Kokonut Grill closes in the Fan, to be replaced by second Akoya Kitchen location

The space sits at Main Street’s intersection with South Morris. (Mike Platania photo)

Min Ho Im and Min Hyeok Im are making a habit of picking up where Kokonut Grill left off.

The brothers are preparing to open a new location of their Akoya Kitchen Japanese fusion restaurant at 1201 W. Main St., a space in the Fan that was recently vacated by Kokonut Grill after a decade-long run.

It’s the second time the Ims have followed in Kokonut Grill’s footsteps.

Their first Akoya opened in 2023 at the Colonnades West shopping center across from Innsbrook, also in a space once occupied by Kokonut Grill sister restaurant Kokonut Box.

A bento box from Akoya

The Im brothers said they got to know Kokonut Grill owner Tom Tham as customers, often going there when they were students at VCU.

They said when Tham was looking to downsize to just the Fan location in 2023, they moved to take over the Innsbrook spot and turned it into Akoya. 

Now they’re making a similar play on Main Street. Tham wasn’t available for comment, but a spokesperson for Kokonut Grill said that the restaurant closed because its lease expired and they opted not to renew. 

Kokonut Grill served Malaysian and Asian fusion dishes like chicken satay and sesame ball, as well as noodle and rice bowls. Akoya serves hibachi, bento boxes and more.

Min Ho said the Fan location is unlikely to offer sushi like the Innsbrook location does, adding that their most popular items are hibachi meals and bento boxes, which start at $16 and $12, respectively. 

The Ims are now working on renovating the roughly 1,100-square-foot space, which is marked by a mural of two rams at the corner of South Morris and West Main streets.

They’ll look to open sometime later this spring. 

Another new restaurant that recently opened near VCU is Brave Captain, a nautically themed bar from the Cobra Cabana team. More are on the way to the Fan area, including cat cafe Purrfect Bean and Thai Boat, a new concept from the owners of Mom’s Siam.  

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