There’s a spirited reason to head to Ogawa Sushi & Kappo this winter.
Almanac is a new cocktail bar housed upstairs at Ogawa, and the opening menu features reimagined American classics with a Japanese twist.
“We wanted to build an intimate space where people can enjoy great food, beautifully crafted drinks, and a great time,” said Vy To, who opened Ogawa with her husband Victor Ng and business partner Albert Zheng last December. “We have been open in Philadelphia for almost a year, and we are finally ready to execute this upstairs concept that we’ve been planning since we decided to bring Ogawa to Philadelphia.”
The downstairs restaurant hails from Chef Minoru Ogawa—who some may have seen featured in the Washington DC Michelin Guide while he was the chef at Sushi Ogawa (as well as the 21-seat Kappo DC.)
Ogawa is a second-generation sushi chef with decades of experience. His father and brother are master sushi chefs in Japan, and before moving to the United States, Ogawa trained under his father in the Nippori section of Tokyo.
Almanac on the other hand utilizes hyper-seasonal ingredients with a cocktail program led by Danny Childs (who won the 2024 James Beard Foundation award for Beverage Books with Recipes for ‘Slow Drinks’), and Ogawa chef Carlos Wills handling the food.
“Almanac is a tale of two places coming together: America and Japan,” said Rob Scott, Almanac’s Head Bartender in a statement. “We drew a lot of inspiration from Japanese-style bars and their focus, precision, and attention to detail, as well as adopting the use of ingredients that we don’t often see in America. The idea is that we are taking Japanese flavors and concepts and filtering them through the American palate and lens, and vice-versa.”
Bite-wise, the menu currently holds dishes like karaage octopus, miso-glazed chicken wings, wasabi fries, chicken and tofu sandwiches, a wagyu hot dog, and more. From the bar, locals can sip on some classic sippers (with an Almanac twist) like an Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Martini, Sour, Daisy, Flip, and Highball.
Each style of cocktail aims to highlight one to two flavors, botanicals, fruits, or vegetables at their peak (or preserved at their peak), a release notes. Once a drink is formulated, it will only remain on the menu while the ingredient is available and at its pinnacle of flavor. Once the ingredient is no longer available, the drink comes off the menu and will be replaced by something that is “very much of the moment.”
There will be a “Bartender’s Choice” omakase cocktail option as well. With this option, the bartender asks several questions to create personalized sips for guests. Almanac will also feature a two-tiered pricing system, with one price for your standard bartender’s choices, and a second as a “reserve” option, featuring rarer, more premium spirits.
Philadelphians can also find Japanese beer, a limited section of wines by the glass and several non-alcoholic cocktail options (think brewed ginger beer, kombucha, amazake rice-based N/A drinks, tea, and eventually, Kyoto-style cold brewed coffee.) As a release notes, in addition, there will be off-menu mocktails, with an omakase option.
“While I’m so excited to share this first-of-its-kind program with the city, none of it would be possible without the team we’ve assembled to bring this project to life,” says Childs in a statement. “Rob Scott, who worked under me at Farm and Fisherman during the entirety of my final year there, is the head bartender, and I can’t think of a better person for this job. He is one of the most personable, intelligent, and technically oriented beverage professionals I’ve had the pleasure of working with.”
Childs continued: “Having Vy and Victor Ng as the facilitators of this project has been an absolute joy. They’ve spared no expense in allowing us to outfit this space with the tools and equipment that a program of this caliber deserves. I can’t wait to showcase what we’ve been working so hard on.”
To find out more about Almanac (open Nov. 15 at 310 Market St.), visit ogawaphilly.com
