A customer who ate at Kotobuki blindfolded might not notice anything different about the renovated Japanese restaurant on Old Northern Boulevard in Roslyn.
“The food and prices are the same, but everything else has changed” since the restaurant reopened on July 28, said Eric Kim, a former general manager who now oversees operations at all four Kotobuki locations in New York.
“We gutted it out,” he said. “The dining room, the layout and the restroom have all changed.”
An expansive main dining area abuts a sushi bar.
“It used to seat 70 people; now it seats 12 more than that,” he said.
Kotobuki closed for the renovations in late February, when they began as part of the company’s effort to fix up each of its restaurants every 10 years, Kim said.
Since the Roslyn location opened in 2007, it was due for a tune-up.
Kotobuki’s first location opened in Hauppauge in 1987, and the company has since added restaurants in Babylon, Manhattan and Roslyn.
It is known for serving Japanese staples like sashimi and sushi alongside fusion offerings like spicy tuna pizza and tempura sliders.
When the restaurant closed for renovation it ran the risk of losing customers, Kim admitted.
But, he said, the customer response has been positive since the reopening, as evidenced by Facebook comments made in reply to a post announcing the occasion.
“I’ve been waiting forever,” Heather Golin Hammerman said.
Christine Bonfardino Wilkins said, “I missed you.”
Three others simply wrote, “finally.”
What are Kotobuki’s hopes for the refurbished restaurant?
“Another 10 good years,” Kim said.
