NASHVILLE, Tenn. — When Noko opened in East Nashville in March 2023, the team made a series of promises to the people working inside the restaurant.
Four-day workweeks. Company-funded health insurance. Paid time off. Paid birthdays. Complimentary therapy. Complimentary gym memberships and group yoga. An annual travel stipend.
At the time, those promises belonged to one restaurant. Since then, the group has expanded with Kase x Noko, its intimate omakase restaurant that opened in December 2024.
Noko Yaki, an Asian-inspired steakhouse from Founder Jon Murray, Executive Chef Partner Dung “Junior” Vo, and Managing Partner Wilson Brannock, will open its doors today Friday, November 6 on Nashville’s West Side.
Since opening Noko in 2023, the group has invested over half a million dollars in employee benefits while continuing to reinvest approximately 5.5% of sales into its team. Noko Hospitality’s restaurants currently have an employee turnover rate of approximately 14.5%, compared with an industry average of roughly 80%. Those same benefits and practices will now extend to the team at Noko Yaki.
“We’ve never wanted to grow just for the sake of growing,” says Murray. “From the beginning, we’ve wanted to prove that taking great care of people and building a successful restaurant business can go hand in hand.”
THE DETAILS
- Chef Dung “Junior” Vo takes on the steakhouse. The menu centers around premium beef and tableside grilling.
- Kobe beef joins the program. Noko Yaki is one of only two restaurants in Tennessee officially designated and registered by the Kobe Beef Marketing & Distribution Promotion Association, joining a select group of U.S. restaurants recognized by the organization.
- A Nashville restaurant landmark gets a new chapter. Noko Yaki brings new life to the former Tin Angel space inside a nearly 100-year-old building on West End Avenue.
ON THE MENU
More than two years in the making, Noko Yaki builds on Vo’s approach to live-fire cooking with a high-energy, Asian-inspired steakhouse centered around exceptional cuts of beef and tableside grilling.
The beef program spans Australian Wagyu; U.S. prime, Wagyu and dry-aged cuts; Japanese A5 from Miyazaki and Kagoshima; and Kobe beef from Hyogo Prefecture. Guests can opt for the restaurant’s signature spread, featuring Prime Filet, Prime NY Strip, Wagyu Ribeye and Noko Yaki Wagyu Galbi, paired with house accompaniments and banchan.
“Our hope is that Noko Yaki has everything you love about going to a steakhouse, while still feeling like us,” says Vo. “There are incredible cuts of beef at the center of it, and we want the experience to feel elevated and unlike anything else in Nashville, but more than anything, we want it to be fun.”
Beyond the beef program, the menu includes small plates like Shrimp Cocktail with Vietnamese Cocktail Sauce, Wagyu Sando with Bacon XO, American Cheese, Truffle Aioli, Gochugaru as well as larger plates including Lobster Fried Rice, Street Noodles, and a Wedge Salad with Sesame Blue Cheese Dressing and Chili Crisp Bacon. Classic steakhouse sides get Asian-inspired riffs with dishes like Miso Mashed Potatoes with Red Miso, Garlic Confit and Gruyere, and Creamed Spinach with Creme Fraiche, Panko, Parmesan and Shirodashi.
Behind the bar, Beverage Director Peyton Pound balances steakhouse classics with a playful beverage program featuring house cocktails, dedicated Martini and Old Fashioned menus, sake by the glass and a wine list of more than 100 bottles ranging from approachable selections to rare, celebratory pours.
IN THE DINING ROOM
Set in the former Tin Angel space on Nashville’s West Side, Noko Yaki brings new life to a nearly 100-year-old building long beloved by local diners, with original archways, exposed brickwork and other historic details woven into the design.
“Come grab dinner on a random Tuesday. Have a date night. Or celebrate something. We want Noko Yaki to be a place you can come back to all the time, not somewhere you save for once a year,” says Brannock.
While each restaurant offers a distinctly different experience, the same principle guides all three: hospitality should never come at the expense of the people who make it possible. In fact, it thrives when its people do.
NOKO YAKI AT A GLANCE
- Opening: Friday, November 6, 2026
- Location: 3201 West End Ave., Nashville, TN 37203
- Hours: Tuesday–Thursday + Sunday, 5–9 p.m.; Friday–Saturday, 5–10 p.m.; Closed Monday
- Reservations: Available via OpenTable here and released 30 days in advance.
- Private Dining: Fully private dining room for up to 12 seated guests
- Website: nokoyaki.com
- Instagram: @nokoyaki
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