by TM Petaccia

Baku, a SouthPark restaurant known for elevated Japanese cuisine, will close in April after a thirteen-year run. Sharon Station, the property that houses the restaurant, will be razed and replaced by a multi-use office tower, slated to be the new Charlotte headquarters of global insurance company Amwins.

“To everyone who dined with us over the years, we are truly grateful.” the restaurant posted on Instagram when it announced the upcoming closure yesterday evening.

“It’s time. We had a good run” says owner Birdee Yang. “The restaurant’s been open since 2013. It was Charlotte’s first high-end robata and izakaya restaurant. The first of its kind. It was the whole package. It is decorated beautifully, with the two floors, great bar, and dining. With the grill and sushi and appetizers, it was just so good.”

The restaurant group’s SouthPark focus will be on its Yama concept, which opened in 2007 off Sharon Road. That restaurant is currently being remodeled with plans to reopen in May.

“It’s been nineteen years there,” Yang says. “We’re rebuilding it now. You’ll see some little Baku touches here and there. At the end of the day, Baku and Yama, they’re quite similar in terms of food, but each had its own feel.”

In addition to Yama in SouthPark, there are additional Yama locations in Loso and Waverly as well as Yang’s high-end omakase concept, Sora, in Myers Park. Most of Baku’s employees will be transferred to the other locations. “We’ll keep as much staff as we can,” Yang says.

Final service at Baku will be some time in April; the exact date has not yet been set. Still, Yang does not eliminate the possibility of a Baku return.

“If opportunity arises, Baku will come back. If not, we’ll move on to newer things,” he says.