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.