After decades of winning over Detroit-area diners with Thai cuisine at her Bangkok 96 restaurant, acclaimed chef Genevieve Vang is expanding into what she calls “Detroit-style” sushi.
To that end, Vang, an immigrant from Laos, has partnered with chef Jasmine White of Detroit to lead Sushi Lounge, a new sushi restaurant in Midtown. Sushi Lounge is set to open on Saturday, Sept. 6 in the Detroit Shipping Co. food hall, where Vang also runs the Bangkok 96 Street Food stall, an offshoot of her popular Bangkok 96 restaurant in Dearborn.
Vang was nominated for the James Beard Award in 2019 in the Best Chef: Great Lakes category for her work at Bangkok 96.
Meanwhile, White trained at the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas and cooked at Wolfgang Puck and Benihana, later becoming head sushi chef at Detroit’s former Maru Sushi.
“This is a dream I’ve been chasing for years,” White said in a statement. “To bring my style of sushi to my hometown in a way that’s fun, approachable, and truly reflects Detroit — it feels like everything has come full circle and I’m so excited to finally show my city what I can do.”
“I see Jasmine fight, her passion, her love for sushi,” Vang said. “All my life in kitchens, people underestimate me because I am a woman. I see myself in her, and I believe she deserves this chance to show Detroit what she can do.”
One thing that separates Sushi Lounge from many other sushi spots is its 100% gluten-free menu, substituting soy sauce for tamari and using gluten-free tempura batter.
And as for “Detroit-style” sushi, Sushi Lounge features a menu with some Motor City references including “The Big Three Roll” (fried lobster, shrimp tempura, torched scallop, avocado, pickled daikon, and scallions) and the “Whatuproll!” (fried crab, cucumber, roasted red pepper, asparagus, avocado, and Fresno chili).
The menu features other items like “Sushi Bombs,” or colorful bite-sized sushi balls, and a “Sushi Stack & Snack,” a three-layer tower of diced sashimi served with gluten-free chips.
The menu is rounded out with daily nigiri selections, onigiri rice balls, desserts like green tea mochi ice cream, and sake options.
Sushi Lounge opens to the public with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1 p.m. on Saturday followed by a live DJ.
More information is available at sushiloungedetroit.com.
The Detroit Shipping Co., a food hall and entertainment venue built from shipping containers, opened at 474 Peterboro St., Detroit in 2018.
Detroit Shipping Company
474 Peterboro St., Detroit, MI
This article appears in Aug 20 – Sep 2, 2025.