One of St. Louis’ most unique fast-casual dining concepts is opening one chapter as it closes another: BLK MKT Eats, the sushi burrito and bowls brand founded by cousins Kati Fahrney and Ron Turigliatto, welcomed customers to its new Maplewood storefront, in the former Las Palmas space at 7356 Manchester, on March 26. The new restaurant opened just three days after the closure of the original location, which opened in 2017. Inaugural hours are from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mon-Sat.
Although the restaurant’s digs may be different, guests who’ve come to know and love the brand can rest assured that the new location offers the same items as the original: massive sushi burritos, delectable bowls, mouthwatering nachos, and that addictive eel sauce. In fact, aside from the address change, the restaurant remains exactly the same as the original location, with one notable difference: more convenient parking options. Here’s what to know before you go.
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The Atmosphere
The new location had been in the works for more than a year. “We ended up taking half of Las Palmas [restaurant],” Turigliatto explains. “Bifurcating the space took some time but left us with a white box, which is what we wanted.”
The final move, from the Central West End location to Maplewood, took only two days. “We closed on Saturday night and opened on Tuesday,” Turigliatto noted. “I’m still not sure how we did that.”
The interior design bears similarities to the monochromatic colors in the former space: Liberal use of white subway tiles along one wall is countered by painted, sealed shou-sugi-ban planks along the opposing wall, a juxtaposition softened by the use of vertical strips of natural-finish wood. A colorful neon adds dramatic interest, and Turigliatto hints that more such accents are being considered.
A baked-in advantage of the existing space was the shotgun-style footprint, which allows for more organized traffic control, which had been an issue at the prior space. A half-wall with a slatted wood top now delineates the queueing area from the 24-seat dining room.
At present, service is dine-in or pick-up. Regarding delivery, Turigliatto says he plans to “flip that switch” as soon as he can, possibly in a week or two.
The Menu
BLK MKT Eats opened with the distinction of being the first place in St. Louis to offer the sushi burrito, a glorious hybrid of a sushi roll and burrito, which was already popular on the West and East coasts. The oversized masterpiece garnered an instant following for its sushi-influence fillings, such as spicy salmon and tuna, tempura shrimp, masago, and crab salad.
These burritos make up a third of the new BLK MKT Eats menu. Similar to the original spot, they are offered in a variety of composed styles, such as the OG Fire Tuna (featuring spicy ahi tuna, avocado, English cucumbers, crispy shallots, and tempura crunch) and the Cali Gold (pairing shrimp tempura and kanikami crab salad with tempura crunch, sesame seeds, and masago).
For those who prefer options besides sushi, the Tasty as Cluck is a Korean fried chicken–inspired offering (with Southern-style fried chicken, kimchi slaw, and pickles). And in addition to burritos, BLK MKT Eats offers all of its dishes as poke bowls, salads, or nachos. Guests can customize the dishes to their tastes, with the option of extra eel/unagi sauce (which the menu describes as caramelized soy sauce).
The restaurant also serves peppery Tofu Nugs (breaded squares of tofu seasoned with salt and cracked black pepper and served with either eel/unagi sauce or the house-made OG Fire sauce, a piquant condiment similar to a spicy mayo).
At present, the menu at the new location is the same as before, but Turigliatto hints that “some surprises are coming, once the restaurant gets rolling.”
The Backstory
Fahrney and Turigliatto had a longstanding passion for food and cooking, but it was more of a hobby and way to decompress from their day jobs in education. Although they loved teaching, they both felt ready for a change and decided to lean into their love of food. As avid sushi eaters, they were particularly drawn to fresh seafood and bold international flavors, so they settled upon the sushi burrito concept and spent a year developing the recipes and branding that would become BLK MKT Eats.
The cousins opened the original BLK MKT Eats on Vandeventer Avenue in 2017 to immediate acclaim. The perpetually bustling restaurant quickly became a go-to place for nearby Saint Louis University students, Ikea-goers, and Cortex workers. It wasn’t just the neighborhood that supported the restaurant, though; regulars from across the metro area packed the house for the fresh, flavorful food, which made Fahrney and Turigliatto realize that the concept could expand.
The decision to close the flagship location was largely influenced by a lack of parking. “Our followers on social media had repeatedly asked for better parking, which was especially bad on Fridays and Saturdays,” Turigliatto says. “We looked long and hard at signing a new lease there, trying to rationalize it, but especially with the new place opening, we had to pass.”
Having adequate staffing played a part as well. “We struggle with it just like everybody else does,” he says. “The Maplewood location is better in both regards, plus it has roughly double the number of seats, which also had been an issue.
“Our goal is to have more restaurants, not fewer,” Turigliatto adds, “so all the factors that led us to Maplewood will play a part in us moving forward.”
