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The San Francisco-based Omakase Restaurant Group is the force behind a number of Bay Area dining spots, from the Michelin-starred Niku Steakhouse to the dumpling chain Dumpling Time. Now, with the June 16 opening of Omakase World Market in South San Francisco, diners can find highlights from a number of Omakase projects – plus some brand-new ones – all in one place.
“Great food creates community,” Kash Feng, CEO of the Omakase Restaurant Group, stated in a press release. “Omakase World Market is a beautiful gathering place with a constellation of dining options that include greatest hits from our restaurant group along with new offerings created specifically for the Market. Our mission is to ensure that the food and beverages we serve are delicious, impeccably prepared and served, and represent a diversity of offerings.”
Omakase World Market is located in the Gateway of Pacific biotech campus, and the around-50,000-square-foot venue is designed with the space’s employees in mind but is also open to the general public.
The marketplace, open on weekdays, currently includes six concepts: Dumpling Time, which offers a variety of Asian dumplings and noodles; Cuisinett, a modern rotisserie and salad spot rooted in French traditions; The Butcher Shop by Niku, which offers the elite meat expertise of Niku in a more approachable format; Campo, a new Italian restaurant with takes on favorites such as pastas and pizzas; Ichiba by Omakase, a new sushi spot that draws on Omakase Restaurant Group’s Japanese-cuisine expertise; and Kyoto Senses, a cafe and bakery inspired by Kyoto’s tea culture, featuring favorite breakfast and cafe classics along with signature matcha beverages. From 3-7 p.m., the market will also offer a selection of beer, wine, cocktails and nonalcoholic drinks plus light bites.
When Omakase Restaurant Group was brought in to the property to partner with owner BioMed Realty, the idea was, “How can we come in and make this less of a cafeteria and more of a marketplace?” said Omakase’s director of operations Jason Fox. By offering a wide range of cuisine types, including some of the most popular items from their existing properties plus new concepts such as Campo and Kyoto Senses, the company is hoping to create a welcoming food-hall vibe that will meet the needs of anyone who ventures in.
“We like a lot of variety,” Fox said. “Hopefully people don’t get bored (with) lunch every day.”
Most of the dishes will be made in-house, with the exception of some of the dumplings, which will be brought in, he said.
Fox, who has both front of house and chef experience, said he is especially excited the market is offering a full sushi bar experience with Ichiba, and is personally partial to the housemade pastas he’s tasted so far from Campo, such as the lumache and cheese. The market’s executive chef Thomas Lee, he noted, has a wide range of experience, from burger counters to Michelin-starred fine dining, much like Omakase Restaurant Group itself. Fox is also a fan of the Butcher Shop by Niku’s popular smashburger. “(Cuisinett’s) rotisserie chicken is pretty phenomenal as well,” he added.
The dining area seats 240, plus 100 more in the bar/lounge area, and there is outdoor seating for 180, according to the press release. A pool table, golf simulator and arcade games are also open to visitors.
To offer even more choices, there may also be rotating specialties, he said, envisioning a monthlong pop-up paella option, for example, followed by something totally different.
“We’re going to keep playing around and see what people like,” he said.
In addition to Omakase World Market, the Omakase Restaurant Group operates a branch of Dumpling Time and the upscale Kappo along the Peninsula (both at Stanford Shopping Center). Other food halls to emerge in South San Francisco in recent years include The Hangar and Farewinds.
Omakase World Market, 800 Gateway Blvd., South San Francisco; 248-237-7381, Instagram: @omakaseworldmarket. As of June 16, Monday through Friday: Kyoto Senses open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; The Butcher Shop by Niku, Cuisinett, Dumping Time and Ichiba by Omakase open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Ichiba by Omakase and bar service also available 3-7 p.m.
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