It’s rare to feel transported by simply moving through a singular space, but it’s exactly what you get at Pavilion, the new omakase experience from acclaimed chef Nick Bognar. The intimate 18-course affair officially made its debut on Dec. 5.
Guests arriving to experience Pavilion are ushered together through the bustling cool-toned dining room at Sado and out to a back courtyard, where the hum of the restaurant’s interior is replaced with a stillness thanks to the lush plant life and river rocks that inhabit it.
A few steps more, and you enter the namesake pavilion designed by St. Louis-based Tao + Lee: a sleek, intimate space comprised of warm-toned wood and glowing glass that illuminates the room. The six-seat chef’s counter softens the space further, undulating its way through the room at an angle, drawing guests into cozy environs that never feel crowded.
Photo by Shannon Weber
Built as an extension of the highly-regarded restaurant, which opened in spring 2023 and earned a James Beard Foundation semifinalist nomination for Best New Restaurant in 2024, the new addition allows the restaurant to showcase two sushi experiences in one location. “Pavilion was in the works before Sado even opened,” Bognar said in a statement, adding that the team had a vision to create a concept inspired by Japanese pavilions and gardens that also leaned into the chef’s Thai roots.
Photo by Shannon Weber
The 18-course menu is the creative culmination of everything Bognar learned through a lifetime spent in restaurants. A restaurant kid whose early years were spent with his mother Ann at Nippon Tei, which opened in 2001, Bognar went on to transform the restaurant’s sushi program with his omakase dinner series – a concept that focused on a rotation of nigiri and sashimi – before launching iNDO in 2019.
At iNDO, Bognar continued the chef’s counter experience alongside multicourse dinners that marry Thai flavors with Japanese technique. The restaurant is also where his renowned dry-aging program took root, creating a foundation Bognar has expanded on and brought to Sado’s menu.
Pavilion extends this knowledge outward, carrying it into even more playful territory with a combination of binchotan-grilled and dry-aged nigiri and sashimi alongside dishes that fit Bognar’s mood for the evening. There are no constraints here; rather, service is marked by the idea that surprises are the norm, and unexpected delights are always lurking just behind the scenes. It is Bognar in his element, comfortable and ready with easy conversation shot through with an ample dose of education about the elements he’s preparing.
Photo by Shannon Weber
What lands on guests’ small plates further represent his family’s Thai heritage and recipes – one dish incorporates his grandmother’s curry recipe – while showing off Bognar’s Japanese sushi technique. Going forward, dishes will rotate seasonally and often, but guests can expect items such as corn vichyssoise (potato-thickened dashi corn broth with juice from shellfish, slices of geoduck, clam and scallop gently cooked and served with aromatic oil); smoked masu sashimi with watermelon, Thai basil, palm sugar emulsion, toasted sunflower and Thai chili; fish caramel unagi featuring dried unagi that is steamed, grilled and served with peanuts, herb salad, crispy onion and mixed chiles; Thai chili-cured prawn and more.
Veteran chef Sarah Osborn, who leads the pastry programs at iNDO and Sado, will continue to break new ground with flavor profiles and techniques for Pavilion, where her experimental desserts work in harmony with the omakase menu. For drinks, guests will be given a choice of optional drink pairings of wine and sake to complement the dishes, and a limited wine, beer and sake menu will also be available through the night.
Photo by Shannon Weber
Perhaps one of the most remarkable things about the concept is its ability to retain a sense of lightheartedness not often found in a concept of this caliber, which comes as no surprise for those familiar with the chef running the show. “Pavilion has been a dream concept for me to work on,” Bognar says. “I feel that this will be a creative culmination of everything I have learned. From working with my mother Ann at Nippon Tei to practicing Japanese sushi techniques for over 10 years, I’m excited to pull these experiences into the Pavilion courses. I intend for each person who dines at Pavilion to walk away feeling like they got to know me and my cooking, be impressed by what they ate but also excited about the creativity and playfulness that went into their meal.”
Pavilion, 5201 Shaw Ave., St. Louis, 314-390-2883, instagram.com/pavilion.stl
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