Kumiko occupies a West Loop building dating to the 1880s, its original floors preserved and its brick walls intact. The vestibule is intentional: candlelight, dried flowers, branches, and faint incense slow guests before they reach the dining room, and kumiko panels at the threshold mark the shift from the street into the interior. A meandering entry keeps arriving guests out of view of those already dining, and those at the table free from cold air and the feeling of being on display.

The space was designed by owner Julia Momosé, who was born in Nara and raised between Nara and Kyoto, and whose background in interior architecture shaped every material and spatial decision. The panels are made from local white birch selected to patina over time toward the warmth of Japanese cedar. A hanging tapestry from Nara, purchased with Julia’s mother from a workshop where fabrics are still hand-woven and dyed, is paired seasonally with a corresponding floral arrangement on the walk to the main dining room. In spring and summer, fresh ikebana fills the space; in autumn and winter, those same flowers are dried and incorporated alongside seasonal branches. On the descent to the basement whisky and shochu bar – which seats ten – guests pass maps of Japan and personal photographs taken by the team. The bathrooms carry the same continuity: tile echoing the asanoha pattern from the back bar, Muuto mirrors and shelving, dried florals, Aesop products, and candles from Brooklyn Candle Studio. Julia’s book, The Way of the Cocktail, is available at both the host stand and the bar.

Service at Kumiko is built around omotenashi – anticipatory, quiet, and sincere. Guests are welcomed with oshibori, seasonally scented hand towels served hot in colder months and chilled in summer. The guest database records preferences, allergies, pronoun choices, seating habits, and left-handedness – with a distinction between fully left-handed and those who eat left-handed but drink right. Pashminas are offered colour-matched to guests’ outfits if they appear to be chilly. If a team member feels unsafe or harassed, an origami crane passed to Julia or the management team triggers immediate intervention without disruption. Drop-lines for dishes are printed or shown digitally for guests who cannot hear verbal descriptions. Preferred pronouns are collected at the reservation stage. Pre-shift closes each evening with Julia leading the team in “Let’s have a good service. Onegaishimasu.” Post-shift, the GM prepares a notes sheet that often includes a quote inspired by something Julia said that day.

The cocktail menu is rooted in Japanese ingredients and Chicago seasonality, with spirit free drinks occupying the same place of prominence and receiving the same creative attention as the alcoholic programme. Glassware is Japanese or carefully sourced vintage, with glass straws kept chilled alongside. Large-format ice is hand-chipped into spheres and diamonds, with off-cuts from the ice supplier used in the basement bar. Coasters are designated to specific cocktails. In-house production draws on shio-koji pickled cucumber olive brine for martinis, a lime cordial for gimlets built from oleo saccharum and aged citrus juices, and a lemon togarashi cordial made by cooking lemon hulls with Japanese seven spice. Juices are pressed by hand on a lever juicer to limit pithy bitterness, and over ten spirit free drinks are built around house-made cordials and infusions. Tasting menu guests close with a trio of mignardise: one rooted in Japanese nostalgia, one seasonal, and one echoing an ingredient from the opening bites.

The bar carries one of the largest Japanese whisky collections in the Midwest alongside one of the deepest shochu selections in the country, and over 35 sake bottles available by the glass, in flights, or as one of four pairings offered with the tasting menu – alongside two cocktail pairings and a non-alcoholic option. Beer is exclusively Japanese, with seasonal selections from small breweries including a red ale from Kawaba and a dark chestnut ale from Miyazaki. Wine focuses on Old World regions, with an exclusively Champagne sparkling selection and a dedicated sherry programme, all served in Kimura Glass Company vessels alongside sake. Coffee comes from Sparrow Coffee Roastery, less than two miles away, which uses a hybrid-green roasting system that eliminates the need for afterburners and significantly reduces emissions. Tea is sourced from Spirit Tea, whose importers have visited every farm they work with.

Every three weeks Julia speaks to the team on Japanese concepts, building on those sessions through preshift across the week. Staff working with talent from Japan are supported through the visa process, their knowledge of Japanese culture shared directly with the wider team.