.
“I’m excited to have full creativity,” he said. “I’m really excited to reinvigorate energy into these two buildings that have had a lot of restaurant history and keep that restaurant history going.”
Though still in the early stages, Omori and Gottehrer plan to stagger the openings, with O’Morrey’s set for spring 2026 and Tako Taco following in the fall.
