Richmond’s Next Izakaya Comes From the Team Behind The Story Café

Richmond’s next izakaya is coming from the people behind The Story Café. On November 5, Western Restaurant News carried the press note for Wabi Izakaya & Sushi Bar at 120-9020 Capstan Way, the room that held Manzo Itamae until September 30. Kingsley Ho’s GoodChaos Hospitality already runs the Story Café on Sexsmith Road and The Sequel in Coal Harbour. Wabi is the group’s first Japanese restaurant. Ho told reporters he wants an everyday table: izakaya dishes, sushi, home-style Japanese comfort food, house-made desserts, and drinks with friends. The kind of place neighbors claim on a random Tuesday.

Ho opened Story Café in March 2020, right as the pandemic shut dining rooms, after years in IT and a soba booth at the Richmond Night Market. Guests kept coming back. “I knew my next project was going to be in Richmond again,” he said in the release. Wabi lands in a plaza that already knew Japanese group dinners. Manzo Itamae spent eighteen years on Capstan Way. Its sister, Manzo Izakaya on Alexandra Road, closed in March after twenty-six years. Ho said GoodChaos feels honored to pick up that Capstan habit under a new name.

The menu reads like a neighborhood izakaya night. Press materials list traditional sushi and sashimi made to order at a central sushi bar, a full kushiyaki skewer board, A5 Miyazaki wagyu, hamachi jalapeño crudo, and uni seafood toast. Desserts stay in-house, including matcha tiramisu and hojicha panna cotta. Ayaka Suehiro is building the cocktail list beside Japanese beer, premium sake, and Japanese whisky the brand calls hard to find. No priced board is public yet. On the website, the promise is one sentence: fresh sashimi, kushiyaki, warm izakaya plates, and daily comfort food under one roof.

The room is sized for that kind of dinner. Press put the footprint near 3,000 square feet, with ninety-eight seats, three private rooms, and a Zen-garden design cue. Daily Hive and Richmond News published interior renderings with a long fish case, sake shelves, and banquettes for small groups. Noms Magazine notes that private dining inquiries are already open for December parties. The Sequel and Story Café lean brunch and Pacific Northwest comfort. Wabi is where the same hospitality group turns to Japanese share plates after dark.

The opening is still forthcoming. Richmond News expects a soft open in late November, with an official date to follow in the coming weeks. Western Restaurant News and Daily Hive use the same winter language. Wabi’s own site says “Coming soon in November” and asks for an email so it can announce the day. GoodChaos’s About page has flipped between “this winter” and earlier mid-November wording as plans moved. Until the team posts a firm date, Wabi is announced and not yet open. Capstan Way is 604-821-9834, or info@heywabi.com, for updates.