Shibumi Bringing Casual Kappo-Style Japanese Food to Downtown Later This Year

Is Downtown ready for some more Japanese food? It better be, because here comes Shibumi, tucking right into Hill Street in just a few short weeks.

The place is definitely still coming together at the moment, but here’s an Instagram account that shows the build-out in progress for Shibumi, as well as a few of the dishes in progress. The restaurant is the work of David Schlosser, who previously spent time working in kaiseki restaurants in Kyoto and at popular New York City spot Shuko, to which Eater’s own Ryan Sutton awarded three stars back in February.

So far, there’s a full type 47 booze license pending for the place, and a few other details around the interwebs point to the place being a kitchen-facing Kappo-style restaurant. That would mean it’s a more casual experience, sort of akin to sitting at Republique's chef's counter — in the case of Shibumi, the counter is going to be 30 feet long and made of cypress. Think of it all as more formal than an izakaya, but more relaxed than a full-on kaiseki.

The location is also worth noting, considering the other changes happening right there. The corner of Hill and 8th Street is due for some serious revitalization after adding a sweetgreen and swapping out party spot The Vault for another club, 801Hill.

Shibumi should be ready for an October 1 arrival Downtown.

Shibumi
809 Hill St.
Los Angeles, CA