Now open: 5 details to know about Sushi Guru’s new two-story Plaza Midwood location

Sushi Guru is now open in Plaza Midwood.

Despite mediocre space and decor, SouthPark’s Sushi Guru has earned a reputation as one of the top sushi restaurants in our city. So it makes sense that they’re now launching a flagship restaurant in the heart of Plaza Midwood.

Sushi Guru has a 4/5 rating on Yelp, 4.7/5 on Facebook, 3.5/5 rating on Zomato and 4.1/5 rating on Google. The Agenda named it the #9 sushi restaurant in Charlotte.

Sushi Guru’s new Plaza Midwood location is about 30 yards away from Whiskey Warehouse on The Plaza. The exact location is 1217 The Plaza. After construction delays, they’re now officially open.

Hours are 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 11 a.m. – midnight on Friday and Saturday.

Here are 5 details you need to know.

(1) The two-story restaurant will feature dining on each level, plus two large glass garage doors and a spacious outdoor patio.

The downstairs dining area isn’t large, so expect a lot of dining to take place on the front patio. The second story will have a bar. I’ve also been told that the basement will serve as a wine cellar.

(2) Instead of just sushi, the Sushi Guru’s Plaza Midwood 11-page menu will feature ramen, skewers, meats and poke bowls.

The entree section of the menu is divided between the different ways of cooking the food items — Tempura, which is lightly breaded and deep fried (ranging from $7-$18); Teppanyaki, which is a Japanese style of cooking that involves an iron griddle to grill or pan fry, (ranging from $8 to $24); and Robatayaki, which is a method of cooking similar to barbecuing (ranging from $6 to $24).

Each Ramen option is about $13 and serves a hearty portion of noodles, vegetables, broth, and toppings.

If you’re there for lunch, go with the Lunch Bento Box option which combine several different pieces off of the menu (around $14).

Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to get innovative favorites like Sushi Guru’s sushi pizza.

(3) Cocktails will impress. A few months ago, Sushi Guru hired a world-class bartender from the Philippines named Michael Tubiera.

He’ll be running the cocktail bar on the second floor.

I expect Michael and Sushi Guru to make an immediate impact on Charlotte’s growing craft cocktail culture.

[Related Agenda story: This award-winning 26-year-old bartender could work anywhere in the world and he’s about to launch his cocktail program at Sushi Guru]

(4) The first floor will have a poke bar, but you’ll still be able to get all your favorite sushi rolls.

Poke, so hot right now. As you’d expect, you’ll be able to create your own poke bowl or choose from Sushi Guru’s pre-set options.

Poke bowls will run you $14 from their menu or you can create your own for $12.

I love poke bowls, but you’ll find me at the second-floor sushi bar watching the chefs create Sushi Guru’s tasty rolls.

The five most popular rolls at Sushi Guru are their Guru Roll, Hamachi Jalapeño Roll, SouthPark Roll, Salmon Lover Roll or the Tuna Lover Roll.

(5) Sushi Guru’s Plaza Midwood parking lot is tiny (I think I saw about 15 spaces), so they’ve installed 7 car lifts. Yes, car lifts.

It’ll be interesting to see if car lifts start being utilized in more urban hotspots around our driver-happy city.

With no upscale sushi competition in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood, I expect Sushi Guru to be successful. I’m most curious about whether or not it can create a craft cocktail vibe that can rival Soul Gastrolounge.