Avondale's Modern Izakaya
Yusho on Kedzie is Matthias Merges's Avondale modern izakaya. Yakitori from an open grill, considered seasonal small plates, and the kind of careful Japanese sourcing the format requires.
The cooking is contemporary Japanese izakaya: yakitori in the proper grilled-and-glazed format, seasonal vegetable plates, considered seafood, and the broader Japanese small-plate canon handled at restaurant standards.
What to Order
Yakitori flight from the grill. The proper progression through chicken parts and vegetables. Seasonal small plates; donburi for the diner who wants a more substantial format. The sake list rewards a confident order.
The Grill
The yakitori grill at the bar is the visual centre. Diners can watch the chefs work the skewers; the format is unusually transparent for an American Japanese room.
Best Occasion: First Date
Yusho is a quiet Avondale first-date win. The yakitori format provides shareable plates; the small-plate progression provides natural pacing; the room is intimate without being intimidating.