ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Mada aite imasen.
The English translation as it applies to Okatshe, a Japanese restaurant/bar planned for Hamilton Street: Not open yet.
When Okatshe, the new eatery of famed Food Network “Iron Chef” champion Jose Garces, was announced in January, it was targeted to open in the second quarter of this year.
Officials say the opening of Okatshe now has been moved to October.Restaurant officials
Then it was announced in August that the business was hiring to fill all positions and was scheduled to open in mid-September.
Officials say that now has been moved to October.
Okatshe is connected to The Moxy Allentown Downtown Hotel at 947 W. Hamilton St., adjacent to the Archer Music Hall.
Intimate setting already in place
A visit to the restaurant Friday revealed an intimate setting, with table and booth seating.
Okatshe will be a modern take on traditional Japanese izakaya,.Food Network “Iron Chef” champion Jose Garces
Okatshe will be a modern take on traditional Japanese izakaya, which is a casual, social Japanese bar that serves a wide variety of small, shareable dishes along with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
The restaurant will feature Japanese small plates, sushi and sashimi, with a lively cocktail and Japanese whisky bar.
Okatshe will be across the street from Rosa Blanca, a Cuban café and rum bar that Garces opened in March.
Garces debuted Okatshe in the Tropicana Atlantic City in 2017. The restaurant, which closed in 2021, is certain to become a vital component of Allentown’s dining community.
Garces states that the city’s renaissance is reminiscent of Philadelphia’s in the early 2000s, a prospect he finds fertile and exciting.
“This harkens back to when I first got to Philadelphia in 2001 and saw an opportunity to create special dining experiences for a market that I felt was right,” he said.
