LAKEVIEW — A sibling eatery of popular West Town Japanese restaurant Arami will be opening in Lakeview Tuesday.
The new restaurant, Ani, which means "elder brother" in Japanese, is at 3056 N. Lincoln Ave.
Brothers Ty and Troy Fujimura decided to open Arami, 1829 W. Chicago Ave., in 2010 to showcase the brothers' Japanese heritage. Their father grew up in Hawaii, where their grandparents cooked food from their home country.
The Fujimuras had been looking for a new spot for another restaurant and "the stars aligned" when the opportunity came up to take over the former Chizaya Japanese Pub on Lincoln, Ty Fujimara said in January.
Like Arami, Ani's menu focuses on traditional Japanese cuisine, including robata grilling, ramen, sushi, sashimi and maki.
Ty Fujimura is also known in the Chicago restaurant and bar scene for his Small Bar, one in Logan Square and another in Ukrainian Village.
The brothers' West Town Arami restaurant has been well-reviewed. The Tribune called it "among the first tier of Japanese restaurants in Chicago" and both Chicago magazine and the Reader put it on best new restaurant lists when it opened.
Even after losing B.K. Park, its esteemed head sushi chef, the restaurant in the fall still earned a spot in on the Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand list, its first appearance there.
