billy in his basement bar
Perhaps, if you saw Billy sitting court-side next to A-Rod at the Timberwolves game a few weeks back, dressed as he was in full Mongolian wear, this will not surprise you.
Or maybe you follow the hockey podcast Spittin Chiclets, heard them love up Billy Sushi as the best sushi in the country, and wondered what was cookin' next for him. Most of us already know that Billy thinks big.
Shocking no one, Billy Tserenbat is about to start construction on a cocktail bar in the basement of his popular North Loop sushi restaurant. Billy After Dark will have a separate entrance from the back of the building, leading down stairs into the lower level space where a small cocktail bar will serve some 50 seats. The photo he's holding above will be posted on the back wall. "I don't really want to say speakeasy, because that means you should be doing Prohibition-era drinks, and we want to be modern. So we call it an elevated modern speakeasy."
construction plans
A glimpse of some preliminary plans for Billy After Dark.
Besides cutting-edge cocktails made from behind a bar that acts more like a workshop table and less like a rail, you'll be able to get light bites, sashimi, and for the first time in the building, dessert. "It's gonna be a big name in pastry that's helping me out," Billy told me, though he wasn't ready to reveal any names.
Billy is in works with a Japanese company to create a signature sake, and he let me know that he's working with a local distiller to do a different signature spirit. He's also still working on opening the Japanese Eatery takeout game from the street level space next to his front door. So yes, he can hang out with Kanye and still keep moving.
Construction on Billy After Dark (B.A.D.) starts soon, and he's hoping to open in May, which he jokes will be the actual Grand Opening of the whole restaurant, seeing as he's been in soft open since the pandemic launch in May of 2020.
No word yet as to whether Kanye will be in town for the opening.
