Tei Tei Robata Bar on North Henderson Avenue. Photo by Renee Umsted.
Japanese restaurant Tei Tei Robata Bar celebrated its 25-year anniversary this month.
Teiichi Sakurai founded the restaurant on North Henderson Avenue in May 1998, and it became known for grilled seafood and vegetables, according to the restaurant’s website. Katsutoshi Sakamoto, who now owns the restaurant, was brought in at the beginning as executive chef.
Tei Tei opened three years after Sakurai opened his first concept, Teppo, in Lower Greenville. Teppo, which closed in 2022, specialized in yakitori charcoal-grilled chicken skewers. (A new concept from Shoyo chef Jimmy Park is planned for the Teppo space, according to The Dallas Morning News.)
Sakurai, who was born and grew up in Tokyo, Japan, moved to the United States for college in 1985. He worked at a Japanese hibachi restaurant in Amarillo for three years before coming to Dallas, where he was a sushi chef at Royal Tokyo from 1990 until 1994. After he left, Sakurai, who’s sometimes called “Teach,” opened Teppo, Tei Tei and in 2008, Tei-An, as D reported in 2017.
In social media posts, Tei Tei thanked its customers and staff.
“We do not have enough words to describe our appreciation for all customers supporting us for 25 years,” the restaurant wrote. “We also thank all our staff who have worked with us.”
Advocate writer Kris Scott commented on the restaurant in 2003, noting its minimalist atmosphere and knowledgeable and gracious staff.
“The food, though, is what really sets Tei Tei apart,” Scott wrote. “The sushi, and even the staple miso soup, somehow seems heartier and more complex than at other sushi establishments.”
Tei Tei Robata Bar is located at 2906 N. Henderson Ave. next to The Porch.
