Kaze has extensive fire, smoke and water damage inside. Photo by Carol Toler.
Kaze Hibachi and Sushi Bar is closed today after a midnight fire late Sunday did extensive damage inside the restaurant at Greenville Avenue near Meadow Road. All diners and employees had gone home before the blaze broke out, so no one was injured.
Owner Young Ji shook his head in sadness as he surveyed damage Monday and supervised a lone employee, doggedly sweeping up blackened remains in the parking lot. Ji promised to rebuild.
“Inside there’s a lot of water damage,” he told me. “It’s mostly from the firemen putting water on the fire.”
Motorists passing by on Greenville Avenue reported seeing bright orange flames shooting through the clay-tiled roof. Kaze is known for their grilled-at-your-table Hibachi meals and fresh sushi, and their private karaoke rooms lend a party atmosphere.
In 1972, Royal Tokyo opened in the building at 7525 Greenville Avenue as one of Dallas’ first Japanese restaurants, and they added the city’s first sushi bar in 1980. Ironically, a fire put an end to Royal Tokyo’s run in 2001, sparked by a gas dryer in the restaurant’s laundry room. Tokyo No Hana later opened there, followed by Sumo Sushi, which moved out of that space in 2003.
Ji said he was unsure of the cause of the fire.
Photo courtesy of Nick Fearn.
