Chicago | Japanese Yakitori, Late-Night Dining, and Karaoke!

✅Today, I'm sharing a very popular Japanese late-night eatery in Chicago that specializes in yakitori and charcoal-grilled dishes—Izakaya Shinya. It's hard to imagine that such a small shop can combine a late-night diner vibe with karaoke. 🎤 ✅You need to make a reservation here. The storefront is tiny, and without a reservation, you might not get a table, especially on weekend nights or when dining in a large group. There are only 3-4 larger tables inside, with the rest being small ones. The atmosphere is great, with a traditional Japanese decor. However, after 10 PM on weekends, karaoke starts, and everyone gets to sing along, which can get pretty noisy. So, if you prefer a quiet dinner without the noise, it's better to come a bit earlier. Otherwise, it can get so loud that you won't be able to hear each other talk... 🎶 ✅The menu and the drink list are both just one page each. We ordered a lot of dishes and drinks. We had a bottle of Dassai 45. Here are some of the highlights: - Tsukune : Grilled chicken meatballs with a raw egg on top. They're delicious, with a meatloaf-like texture and a classic yakitori flavor. 5/5 - Wagyu : Grilled Wagyu beef skewers, served with a small charcoal grill. The beef is tender and flavorful. 5/5 - Torikawa : Grilled chicken skin. It's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. 4/5 - Kimo/Sunagumo/Hatsu (2) : Chicken liver, gizzard, and heart. These are must-haves at a yakitori place. The cuts are well-selected and clean, with a good balance of flavors. 4/5 - Takoyaki : Octopus balls. They're a must-order appetizer, though not mind-blowing. 3/5 - Salmon Ikura Don : Salmon and salmon roe rice bowl. This is highly recommended and probably the best dish we had. It has a strong salmon flavor and is perfectly seasoned. 5/5 - Wagyu Gyutan : Wagyu beef tongue, served with a charcoal grill. It's a bit overcooked and loses the tenderness of Wagyu. 3/5 - Unagi : Grilled eel. To be honest, it's average. The sauce isn't very rich, and the eel isn't very fragrant. 3/5 ✅For vegetables, we had: - Satsumdimol : Grilled sweet potato. It's small but tasty. - Zukkini : Grilled zucchini. It's refreshing and a good palate cleanser. The vegetables are decent overall. ✅We also tried an appetizer called Okonomiaki . It looked like Okonomiyaki from the picture, but the taste was pretty average. It had lots of dried bonito flakes and not much else. Not worth ordering. 2/5. ✅That's pretty much what we ordered. It was quite a lot, and three of us spent around $190, which was quite filling. Overall, the food was good and suitable for a gathering with friends (except for the karaoke noise). ✅I'll put the menu and drink list at the end for your reference. #Chicago #ChicagoFood #ChicagoJapanese #ChicagoYakitori #JapaneseCharcoalGrill #LateNightDining