This nontraditional Japanese restaurant is set to open in Clifton. Here's what to know

Leah Hunter, Louisville Courier Journal
Updated ·3 min read
Chef Lawrence Weeks will lead the kitchen at Ensō, a nontraditional Japanese restaurant with Southern flavors, that will open in Clifton this fall at 1756 Frankfort Ave.
Chef Lawrence Weeks will lead the kitchen at Ensō, a nontraditional Japanese restaurant with Southern flavors, that will open in Clifton this fall at 1756 Frankfort Ave.

Ensō, a nontraditional Japanese restaurant with Southern flavors, will open in Clifton this fall at 1756 Frankfort Ave., across from The Silver Dollar.

Chef Lawrence Weeks, who works with Germantown restaurant North of Bourbon, said Ensō derives inspiration from its name, which means full circle and to relax your mind so your body can work.

"I feel like that's a struggle for a lot of creatives, especially me, and we just want to make (a) space where it's conducive for creating a conversation," he told the Courier Journal.

Weeks emphasized that Ensō will aim to "make connections in people's minds" between Southern and Japanese cuisines, and he said the similarities between the two can be found when people take a closer look.

"It's not fusion cuisine because usually fusion is forcing two things that don't go together, together," he said. "This is like a natural progression of cuisine and authenticity in the world, like, it's more of a worldly view rather than looking at things in a microscope."

A dish served at Ensō, a nontraditional Japanese restaurant with Southern flavors, that will open in Clifton this fall.
A dish served at Ensō, a nontraditional Japanese restaurant with Southern flavors, that will open in Clifton this fall.

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He said the link between the two cuisines in Ensō dishes will push the conversation of what is traditional versus authentic Japanese food. Japanese food is centuries old, he said, and when Japan first opened its borders to immigrants in the 1800s, it increased the popularity of foreign foods, like Italian-inspired dishes, in its cuisine.

Weeks told the Courier Journal Ensō is going to be "a breath of fresh air" with an open, bright space complemented by greenery, accents, and Japanese-style decor compared to the "sexy" vibe of North of Bourbon.

Customers should expect to eat dishes like oysters, meat skewers grilled over Japanese charcoal, and some noodle bowls that aren't primarily focused on ramen, which he said is a dish other people in Louisville already do well.

"We don't want to compete with anybody," he said. "We want to do things that aren't done around here so that there is space for everybody else to shine."

Weeks was raised in Louisville and other places across the south, but his parents were stationed in Okinawa, Japan during the 1980s and their appreciation of the nation's customs and art has stuck with him.

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When the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020, Weeks was living in Lexington where he was working at a Japanese sandwich and curry shop. He said that time period allowed him to think of the type of food he wanted to make.

"Japanese food is something that I was really exploring and getting into because I had time to think outside of what I was serving on a daily basis," he said. "Southern food is more in my DNA, and Japanese food is more my interest."

Weeks said Ensō will be open for dinner only initially. Hours have not yet been set.

Reach features reporter Leah Hunter at lhunter@gannett.com or on Twitter @theleahhunter.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Enso, nontraditional Japanese restaurant, to open in Clifton