Kumiko

"Kumiko in Chicago is a dining bar that pays attention to the little details, creating an unforgettable experience. Led by Julia Momosé, the bar serves one of the most dynamic cocktail programs in the country. It offers an ambitious tasting menu that perfectly syncs with its cocktails." - The MICHELIN Guide

"There are plenty of talented Chicagoans creating culinary cool, and Julia Momose and her team at Kumiko are at the forefront. A sibling to Oriole, a two-Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant, Kumiko takes inspiration Japan (Momose is Japanese American), with a deep whisky list. But the highlights are the cocktails, carefully prepared and with top-notch ingredients. When the bar reboots for indoor service, Momose will once again offer her drink flights where bartenders create custom cocktails for customers. It’s like watching a story unfold, and something drinkers can’t find anywhere else in the country. In 2022, Momose and co-writer Emma Janzen won a James Beard Media Award for their book The Way of the Cocktail: Japanese Traditions, Techniques, and Recipes." - Ashok Selvam, Naomi Waxman

"After our first visit to Kumiko, we couldn’t wait to eat the perfectly doughy steam buns again. In fact, one night after going to Kikko, their seven-course omakase restaurant in the basement, we stopped back upstairs for another order of them. We’d been thinking about those buns non-stop, along with the katsu sweetbreads that look and taste like crispy chicken nuggets (but unfortunately don’t come in a 20-piece). We ended up spending the rest of the night cracking jokes with the bartender as they walked us through one of the best cocktail lists in the city. But we were only really half-listening - partially because we were still thinking about the A5 wagyu we just ate downstairs, and also because we’d already started booking our next reservations on our phone." - josh barnett, adrian kane

"This upscale cocktail bar and restaurant is from the owners of Oriole, a fancy and expensive tasting menu spot that’s right next door. You can order their cocktails, coffee drinks, and tasty little snacks. All the dishes look pretty and artistic, and you’ll find delicious options like tonakastu sandos and karaage." - sam faye, adrian kane, veda kilaru, nick allen

"Each visit to Kumiko feels like peaking inside of a Rolex. Every detail of this West Loop spot is crucial to having a relaxed, upscale bar experience—the pristine space that looks like the home of someone who wrote Minimalism 101, the calm way the staff effortlessly describes complex flavor profiles, and physical menus that look like art zines. This thoughtfulness carries over to their food and drink, with creative cocktails like a bold-yet-light Old Fashioned with green tea, and a crispy tonkatsu sando with cloudlike milk bread. Everything inside its intimate candle-lit interior flows so smoothly, they should have “guaranteed to be a great time” artfully etched in calligraphy on the menu." - josh barnett, sam faye, john ringor