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Despite assurances to the contrary, it is now patently obvious that Sushi Rock in the Warehouse District will not reopen this fall as planned. The space on W. 6th Street currently is available for lease.

The once-swanky sushi restaurant and club opened 13 years ago this month. When it abruptly closed its doors last July, the owners vowed that the move was temporary and that the club would reopen after a major renovation.

A prepared statement from management reads: “The Downtown Sushi Rock will not be re-opening at this time in its
previous location. The Space is currently available for lease. We are so proud to have been one of the founding businesses in the warehouse district. We started our concept on West 6th street and were able to grow into multiple locations including Beachwood, Columbus and South Florida. We thank the community for their years of patronage – without them our success would not be possible. Cleveland is going through a lot of changes right now, and we felt that our upscale dining concept was no longer a good fit for the location on West 6th. We are seeking possible new locations for the future, and will be sure to keep everyone posted.”

This article appears in Mar 27 – Apr 2, 2013.

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.

13 replies on “Updated: Downtown Sushi Rock Not Reopening as Planned”

  1. When you loose quality and price point is still high it’s kind of a no brainer…
    Especially with Ginko easy to find in Tremont….

  3. SeekTruth, try again? There was never a plan. There was no need for a “remodel” of this space. The owners of Sushi Rock are not very good with their business practices…

  6. SeekTruth is probably correct that the casino is not helping all of downtown’s restaurants. The owners of the Cleveland ChopHouse decided not to renew their lease even though they were partnered up with the casino’s Total Rewards program, and the Nexus Cafe & Coffeehouse near the casino also shut down.

  7. I love how they managed to put a cute spin on it as if it were Cleveland’s fault they were leaving: “we felt that our upscale dining concept was no longer a good fit for the location on West 6th.” Not ready to own up to the fact that you couldn’t handle the pressures? Admit the truth, at least!! Seems your “upscale dining concept” wasn’t upscale enough to handle the obvious increase in rent. It’s the landlord’s fault. Bottom line.
    Guess they need a little more “upscale” to make the grade.

  8. Haven’t eaten here in some years, but it’s quite apparent that it’s sister restaurant in Beachwood is suffering for extremely poor service, less than quality food and sloppy presentation. I noticed that they didn’t lower their prices accordingly. I should add, no hot water in the men’s restroom, especially in a sushi restaurant, is just asking for trouble.

  9. “I love how they managed to put a cute spin on it as if it were Cleveland’s fault they were leaving”

    Well of course it is Cleveland’s fault. Cleveland subsidized East 4th Street to the tune of millions of dollars and is now subsidizing the Flats East Bank. No surprise the Warehouse District is in decline.

  10. Seek Truth and Robert 888 are incorrect. The casino is not running restaurants out of town. Nexus was poorly managed and wasn’t that great. It closed of its own issues. The Chop House is part of a national chain that lacked decent service and slowly lost its customer base. Sushi Rock ran its course after 13 years. Most places eventually run their course – especially when they don’t keep up. The casino has been good for most places business, not bad. Stop your whining.

  11. Well now, looks like someone touched a nerve on the subject. Look, sushi rock was always packed whenever I was in there, so I’m a little surprised they are deciding not to reopen because it seemed like they always did very well. That being said, the West 6th area seems to be going less upscale and more party/drinking-oriented. It would make sense that a place that offers sushi wouldn’t really be your typical drunk’s choice of food. Unless it was chicken fingers sushi, of course.

  12. National chains come and go so…
    Fill the space with someone that is local and THAT CARES about quality(quantity too?)

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