Credit: A 3D Rendering of Dining Room

Build-out has already begun on a 3,000-square-foot restaurant space on Detroit Avenue, adjacent to Dan Deagan’s Humble Wine Bar. When it opens in early June, Voodoo Tuna Sushi Bar & Lounge will bring Asian Fusion to Lakewood.

“The interior will be very modern, somewhat Asian-inspired, with bold colors,” says partner Mike Longo, who has no relation to the operator of Harvest Kitchen in Solon.

The contemporary dining room will accommodate approximately 100 guests at tables, a sushi bar and a large wet bar. A front patio will provide seating for more diners.

Partner Joe Koskovics, who has spent the last six years preparing sushi at restaurants like Ballantine and Lure Bistro in Willoughby, will be running the food side of the operation. He’ll be joined by executive chef Andrew Jackson and GM Dave Socha, also both from Ballantine.

“We’re going to take classic Asian dishes and put an Americanized spin on them,” Koskovics explains. “We’ll take sushi dishes and blend them with elements from the kitchen.”

Credit: A 3D Rendering of Dining Room
Examples include the Sea Swine Roll, which will be filled with bacon, scallops, tempura-fried shrimp and veggies. Another roll will feature filet and lobster meat. Fans of traditional sushi like spicy tuna rolls and yellow tail will be able to order those as well.

The other main menu categories include noodle bowls, steamed buns and entrees. As with the sushi, the items will be a blend of modern and traditional. Ramen, soba and udon noodle bowls will join barbecue eel and Asian slaw-filled steamed buns. Entrees like grilled steak will be topped with tempura-fried asparagus and served with an Asian-inspired sauce.

Beer, wine and sake-based cocktails like the Tokyo Mule, a blend of sake, ginger beer and lime, will originate from the large bar. On weekends, management will clear out some of the tables from the dining room to transform the space into a lounge. A limited food menu will be served late.

The team is hoping to open soon after Memorial Day.

“We’re really excited to go to Lakewood,” says Longo. “All of our neighbors have been really supportive.” 

This article appears in Apr 1-7, 2015.

For 25 years, Douglas Trattner has worked as a full-time freelance writer, editor and author. His work as co-author on Michael Symon's cookbooks have earned him four New York Times Best-Selling Author honors, while his longstanding role as Scene dining editor has garnered awards of its own.

10 replies on “New Asian Fusion Restaurant to Open in Lakewood”

  1. YES!!! This is what we needed, I was just thinking we needed a sushi bar in Lakewood. I can’t want to patronize your establishment. Wishing you great success!

  2. About time Lakewood gets a sushi bar. Here’s hoping it’s better than (and not as overpriced as) Sushi Rock.

  3. Cannot wait!!!!! Joe and Drew are AMAZING chefs and Lakewood definitely needs a sushi place like this!! 🙂 yum!

  8. There is already a sushi place in Lakewood! It is Panda wok on w117th and I have been eating sushi and Asian food there since they opened last year! The sushi is always fresh and delicious, especially the dynamite specialty sushi roll! The staff is always polite and friendly and they have a BYOB policy! They also deliver anywhere in Lakewood and they deliver sushi!

  10. I was so excited about this opening I went the first day. Bad move. They’ve somehow managed to out-Sushi Rock Sushi Rock in the overpriced white boy sushi department. Seriously, unless you count BBQ eel sauce, sushi should not be SWEET. I’d rather drive across town and drop the same $100 at Shuhei and get something worth the money.

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