Chefs Michael Mina and Ken Tominaga have partnered for the launch of Pabu Boston at Millennium Tower, the new izakaya and sushi bar housed on the downtown landmark’s second floor. Designed by Los Angeles-based firm Bishop Pass, which also crafted the original San Francisco location, the eatery is Mina’s first venue in New England.
Inspired by time-honored Japanese craftsmanship—from papermaking to cabinetry—gentle lighting sets the mood across the 173-seat restaurant, emphasizing simple silhouettes evoking modern Japanese design with high-quality materials. Guests emerge from the elevator to timber and rope wall treatments and a display of the restaurant’s sake collection, the rounded walls mirroring sake barrels. An abstract fiberglass interpretation of a sugidama—an oversized ball crafted from reeds and grass—hangs in the brewers’ doorways.
Offering sweeping city views, the bar is clad in black granite and features wood-framed, resin-encased light fixtures recalling Japanese paper lanterns. The main dining room honors Japanese carpentry with a wooden ceiling trellis constructed from Douglas fir timber and detailed with iron connections. Concrete walls feature handpainted blooming apple and cherry trees. Anchoring the far end of the restaurant, the 15-seat sushi bar boasts a back wall with a large gold leaf treatment depicting handpainted Japanese cranes, while a glossy black countertop nods to ancient Japanese lacquerware.
