Izakaya Shinya

The cozy atmosphere of this place perfectly complements the delicious Japanese street food. An array of tasty small bites awaits you along with a well-curated sake menu. The dishes are not only packed with flavor but also beautifully presented.

Izakayas are difficult to replicate in US. The word itself is entrenched in Japanese work philosophy. It's a place for after-work relaxation, where salarypeople gather to drink beer and nibble on food, where it's sometimes boisterous, sometimes crowded. Cigarette smoke might perfume the air. That being said, Izakaya Shinya comes close to hitting the mark. Chicago admittedly does not have many Japanese food options compared to other major US cities, particularly at a decent price point (Momotaro comes to mind).The interior is decorated nicely and according to theme. The ceiling was decorated with upside down umbrellas, which helped with ambient lighting. Service was a little slow; it seemed like they were still figuring out the pace of the restaurant.Food-wise, we had a good portion of the menu. Izakayas will usually serve tapas, small plates, whatever you want to call it. The yakitori should be a bit more Smokey, but was cooked appropriately. The takoyaki was interesting, with a very gooey interior. I enjoyed how the karaage was fried, but wished that it came with a lemon wedge to help cut the oils. We polished off the meal with a hamachi collar, which was very miso-y and cooked perfectly. I also had a chazuke, which I was very excited about since you don't always see this item in American Japanese restaurants. Lastly, there is a good selection of beer: the trifecta - Sapporo, Asahi, Kirin. Of course, you can come to an izakaya without ordering a beer or two, but then where's the vibe in that?Overall, the restaurant manages to hit the necessary points for qualifying as a basic izakaya in my books.

This was the absolute worst dining experience I have ever had. I have a three strikes and you are out approach to dining. The only way I would EVER eat here again is if it were absolutely free; and even that would be a hard sell. The cocktail I ordered was a pink, pepto bismol colored concoction that tasted worse than what it looked. I ordered the cow tongue soup. The broth was reminiscent of dish soap and the diced chunks of cow tongue was equivalent to what I would believe eating a tire tastes like. The menu was overwhelming with small bites. Not one of which was good. How do you mess up Karaage chicken? I will tell you how, serve it a tepid and greasy, that's how. Next let's move on to the main dish. Another bath water lukewarm broth. This time the broth housed my udon ramen. I can't even remember the flavor choices. All I remember is yuck. When lukewarm noodles are the best part of your meal, a good time has not been had.The restaurant itself was dark and depressing. When the server (not mine), came from out of the back dressed like speedy racer, no a strip dancer speedy racer, I knew I should have left. If he was not sent home to change, then good sense does not prevailIn this establishment.Good luck restaurant. I am not a hater. I just literally hated everything about this experience. I wanted to call my bank and get my money back, but my integrity would not let me. But the fact that I wanted to tells the story of my evening.

SUPER BUSY Sunday night!!! Just keep that in mind. I genuinely feel bad for the workers here. You can tell they are trying their best to give great service but it's just too much for their small staff. Either hire more people or have a limit on customers.GyozaFirst thing noticed they came out cold. Other than that they are okay, decent flavor and crunch.TakoyakiLoved the flavor but unfortunately the octopus inside is tough and chewy definitely overcooked. Seafood udon Plate choice is aesthetically pleasing. The actual food looked a little sad like it was sitting out for a bit (the picture provided makes it look much better than in person). Doesn't excite me to dig into my dish. Was honestly expecting more of a ramen situation so just a bit confused. Does have some good flavor and looks like they didn't skimp out on seafood ingredients. Hibachi beef fried ricePlenty of beef in this dish and it was delicious. But for a rice dish there was hardly any rice.

A Sunday evening; the restaurant was packed! The staff was friendly and navigated the menu with us; and we had a good meal, a variety of authentic cuisine offered across the menu. Below is what we ordered! Overall a good meal TakoyakiGyozaOkonomiyaki OyakodonYakitori Negima (chicken And Onion)Tsukune (chicken Meatball Served With Quail Egg)Momo (chicken And Shiso)Negi (leek)Shishito Togarashi (shishito Pepper)Wagyu (wagyu Skewer)Hotategai (scallop)Hamachi Kama (yellowtail Collar)

Was honestly very impressed with this spot and had good asian food especially for chicago. I liked the way they seasoned their meats especially the wagyu skewer which was probably my favorite. One of the items to skip was the fried rice which was way too salty and just not authentic. I also liked the booths they had as they were private while still being able to enjoy the atmosphere of the restaurant. One of the best parts was also the music. They were playing bops after bops which really added to the great time we were already having. One thing to note is that the food ends up being pretty pricy (except the eel which was a great deal!). We went with a group of 5 and it came out to $35 pp. Overall I would come back for the food and music.

Had high hopes for this place after seeing all the great reviews but left pretty disappointed unfortunately. We were pleasantly surprised when we first walked in and were able to get seated right away since it was pretty packed, but that was where our service ended. We had to flag down a waiter after 20 minutes of waiting to order and again to request plates and silverware after our food had already arrived. They were busy and I could see friendly service provided at a nearby birthday table so it may have been just our table. Overall, decoration and ambiance in the restaurant were super cute although menus were very strangely faded to the point you couldn't read the bottom items.Most importantly though, the food left a lot to be desired. The grilled food was all extremely salty and oily and definitely caused some heartburn shortly after the meal. We got the chicken + leek, eggplant, pork sausage, and chicken skin. My favorite was probably the eggplant but still not amazing. The oyakodon was a nice hefty size and not bad, but also not super flavorful. Overall fun vibes to hang out with friends, but wouldn't go back just for the food.

This is an izakaya restaurant located in Wicker Park. Surprisingly, street parking was easy. The place opens from 5pm to 2am with happy hour starting from 10pm. That said, this place seems popular among younger folks and Instagramers due to Instagram friendly interiors.First glance at the menu, the place seems to overweigh Japanese street food rather than grilled items. They do have a decent selection of sake and cocktails with Japanese twists. We ordered a bunch of appetizers. Karage and wasabi octopus were good except they were too salty...not a fan of their takoyaki.You can find $15 for $25 Groupon deal at the moment, which makes the meals a lot more affordable.

nicole and Victoria where great to us while we dined in. Excellent customer service 10/10

The place is such a cozy Japanese bar. The chicken wings were super crispy and juicy. The sweet potato was also crazy good. Service was fast and they're super chill workers there.