Basil Restaurant has a new location in Upper Arlington, but for the time being it’ll operate as Kikyo Sushi + Seafood Bistro, the business that’s held the building for more than a decade. The move allows owner Rhome Ruandhe to seamlessly add sushi to the menu, as well as serve the dedicated clientele that have to travel from the ‘burbs to eat at the Short North and Brewery District locations.
“For quite some time we’ve been trying to get into the Upper Arlington market,” Ruandhe said. “It was kind of a good opportunity to learn some sushi as well, so it was a good fit and timing was right.”
For now they’ll remain in a transitional period, operating as Kikyo while working on rebranding the space to look more like Basil. They may close for a few weeks as they get deep into renovating, but Ruandhe said he’s aiming for a September opening.
The changes are drastic, and it’ll be slightly different from the usual Basil feel. For one, there will be a patio and parking, both missing from Basil’s two existing locations. Inside, they’ll open up the rooms, eliminate the intimate dining cubbies, and bring in large, communal tables for families and big groups.
“We felt like this area was a good pocket that we haven’t reached quite yet. There seems to be more families in this area, which we still get Downtown, but it’s not to the same extent that I see here,” Ruandhe said. “So we wanted to try and reach a little more family-type atmosphere, which we’re not doing as heavily Downtown.”
For now they’ll use “an edited menu from the current concept, which is sushi and Japanese,” Ruandhe said. Slowly, they’ll add in Basil menu items, starting this week with apps, and each week after they’ll bring on a Basil favorite.
Plans are subject to change as Ruandhe considers input from his team.
For more information, visit basilcolumbus.com.
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