Within two months, nearly a year after their plan was first covered by What Now Atlanta, Danny and Jenny Chen will open the doors of their long-awaited second Nova Sushi Bar & Asian Bistro on the ground floor of the 22-story Alexan on 8th tower.
The upcoming 4,596 square-foot restaurant at 880 W. Peachtree St NW will retain the same extensive menu as Nova’s Buckhead Triangle Shopping Center flagship, with sushi chefs preparing nigiri, sushi rolls and sashimi. Off the sushi menu, noodle dishes, soups, salads, fried rice and a slew of Chinese and Thai options will be served. Unlike Nova’s Buckhead location, the larger new building will facilitate separate bars for customers to order their sushi and to sip beer, wine, cocktails or sake.
Since Nova Sushi’s first location opened in 2017, the eatery has been named among Atlanta’s best sushi restaurants by Eater Atlanta and Yelp! users.
“We define our restaurant as a daily dine-in place—not high-end vibes, [but] a more casual dining environment for people to enjoy great healthy food every day,” Jenny Chen told What Now Atlanta. “[Danny] knows his customer and he always tries his best to provide them with the best sushi and the best food.”
Construction at the site cost an estimated $380,000 and, according to representing real estate broker Rosemary Beck of Beck Property Company, Inc., took nine months to complete. Amid the pandemic, Beck said, the permitting process took an additional six months.
Sushi Chef and owner Danny Chen came to the United States from China in 2003, rolling sushi and shaping sashimi at New York City restaurants for 10 years. He went on to open restaurants of his own in Atlanta, including RICE Sushi on Hammond Road at Peachtree Dunwoody and Asian Cafe in Williamsburg Square Shopping Center — however, Chen set aside his previous culinary ventures when Nova’s first location far outperformed these sites.
After fine-tuning the operations of the Midtown restaurant, Chen hopes to open further Nova Sushi locations. Beck told What Now Atlanta that ideal sites would measure between 3,000 and 4,000 square feet, and would be situated in high-density residential areas. Drive-thru infrastructure and patio space are not essential, said Beck, but would be appealing for future Nova Sushi sites.
