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Covington residents will soon be able to enjoy Japanese pizza in a space that will mimick the streets of downtown Tokyo.
Epic Brands, the restaurant group behind Agave & Rye, is launching Tokyo Pie at 633 Madison Ave., a new concept serving Japanese-inspired pizza and immersive, “show-stopping” cocktails, per a press release.
The group debuts the concept after seven years of owning the space alongside its original Agave & Rye location at 635 Madison Ave., Epic Brands founder Yavonne Sarber said.
The narrow space being designed to look like the streets of downtown Tokyo features 1,500 square feet for seating and a 250-square-foot kitchen. The group has tested multiple concepts there since 2018, including a coffee joint and for overflow at Agave & Rye’s flagship location.
That strip on Madison Avenue across the street from the award-winning Hotel Covington is “such a great little spot,” Sarber said, explaining that “with how hot Covington is now we thought ‘why are we not utilizing it?’ So we decided to.”
The restaurant group dreamt up the Tokyo-inspired concept after seeing Japanese eateries take off in other cities, such as Nashville and New York.
“We try to keep up with restaurant trends … what excites us and what is exciting to the rest of the country,” Sarber said, adding that a Japanese pizzeria like Tokyo Pie is “something we haven’t seen in the Cincinnati market.”
What’s on the menu at Tokyo Pie?
Tokyo Pie’s menu will consist of several kinds of Japanese pizza, which is made using a different, three-day fermentation process than pizzas popularized in America that are made in one day. Pizza lovers can expect dishes ranging from the Tokyo Flame with crispy pepperoni, umami red sauce and honey chili to the Sōsēji, featuring Snake River Farms wagyu sausage and blistered shishito peppers.
Paired with the pizza menu is an immersive cocktail program with aromatic smoke, flames and other garnishes, bringing a “sense of theater” to Tokyo Pie. Drinks include a matcha and coconut dessert cocktail and Japanese whiskey.
In addition to LCD panels playing professional sports, late-night patrons can look forward to livestreamed DJ sets from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Sarber says Tokyo Pie is expected to open around the end of September, though an opening date has not yet been determined.
Tokyo Pie will be open Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to midnight, Thursdays through Saturdays from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. and Sundays from 4 p.m. to midnight.
AloJapan.com