Kalé, the SW Morrison Japanese comfort food spot from Makoto Yoshino, shuttered at the end of 2017. Yoshino knew he’d be saying goodbye to the space (the building is being redeveloped), but he thought he’d have secured a new location before he closed its doors.

A year-and-a-half later, Kalé is finally returning to downtown for a fall opening in the space once home to Thai Pepper at 50 SW Pine.

Yoshino says that kalé (the dish) is basically comprised of rice and sauce and sometimes served with meat and vegetables. It has British Naval roots, but in the last 100 years, the dish grew so popular with people from his native Japan, they’ve have claimed the dish as their own—so much so that each family has adopted its own kalé recipes.

Yoshino says that once Kalé is up and running, it’ll be serving those kalés along with side dishes he calls sidekicks (salads, pickles, and hard-boiled eggs) at prices comparable to what he previously charged. (The least expensive item on the menu is a dollar and the most expensive tops out at $11.25.)

And it’ll get some serious design consideration too, when former Ace Hotel employee and current architect and designer Neal Harrod, a friend of Yoshino’s, reimagines the new space’s interior.

The 21-seat restaurant will serve beer, wine, and saké and keep the daily hours of 10 am to 8 pm, except on Fridays and Saturdays, when Kalé will stay open till 9.

Yoshino says he’s aiming for a September opening. Stay tuned for more details!

Kalé: 50 SW Pine, Ste. 102