Ikigai Sushi Bar Brings Serious Japanese Cuisine to Brickell Key

Written by Eric Barton | March 11, 2025

615 Brickell Key Dr | Website | Instagram

There’s a new sushi place in Miami that’s not trying to reinvent the California roll with truffle aioli or deconstruct the concept of nigiri into a foam. Instead, Ikigai Sushi Bar on Brickell Key is doing something far more interesting: sticking to Japanese techniques while serving a menu built on whatever seafood happens to be freshest that day.

The new spot comes from Grupo Ikigai, a hospitality group out of Mexico City that runs a dozen highly regarded restaurants, including five Japanese concepts.

Juan Jose Xacur, Chef Ignacio Carmona, Andres Lebrija

Ikigai has a serious chef at the helm, Ignacio Carmona, in the center above. Carmona trained in Japan, ran some of Mexico’s most respected sushi restaurants, and landed on the 100 Best Restaurants in Mexico list.

The menu in Miami leans heavily on traditional preparations. You’ll find nigiri, sashimi, temaki, and maki rolls, all made with seafood sourced from Japan, New Zealand, Chile, Mexico, the U.S., and Europe. There’s also a Nigiri Omakase Experience, which changes daily based on whatever looks best when the seafood shipment arrives. A few notable dishes: White Fish Tiradito, Hamachi Serrano, Ribeye Udon, and Shrimp Gyozas.

The space has that understated, minimalist aesthetic you’d expect from a high-end sushi bar. It was designed by Sala Hars, a Cambridge firm with a reputation for making restaurants look effortless but expensive.

Since parking on the key is essentially nonexistent, it’s worth mentioning that Ikigai has two-hour validation. Reservations are available on OpenTable, and if the quality holds up, you’ll probably want one.

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