BELLEVUE, WI (WTAQ) — A sushi restaurant destroyed in a 2019 fire is returning, with a new twist that you won’t see anywhere else.
Phin Sushi will be re-branding as a combined sushi bar and cat cafe called “Meowsabi”, and they’re teaming up with Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary to make it happen. Elizabeth Feldhausen is Safe Haven’s founder and now a part owner of the restaurant.
“We just decided that we’re going to work together because everybody at Safe Haven loved Phin and loves sushi and everyone at Phin loved Safe Haven and loved the cats,” Feldhausen told WTAQ.
It’s a concept that is unique in the United States. Meowsabi is branding itself as a first-in-the-nation offering.
“You’ll see it in Japan, but you really won’t see it anywhere in the United States,” Feldhausen explained.
The planned restaurant will be split into two sides, one side being the cat sanctuary, the other being the sushi restaurant.
“Anywhere in the restaurant where you’re seated you’ll be able to see into the cat sanctuary, and it’s a completely different HVAC system, so people with allergies can still absolutely come,” Feldhausen told WTAQ. “Everything is kept separate.”
The rebranded restaurant will be in a new facility off Hoffman Road in Bellevue and is expected to open in the Spring of 2022.
