The award‑winning Uchi was opened by Chef Tyson Cole in 2003 in a refurbished old home in South Austin. Uchi is now located in 5 cities with plans to expand into more markets in the future, including an upcoming Uchiko location right here in Bethesda, MD.
According to a report by the Washington Business Journal, Cole’s Hai Hospitality has signed on to take over the 9,000 SF former Ruth’s Chris Steak House at 7315 Wisconsin Ave. The space is being transformed into Uchiko– “child of Uchi”– with its debut set for late 2025.
Per the restaurant: One of the few American sushi masters, James Beard Award‑winning Chef and Owner Tyson Cole is a passionate student of the Japanese tradition. Having trained for more than ten years in Tokyo, New York, and Austin under two different sushi masters, he and the entire Uchi culinary team continues his path of study and experimentation each day at the restaurants in the Uchi family.
In 2005, chef tyson cole awarded food & wine’s “top ten best new chefs 2005”. In 2009, uchi was named to the top ten sushi spots in the country by bon appetit. In 2010, uchiko, “child of Uchi,” launched as an extension of the Uchi experience, matching Uchi’s dedication to food, service, and design and allowing culinary talent inside the restaurant to grow and flourish. Uchiko was named best new restaurant in america by GQ magazine the same year. The following year, in 2011, Chef Tyson Cole received the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southwest.