Kumiko

Chicago, Illinois

No. 11 on North America's 50 Best Bars 2026, No. 70 on The 50 Best Bars 2026, and winner of Best U.S. Restaurant Bar at the 2025 Spirited Awards.

Julia Momosé, chef, creative director, and now executive chef following a December 2024 appointment, runs a Japanese dining bar that collected every major industry award in 2025: Best U.S. Restaurant Bar at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, the James Beard Outstanding Bar Award, and a third consecutive year as Best Bar in the Midwest at No. 10 on North America's 50 Best Bars. The program centers on shochu, Japanese whisky, and saké alongside spiritfrees, non-alcoholic cocktails built with equal complexity to their spirited counterparts. Kumiko operates at a level where the only meaningful comparison is to itself.