Izakaya Mita - Chicago

This is my favorite restaurant in Chicago, bar none. The food is unusual and divine I've never had anything even average. The staff is extremely friendly, and the entire restaurant exudes a comfortable ambiance with quiet, hip music and atmosphere. It's hard to make the hour drive that I have to from where I live, but worth it every time.

Large selection with a helpful bartender to guide them through the options. the recommendation of the bartender was there for us. the menu Japanese tapas with some larger plates. we started with yellowtail sushi (no roll,) which was very fresh and well prepared. followed by tempura garnel and avocado, properly made and very tasty. we finished with the duck breast, two pieces rare duck breast with a special sauce. the server was very helpful to explain all the dishes and to understand that we were not in a hurry. the service was very good. no place for dessert. thanks to all in the restaurant for a pleasant time.

Most foods were very, very good. high points were the sake and hamachi sashimi (very fresh, generous cuts) pork bell (boiled on perfection,) zartoin (shares were a little small, but meat was very tender and sweet/savory taste was good). tonkatsu, ramen, huhn and Kara-Age were in order. was not really a fan of okonomiyaki or the reis Slider, as the consistency for both was a little to gooey for me. our server was very personal and the courts came out quite timely. drinks on the other side, took too long. the room itself was clean, and cozy, but at the same time was sitting comfortably and there was plenty of space for each diner and the various dishes. feels like a place where you can have a long, comfortable meal with close friends, a lot of food and drink. can easily go back.

The service was quite slow, especially if the restaurant was still more than half empty. there were two occasions where eating was overly scorched and the aromen are good, but too heavy on the salt on the half of the dishes. Also, we sat right in front of the kitchen and the kitchen curtain hit my friend on the head every time someone came out.

I grew up in Tokyo and am kinda snooty about Japanese food. Within Chicago city limits, I don't know if it gets any better than Mita!