Sagami is taking over the former Pod space in University City
Alan Su has a deal at Penn to open a second location of Sagami, the acclaimed Japanese restaurant from South Jersey. The pods from Pod will remain.
The three futuristic dining pods at Stephen Starr’s former Pod restaurant in University City are staying. Almost everything around them is changing.
Alan Su, who took over the landmark Sagami Japanese restaurant in Collingswood last year, plans to open a second location of Sagami at the Inn at Penn, 3636 Sansom St., replacing Pod, which closed in February 2025 after nearly 25 years.
The new restaurant, which Su hopes to open next summer, will be a sharp contrast to Pod, whose David Rockwell-designed space evoked a science-fiction set.
Su plans to bring in traditional Japanese finishes while retaining the three semiprivate dining pods — one large and two smaller — with updated upholstery.
The beverage bar will stay in place. The former conveyor-belt sushi area, removed during Pod’s temporary incarnation as the Korean-themed KPod, will become a large sushi counter.
Su said it could be among the largest in Philadelphia, with as many as eight sushi chefs working on busy nights.
Sagami has its own history to carry forward. Shigeru and Chizuko Fukuyoshi opened the modest restaurant on Route 130 in 1974, when sushi was still a rarity in the Philadelphia area.
Over five decades, their traditional Japanese cooking earned a devoted following. Sagami was a James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurant in 2017 and 2019, while Shigeru was an Outstanding Chef semifinalist in 2023. It was named to The Inquirer’s 76, a compendium of the region’s most influential restaurants, in 2024.
Chizuko Fukuyoshi, who ran the dining room and business operations, died in July 2024 at 79. Her husband initially continued operating Sagami, then decided to retire. Su, a longtime family friend and customer for about 30 years, acquired the restaurant effective Jan. 1, 2025.
The Fukuyoshis had considered turning the business over to Su several years earlier but postponed the decision. At the time of the sale, Shigeru Fukuyoshi said he regarded Su as a son. Su pledged to preserve the restaurant’s menu and character.
Now Su is planning a larger interpretation of Sagami, replicating the entire Collingswood menu plus dishes not available at the original. He wants to make noodles in-house, potentially including soba, using specialized equipment from Japan.
He also plans izakaya-style dishes, including yakitori cooked over Japanese binchotan charcoal rather than gas or electric grills. Unlike Sagami in Collingswood, the new restaurant will serve lunch and lunch specials.
Su, who also owns Nom Nom Ramen, Umami, and Shiso, said he is not pursuing a high-priced omakase restaurant. He wants family-style dining that accommodates Penn students and neighborhood customers without sacrificing ingredients or preparation.
Josh Weiss of MSC represented Su in the lease transaction, while Jacob Cooper, also of MSC, represented the University of Pennsylvania, the landlord.
“Starr created a restaurant where the atmosphere was a big part of the experience,” Su said. “But for us, the emphasis is more on the food and its identity. That’s what I want people to remember.”
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