The team behind well-loved East Nashville restaurant Noko and its popular sister restaurant Kase x Noko is planning to expand west of the Cumberland. Noko partners Jon Murray, Wilson Brannock and Dung “Junior” Vo will open a third restaurant in the West End site last home to Tin Angel.
The restaurant, to be called Kuya, will open at 3201 West End Ave. — but its owners are staying mum about the details.
With an exceptional Asian-inspired menu and great service, Noko leads with its heart
“We’re excited to share more soon, but for now it’s a little early — we’re still in the process of bringing her to life,” Murray says in a statement to the Scene. Â
Noko, an Asian-inspired restaurant offering wood-fired cuisine, opened in 2023 and quickly won Best of Nashville nods — including a writers' choice for Best Restaurant Bar Experience in and a readers' poll win for Best Restaurant. It also earned a rave review for its service and food from Scene food critic Kay West.Â
Noko's sister omakase restaurant, Kase x Noko, opened in December 2024, featuring just 14 seats and offering prix-fixe multicourse dining experiences.Â
Scene sister publication the Nashville Post reported earlier this year that the former Tin Angel space would house a restaurant called Kuya, though further details were unclear. Metro issued a $2 million permit in September for renovation of the space.Â
Tin Angel closed in 2019 after 25 years in business, with owners Rick and Vicki Bolsom having planned to sell the business and retire. The property has since sat vacant. The property sold in 2019 for $1.33 million. Nashville-based Artisan Build Construct will serve as contractor, having previously worked on Noko.
