June 19, 2020
San Diego's RMD Group will grand open its highly anticipated 5,000 square foot modern Japanese rooftop restaurant Lumi in the Gaslamp Quarter on Tuesday, June 23, with a menu from 2-time Michelin-starred chef Akira Back.
News broke in early 2018 that San Diego's RMD Group - the hospitality company behind such downtown concepts as Volcano Rabbit, Rustic Root, Side Bar, and Ciro's Pizzeria - had purchased the historic Grand Pacific Hotel building sited at the corner of 5th and J in the heart of the Gaslamp to construct a 15,000 square-foot, 3-story, multi-concept restaurant, bar and entertainment venue. RMD
hired highly-respected native San Diego chef James Montejano to oversee developing the culinary side of the company's numerous dining venues, including helming the kitchen at the 7,000 square foot, onsite steakhouse and whisky bar Huntress, which is set to open at some point this July.
The first concept opening at the former Grand Pacific Hotel is Lumi by Akira Back, described as "an energetic and upscale rooftop experience serving modern Japanese fare and sushi accompanied by handcrafted libations in a vividly unique atmosphere." Grand opening on Tuesday, June 23 with soft opening hours throughout this weekend, Lumi by Akira Back will feature Asian flavors with a California twist. Expect expansive views of Downtown San Diego complimented by an array of sushi options and shareable plates like salmon ceviche, yellowtail pizza, baby back ribs, rock shrimp tempura and more. The restaurant also boasts a full liquor license, with a large list of Japanese beer, signature sake options, whisky and cocktails, as well as its own
Toki highball machine. The restaurant was designed by Davis Ink, who used organic materials and Japanese architectural inspiration to emphasize the outdoor atmosphere and downtown views, including a bar constructed with granite boulders and ceilings layered with living plants.
Chef Akira Back was born in Korea and raised in Aspen, CO, where he was a professional snowboarder before eventually becoming the executive chef of Nobu. Back has opened restaurants in 9 countries over his career, including Yellowtail by Akira Back and Kumi by Akira Back, both in Las Vegas, as well as his namesake Akira Back restaurants in Singapore, Toronto, Vietnam, Bangkok, Jakarta, and New Delhi. Back also operates Dosa in Seoul, which has earned the chef Michelin Star honors for the past two years. Day-to-day operations at San Diego's Lumi will be in the hands of Executive Chef James Jung, who relocated to San Diego from Los Angeles, where he was sous chef at Nobu Matsuhisa’s Nobu Malibu and cooked at The Peninsula Beverly Hills. Jung worked with Back at the LA outpost of Yellowtail. Rounding out the culinary team is pastry chef Melanie Stagnaro, who previously worked as the executive pastry sous chef for the James Beard Award-winning Dominique Ansel.
Lumi by Akira Back is currently accepting
online reservations. The restaurant is located at 366 Fifth Avenue in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter. For more information, visit
LumiRooftop.com and check out the menus below.
