Izakaya Sushi Ran Abruptly Closes on Market Street

Izakaya Sushi Ran, the spinoff to Sausalito’s popular Sushi Ran, has closed on Market Street. It’s the second concept from the Sushi Ran team to call it quits in the same space: The restaurant originally opened as Nomica in 2016, serving an indulgent menu of Japanese drinking food, like foie gras ice cream and a whole chicken in brioche requiring a 24-hour notice.

It switched to the more recognizably named Izakaya Sushi Ran last fall, presumably because its chef Hiroo Nagahara had decamped to Los Angeles to open his own restaurant. Since then its been serving a menu of sashimi, cold plates like almond milk tofu, tempura, and more izakaya fare.

The restaurant has most recently been in the news for a splashy, rainbow-painted rock (#rainbowrocksf) that the non-profit Coalition on Homelessness misidentified as an attack on homeless people on Twitter. Following a controversy, the rock was identified as part of the restaurant’s “Zen garden,” painted in rainbow colors for SF Pride. The group later apologized for its error.

A message on the restaurant’s website and a sign on the door indicate that the restaurant is now closed:

Dear friends,

After three years of operation in San Francisco, Izakaya Sushi Ran (formerly Nomica) is closing.

We appreciate all the kind support you have given to us over the past three years in the Upper Market/Castro community.

Thank you from all of us,

Izakaya Sushi Ran

No word yet on why the restaurant has closed; Eater has reached out for comment.

• Nomica on Market Will Become Izakaya With Sushi Ran Rolls [ESF]
• Izakaya Sushi Ran’s Giant Rainbow Rock Causes Anti-Homeless Controversy [ESF]