Popular Downtown Restaurant Sushi Island Closing Sunday

Fans of the popular downtown Wakefield restaurant Sushi Island have until Sunday to enjoy a last meal there, following news that the place has been sold. 

This website confirmed in a Thursday afternoon phone call to the restaurant that Sunday would indeed be the last day in operation, and that the owners will likely pursue other restaurant opportunities. 

At their May 29 meeting, Wakefield Selectmen voted in favor of a liquor license for a business called Sakura Organic, which appears to be the restaurant that will come in after Sushi Island. 

Word of the pending closure even motivated one local resident, Pete Davis, to send in a tribute to Sushi Island and its master chef, Junji Aoki. The text of it is below: 

A tribute to Wakefield’s Sushi Island and master sushi chef Junji Aoki

15 years ago I was searching for a place to purchase my first home, venturing further away from Boston than I had ever lived before (ok – it’s only 15miles) in search of a new town to call home. In between viewing potential properties in this town, I came upon a small little sushi restaurant on Princess Street which had opened just days before. I was thoroughly impressed that this town could have a restaurant this delicious and two homes later in the same town, the rest is history.

Sushi Island has been home to first dates, a decade and a half of family birthday parties, wedding showers, business meetings with my favorite co-workers when they visit from out of town, dinner with friends, and the restaurant of our choice for our children when we decide to eat out. We now have a large and still growing family of little sushi snobs thanks to Sushi Island. Sushi Island has been part of the landscape of our town and our family since its days on this small side street to its current location at 397 Main St.

Approximately the end of this week (maybe early next week), Sushi Island’s home will change ownership and Sushi Island of Wakefield will be no longer. It will be hard for any other restaurant to match the tremendous number of great family memories that have taken place here.

If you would like to show your support for Junji and Sushi Island’s spectacular sushi in Wakefield, this is your final chance to stop in and say Thank You and eat some amazing food before Wakefield loses its sushi gem forever.