Didn’t understand the hype… one of the bartenders was a bit crass and loud mouthed. That’s not very fitting for a Japanese-inspired place…
Been to Japan a few times now and other big Japanese-inspired restaurants/bars around the world and here is my take:
1. The truffle/honey sando was overpriced and we didn’t pick up any truffle scent or taste. 2. The truffle milk toast, however, was perfect. 3. The yuzu kosho chicken karaage was also very good. 4. The ume old fashioned was a bit disappointing. I would try something else if I ever go back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Marchellino Harviandy
I’ve had an amazing experience in Kumiko. The cocktails were extraordinary but that’s not the only quirk of this bar. The bartender gives you a breakdown of each and every one of the cocktails, elaborating on the primary liquor and why it was chosen for the drink. This review would’ve been a 5 star experience if it wasn’t for a few things that irked me during my stay. I asked them to switch to another seat at the bar and they said there were people arriving there. There was no one that sat on those seats until I was about to leave. I also asked them to space out my meal and get, my meal came out 20 seconds after my karaage arrived on the table. My main course, the Japanese curry rice, was not good. There’s no other way to say it. I took two bites and I casted it aside. Overall it was an amazing experience with some imperfections.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
Jake Robbins
Second time going. Service and food have gone downhill from of our first visit. Very slow service - not super well paced. Spent over $350 and left hungry. Was charged $2 surcharge for asking for soy sauce, at this price point, that is absurd. Not coming back
Tim M
The cocktails were great, however the food was awful. We ordered a large variety of items - their specialty oysters, a hamachi dish, miso soup, the $105 Wagyu Sando, etc, and every single dish was a massive disappointment. The hamachi dish was simply awful and had no flavor at all, the oysters were drowned in browned butter and couldn’t be tasted through the sauce, and though the sando was good, it was tiny, and should have been excellent for the price but was not. The Wagyu sando is significantly better at Perilla’s in the loop. Come for cocktails, but NOT the food. 2 stars only bc the cocktails. Cannot stress enough what a waste of money getting every single food item was.
Food: 1
Service: 5
Taylor King
I would like to give this place a good review but I got food poisoning from the oysters. It’s the only thing my partner and I didn’t share. Otherwise it was a good experience.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
mili han
We decided to choose Kumiko as our anniversary night spot after reading its rave reviews and World’s 50 Best, but left profoundly let down by the night.
I’ll start with the positives. The service was attentive and professional, and the two cocktails we ordered were worth their accolades. The space was elegant and thoughtfully designed (but did not soften the noise from other conversations, and the din reached a level where we could not hear our waitress at our table).
We selected the Tasting Menu which is 7 courses that seasonally rotate. The food, while beautifully presented, was SO off-putting. The fish and mentaiko served to us did not taste fresh, and the offensive flavor overwhelmed every course, especially the udon dish. We ate what was on our plates because of the immense price point (with a 20% service charge automatically added on, not including tax) but left feeling incredibly disappointed by the experience.
We have paid significantly less for significantly better omakase and Japanese tasting menus in Chicago— I would recommend you pass this one by.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Marielle Millevoi
one of the weirdest most awkward cocktail bar experiences ever. They will make you feel out of place - no one is laughing or having fun… gives major the menu vibes
XXVIII OTTOBRE
Small portions. Very good quality. Excellent service and atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Joel Salgado
Stopped in for light bites and cocktails. Cocktails were really great, enjoyed both the Cloud Hopper, Unabridged, and special Hotel Amami. The Japanese fried chicken bites and potato salad were excellent when paired together. Service a tad slow at times, but overall great time and thought it was worth the money spent
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Chicken Karaage
Paul D
The atmosphere is really wonderful and much more intimate and dark than on most pictures you find on the internet. The service is also really friendly, although we felt a bit rushed when we only ordered drinks and light snacks and nothing more "fancy". However, don't go here for the non-alcoholic drinks. Although Kumiko is one of the very few bars that has a non-alcoholic selection which sounds exciting on paper, they are all rather watered-down, tasteless and not worth the price-tag. We were quite disappointed, also of some of the smaller snacks on the menu, which just didn't taste that special. Going here for a rather full dinner with alcoholic drinks, could be quite nice, though.
I visited Kumiko tonight for drinks and bites after reading great reviews. While the cocktails are definitely the highlight—delicious and well-crafted—there were some downsides. If you don’t speak Japanese, you might struggle to understand the ingredients, and the waitstaff weren’t particularly helpful in explaining them.
We tried several bites that were just okay. The cabbage salad was excessively salty, and the fried chicken was average, similar to what you can find anywhere. However, the potato salad was exquisite.
I was surprised by the 20% service charge, which felt excessive and perhaps unwarranted. I requested tissues three times and received only one, served in a fabric envelope. I also asked for the WiFi password, but was told it couldn’t be shared, despite seeing two WiFi networks associated with the restaurant.
Overall, a place that lacks generosity and hospitality loses points in my book. Additionally, there was no music or ambiance, which contributed to a rather uninspired experience.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Victor Rolando Garcia Alvarez
Nice place
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Lucy H
The server was really rude! We reserved a table with them. However, right after our second round of drinks come up, the server reminds us we only have 15 minutes till the next group come to take our people. They didn’t say anything when we ordered our second round of drinks but pushed us to finish right after our drinks are served.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 1
Yandan
We were 3 ppl ordered 6 drinks and 2 snacks, one of it was the fried chicken. I soon noticed that a piece of hair was attached to that fried chicken we ordered and the server apologized and brought us a fresh dish and told us that it was PART OF CHICKEN. Fine. Then we were rushed to order our 2nd round of drinks, right after our drinks were served the waitress let us know that we had 20 min left for our reservation. She didn’t even care to tell us when we were ordering our 2nd round and you didn’t even have the choice to not leave a tip. Why? Because a 20% of tip was already included into your bill! Voila! Here’s a toast to say farewell to our $250.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Yue Lyu
If you want to spend a lot just to be treated like a beggar, this is the place for you.
As our second round of drinks arrived, the server asked us to leave in 20 minutes to free up the table. We got no service here and were forced to pay a 20% tip. Probably because if given the choice, no one would leave one. I’ve been to many restaurants in Japan and have never received service like this.
Didn’t understand the hype… one of the bartenders was a bit crass and loud mouthed. That’s not very fitting for a Japanese-inspired place…
Been to Japan a few times now and other big Japanese-inspired restaurants/bars around the world and here is my take:
1. The truffle/honey sando was overpriced and we didn’t pick up any truffle scent or taste.
2. The truffle milk toast, however, was perfect.
3. The yuzu kosho chicken karaage was also very good.
4. The ume old fashioned was a bit disappointing. I would try something else if I ever go back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
I’ve had an amazing experience in Kumiko. The cocktails were extraordinary but that’s not the only quirk of this bar. The bartender gives you a breakdown of each and every one of the cocktails, elaborating on the primary liquor and why it was chosen for the drink. This review would’ve been a 5 star experience if it wasn’t for a few things that irked me during my stay. I asked them to switch to another seat at the bar and they said there were people arriving there. There was no one that sat on those seats until I was about to leave. I also asked them to space out my meal and get, my meal came out 20 seconds after my karaage arrived on the table. My main course, the Japanese curry rice, was not good. There’s no other way to say it. I took two bites and I casted it aside. Overall it was an amazing experience with some imperfections.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
Second time going. Service and food have gone downhill from of our first visit. Very slow service - not super well paced. Spent over $350 and left hungry. Was charged $2 surcharge for asking for soy sauce, at this price point, that is absurd. Not coming back
The cocktails were great, however the food was awful. We ordered a large variety of items - their specialty oysters, a hamachi dish, miso soup, the $105 Wagyu Sando, etc, and every single dish was a massive disappointment. The hamachi dish was simply awful and had no flavor at all, the oysters were drowned in browned butter and couldn’t be tasted through the sauce, and though the sando was good, it was tiny, and should have been excellent for the price but was not. The Wagyu sando is significantly better at Perilla’s in the loop. Come for cocktails, but NOT the food. 2 stars only bc the cocktails. Cannot stress enough what a waste of money getting every single food item was.
Food: 1
Service: 5
I would like to give this place a good review but I got food poisoning from the oysters. It’s the only thing my partner and I didn’t share. Otherwise it was a good experience.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
We decided to choose Kumiko as our anniversary night spot after reading its rave reviews and World’s 50 Best, but left profoundly let down by the night.
I’ll start with the positives. The service was attentive and professional, and the two cocktails we ordered were worth their accolades. The space was elegant and thoughtfully designed (but did not soften the noise from other conversations, and the din reached a level where we could not hear our waitress at our table).
We selected the Tasting Menu which is 7 courses that seasonally rotate. The food, while beautifully presented, was SO off-putting. The fish and mentaiko served to us did not taste fresh, and the offensive flavor overwhelmed every course, especially the udon dish. We ate what was on our plates because of the immense price point (with a 20% service charge automatically added on, not including tax) but left feeling incredibly disappointed by the experience.
We have paid significantly less for significantly better omakase and Japanese tasting menus in Chicago— I would recommend you pass this one by.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
one of the weirdest most awkward cocktail bar experiences ever. They will make you feel out of place - no one is laughing or having fun… gives major the menu vibes
Small portions. Very good quality. Excellent service and atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Stopped in for light bites and cocktails. Cocktails were really great, enjoyed both the Cloud Hopper, Unabridged, and special Hotel Amami. The Japanese fried chicken bites and potato salad were excellent when paired together. Service a tad slow at times, but overall great time and thought it was worth the money spent
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Chicken Karaage
The atmosphere is really wonderful and much more intimate and dark than on most pictures you find on the internet. The service is also really friendly, although we felt a bit rushed when we only ordered drinks and light snacks and nothing more "fancy". However, don't go here for the non-alcoholic drinks. Although Kumiko is one of the very few bars that has a non-alcoholic selection which sounds exciting on paper, they are all rather watered-down, tasteless and not worth the price-tag. We were quite disappointed, also of some of the smaller snacks on the menu, which just didn't taste that special. Going here for a rather full dinner with alcoholic drinks, could be quite nice, though.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
I visited Kumiko tonight for drinks and bites after reading great reviews. While the cocktails are definitely the highlight—delicious and well-crafted—there were some downsides. If you don’t speak Japanese, you might struggle to understand the ingredients, and the waitstaff weren’t particularly helpful in explaining them.
We tried several bites that were just okay. The cabbage salad was excessively salty, and the fried chicken was average, similar to what you can find anywhere. However, the potato salad was exquisite.
I was surprised by the 20% service charge, which felt excessive and perhaps unwarranted. I requested tissues three times and received only one, served in a fabric envelope. I also asked for the WiFi password, but was told it couldn’t be shared, despite seeing two WiFi networks associated with the restaurant.
Overall, a place that lacks generosity and hospitality loses points in my book. Additionally, there was no music or ambiance, which contributed to a rather uninspired experience.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Nice place
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
The server was really rude! We reserved a table with them. However, right after our second round of drinks come up, the server reminds us we only have 15 minutes till the next group come to take our people. They didn’t say anything when we ordered our second round of drinks but pushed us to finish right after our drinks are served.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 1
We were 3 ppl ordered 6 drinks and 2 snacks, one of it was the fried chicken. I soon noticed that a piece of hair was attached to that fried chicken we ordered and the server apologized and brought us a fresh dish and told us that it was PART OF CHICKEN. Fine. Then we were rushed to order our 2nd round of drinks, right after our drinks were served the waitress let us know that we had 20 min left for our reservation. She didn’t even care to tell us when we were ordering our 2nd round and you didn’t even have the choice to not leave a tip. Why? Because a 20% of tip was already included into your bill! Voila! Here’s a toast to say farewell to our $250.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
If you want to spend a lot just to be treated like a beggar, this is the place for you.
As our second round of drinks arrived, the server asked us to leave in 20 minutes to free up the table. We got no service here and were forced to pay a 20% tip. Probably because if given the choice, no one would leave one. I’ve been to many restaurants in Japan and have never received service like this.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
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