Sushi Namba, a $10,000 members-only sushi restaurant is coming to Miami

Arushi Sakhuja

Miami’s dining scene is about to get an expensive new addition with Sushi Namba, a $10,000 members-only sushi restaurant. Brothers Samuel and Jose Tcherassi are the duo behind the idea. They have managed to get the acclaimed sushi master chef Hidefumi Namba, straight from Tokyo, to head their ultra-exclusive establishment named Ura. The property will be in a gated building in Allapattah, an up-and-coming artistic neighbourhood northwest of downtown Miami.

In summer 2024, the Tcherassi brothers and Namba will open the multi-concept Ura, a 1,700 sq ft (158 square metre) space that includes Sushi Namba and the Listening Room, a jazz lounge, that will also host Cocktailante Oboro.

So what’s the real deal? To access Sushi Namba Miami residents must pay a $10,000 membership fee, granting them monthly access. In addition, the membership grants access to a jazz lounge called the Listening Room and a cocktail bar that will offer bespoke fruit-based elixirs, a nod to Tokyo’s Bar Cocktailante Oboro. The cost of a sushi omakase meal at Sushi Namba ranges from $400 to $500 per person. What sets Sushi Namba apart is the chef’s obsessive focus on temperature control, among other things.  Each piece of nigiri with both fish and rice will be at just the right temperature. Additionally, chef Hidefumi Namba will employ techniques and ingredients sourced directly from Tokyo’s Toyosu Market and will handpick the fish thrice a week, ensuring authenticity in every bite.

The members-only experience is a well-established industry in Japan and this is now coming to other parts of the world. The Tcherassi brothers believe that opening an expensive members-only place brings guests a better experience. Once chef Namba understands his customers, he can even customize their experience—a common practice in Japan known as Omotenashi –  the Japanese approach to hospitality for hosts whose work goes above and beyond the norm. Guests can expect around seven small appetizers before moving on to consume around 15 nigiri. He will offer two of his signature starters: soy sauce-marinated monkfish liver sashimi and stewed red bream accented with green onion-like negi.

The Miami restaurant is being designed by Colombia-based 5 Sólidos using quality materials in stone and wood. The design is inspired by sushi itself. Upfront will be a 10-seater hinoki-wood sushi counter, and a private four-seat nook will overlook a small garden studded with rocks and bonsai trees.

The Tcherassi brothers say that they will cap the number of members at around 300 and have started accepting reservations.