Photo courtesy of Erin and Matt

While Makiman Sushi (web designers, please help them out here) has made its name in Northeast Philadelphia over the past several years, it is now getting its shot in Center City. The new location has opened its doors at 1326 Spruce Street, a tucked-away location that hasn’t fared so well for other Japanese boites in the past (do you even remember Misso, Muntin and Hasu?)

Since its recent opening, the consumer response has been overwhelmingly positive. Makiman Sushi was hugely popular in its original location in the Northeast (it was a PhillyHotList 2010 nominee), but given its off-the-beaten-path address and competing popular sushi neighbors like Raw and Fat Salmon, our guess is Makiman needs to step up their game to swim with the big fishes.

Makiman’s new locale will be a BYO, possibly because a liquor license in Philadelphia is very expensive, costing upward of $100,000. Being without a liquor license puts Makiman a few steps behind bigger competitors from the get-go, making their need for surpassing quality and service a must.