Chizakaya Japanese Pub

What happen to this place I wish they had some more of this kind of restaurant in illinois.

Still a huge fan. Came here last night with the bf after months of hearing him openly ask outloud why there aren’t any good japanese bbq restaurants in the city. After about the 7^th time in as many months, I finally remembered this gem and off we went.
As he has a much more intimate relationship with all things Asian, he did most of the ordering and did not steer us astray. We had a variety of the meat skewers (all great!) and a yakisoba dish as well as hamachi kama. I think the puffed pigs ears and the crispy pork belly were underwhelming, but I’m sure other people would disagree.
The $ 4 beers were another welcome treat and all in all, we had a great meal at a relatively cheap cost.

I was skeptical about this spot because I looked at the menu… and while I’m adventurous, nothing was calling to me.
However, I have to say that I changed my mind once I tried the bao.
So…while I would skip the skewers… and the octopus beignets… I would definitely have the bao and the noodles. The lobster bao was really nicely done and the fish one was also good. The noodles were super spicy (we asked for spicy… but I will say that these made my lips plump like Angelina Jolie…).
Prices were reasonable and the atmosphere was relaxing. Bathrooms could use a bit of cleaning (they were clean, but I think the person before me got water all over the place).
So, worth a visit (and the bao aren’t on the online menu, but I’m guessing they are a staple…)

Once again my boyfriend and I had the most exceptional experience at Chizakaya! We started with the chicken bao (because it was so freaking good last time) and the lobster bao which was also delicious. Next we had the Japanese sweet potato fries– there were not your ordinary sweet potato fries… they were less starchy than sweet potatoes that I am used to and mixed with the chipotle mayo they were to die for. I was hesitant to order them but I was not disappointed. We also got an order of the baby octopus skewers– they were great (but I LOVE anything octopus). For our finale we had the chicken ramen. I would highly recommend it! We had it with a poached egg and it was more than enough food. Every time I have eaten here I have not saved room for dessert but next time I will change that!
We had Leo as our server and he was delightful. Ivan was working behind the bar and he came over and said hello to us which was really nice that he remembered us from last time! I think the staff is what makes this place 5 stars. They are beyond knowledgeable and have such a passion for their food that it is easy to trust any food recommendation that they make. Thank you Chizakaya for having such amazing staff and delicious food! I look froward to my next visit!

I am a sucker for deals… and of course bought the travel zoo deal for here which was $ 25 for $ 50. A bargain. Anyways, I of course waited until the day it expired to come here. Lucky for me, we got an 830 reservation for 2 quite easily. The menu was very enticing, I love tapas and I love Japanese food so this place had me pumped. We started out with a few dishes and then ordered 2 more rounds… loved mostly everything. With a Unilocal check-​in we got a free dessert.
We ordered:
Edamame (staple)
Puffed pig ears
Crispy pork, slow poached egg
Beef tongue
Wagyu beef cheek
2 orders of the shrimp and bay scallop in sauce — so good
Bao
And for dessert we had White chocolate bread pudding, golden raisins, Drambuie sauce. This was amazing.
This place was good, lots of variety and small prices. I’d come back.

I have been wanting to go to Chizakaya for months. Finally used a Travelzoo deal I had purchased and was sadly underwhelmed.
The star of the meal was the bone marrow ramen. The noodles had to be have made fresh and the broth was delicious.
Everything else was just ok.
Grilled duck heart — personally didn’t like it
Waygu beef cheek — tasty but nothing to write home about
I liked the hot Hamachi and the wild mushrooms but it was pretty straight forward.
Also, the ambience was underwhelming. It was a Weds night but a lot of places have a great vibe on weekdays. They could’ve done better.
With a ton more restaurants open like this I’ve had better food and ambience at Roka (I know it’s more expensive) and Union.
It’s not bad, but just didn’t live up to expectations.

Fantastic drinks. Loved them. After that I think we may have either ordered wrong or this place is just not for us. My boyfriend was excited to try the chicken skins but didn’t eat them b/​c of the texture. We liked the baos we had chicken and lobster. But they weren’t like crazy delicious. The bread part was awesome. I got some chicken ramen. It was ok. I don’t eat meat so I gave my boyfriend the chicken that’s in it and he said it was really dry. We also tried the goyzas and they were pretty tasty. Something was off with the shrimp and scallop dish. I think the sauce was too much.
So all in all maybe this place just isn’t for me. There aren’t a lot of options if you’re pretty much a veg eater.

What is up with izakaya pubs springing up everywhere?
Anyway, sustenance not memorable.
Only pictures to unfold the events of that night.
And No, I was not celebrating my bachelor party with a resultant hangover.

My wife and I try to take time out from our busy schedules for a date night at least once a week. I felt bad because our last few nights out have been aimed towards my tastes instead of hers. Last week, I bit the bullet and picked a place that I thought she would really enjoy. Little did I know, the night would turn out to provide one of the best dining experiences I’ve had in a long time.
The first thing I noticed was our stunning server. Not only was she beautiful, she did a fantastic job. She made sure we were well fed and liquored up. The food was unique and delicious. Chizakaya offers a lot of small plate options, my Wife and I shared a few things before my gargantuan bowl of Raman. The highlights of the small plates were the Pig Ears, Chicken skins and Beef tongue skewers. Beef Tongue may sound gross, but let me tell you, it’s tender and delicious. The Pig ears were out of this world. They were spicy, light and crunchy.
My Giant bowl of Ramen was fit for a king. This huge bowl of goodies consisted of bean sprouts, tender pork, scallions, and just to be decadent, I topped it off with some chicken dumplings. Without the side dishes, the Ramen would have filled me up. It’s a hearty dish that I really enjoyed.
Do you want to know the best part about Chizakaya? It’s an amazing bargain. If my Wife and I would have laid off the hootch, we would have feasted for under $ 40.00. It’s a terrific value considering the high quality of food Chizakaya provides.
Here’s the bottom line: If you are looking for something out of the ordinary, give Chizakaya a try. You will receive top notch service, unique food that will knock your socks off and a tab that won’t dent your wallet. This place is one of the best kept secrets in town.

Another date night post, starring my man as the gold & black ninja featuring Chizakaya Japanese Pub!
I hubby loves Asian culture (eg, ninja, sword fights, martial arts, etc.), so he was excited when he found out we were going to a Japanese restaurant, a first for both of us. We love the murals on the walls, which set the tone for a great Japanese experience. The place was cute over all, cozy for a date night setting. Hubby liked his drink; I remember is was nice and strong.
This was a while back, so I think I had the Japanese Sweet Potato fries with Spiced Mayo, which was a good treat. I remember they had wheat noodles, which I appreciated, as I was on a veggie diet. I do remember there was not bread served while we were waiting on our food, which we prefer due to us usually coming to the place hungry. Also, we did leave a bit disappointed by the food. I do not remember what he had, but I remember him not being too satisfied with his dish.
I think this is place is a ‘hit or miss’, depending on your love/​like for Japanese food. I think if they had more common Japanese food, we would be willing to come and visit again. Overall, good time, great atmosphere, and good experience to try something new.

YUMMY to this little tucked away gem.
Ended up here on a Thursday night. Its a super cute space. Loved the vibe.
We started off with some bubbly because we were celebrating. Then we asked the server to explain some of the items on the menu to us and suggestions. A lot of the signature dishes are starred, but they sound funky.
We decided on the black edamame that was actually different from the norm. It was more of a smokey flavor. We also had some octopus ball things… this was my FAVORITE dish of the night. It was so good. I cant remember the name but it was something yaki. GREAT flavor. Next up was the cold hamachi, wagyu cheek and scallop and shrimp dish. Again, all of them were PHENOMENAL. The cold hamachi was perfect. It had a great sauce and just all around good flavor. The wagyu cheek was grilled up on the skewer. It was so tender and taste-​y. I was a little scared to try it, but it was totally worth it. The scallop and shrimp dish was in a cheese like sauce… again, fantastic. Lastly we ended with the house ramen that was HUGE and again, done to perfection. Great flavor and the freshness of the veggies, mixed with hearty meat and noodles… DONE :)
The service was great. The only complaint was that we ordered a bottle of bubbly and they didnt chill it… they just kept it on the table.
The prices were totally reasonable. I would definitely come back here.

Yum. I don’t really know what exactly was ordered, and therefore what exactly we ate, but I know it was all very good. By 9:30 on a Friday my decision making skills are horribly sub-​par, so I closed my menu and let someone else decide. That simple choice worked out quite well.
We had a couple hot appetizers that were each delicious. I tried the sweet sausage skewers and the duck hearts skewers, both were very good. We had the grilled mackerel, which I don’t believe was on the menu, but I was lucky enough to be dining with someone who had the chef’s cell phone number and phoned ahead for us. For dessert we also had an off the menu item, fried mochi in some kind of a honey and chocolate sauce. Everything was really good.
The service was great and the dining room is really pretty, although small. The only drawback was how loud it was. There was a point at which I thought I might lose my voice just trying to talk to someone 2 feet away. Because of the noise level, I’d say not a great place for a first date or a business dinner. Maybe a 3^rd date when you don’t care so much about what they have to say, you’re just thinking about getting them out of those clothes. (Kidding) (Kind of)

We purchased the sugar pop certificate for the 8 course meal. Very minimal and modern setting and the service was definitely above average. The presentation was awesome, especially for the oysters.
We enjoyed every course with the donburi and oysters being my favorites. The soup is much better than what is served at Urban Belly with more plentiful ingredients. A bit pricey but a fine place for friends or a date. Very generous with the neat whiskey as well.

They had some big hits and only ever so slight misses for me.
Hits —
*The service! The hostess was excellent and on point. Our waitress was also excellent. Water was never even half empty, dishes cleared promptly, dishes brought up with good timing intervals.
*Going along with service, they take A La Card Chicago. Everyone should have this! $ 10 off your meal~! Plus the lady was super nice and let us keep our card for next time. Yay.
*Puffed Pig Ears. They weren’t what I expected at all. For some reason I thought they literally would be puffed… soft and such. They actually are hard and kinda chewy but so tasty! The Puffed Pig Ears are only $ 4 and a huge portion! Definitely a good bang for your buck.
*Atmosphere — loved it. We loved the table set up, wasn’t too crowded when we dined here during peak time on a Saturday night and we loved the modern Rap music… Mos Def and Talib.
*Biggest Hit Of Them All *Crispy Pork Slow Poached Egg*. This is just amazing. It’s $ 6 for a very small amount of food but it’s so worth it. Everything blends together in perfect harmony in my mouth~! Next time I might just order two of these and some puffed pig ears.
Misses–
*Wild Mushrooms. I’m obsessed with mushrooms and these were just eh, whatever. Nothing bad but nothing great either. I wish it would have been amped up a bit with something more then just butter.
*I was looking forward to the sesame ice cream but it wasn’t on the menu on Saturday. Next time, I’ll try again.
Chizakaya can get pricey if you start ordering like crazy off their menu! I will absolutely be back here as they have far more hits then misses and I really want to try the pork belly on my next trip!

So I got tired of writing reviews and mostly because I’m lazy and just wanted to use Unilocal to find new places. However I felt compelled to write a review about this spot because it’s different and people should check it out. Most people associate sushi with Japanese food, so it’s neat to have a different style of Japanese influenced food. Of course we’re not in Japan, so the food has been crafted for american palettes, but its still damn good and authentic enough.
We sat at the bar and it had a really cool chill vibe, with great lighting, it was nice to sit at a bar without a TV for a change. The drinks were spot on, most places’ cocktail menu is full of sweet over powering cocktails, but not their menu. Very well balanced drinks and you’ll be impressed with the method of preparation. Jane makes a «sweet» drink. I really liked the Shibuya Station, the Yasaka Shire which had fresh ginger that you could taste but didn’t over power the rest of the drink. The Rakushisha was also very good. All Whiskey/​Bourbon based drinks. Their cocktails have the same feel and style as the violet hour and longman and eagle without the violet hour prices.
The specials were great, I had duck hearts which I’ve never had before and I would highly recommend them. The texture is a little hard to describe, it is very uniform in consistency, a little more gamey than beef, but still mild in favor. They have real seaweed salad, not that crap every sushi restaurant serves. The Hamachi Kama was excellent. I’m really looking forward to going back and trying more of their beef and pork dishes, I was with a pescatarian, so the meat dishes were very limited.
All and all I would definitely go back and I hope the word gets out about Chizakaya.

It’s not hard for me to put my finger on what didn’t resonate with me about Chizakaya. It starts when you drive by, and doesn’t let up until you leave.
First off, the space is unattractive. I don’t know what is going on with that lighting and the space over the center of the dining room, but it’s unattractive and the light is way too bright. No self respecting Japanese business man is going to drink himself silly in a room that is lit like a library. The space itself doesn’t lend itself very well to conversation. It’s a bit sterile on the inside, and quite frankly, didn’t make me want to eat and enjoy a night out.
The service seemed forced and awkward. The type of food certainly didn’t match the service, anyway. This kind of food is best served in a fun atmosphere by people that look like they enjoy their jobs. Nobody seemed to be having any fun, and it showed in the service and the food.
Once you get past the atmosphere and service, you have to dig into the menu a little bit. We sampled quite a few dishes on the menu, and barely any of them were delivered hot. Everything was lukewarm and sort of sloppily prepared. The squid was rubbery, the gizzards were almost raw (a texture that isn’t even close to tasty) the chicken skin was burned on the outside and chewy on the inside, the okinomyoki was bland, tasteless and chewy, and in general nothing really tasted like anything that I’ve ever had at a real izakaya.
Which brings me to my final point.
Dear Chicago Restaurant Entrepreneurs,
Don’t pretend to be an izakaya! Just call yourself another crappy old Japanese knock off restaurant that is trying to lure in suckers. Small plates of deliciously prepared food with drinks, music and fun. It’s not that difficult. Oh, and you can’t do an Izakaya on a street without foot traffic, near where people actually congregate. Put a damn izakaya downtown, near the CBD, please?
Nice Try Chizakaya, but you know what you are, and you’re not what you’re pretending to be.

There is a trend in Chicago lately revolving around bringing the idea of Japanese «Izakaya» pubs to the city. The track record so far has been mixed, if not bad. Chizakaya is the latest attempt and possible the best to-​date, though I never tried the others. However «best attempt» still does not qualify for «great» and I don’t know if I’d call it a success.
The concept of Chizakaya is well thought out but lacking execution. It would be great to have a go-​to sake bar with great small plates, a change of scenery if you will. What we found was an interesting and difficult menu to navigate serving food most people did not know existed. There is talent behind the counter, some flavors came out nicely, but I argue the talent is misused. Our drinks were pretty good; I enjoyed trying a few sakes, Russ had their version of a mojito while Erica sampled the beer on tap. Our food was hit or miss, mostly just confusing.
We were served an «offering» consisting of a croquette of pork. It was nice touch and tasty. Our first couple of «small plates» included string beans, daily gyoza selection (pork) and agedashi tofu. I liked the string beans more than my table-​mates; they had a nice kick but drenched in the teriyaki sauce. The gyoza was pretty good with the dough having an interesting texture. The sauce wasn’t very flavorful though. Russ and I enjoyed the tofu, though it was not the best agedashi I’ve ever had. I prefer a stronger flavored sauce with my tofu since it can be quite bland without. The challenge we faced was ordering what we could decipher as something recognizable. Those three starters were just a small sample of the menu, but a large sample of what looked appealing. We became more adventurous as the meal progressed.
The second round of food featured our favorite dish, blue crab meat served with rice in the style of risotto. It was bar far the best thing we ordered and priced well at $ 9. I wish there were more noodle/​rice dishes on the menu, only three seems to little. After ordering relatively «safe» dishes, Russ led the charge to explore the menu into uncharted territory. There is a section of the menu devoted to food served on a stick. The options are vast, but we went with sirloin steak (for Erica), sweet sausage, beef tongue, and chicken skins. You could get even more adventurous with gizzards and livers and the like, but this was a good start for our table.
The steak was tasty, especially with the dollop of wasabi. The sweet sausage was kind of weird, especially since we didn’t know what the sausage was made from (probably a good thing). I could not stomach or finish the chicken skins. I don’t like skins on my poultry with the meat so I’m not surprised to dislike the skins alone on a skewer. To my surprise, the beef tongue was quite good. You would not know it’s tongue because it looks like regular meat, tasted salty but with nice flavor.
The final dish was something other people have talked about: hamachi and bone marrow (above). This was the biggest disappointment. The most expensive dish we ordered ($ 12) was the least impressive. The hamachi lacked meaningful flavor and the bone marrow added nothing. I liked the garlic chips but that was about all I liked. Bummer.
Chizakaya is not a complete disaster, I like the idea but it is too hard to navigate and figure out what to order. Russ asked the simple question: would you come back and what would you order again? I don’t have good answers to either question. I like the pub feel and sake list, but that’s not good enough. The funky food on a stick thing is cool but only so much. It’s too early to tell what the future Izakaya scene will look like in Chicago, but since it’s a huge success around the country, someone is going to nail it sooner or later.

This was the first Japanese restaurant that I’d been to that didn’t have a single item of maki or sashimi on the menu — a refreshing change! This place is like having tapas, but Japanese. The dishes are all small (and honestly a bit pricey for the amount of food you actually get). The restaurant, too, is small, which gives it an intimate feel. It gets a little loud, which I enjoyed, but might not be great if you’re looking for a quiet, romantic date.
I thoroughly enjoyed the crispy pig’s ear appetizer, the king oysters, and the house ramen dish. And the $ 4 Sapporo is the cheapest that I’ve seen! However, the octopus salad was a bit too fishy with the fish oil vinaigrette. Also, I definitely would not come here to order dessert. I got the yuzu spongecake with green tea ice cream and green tea cookie crumbles, and it was horrible. First of all, the spongecake was sort of dry and didn’t even taste like yuzu. Secondly, the plating was absolutely horrible and looked like the chef had just dumped everything on a plate with no regard to aesthetics.
Other than the dessert, though, it was overall a pretty good experience! I’d definitely come back.

This is probably some of the best Japanese food in/​around Chicago, which is high praise. This is what I would call «Japanese Tapas.» That is, a party of two will typically order 4 – 8 dishes, some of which are somewhat filling (e.g., clams, walleye, eggplant, crispy chicken thighs) others of which are more like tastings (e.g. pig ears, skewers, himachi w/​bone marrow). Dishes typically go for about $ 5 – 8 each, but range between $ 3 – 15 (approx.).
MUSHROOMS! If/​when you go you MUST get the «King oyster…» dish which is a substantial helping of (primarily) oyster mushrooms with lemon butter and some soy. It is absolutely amazing. Also of note was the «crispy pork» dish, which was actually pork belly suspended above a poached egg in a ponzu sauce. The himachi with bone marrow was also delectable and the pig ears were a nice crispy, salty snack.
I can honestly say that, after ordering a wide range of dishes (octopus, beef cheek, pig ears), my guests and I did not regret a single thing. As a result, I recommend ordering outside of your comfort zone (chicken and beef livers are on the menu, as are chicken gizzards – you get the idea).
In terms of booze, they have a pretty extensive wine, sake, beer, cocktail, and liquor (mostly/​maybe all whiskey).
All told, this is a must-​try – a few times over.

Right after landing in Chicago, we decided to dine at Chizakaya for a small snack and a few drinks. Much to my surprise, I was fairly pleased with the extensive food menu and the awesome drinks. I focused mainly on the cocktails so I can’t say much about the sake and whiskey list.
Came in around 9pm and for a party of 2 we were seated promptly. The staff is super friendly and welcoming. The décor of this place is very modern — dim lighting, beautifully painted murals on the wall and the decorations are nice and simple.
Here’s what we ordered:
HAMACHI KAMA –
This is a must get. It’s seasoned really well and cooked to perfection! Hopefully this dish doesn’t sell out on you because we were able to snag the last one!
HAMACHI W/​BONE MARROW –
I usually don’t like bone marrow because it’s gooey and lacks flavor but the bone marrow paired w/​the hamachi is a very ingenious idea. There are bits of fried garlic on the dish too so you must enjoy it with a piece of fried garlic!
TAI SNAPPER –
I love avocados and I love raw fish so if you put them together, I’ll be one happy camper. Despite the fact that this dish was a bit on the vinegary side, all the flavors worked well together.
AGEDASHI TOFU –
This was the only dish I didn’t like. Agedashi tofu is supposed to be soft, but this was a bit on the firmer side. The sauce was a bit bland too but perhaps this is another way of preparing agedashi tofu that I’m not aware of???
SHISO MOJITO –
Shiso leaves instead of mint leaves? Love the idea. This mojito was on the sweeter side in my opinion so for those who like mojitos and/​or sweet cocktails, this ones for you.
LYCHEE COCKTAIL –
Thumbs up! The consistency was thicker than the rest of the cocktails but for those who are lychee fans, don’t miss out on this drink.
GREEN TEA COCKTAIL –
A bit mild on the flavor but you can definitely taste the matcha in your drink. I think this was my favorite cocktail.
UME COCKTAIL –
For some reason, this drink tasted like a margarita to me. I don’t know how a Japanese sweet plum drink can translate into a margarita. It wasn’t bad though. The server said it was her favorite.
All in all, I would come here if you’re looking for a rather inexpensive meal. For 2, we were able to fill ourselves and get a bit tipsy for roughly $ 80. There’s a back area that can seat a big party — I believe 20 people so keep this location in mind if you’re out looking for a place to celebrate a special occasion! I would come here again for some good Japanese pub style food (think Japanese tapas). Plus, you can’t go wrong with really tasty cocktails!