Naples Thai-sushi spot on Fifth Avenue South closes: What we know
It's last call on June 23 at KJ Sushi and Asian Bistro, owned by Kathleeya "Kathy" Chitchop and her husband, Joe Selerat.
It was one of Fifth Avenue South's few non-Italian restaurants where you could eat lunch year-round.
The restaurant made news in 2021 when Pauly Shore ate there for three days straight.
The couple also owns the always-packed Thai Sushi By KJ on Marco Island. In 2023, they took over Su's Garden on Marco and rebranded it as KJ Chinese Bistro and Sushi.
Via email, the couple put rumors to rest, saying that landlord issues had no effect on the decision and they still had another four years left on the lease if they wanted to stay.
Instead, they want to focus on their Marco restaurants.
While you'll find raw fish in the guise of crudo at several Mediterranean spots along the Avenue, alternatives for those seeking sushi and fusion fixes include the longstanding Sushi Thai's downtown location, the new LoLa 41 and Ichi Togorashi which opened in 2022. For Vietnamese fare, there's the fancy Le Colonial.
Plan ahead: Waterfront Naples fine-dining spot makes Southern Living 'most legendary' restaurants list
Diana Biederman is the food & restaurant writer at Naples Daily News. Connect via dbiederman@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples sushi-Thai restaurant on 5th Ave S closes. Here's why
