Tag: destination

Japanese food wasn’t always seen as belonging on the same fine dining stage as other foods in Chicago, which is why Arami’s 14-year run in West Town has been remarkable, coinciding with how the perceptions of Americans have changed. As one of the first restaurants along a stretch of Chicago Avenue now crowded with restaurants, Ty and brother Troy Fujimura’s restaurants set a standard with hot and cold options with top-notch sushi, noodles, and skewers.

That run will close at the end of August as Arami’s final service will come on Saturday, August 31. Fujimura says he notified his workers on Wednesday, August 14.

“We struggle like any other restaurant — especially a small restaurant — and [it’s hard to] kind of make ends meet without having to compromise,” Ty Fujimura says. “So we’re in that position now where I think the restaurant, I know the restaurant has run its course.”

There’s a pattern for the Fujimuras who earlier this year sold his first restaurant, SmallBar, in Logan Square. There are personal and family struggles that Ty Fujumura didn’t want to share. Despite the support of regulars, Arami has struggled since the pandemic began in 2020. Chef Joe Fontelera departed to pursue his dream of spotlighting Filipino food and opening Boonie’s Filipino Restaurant. Not that scrambling was anything new for Arami. Two years in, opening chef and partner BK Park left the restaurant abruptly in 2012 (he would later open Juno in Lincoln Park). The Fujimuras closed the restaurant for two weeks to reload. In 2016, a fire kept the restaurant closed for a month. Even more recently, the Fujimuras brought back a fan favorite rehiring chef Nelson Vinansaca, their former sushi chef who moved to Ecuador five years ago. Vinansaca brought stability, but apparently, it hasn’t been enough.

Fujumura says if anyone is interested in buying a turnkey restaurant, he’d be interested in selling the business. But right now, he feels a sense of relief. Arami could also be considered a pioneer as one of the first upscale restaurants on a stretch of Chicago Avenue that now includes Brasero, Forbidden Root, All Together Now, and more. Fujimura says he’s been wrestling with the decision to close the former Michelin Bib Gourmand staple for about a month.

“It might sound weird, but I’m really happy — I’m happy because now we have time to celebrate,” Ty Fujimura says. “We can celebrate this restaurant with our friends and our family. You know past employees, people that haven’t been there yet. — there are so many experiences that people have shared there whether it’s memories made for birthdays, anniversaries, or what have you.”

The restaurant opened just before sushi omakase became trendy and has hosted several celebrities including Blackhawk players, musicians, and actors. It was also where sports reporter Darren Rovell complained about surcharges.

“I’ve been waffling back and forth… I could restructure my lease and maybe do a little fund raise, and do some changes at the restaurant,” he says. “But you know what? That sounds like I’m rescuing this restaurant. The restaurant doesn’t need to be rescued. This restaurant needs to be retired,”

Fujumura has been reexamining his role in the restaurant industry. He remains a partner at Lilac Tiger, the reimagined Wazwan in Wicker Park with food from James Beard Award nominee Zubair Mohajir. Midway International Airport still has an Arami location, and he’s hopeful of opening one at O’Hare International Airport. His company, Fujimura Hospitality, runs the food service at the Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club at Montrose Harbor, and he runs Rockwell Bottle Shop in Lincoln Square. But it’s been challenging during the pandemic. He swung hard and relocated Michelin-starred Entented from Lincoln Square to a new space in River North. Pandemic-era dining restrictions crushed the restaurant which has since closed and is now home to Obelix.

“After doing this now for well over two decades, it’s that time to catch your breath, that time to be in your own element, and inside your head… those times are far and few in between,” Fujimura says. “I feel no one’s going to give me that, no one’s going to make that time for me — I need to make that time for myself.”

Arami, 1629 W. Chicago Avenue, closing Saturday, August 31.