Though details are still few, the Sushi Ran team has picked a name for the new restaurant they're plotting for the former Pesce space at 2223 Market Street: Nomica. As Sushi Ran vice president Suzie Buchholz tells Eater, the name has a couple of meanings for them, the first of which is it's the word for "drinking house" in Japanese signaling that the concept, with its full bar, could izakaya-like in nature. Second, "It’s a fun little nod to our neighbors," because it's like an abbreviated amalgam of the surrounding neighborhoods: Noe Valley (No), Mission (mi), and Castro (ca).
As reported earlier, the acclaimed, 30-year-old Sushi Ran in Sausalito is opening their first SF venture in the space, which was home to Pesce for just two years and 2223 before that.
This marks Sushi Ran's first expansion attempt. Meanwhile, several former members of the Sushi Ran team broke out on their own this summer with the opening of Village Sake Izakaya in Fairfax.*
They're aiming for an early spring 2016 opening for Nomica.
Previously: High-End Sausalito Spot Sushi Ran Expands To The Castro
* This post has been corrected to show that Village Sake is a solo venture and not directly affiliated with Sushi Ran.