TOMO Japanese Street Food — Restaurant in Evanston Township

We ordered four dishes to share: Lava takoyaki - I chose the "lava" version, which has a slightly spicier kick, although it's mild. These are delicious, with plenty of gooey dough and chewy octopus bits, as it should be. Shishito peppers - one of my fav veggie apps. Salty and covered in umami bonito shavings that add just the right depth of flavor. Oden - they do a great job with their oden, but it's limited to "fish cakes", albeit four or five kinds, like chikuwa, fish balls, and the kind shaped in a half circle that has a great "snap" bite to it. I asked them to consider a few additions, like daikon, and I'd bet they could do egg or tofu pretty easily, if not a few other common additions. That said, it's a good way to get a bit of oden on a chilly winter night. Yakitori - grilled chicken on a skewer, which was done very well, with probably 5 or 6 chunks on each skewer.

The service is great. For example, when we didn't notice the QR code menu option, our server brought paper menus and asked if we'd like to order with her or via our phones. It was nice to have the options explained that way, and we opted for the "traditional" paper menu order since we were keeping our phones in our pockets (hence, sadly, no photos of the food).

The atmosphere is pretty good, in the sense that it's not "overplayed" (ie Hokkaido's design a few blocks away), and feels somewhat authentic in that way, but it's a bit dark and dull in a way, and could use a few flourishes to make it more novel and draw the customer into a "street" or maybe "neighborhood matsuri" vibe.

For a place that's just opened recently, they are doing VERY well in my opinion. A friend that had other dishes gave it a less favorable review, but I'm looking forward to trying more of their dishes, like the yakisoba, and curry. I'll give the ramen a try too, but there are other options for that, and if anything, I hope TOMO keeps the focus on the excellent "street food" options Japan...

5+5+5🌟

It really had the feel of a small eatery in one of the quieter regions of Japan. Chris the owner wanted to give a realistic experience. His wife who is of Asian descent, also a veteran of the food business, had a huge input on the menu. And, it is a wonderful menu.

I had the teriyaki steak bowl, also the cucumber salad, some hot sake to drink, and, the black bean paste dessert. Very sweet.

My wife, she had the octopus, the cucumber salad, green tea, and a very delicious Japanese guava juice. The facility is very clean, it is small, but they have a large room in the back for karaoke. By the way the bathrooms and the kitchen were extremely clean. That tells you all you need to know about the compassion of the owners. All in all, it was a wonderful experience. It really did remind us of Japan when we went to visit our daughter.

One thing I will mention, they do have a day, Tuesday, where there is an English conversation dinner for all non-native English speaking students going to northwestern. It's like everyone getting together and learning about everyone else. It's a very United Nations type of feel. What a...

I'm so fortunate I chose this cozy ramen shop for my evening meal last night. I'm here in Evanston temporarily and I really needed some ramen for my energy levels.

Based on the rave reviews of the chicken 🐔 karaage...I had to try this one which was am extremely creamy and thick decadent broth with corn 🌽 fried chicken 🍗 and succulent noodles 🍜

Here's to the talented chef who obviously cooks with love and the kind owner who checked in on me frequently to make sure I had a great dining experience.

My server was wonderful too and so polite. I really had a wonderful meal last night 🌙 and highly recommend this ramen shop if you're seeking authentic Japanese ramen in a casual and...