To get into this sushi counter, you’ll have to walk through a secret door in the back of a burger shop

Burger shops open all the time in Philadelphia. But how many double as the front door to a hidden sushi counter?

Late this year, Austin- and Los Angeles-based Scratch Restaurants plans to open its omakase concept, Sushi by Scratch, behind a branch of NADC Burger at 210 S. 12th St., on the ground floor of the new 210 South 12th building in Washington Square West.

The setup will bring two concepts under one roof: a fast-casual wagyu burger shop up front and, behind an unmarked door, a 10-seat sushi counter. Philadelphia has become a hotbed of omakase experiences, where chefs prepare and serve dishes in a setting that is equal parts dinner and show.

Although Scratch has sushi and burgers on bilevel locations in Chicago and Denver, this will be the company’s first attempt at this kind of subterfuge. (Philadelphians have seen the idea: The omakase room at Yanaga Kappo Izakaya in Northern Liberties is behind a bookcase, the Italian restaurant Vita is hidden behind a red fridge door in its gelato shop, and the Northern Liberties nightspot called the Newsroom Philly is set behind a 7-Up vending machine.)

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NADC Burger is expected to operate from 11:30 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week. Sushi by Scratch will run evenings only, also seven days a week, with three seatings nightly. Gavin Humes, chief executive of both brands, said the omakase will run just under two hours and likely cost between $195 and $225 per person.

Scratch Restaurants — founded by husband-and-wife chefs Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas-Lee — got its start in 2013 with Scratch Bar & Kitchen and has since grown into several concepts. The sushi brand began about a decade ago in Encino, Calif., Humes said, then expanded during the pandemic with an Austin pop-up that became a permanent restaurant.

Humes described Sushi by Scratch as a 16-course, nigiri-focused tasting that starts in an antechamber with a welcome cocktail and canapés before guests are led back to the counter. About six of the 16 bites are signature pieces served across the brand, while the rest change with the seasons and the individual chef’s inspirations.

The format is designed to be intimate and interactive. Humes said each seating is attended by three chefs and a bartender.

Scratch uses only Japanese products or product made in-house, “so you won’t find tequila, for example,” Humes said. “But you will find cocktails with broad appeal. If you like a margarita, for instance, we’ve crafted drinks that we think will scratch that itch. They just won’t use tequila, because tequila isn’t made in Japan.”

The brand has drawn Michelin recognition. Sushi by Scratch’s Montecito, Calif., location earned a star in 2021 and 2022, while Pasta Bar in Encino holds one.

The Philadelphia opening will also extend the reach of NADC Burger, the wagyu cheeseburger concept Lee created with professional skateboarder Neen Williams. NADC — short for “Not a Damn Chance” — grew from pop-ups at skate parks and comedy shows into a multicity fast-casual chain built around double cheeseburgers, beef-tallow fries, beer, and a limited cocktail program. (The closest one to Philadelphia is in Manhattan, in SoHo.)

Humes said the Philadelphia burger outpost will likely have just 10 to 12 seats and will serve beer along with batched cocktails.

The deal was brokered by Michael Gorman, Shane Hart, and Scott Benson of Metro Commercial, representing the landlord.