Restaurant and cocktail bar concept by Omaha’s Flagship Restaurant Group is currently the country’s largest sushi restaurant group running a sustainably sourced seafood program in partnership with the prestigious Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch.

Franklin location marks concept’s second foray in the Nashville market and restaurant group’s 45^th opening.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 25, 2024 – Omaha-based Flagship Restaurant Group, a leading hospitality group with over 45 restaurants in its portfolio in more than a dozen markets, ranging from Phoenix to Chicago, Denver and Austin, today opened Blue Sushi Sake Grill Franklin at McEwen Northside, the walkable, urban community in the core of Cool Springs, one of the most desirable and thriving retail markets in the country. The restaurant comes to Franklin just two years after the success of the concept’s Fifth + Broadway (Nashville) location. Blue Sushi Sake Grill is Flagship Restaurant Group’s marquee restaurant concept that first came on the dining scene in Omaha in 2002 and now has locations in cities all around the country. The brand and its owners (Nick Hogan, Tom Allisma, Anthony Hitchcock, Tony Gentile) are fully committed to serving quality fare while making a positive impact on the world’s oceans. Flagship Restaurant Group prides themselves on their sustainability efforts, as part of their Conscious Earth mission, and the Blue Sushi Sake Grill concept is currently the country’s LARGEST sushi restaurant group running a sustainably sourced seafood program in partnership with the prestigious Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. They also offer one of the broadest Vegan sushi menus in the country.

The Concept

Blue Sushi Sake Grill transforms the sushi experience by merging responsibly sourced seafood with creative ingredients and bold flavors. Guests will arrive to the restaurant to find interior design inspired by Japanese cues filtered through a non-traditional, American lens. From a backlit collage of a massive Godzilla (largest in Blue Sushi Sake Grill’s 20+ year history) in the lounge area to large geisha murals on the building’s exterior, created by local muralist Eric “Mobe” Bass, the team has reimagined important symbols of Japan that embody heritage, culture and hospitality. In the dining room, guests will find wave patterns with cherry blossoms inspired by Japanese prints, overhead, and a white lantern wall. Throughout the dining room and lounge, red lantern clouds hang from the ceiling and hand-finished tables that are inspired by carts found in the Tokyo fish markets, custom painted with Kanji characters, await guests. Guests will find floor to ceiling windows, with views of the surrounding destination, on two sides of the space. The restaurant was designed by Design Collective Nashville in collaboration with Flagship Restaurant Group.

Sustainability and Responsible Sourcing: Brand Commitment

The restaurant’s menus are fully transparent and include sourcing details about every single menu item that is available to guests. From Bigeye Tuna that hails from Hawaii to Dutch Yellowtail from the Netherlands and Blue Crab from Nicaragua, the Flagship Restaurant Group and Blue Sushi Sake Grill team have made it their mission, through their “Conscious Earth” program, to educate diners about the quality of food they serve, their commitment to responsible sourcing and their ongoing partnerships with the leaders in sustainability like the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch and non-profit organizations focused on animal welfare.

The Menus

Guests of the restaurant can expect a variety of creative dishes throughout Blue Sushi Sake Grill’s happy hour, lunch, and dinner menus which also include a multitude of gluten-free and vegan items. On the small, medium and large plates section, diners will find items such as Crispy Brussels Sprouts tossed in creamy lemon miso sauce and toasted cashews, the River Rock Beef featuring all-natural beef tenderloin, served on sizzling rocks with jalapeno ponzu and yuzu kosho, the brand’s signature Tuna Tower and the Ceviche, made with tilapia, white shrimp, lime juice, cucumber, cherry tomato, avocado, cilantro, sweet onion, jalapeno salsa, wonton crisps, togarashi and chili oil. Specialty nigiri and sashimi dishes include the Cherry Bomb featuring bigeye tuna on top of rice tempura, topped with serrano, sriracha, togarashi and ponzu sauce, and the Yellowtail Serrano, featuring yellowtail, cilantro, serrano and ponzu sauce. The Maki menu includes everything from raw to cooked rolls, like the Godzilla Bomb, Spanish Fly, the Snow White and the Vegan “Cowgirl” roll made with pickle vegan tempura, sriracha-fried onion rings, BBQ paper, vegan mayo and tonkatsu sauce. Their Vegan menu includes over 15 creative maki rolls, specialty dishes ranging from Tofu Lettuce Wraps to the Kaluna Crispy Rice Cake topped with avocado, spicy plant-based tuna, scallion and ponzu sauce, and a selection of nigiri, including seaweed caviar and Unami BBQ eggplant eel.

And last, but not least, beverage enthusiasts will find unique cocktails and zero-proof libations throughout the menu, like the Kokuto Whiskey, made with Legent Bourbon, Japanese Black Sugar, Sansho-Infused Angostura and Orange, the signature White Peach Daiquiri crafted with Bacardi Rum, White Peach, Lime, Sparkling Peach Sake and Peach Boba and the Hapa Highball, consisting of Toki Japanese Whiskey, Pineapple, Yuzu and Bubbles. The restaurant also offers unique selections of sake and Japanese Whisky, as well as some of the leading names in beer and wine.

Blue Sushi Sake Grill is open:

• Monday – Thursday: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
• Friday and Saturday: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM
• Sunday: 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Happy Hour:

• Monday – Saturday: 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
• Sunday: All day

Directions

About The Development

MCEWEN NORTH SIDE 

McEwen Northside is an inviting urban experience in the vibrant Cool Springs area of Franklin, Tennessee. The unique 45-acre mixed-use environment will include approximately 750,000 square feet of Class A office space, 113,000 square feet of restaurants and specialty retail, a 150-room business-class hotel, 770 luxury apartments, and upwards of 10 acres of beautifully designed green spaces to seamlessly connect the community.

Press

• TheNewsTN
• Nashville Lifestyles