Get a preview of Japanese restaurant Koshu Club before it opens next week
Koshu Club, the highly anticipated new Japanese restaurant from the team behind Mujo, the No. 1 restaurant on the Atlanta 50 list, will open April 14 in the 99 West Paces apartment building in Buckhead.
J. Trent Harris, a James Beard Award finalist and the executive chef at Mujo, will lead the restaurant with a menu featuring elements of Japanese cuisine he can’t offer at sushi-focused Mujo.
“This is an opportunity to explore some of those things I really enjoy,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Harris said he was inspired by the Showa era of Japanese culture, a time period that refers to the reign of Japanese emperor Hirohito, which lasted from 1926 to 1989. The term more specifically applies to Japan’s post-World War II economic boom, when the country rebuilt and reimagined itself.
It can be a nostalgic time period known for the popularity of yoshoku cuisine, or Western-style Japanese food.
Koshu Club will not lean into the nostalgia of the era, Harris said, but use it as more of a “jumping-off point” to draw on some of the beloved dishes from that era.
The restaurant will offer an a la carte menu that starts with shareable plates, followed by sashimi and caviar service, then robatayaki, or skewered vegetables, seafood and meat slow-grilled over binchotan charcoal. There will also be a selection of sides that can be ordered alongside the other dishes, similar to how a person might order food at a steakhouse.
Some of the items Harris is particularly excited about on the menu include kani kurimu korokke, a croquette with rich crab bechamel that’s served with Japanese tartar sauce, and mushroom doria, which is essentially a rice gratin with rice and mushrooms cooked in a flavorful dashi, then covered in bechamel and topped with Parmesan.
There will also be some washoku dishes, which is a more traditional Japanese cuisine, like nasu agebitashi, or marinated eggplant.
Koshu Club’s menu is very different from Mujo as it leans into cooked meats and will have no sushi.
“It is an interesting and fun exercise to be able to do something a little bit different,” Harris said, though he added he’s a little sad he won’t be working with sushi every day.
Keith Miller, Harris’ chef de cuisine, has also taken on a larger role in working on the menu and developing his own items for Koshu Club, Harris said.
“(That’s) why you need to grow at a certain point,” he said. “You have to find ways to create opportunities for the people that are with you.”
The beverage program will be an important aspect of the restaurant with a wine menu that’s a little different from Mujo’s, given the nature of the food. Michael Satusky, the bartender at Mujo, developed a Japanese cocktail program; Kiki Austin, the sake sommelier at Mujo, put together a sake list; and there’s a 700-bottle wine list developed by Nicolas Quiñones, beverage director of Castellucci Hospitality Group.
“To me, it’s important if we’re going to do those things, if they’re not an afterthought, that they should exist on their own,” Harris said.
The service style will be held to the same high standard as at Mujo, said Federico Castellucci, owner of Castellucci Hospitality Group, which includes Mujo, Koshu Club, Cooks & Soldiers, Iberian Pig, Sugo and Double Zero.
Guests can expect a less structured environment, something that’s “unpretentious and comfortable,” Harris said, the kind of place you can go in jeans and a T-shirt and have a great meal, but with service that’s still professional and attentive.
“We’re gonna have a couple drinks, we’re gonna have some bites, we can linger a little bit,” Harris said, describing the atmosphere he hopes to cultivate.
The price point will hover around $100-$200 per person, Castellucci said, pricing that’s driven by the ingredients they’re using — “All of the best Japanese seafood and meat.”
Koshu Club was built out from scratch in the 99 West Paces building, Castellucci said, with interior design by Smith Hanes Studio.
“It was about creating a very intimate but luxurious space,” he said.
They wanted something with high ceilings and enough room for each guest to sit comfortably while still maintaining an intimate feel. There are 45 seats, 15 of which will be at the bar.
The interiors are dark, darker even than Mujo, Harris said, and it draws on the Japanese aesthetic of shibui — “a beautiful space, but it’s not begging for your attention.”
Koshu Club will be open daily from 5:30-10:30 p.m.
99 West Paces Ferry Road NW, Atlanta. koshuclubatl.com
About the Author
Olivia Wakim is a digital content producer on the food and dining team. She joined the AJC as an intern in 2023 after graduating from the University of Georgia with a journalism degree. While in school, she reported for The Red & Black, Grady Newsource and the Marietta Daily Journal.
