Omo Japanese Soul Food opens at new space in Chesterfield Village

It's opening day for Omo Japanese Soul Food's new space in Chesterfield Village.

Restaurateur Jay Jung, co-owner of Omo, said the restaurant began serving customers at lunchtime today at 2215 W. Chesterfield Blvd. Omo relocated from 2101 W. Chesterfield Blvd., Ste. B-102, where it operated since opening seven years ago. The restaurant was temporarily closed for two days as the relocation was completed.

The roughly 7,500-square-foot building – where signage including a Godzilla-style monster holding noodles was installed earlier this year – has myriad nods to Japanese culture inside, including cherry blossoms, paper lanterns and anime, comprising artwork, large-scale figurines and a video slideshow of films by Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli.

"We want to keep our same vibe for our regulars," Jung said this morning, just ahead of the opening. "Animation is a big thing in town now."

The restaurant additionally has a mobile robot styled as a cat that will serve drinks, Jung said, and there's second-floor and patio seating to bring total capacity to 175.

Jung said the new Omo restaurant will start with 25 employees, and he has plans to bring on 20 more staff evenly split between the kitchen and front of house. An updated menu is planned as staff gets used to the new space, he said.

"Our kitchen needs to learn how it works," Jung said. "Everything is new."

Jung estimated relocation expenses at $2.5 million, including the building purchase. He previously purchased the building from Llama Nation Properties LLC, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

Omo opened in 1,300 square feet of leased space at its former home in Chesterfield Village in summer 2017, according to past reporting. The restaurant offers ramen, sushi, curry and other dishes.