IX Sushi carves out its own identity at The Watermark in Tempe

🍣 IX Sushi, the newest concept from Kaos Hospitality, officially opens its doors today at The Watermark near the southwest corner of the Loop 202 and Rural in Tempe.

IX’s space was created by a remodeling of its year-old sibling, the splashy Asian-inspired steakhouse Three Thirty Three, but IX (pronounced ‘‘Nine’’) operates as a completely independent restaurant with a menu that doesn’t cross over.

Think of it as a sleek sushi bar that just happens to share a roof with a very impressive neighbor.

The food leans upscale without being unapproachable. Diners can work through a wide array of sushi – tuna, yellowtail, salmon, shellfish, and cooked and seared selections – alongside sashimi and both hand rolls and cut rolls. Bigger plates like A5 wagyu and caviar toast, miso black cod, and a bluefin tuna bowl round things out.

The cocktail program is equally show-stopping – the “Here Comes the Sun” blends orange-infused Etsu gin, dry Curaçao, clarified orange juice, and yuzu into something almost too pretty to drink.

XI and Three Thirty Three soon will be joined at The Watermark by two other Kaos concepts: 212° Shabu Shabu, an interactive Japanese hot pot experience, and Wood & Water, an Asian-inspired seafood house featuring a massive aquarium.

Open Tuesday through Saturday for dinner.