New Sushi Restaurant Opens in Square

Osushi, a Japanese restaurant in Copley Square, will open a second location in Cambridge during the first week of Oct. in the space previously occupied by Conga, a tapas restaurant on the corner of Winthrop and Eliot Streets.

“We wanted to bring a bigger, bolder Japanese restaurant to Harvard Square,” Boston-native and franchise partner Tim Panagopoulos said.

After renovations to the space, Osushi will feature minimalist furniture, dark wood tables, and two bars—one for sushi and another for drinks—to create a clean, organized space that Panagopoulos described as “very feng shui.”

According to Panagopoulos, Harvard Square currently lacks a restaurant offering a full menu of Japanese entrees. “There’s no similar cuisine in the square,” he said.

At their Copley location, the restaurant served mainly sushi and tempura, but after extensive renovations and a considerable investment, the new space now has the ventilation to support a full kitchen capable of producing a wide range of dishes.

“We can finally present real Japanese entrees, meat and noodle dishes, and elegant savory options,” Panagopoulos said.

The price of sushi dishes range from approximately $4 to $12. Osushi will also serve drinks, including sake with exotic flavors like pear or mandarin orange. When asked if Osushi would feature sake bombing, a popular pull for some Harvard students, Panagopoulos chuckled.

“We’ll serve sake and we’ll serve beer; what our patrons do with it is up to them,” he said.

The project has been in the works for a year but Panagopoulos said that he quickly capitalized on the opportunity to expand to Harvard Square when the location became available. “It’s all about timing in the restaurant business,” he said.

Panagopoulos hopes that the restaurant’s prominent location will attract students, business travellers, and tourists to the Harvard Square location. Despite other sushi restaurants in the Square, Panagopoulos seemed unconcerned by the competition and listed Osushi’s expanded menu, unique décor, and moderate prices as a draw for patrons in the Square.

The restaurant will remain open until 2 a.m. nightly.

—Staff writer Laura K. Reston can be reached at laurareston@college.harvard.edu.