- December 13, 2025
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Whatever your favorite dish was at the former Tsunami Sushi & Hibachi, you’ll be able to find it at the soon-to-open Hanami Sushi Cocktails & Grill, says co-owner Sam Ray.
What you won’t find is the old look, unless by old, you mean the more-than-100-year-old building the restaurant will now call home.
Although a five-minute walk from the original location, the historic building in the Rosemary District draws a sharp contrast with the previous modern space at the bottom of a downtown condominium complex.
“Tsunami is established as one of the best sushi restaurants around, so I wanted to see how much of the atmosphere of Japan I could bring into the space, which is what we've been trying to do,” Ray said.
The restaurant is putting on some finishing touches, and the expectation is to open by the end of November, Ray said.
The lease for the new space was signed prior to the closure of the Downtown Sarasota location of Tsunami in September.
Ray calls the new spot a chance to escape from modern aesthetic requirements downtown, and customize the restaurant in a way that wasn’t possible before.
However, he says the success of the Lakewood Ranch location of Tsunami Sushi, which opened in 2024, inspired the change and will retain the Tsunami brand.
The new site will provide a bigger kitchen capable of taking on additional catering roles, as well as more space that will allow for more events, including anniversaries.
Initially, Ray's team wasn’t sold on the idea of the move.
In fact, the old Citrus Exchange building has developed some level of reputation in the community as being “cursed,” due to a succession of businesses that have settled into the space only to close soon after.
However, Ray says when his team trusted him and then saw his vision come together, it did convince him of his plans.
Hanami occupies one of three units in a building that also includes the Food + Beer sports bar and the wine storage business Vin Cella, which has occupied the space since 2005.
Other establishments it has hosted include Mad Crow Brewery & Grill in 2011, Darwin's on 4th from early 2012 to mid-2015, Servandos from December 2015 to January 2017, Salsas & Boogaloo Restaurant & Lounge during late 2017, Catrina's Tacos and Tequila from 2018 until early 2019, Oasis Restaurant & Bar from September 2020 until May 2023, and Nancy’s BBQ from August 2023 to January 2024.
The Blue Rooster, which closed in 2022, became a staple of the Rosemary District across nearly a decade in the space.
“It’s not cursed,” Ray insists about the space.
He says — knowing the building's history — it was a little scary or risky to take on the project, but he says he has seen public attitudes evolve from skepticism to eager anticipation.
“Everybody's, ‘Sam, are you done yet?’ And I said, I swear I'm hooking up clients, like we're nearly there, but the attitude (around) this whole space has changed so much,” he said.
If attitudes have changed, then Ray has also changed the building; starting in January of this year, he has led extensive renovations to the 7,471 square foot space.
His team's vision is a space that will offer a relaxed atmosphere with sushi, hibachi, and other Japanese staples, as well as craft cocktails.
Visitors will be able to enjoy a dining area on the ground floor, another upstairs in the mezzanine area, and a lounge space and bar, with a small bites menu on offer for the restaurant's late-night hours. They will also have the chance to enjoy live music and DJs.
"We can accommodate far more people at a time, and also get a very relaxed and classy atmosphere," said co-owner Jason Klamson.
The restaurant also intends to offer valet parking for dinner.
“It was a delicate line to make it our own and still be respectful of the building's past, because I definitely don't want to upset any of the people that were here before,” Ray said.
Some of the major renovations have included moving the front entrance from an alleyway side to a sidewalk side, removing an apartment space, which included a wall blocking some of the windows, restructuring the roof, and changing the angle of the dining room bar.
Other renovations have included the removal of drywall for better visibility of the historic brick and other architectural details, altering floors, reworking gas and drain systems, and repainting the building exterior in white.
The restaurant is targeting an opening by the end of November.
Ray says the building is rich in history, from authentic cathedral doors to the wooden posts supporting the mezzanine area, which he says were originally used in John Ringling’s elephant barn.
As he renovates, he's working with the history of the space in mind, and for Ray, a pile of excavated floorboards is a keepsake.
He says they come from old heart pine, which he calls "rock hard, three times as heavy and I think, beautiful, because of the history of it," and plans to use them to rebuild a mezzanine railing.
He says he hopes that as people enter, they feel they’re stepping back in time and into Japan.
All the artwork on display and vases are from Japan, much of it donated by the community.
Among the decorations are local tree branches fixed with sakura (cherry blossom) leaf decorations.
That’s a direct tie to the restaurant’s new name, which refers to the Japanese tradition of flower viewing during the spring season.
“Hanami’ literally translates to ‘flower viewing’ in Japanese, and when the sakura trees bloom, all of the families picnic underneath, so I really like that vibe for a restaurant,” Ray said.
