Noury, a Japanese izakaya and modern wine and sake bar, has opened in New York’s Soho neighborhood.
The restaurant is the second concept from husband-and-wife team chef Alex Chang and sommelier Lina Goujjane, who operate Kiko, an Asian-American restaurant in Hudson Square.
A material palette rooted in contrast
Intimate in scale, Noury seats 39 guests and centers on a five-seat wine and sake bar positioned at the heart of the room.
The interiors, designed by locally based Studio Tre, reflect the restaurant’s broader sensibility, blending izakaya tradition with references from across cultures and eras. To achieve this, the design leans on contrast, with earthen surfaces punctuated by cool metal accents, and antique forms accentuated by modern millwork.
Existing limestone and oak beam flooring was preserved and refreshed, while existing brick walls were painted in a warm, muted stone hue. Ebonized oak beams are infilled with panels of raffia and linen, a nod to tatami. Upholstered banquettes in chocolate brown mohair are paired with chairs crafted with raffia and linen weaving and finished with black leather piping.
Stone, steel, and patina at Noury
At the bar and throughout the dining room, Chivas quartzite—quarried in Brazil with a leathered finish—spans the bar countertop, corner table, and accent details, its veins of black moving through storms of brown.
Dark fumed white oak and ebonized black wood meet stainless steel paneling and trim at the bar and wall. An end wall in Mexican cantera volcanic lava stone, trimmed in stainless steel, steps back to frame a niche designed for ikebana.
Lighting and art at the modern izakaya
The lighting program, meanwhile, weaves together vintage and modern sources. Verdigris bronze pendant fixtures—their patina an original muse for the project’s color palette—hang at the bar and are retrofitted as sconces in the restroom. Pendant lighting in the dining room is finished in chrome, contrasting against a collection of vintage sang de boeuf Chinese pottery, Persian turquoise, and verdigris bronze.
On the south wall of the dining room, a handwoven abaca tapestry produced by WeaveManila artisans in the Philippines completes the space.
