One of Cincinnati's best new restaurants of 2023 adds lunch option

Baru, the elevated Downtown sushi restaurant known for its corn ribs and sushi rolls, started offering Monday-Friday lunch service on Monday, Jan. 29. The decision is largely a response to many downtown employees coming back to the office either of their own volition or requirements by their employers, according to Baru owner Tyler Wogenstahl.

Starting Feb. 5, around 2,000 Kroger workers will be expected to be in the office or in the field on assignment at least three or four days per week. That includes its Downtown headquarters on Vine and Court streets, as well as its retail data science, insights and media company, 84.51°, located on West Fifth Street. Fifth Third employees came back to work full-time in 2023.

“We’re really excited to be expanding our hours to meet the increased need for dining options during the workday,” Wogenstahl said in a press release. The restaurant will now open at 11 a.m. Monday-Friday, and will remain open until 11 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 2 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Monday, and 11 p.m. Sunday. (Baru opens at 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.)

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Baru offers sushi rolls that start at $16 and nigiri priced at $8 to $14. Entrees include seared scallops with soba noodles and maple soy sauce ($30) and chicken katsu with sticky rice and soy pickles ($24). New lunch specials include a Japanese curry bowl ($19), a sushi burrito ($19) and a chicken katsu sandwich ($16).

Baru opened in March 2023 inside the 84.51° building. The space was formerly occupied by MidiCi, which closed in 2019. It is owned by Further Concepts and Investors in partnership with Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. In December, The Enquirer named it among the Six Best New Restaurants in Greater Cincinnati.

Baru, 595 Race St., Downtown, 513-246-0150, barusushi.com.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Acclaimed Baru sushi restaurant adds new Downtown lunch option