After experiencing success at the Birmingham and Oxford, Mississippi, locations, founder John Cassimus decided to open Jinsei Sushi in Tuscaloosa. Cassimus is also the founder of Zoe’s Kitchen and Maki Fresh, which also have locations in Tuscaloosa.
“Though it will be an intimate dining experience, we want to make it very comfortable for our guests,” Jennifer Mims, president of Jinsei, said. “It’s a fun dining atmosphere.”
The 2,000-square foot restaurant will include an outdoor patio, lounge and a menu of sushi and Japanese dishes made from fresh fish flown in daily. Entrée items will include hot and cold dishes, such as the signature Kadoma Tuna, deep-fried sushi rice topped with spicy tuna, avocado, jalapeño and flying fish roe. Jinsei will be open seven nights a week at 5 p.m.
Despite its proximity to the campus, Jinsei will have a parking lot with a valet service.
Since “jinsei” means “life” in Japanese, Mims said they want the restaurant to be a place for the celebration of life.
Nate Carlson, a UA alumnus and former football player, is the managing partner of Jinsei.
“I think [Jinsei] is unique,” he said. “It has a lot of the principles of fine dining with a more laid back atmosphere.”
Lizzie Walters, a senior majoring in accounting, said she is excited for Tuscaloosa to have a Jinsei.
“Jinsei is one of my favorite restaurants,” she said. “It has an awesome atmosphere with a lot of really unique entrée and sushi options.”
