For those of us that still choose Bearden over Turkey Creek for dinner, our food choices have slipped as of late. The famous Cha Cha Tapas restaurant recently closed down leaving a vacant building.
However, Gregg White has announced plans to bring Nama Sushi Bar to fill the empty space. Mr. White has had great success with his Gay St. location. So we have to ask:
Will Nama Sushi Bar succeed in the Bearden area?
Photography by Harris Graber
Of course it will! Nama rocks! However, I wouldn’t put it in south Knoxville, unless you’re calling it a baitshop or selling all fried rolls. Raw seafood on the other side of the bridge is used for fishin’, not eatin’.
Haha. Thanks for the Friday morning laugh Missybw.
It should, that is a great location & Greg knows how to offer great food and drinks. Plus, his places all have a great atmosphere. I can’t wait
nama is the best sushi in town, so i’m sure it’ll do great out west…
And amen to the south knoxville comment…I work out here and I’m still shocked I don’t need my passport stamped every time I drive across the bridge….
Absolutely. It’s too bad Cha Cha didn’t survive the barrage of unfortunate events that occured. But Nama is a great substitution with similar atmosphere and clientele. Can’t wait!
Greg seems to have the golden touch these days, so I think he’ll do well. The interior design of cha cha was already pretty cool, so he won’t have as much start up cost to make it a good atmosphere. It’s basically a no-brainer for him.
My only concern is that a lot of the Bearden/Sequoia Hills crowd will stay out of downtown, now that they can get their nama fix closer to home. Though with the crowds lately at the Gay St. nama, that might be a good thing…
Nama is great, but we’ll have to see what he does with the old ChaCha space given its easily 4 times larger than the footprint of the current nama. Personally I’d give it a new name and a new concept.
That’s awesome! I have to say that Cha Cha wasn’t my favorite, but Nama rocks. I’ll be looking forward to enjoying a meal there while not worrying about all the $4 gas I spent to do so.
I’m sure Greg will do great with the west location. He’ll be able to offer the great Nama experience to those who choose not to fight the downtown crowd especially on the weekends.
Great responses everyone. Thank you!
I agree, should do well. I have wanted to try it but do not have time to go downtown for lunch. I am the only family member who goes for sushi, so I am stuck with Wasabi’s or other medium choices. Eager to try Nama’s!
as a good friend of gregg and a fellow local restaurant owner i am sure gregg will do spectacular as usual! he is great with what concept he is envisioning ! i am flying in from LA just to eat there in may…hope it’s good!