Umi Japanese Steakhouse
Winston-Salem, NC
- Location
- Winston-Salem, NC
- Building type
- Restaurant
- Status
- Hospitality
- Partners
- Perry Peterson & James Gordon
The project
A sushi lounge and teppanyaki hall where the theatre of the grill had to work in the same building as a quiet, dimly lit bar.
Umi needed two rooms with different tempos: an active teppanyaki floor and a low-lit sushi lounge that could hold a business dinner. We used circulation and material change — not walls — to separate them.
Walnut slats, backlit stone and warm pendants carry the interior. Kitchen exhaust, service routes and guest sightlines were resolved together, which is where restaurants usually lose their atmosphere.
Design notes
Acoustics
Separate zones for the grill rooms and the lounge, tuned with material rather than doors.
Service
Delivery and back-of-house access kept entirely off the guest path.
Materials
Walnut, stone and brass chosen for how they age under low light.
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