Japanese restaurant Sake a Go Go opening in NuLu on Thursday

New Japanese restaurant Sake a Go Go opening in NuLu this week

Updated: 5:37 PM EDT May 6, 2025

A new Japanese restaurant is opening in NuLu this week, and it’s from the mind of one of Louisville’s most well-known restaurateurs.Sake a Go Go, which is located at 620 E Market Street, will officially open on Thursday, May 8.Behind the new concept is Kevin Grainger, who is the CEO of Belle Noble Entertainment Group. Grainger and Belle Noble operate three other popular restaurants in Louisville: The Village Anchor, Grassa Gramma, and Le Moo.The head chef of the new restaurant is Bryan Emperor, who has been “mastering Asian cuisines for the last 20 years,” according to his bio.The restaurant is described as: “An immersive fever dream—part seduction, part spectacle. A portal to another realm where Tokyo precision meets Sunset Strip soul. Sushi becomes sacred ritual, sake flows like whispered poetry, and every surface hums with ancient secrets. Cross the threshold and step into something wild, beautiful, and undeniably alive.”Sake a Go Go’s menu will consist of traditional Japanese foods like sashimi, kushi, and sushi nigiri. The restaurant will also be serving up sake cocktails, including a sake espresso martini.Patrons will also have the choice to opt for omakase, where the chef chooses your meal. the word translates to “I’ll leave it up to you” in Japanese.See the full menus here.To make reservations for Sake a Go Go, click here.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. —

A new Japanese restaurant is opening in NuLu this week, and it’s from the mind of one of Louisville’s most well-known restaurateurs.

Sake a Go Go, which is located at 620 E Market Street, will officially open on Thursday, May 8.

Behind the new concept is Kevin Grainger, who is the CEO of Belle Noble Entertainment Group. Grainger and Belle Noble operate three other popular restaurants in Louisville: The Village Anchor, Grassa Gramma, and Le Moo.

The head chef of the new restaurant is Bryan Emperor, who has been “mastering Asian cuisines for the last 20 years,” according to his bio.

The restaurant is described as:

“An immersive fever dream—part seduction, part spectacle. A portal to another realm where Tokyo precision meets Sunset Strip soul. Sushi becomes sacred ritual, sake flows like whispered poetry, and every surface hums with ancient secrets. Cross the threshold and step into something wild, beautiful, and undeniably alive.”

Sake a Go Go’s menu will consist of traditional Japanese foods like sashimi, kushi, and sushi nigiri. The restaurant will also be serving up sake cocktails, including a sake espresso martini.

Patrons will also have the choice to opt for omakase, where the chef chooses your meal. the word translates to “I’ll leave it up to you” in Japanese.

See the full menus here.

To make reservations for Sake a Go Go, click here.