If you have an extra 200-square-feet of empty, windowless space laying around, Richie Romero might want to turn it into a sushi bar.
The 48-year-old restaurateur and nightlife impresario, and his partners, Mike Sinensky and Erika London, have turned tiny utility spaces into a growing empire of buzzy, bento-box-sized sushi bars
Customers love the offbeat locations — the backroom of a Chelsea coffee shop and florist, a basement storage area in a Times Square hotel, a mop closet in Chicago— and fun vibes. Their sushi bar business, known as Sushi by Bou, has nine locations in NYC and another 15 and counting across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
“We make more money per square foot than Chipotle,” Romero told The Post. “We’re creating sushi speakeasies.”
Romero and his team trick out the small spaces with evocative lighting, rocking sound systems and bold decor. Free-flowing sake and tasty cocktails such as the Roku martini, made with Japanese gin, add to the fun.
In Nomad, a 200-square-foot former hotel concierge office is now a spot for ’90s hip hop and hand rolls, complete with a mural of Biggie Smalls and coasters fashioned from classic rap CD covers.
In Flatiron, a 400-square-foot space that was once a basement laundry room now has a groovy disco theme, with mirror balls aplenty.
The tiny sushi bars are also designed to take a smaller bite out of your wallet than more expansive raw fish temples.
A 12-course omakase meal costs just $60, an offering that easily runs into the triple digits at most sushi places in the city. And the omakase takes 45 minutes, less than half as long as at traditional Japanese spots.
But, the good times and optional add-ons — such as Wagyu-uni or tuna toro hand rolls — can make for a longer night.
When U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr., 62, hit the Chelsea location about a year ago, he stayed until closing, chatting and drinking with Romero and the late nightclub legend Rocco Ancrola.
“Other celebrities such as Uma Thurman and Leonardo DiCaprio will go behind the bar to play with the blowtorch that we use for searing Wagyu and toro,” Romero said.
Additional bold-faced fans include Neil Patrick Harris, 50, who celebrated this past Valentine’s Day with husband David Burtka, 48, at the Flatiron location, and Bryan Cranston, 68, and his “Breaking Bad” co-star Aaron Paul, 44, who bartended with their Dos Hombres Mezcal at the Miami outpost.
Romero said some celebs come in for full meals, others pop in for the “Big Mac Challenge” — which involves a $22 hand roll with Wagyu, scallop, tuna toro and uni.
“The challenge part is that we make everyone eat it in one bite,” he said.
Brody Jenner, the 41-year-old reality star and son of Caitlyn Jenner, went for the challenge when he visited the Chelsea sushi bar with DJ Devin Lucien.
A video captured the two of them chowing down on the oversized roll. From off camera, a voice could be heard goading Jenner, “One bite, bro. One bite. Don’t f–k it up …”
With such clientele and viral moments, it’s no surprise that Romero cut his teeth working in the 1990s nightclub scene, at spots such as Limelight and the Tunnel.
More recently, he brought big-name DJs such as Little Jon and Diplo to do sets at the strip club Sapphire on East 60th Street. He currently has a hot nightspot in the form of Nebula and a secret lounge in the Meat Packing District.
“It’s called Hearsay,” said Romero. “There’s no sign outside or anything. If you know, you know. The location is word of mouth. We don’t even give out the exact building number.”
Though his sushi project has turned into a serious money maker, Romero and his partners hopped into it with limited expectations and a passion for the product.
“I’m obsessed with sushi,” said Romero. “I even have a dog named Sushi. And before I was married, I was going on dates and the omakase dinners were costing me more than my mortgage. We started this as a hobby. By next year, we should have 50 restaurants around the US.”
