Hiro Bar Izakaya — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

The food was bad! It’s unfortunate, because everyone there seems lovely. But for the money, so many items we had felt incomplete or sloppy:

The gyoza had a delicious filling, but one that was immensely undersalted! To the point where it did feel like it was missing from the filling altogether. The shishito peppers came out with their outer skins having a much tougher (and unpleasant) texture than one would want for an appetizer The chicken yakitori was only slightly warm, bordering on cold (even though we could see it being cooked) The brussels sprouts were prepared in such a way that was very hard to eat with chopsticks (chopped into a larger cabbage salad). And because it wasn’t fried fresh, it ended up tasting like cold fry oil The salmon tataki was similarly undersalted, but overpoweringly fatty (which is normally fine for this sort of fishy dish, but there were lots of other ingredients they were highlighting! And it cost $20 for five thin pieces of seared salmon)

I really wish this was better! The vibes inside are lovely, and I would love to have an Izakaya -style bar in the neighborhood. But it really felt like we were paying substantially for the vibes and getting grifted...

Hiro Izakaya absolutely blew me away. From the moment we sat down, the owner and chef made us feel right at home. He took the time to walk us through the dishes, explaining every detail behind the recipes. You could really tell how much passion and thought went into everything.

All of the chicken yakitori was perfectly cooked — juicy, tender, and seasoned just right. The mushroom yakitori was a pleasant surprise too. It was so soft with a chewy, almost meaty texture that made it incredibly satisfying. The ribeye kushiyaki was just as impressive. It was soft, juicy, and packed with flavor.

The pork belly bao was another standout. The pork was marinated beautifully and just melted in your mouth. And the el pastor handroll was honestly the perfect bite. It was such a smart and delicious blend of Mexican and Japanese flavors. I’d go back just for that roll alone.

On top of the amazing food, the vibe of the restaurant was warm and stylish, and the service was outstanding. Everyone was friendly, attentive, and genuinely cared about the experience.

Hiro Izakaya is more than just dinner — it’s a full experience. I’ll definitely be back....

I will say this was a 3.5/4 out of 5. I’m rounding up my overall rating to a 4.

It’s a very nice ambience inside with various seating options (bar, high stool, regular seating). When we went around 7pm it was practically empty and not sure if because it’s a new restaurant or it was a week day but I recommend going on a weekend when it is a bit more lively. Despite it not being packed, service was a bit slow.

Food wise - the food tasted really good however the portions were tiny for the price. We ordered the cucumber salad, mushroom skewers, and chicken sandwich. All were really good. Mushroom skewers were seasoned very well but were a bit dry (no sauce or anything). Also, chicken sandwich was very good but the chicken was a bit dry. We asked for more honey mustard because it was so dry and then saw that they charged us for the additional mustard which was a bit penny pinching. The sandwich is very flavorful and chicken was thoroughly cooked.

There’s also not a lot of vegetarian options.

All in all the food was good in my opinion however do have these few...