San Diego Dining Group, known for Vincenzo's Cucina and Greystone The Steakhouse, has taken over the prime corner unit in the Gaslamp Quarter that previously housed Lavo Italian and, before that, Searsucker, to launch a new Asian fusion bar and restaurant concept named Aka.
Local hospitality company, San Diego Dining Group, is the product of Sicilian-born chefs and co-owners Vincenzo Loverso and longtime partner Alessandro Minutella. The parent company, through subsidiaries and partnerships, operates such San Diego restaurant concepts as Greystone The Steakhouse, Osetra The Fishhouse, Osteria Panevino, Saltwater, Rusticucina, The Butcher's Cut, Allegro, Farmer's Table, Zama, Truffle Neighborhood Cucina, and the recently-opened Vincenzo's Cucina in Little Italy. Other partners in some of San Diego Dining Group's establishments include Antonino Cusimano, Alberto Mestre and Marco Provino.
The San Diego Dining Group team has taken over the Gaslamp Quarter unit previously occupied by the short-lived Lavo Italian restaurant and was once long occupied by celebrity chef Brian Malarkey's Searsucker. The space will soon receive an over-the-top interior redesign to become AKA, a Japanese restaurant concept serving modern Asian cuisine with Chinese and Thai elements.
Aka will be inspired by Buddahkan and Tao restaurants in New York City, with a menu of shareable plates from Chef Takuya Kudo, who formerly worked in the kitchens of Lumi and Nobu and was the consulting chef of Zama and an extensive cocktail list from master mixologist Giancarlo Guttilla. During the evening hours, the space will offer live music and entertainment and transition into a nightlife destination on the weekends.
San Diego Dining Group's new Asian fusion restaurant is expected to open by year's end at 611 Fifth Avenue in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter. For more information, visit sandiegodininggroup.com.
