RakiRaki Rolling Out Vegan Japanese Restaurants in Kearny Mesa and Little Italy

Poke bowl and sushi burrito spot Pokirrito, which was paired with its noodle shop relation Rakiraki Ramen + Tsukemen in Kearny Mesa and Little Italy, is set to close this weekend and will pivot into a Japanese vegan experience created by chef/owner Junya Watanabe. Called The Yasai by RakiRaki — yasai means vegetables in Japanese — the restaurants are scheduled to reopen on Convoy Street and India Street in early November.

Inspired by the popularity of other vegan Asian eateries, including Shizen in San Francisco, and modeled after a Japanese izakaya, The Yasai will serve an all-vegan menu of sushi rolls, ramen, and other Japanese dishes. Watanabe, who also runs an outpost of RakiRaki in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood, is partnering on this project with chef Eduardo Fierro, who formerly worked at San Diego’s first dedicated vegan sushi bar, NoW Sushi in Mission Beach.

Courtesy rendering