My Go-To Restaurant In Chicago's West Loop Serves A Classic Japanese Street Food

Ever since I was a preteen, I've had a fascination with Japanese cuisine — one that has led me to many delightful restaurants in the Chicagoland area. As is the case for many Americans, sushi was my first exposure to Japanese food. (All Blue Sushi in Bolingbrook, Illinois, is the coolest sushi restaurant I've ever been to.) However, my absolute favorite Japanese dish eventually became okonomiyaki, in large part due to my tremendous experiences at Gaijin — a high-end restaurant in Chicago's West Loop that serves both Hiroshima- and Osaka-style okonomiyaki to excited customers six days a week.

I first went to Gaijin a few years back after researching the food of Osaka, the city dubbed "the Kitchen of Japan," and discovering that the West Loop restaurant was among the only ones in the city to serve the popular street food. Since then, I have tried three of the restaurant's Osaka-style okonomiyaki pancakes — pork belly and bacon with bonito; tempura shrimp with corn, butter, and puffy arare rice crackers; and slow-cooked beef with roasted garlic and scallions. I have absolutely adored each one of them. The crispy exterior of each cabbage-based pancake is complemented by the flavorful protein and the sweet and savory okonomiyaki sauce it is topped with. 

Plus, considering okonomiyaki literally translates to "grilled as you like it," Gaijin offers a handful of additional toppings to choose from to ensure your dish is perfectly tailored to your taste buds. I always add cheese to my okonomiyaki, but those looking for extra protein can request bacon, and sauce lovers can incorporate sriracha mayo into their order.

While the concept of combining complementary ingredients together within a batter and cooking them like a pancake is far from novel, Gaijin's execution of the Osaka-style okonomiyaki is particularly noteworthy. The restaurant is known for using high-quality ingredients to great success. Beyond the incredible Osaka-style okonomiyaki at Gaijin, the restaurant also serves Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki.

I've yet to give this variation of the dish (which features yakisoba noodles and layers its ingredients rather than mixing them directly into the batter), but the friends I've brought along to experience Gaijin have assured me that they, too, are absolutely irresistible. The Hiroshima-style only comes in two variations — one with bacon, egg, and bonito and another with mushrooms and yuba (tofu skin) — and some folks believe that this is where Gaijin truly shines. While Osaka-style okonomiyaki is much more common both across Japan and internationally, Gaijin's Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is beloved for its tender, smoky yakisoba noodles, cooked to perfection and serving as the perfect cushion for all the savory flavors layered on top.

Okonomiyaki is far from the only worthwhile item on Gaijin's menu. Many diners swear by Gaijin's yakisoba-based dishes, as these take the aforementioned noodles and toss them with sauteed vegetables and proteins. I personally have found that the specialty cocktails and shaved ice cocktails — known as "kakitails" — are masterfully crafted by Gaijin's in-house bartenders. The 1919 is a true standout for its balanced, whisky-centric taste. If you're left wanting something sweet to balance out the savory pancakes you just enjoyed, Gaijin also serves some of my favorite mochi donuts, with the chocolate and matcha-citrus flavors, in particular, being real show-stealers in my experience.

While Gaijin's okonomiyaki was what brought me to the restaurant and its cocktails and desserts are what got me hooked, it's the restaurant's overall quality that has brought me back over and over again. Gaijin was first opened in 2019 by Michelin-starred chef Paul Virant after his wife introduced him to the dish decades prior, making it a staple in their household for years leading up to the restaurant's opening. Thus, the titular Gaijin (which is known to mean "outsider" or "foreigner" in Japanese) created the restaurant to provide Chicago with an outsider's take on the beloved Japanese dish. Luckily, Virant's vision has been a successful one; the Michelin Guide rates restaurants around the world and frequently heaps praise on Gaijin, with it being a regular fixture on the guide's lists for the best Japanese restaurants in Chicago.