WEST LOOP — From the cuisine to the utensils and decor, attention to detail will be the hallmark at Japanese restaurant Momotaro.
The 11,500-square-foot restaurant, opening Monday at 820 W. Lake St. in the West Loop, will offer a modern Japanese menu designed over months by executive chef Mark Hellyar and sushi chef Jeff Ramsey.
The Japanese restaurant was in the cards even before BOKA Restaurant Group opened their namesake restaurant in 2003, said the group's co-founder Kevin Boehm.
Nine restaurants later, BOKA now has the right chef and the right space to bring their Japanese vision to life, Boehm said at Momotaro Friday.
“After tasting Mark and Jeff’s food, we knew we were onto something special and would have the ability to properly showcase traditional Japanese dining in Chicago," he said.
Both chefs have worked in Japan. Before serving as corporate research development chef for Stephen Starr Restaurants, Hellyar spent time in Tokyo working as a chef at Oak Door, Keyekazaka and Shunbou. After a career that started in the states, Japan-born Ramsey helped open the six-star Mandarin Oriental Tokyo hotel. While there, Ramsey earned a Michelin Star rating.
Momotaro's menu focuses on small plates, sushi and robata and offers fresh fish from around the world.
The building, nestled near the "L" tracks on Lake Street, was perfect, Boehm said.
"It screamed Japanese to us. We just felt it," he said.
New York-based AvroKO designed the space, aiming to capture the feel of the post-World War II era in Japan. The three-level restaurant features a main level dining room, private seating upstairs and basement bar Izakaya.
The dining room's centerpiece is a grand sushi bar that offers diners a view of sushi chefs at work, and the open kitchen, featuring a wood-fired robata grill, can be seen at the rear of the restaurant.
The bathroom hallway features a mural comprised of more than 990,000 ink strokes. A design team worked over days to complete the artwork.
Adorned with flags, street signs and neons, the dark Izakaya will focus on cocktails, Japanese whiskey and sake and offer a limited menu.
The entire restaurant offers seating for 255, according to Boehm. Momotaro will open daily at 4:30 p.m.
Want a preview of the food and restaurant space? Check out our slideshow.
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