Sushi Chef Otto Phan of the omakase restaurant Kyōten has opened Hinoki Sushiko, a new dual-concept omakase and izakaya restaurant featuring two chef-driven dining experiences. Located at 1465 W. Willow St. in Chicago’s Elston Corridor, the two-story venue offers an izakaya lounge presenting modern takes on Japanese street food, as well as a large-format omakase experience, providing traditional Edomae-style sushi nightly in one collective 40-person reservation-only seating.
Chef Phan has garnered nearly 12 years of experience training with sushi masters at kitchens across the country including Nobu NY/Nobu 57, Uchi/Uchiko, and Masa/Masabar, New York’s first three-Michelin-starred sushi restaurant, before becoming the owner and one-man-show behind Logan Square’s omakase Kyōten. Now as Chef-Partner of Hinoki Sushiko, he’s working with a more laid-back take on the traditional, omakase experience. Joining Chef Phan’s team are Gustavo Urbina-Barahona (Sushi Hoshi, Katana, Bar Takito) as chef de cuisine and Beverage Director & Certified Sake Professional Scott Samos (Momotaro, Katana, Izakaya Mika).
“At Kyōten, I’ve always flown solo – from operation to execution, I’m the one getting it done. Hinoki Sushiko is a totally different guest-driven experience; this is my chance to work with a team, turn up the fun, channel my creativity, and make high-quality sushi accessible to everyone who walks through the door,” says Chef-Partner Phan. “Plus, I’m excited to be the first chef in Chicago to take on the challenge of large-format omakase. I know it can be done, and I’m ready to prove it.”
THE IZAKAYA LOUNGE: On Hinoki Sushiko’s ground floor, guests will be offered an izakaya-style lounge featuring modern takes on Japanese street food from Chef de Cuisine Gustavo Urbina-Barahona. Along with Chef Urbina-Barahona’s menu of shareables, Beverage Director & Certified Sake Professional Scott Samos presents a program of Japanese-inspired cocktails, sake, wine and Japanese beer. The 50-seat, first-come, first-served lounge also features a rotating music selection curated by local Chicago DJ Jillian X.
LARGE-FORMAT OMAKASE: On the upper level, Chef-Partner Phan presents a large-format omakase experience, offering a nightly, 40-person seating (normal capacity 80 person). Guests can observe Chef Phan execute the dinner at the space’s eight-person sushi bar or dine with a larger party at a collection of surrounding tables. Over the course of 90 minutes, Chef Phan will craft 18 unique sushi pieces strictly in Edomae-style using traditional techniques such as aging, sujime, konbu jime, shio-jime and smoking, accompanied by sushi-friendly wine and sake selections by Beverage Director Scott Samos. Upon conclusion, sushi a la carte options will be made available to keep the party going. The Hinoki Sushiko Omakase experience is $125/person Tableside or $150/person at the Sushi Bar, with optional beverage pairings available for purchase.
Opening Hours: Both spaces are open Thursday - Saturday, 5:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. The downstairs lounge is open on a first-come, first-serve basis for service, and the upstairs Omakase will be reservation-only with one Omakase seating per night at 6:00 p.m. through OpenTable.
Sushi Chef Otto Phan of the omakase restaurant Kyōten has opened Hinoki Sushiko, a new dual-concept omakase and izakaya restaurant featuring two chef-driven dining experiences. Located at 1465 W. Willow St. in Chicago’s Elston Corridor, the two-story venue offers an izakaya lounge presenting modern takes on Japanese street food, as well as a large-format omakase experience, providing traditional Edomae-style sushi nightly in one collective 40-person reservation-only seating.
Chef Phan has garnered nearly 12 years of experience training with sushi masters at kitchens across the country including Nobu NY/Nobu 57, Uchi/Uchiko, and Masa/Masabar, New York’s first three-Michelin-starred sushi restaurant, before becoming the owner and one-man-show behind Logan Square’s omakase Kyōten. Now as Chef-Partner of Hinoki Sushiko, he’s working with a more laid-back take on the traditional, omakase experience. Joining Chef Phan’s team are Gustavo Urbina-Barahona (Sushi Hoshi, Katana, Bar Takito) as chef de cuisine and Beverage Director & Certified Sake Professional Scott Samos (Momotaro, Katana, Izakaya Mika).
“At Kyōten, I’ve always flown solo – from operation to execution, I’m the one getting it done. Hinoki Sushiko is a totally different guest-driven experience; this is my chance to work with a team, turn up the fun, channel my creativity, and make high-quality sushi accessible to everyone who walks through the door,” says Chef-Partner Phan. “Plus, I’m excited to be the first chef in Chicago to take on the challenge of large-format omakase. I know it can be done, and I’m ready to prove it.”
THE IZAKAYA LOUNGE: On Hinoki Sushiko’s ground floor, guests will be offered an izakaya-style lounge featuring modern takes on Japanese street food from Chef de Cuisine Gustavo Urbina-Barahona. Along with Chef Urbina-Barahona’s menu of shareables, Beverage Director & Certified Sake Professional Scott Samos presents a program of Japanese-inspired cocktails, sake, wine and Japanese beer. The 50-seat, first-come, first-served lounge also features a rotating music selection curated by local Chicago DJ Jillian X.
LARGE-FORMAT OMAKASE: On the upper level, Chef-Partner Phan presents a large-format omakase experience, offering a nightly, 40-person seating (normal capacity 80 person). Guests can observe Chef Phan execute the dinner at the space’s eight-person sushi bar or dine with a larger party at a collection of surrounding tables. Over the course of 90 minutes, Chef Phan will craft 18 unique sushi pieces strictly in Edomae-style using traditional techniques such as aging, sujime, konbu jime, shio-jime and smoking, accompanied by sushi-friendly wine and sake selections by Beverage Director Scott Samos. Upon conclusion, sushi a la carte options will be made available to keep the party going. The Hinoki Sushiko Omakase experience is $125/person Tableside or $150/person at the Sushi Bar, with optional beverage pairings available for purchase.
Opening Hours: Both spaces are open Thursday - Saturday, 5:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. The downstairs lounge is open on a first-come, first-serve basis for service, and the upstairs Omakase will be reservation-only with one Omakase seating per night at 6:00 p.m. through OpenTable.
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