- December 4, 2025
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When Brian Briones, a chef at Kuro Sushi on Lakewood Ranch Main Street, smells fresh food, he is transported back to when he was young.
At the age of 6, his cooking journey began with the help of his grandfather, Rene Briones Sr.
His grandfather taught him to cook foods of Filipino origin, including pancit, which is the name for a wide variety of noodle dishes that can be made with meat, seafood and vegetables.
“Food has always correlated to comfort, peace and tranquility,” Brian Briones said. “The reward of being able to enjoy it and break bread with the family, or whoever you're creating it with, is fun.”
Briones brings Filipino influence to Kuro Sushi, a new Japanese restaurant that will open on Lakewood Ranch Main Street on Nov. 1.
Of Korean descent, Kuro Sushi owner Daniel Dokko said the restaurant will have a wide range of cultural influences in their food. He said Kuro Sushi has a “mixed team” with employees of Korean, Indonesian, Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese and Thai descent.
“Chef Daniel has taught me a lot in creating some new dishes that are not traditional Japanese,” Briones said. “They're Japanese inspired, but they're not limited to that, so there's excitement there.”
Kuro Sushi will be Dokko’s fourth restaurant in the area. He also owns Kore Steakhouse at Waterside and the two JPan Sushi and Grill locations on Siesta Drive and University Town Center. He was 25 when he opened his first restaurant on Siesta Drive.
“When you're young, you're less scared to fail,” Dokko said. “Now I'm scared to fail, because I have a lot to lose and I'm older. Back then, I had to make it happen so I did everything I could.”
Dokko has worked as a dishwasher, bus boy, server, chef, sous-chef, and manager before he opened his first restaurant in 2008. He said he is lucky to still have loyal customers 17 years later.
“I was always first to come and last to leave, and that was the reason why I was able to move up,” Dokko said. “I always wanted to learn.”
Dokko is eager to open on Main Street because he said Lakewood Ranch feels like a community where everybody knows everybody.
“I try to know everybody's name,” Dokko said. “To me, everybody's the same if you're a dishwasher or you're the general manager, and I'm so happy to be with them.”
Dokko said Kuro Sushi is going to be upscale fine dining, but also casual at the same time. He wants everyone to know they are welcome, including kids and people celebrating special occasions.
“The servers will wear jeans and t-shirts with the apron, but the servers will be trained to provide really high class service,” Dokko said. “Without the shirt and tie it's more casual.”
The restaurant is meant to be tapas style, which means you are meant to order smaller plates that are meant to be shared. Dokko recommends ordering three plates if you’re a good eater. Menu items will range from $7-$30.
Beginning Nov. 27, they will offer omakase, which means you don’t order anything and it is the chef’s choice on what they decide to make and serve the customer.
Dokko said one of his goals of the restaurant is to teach Japanese words to his customers little by little. The rolls on the menu will not be given fancy names, but instead numbered to expose them to Japanese words.
The restaurant will be open everyday 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch, and 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. for dinner. They are aiming to have a total of 35 employees including eight chefs, three bartenders, a manager and servers.
