Momotaro is high-end Japanese cuisine, situated on the corner of N. Green and W. Lake in the West Loop of Chicago. The Izakaya at Momotaro is the basement bar underneath… I didn’t eat at Momotaro, but the Izakaya showed me enough to not want to.

It’s dark and cozy, with 30 bar seats and probably 20 more private tables. A perfect place for a date… But I went with my friend Luke on our trip to play the Bears.

The big hitter and most popular item was their Momo Royale Burger. Two smash patties, cheese, pickles. The simplicity of this cheeseburger stops there… This thing’s finished with miso mayo and thrown on a house-made bao bun.

The complexity of flavor from the miso mayo, and the firm outside/buttery inside of the bao bun made this one of the best and most intriguing burgers I’ve ever had.

Served on the side of this nearly perfect burger were satsumaimo fries. Don’t ask me what that means. But they taste like a regular fry and a sweet potato fry had a baby.

Luke got the Spicy Chicken Sando, which was actually almost as good as the burger. We also ordered edamame and blistered shishitos. Both incredible.

This is a must try if you have a night to divert from the Deep Dish / Italian route in Chicago.

Items I recommend:

• Blistered Shishitos

• Edamame

• Momo Royale

• Spicy Chicken Sando