Tyson Cole opened the original Uchi, with its non-traditional expression of high-end Japanese food, in Austin, Texas, 20 years ago. Since then, the empire-building sushi chef has won a James Beard Award and rolled out outposts in Dallas, Denver, Houston and Miami.

But he no doubt feels the magnitude of what he’s about to do in Los Angeles. On Thursday, Dec. 7, Cole and Hai Hospitality will debut the sprawling, 191-seat Uchi L.A. in West Hollywood.

Cole knows that Los Angeles is where Nobu Matsuhisa famously opened Matsuhisa in 1987, which carved a path for sushi chefs all over America. He knows that L.A. is also the city of Kazunori Nozawa’s Sugarfish, as well as all the excellent Japanese food in the San Fernando Valley and South Bay.

“I’m very grateful to be here,” Cole tells Observer. “I think it’s the best sushi city in the country because of the execution, because of the selection. I’m very grateful to be able to add to that.”

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