Kamehachi, a Japanese restaurant and sushi bar, opened its fourth location in Old Town this month. The original location, opened in 1967, is cited as Chicago's first sushi bar.
At the new, two-story restaurant, sake barrels hang over the bar, and calligraphy, rope patterns, and outlines of cherry-blossom branches decorate the walls. The entire space is available for buyout and can hold 293. The first-floor bar area can host receptions for 75 or seated dinners for 22. Behind the bar, the main dining room can host semiprivate events for 95.
The upper level, appointed with spa-like accessories such as birch branches and river stones, can be rented out for private events. It can host receptions for 48 or seated dinners for 28 or 48. The upstairs space houses its own bar, where both bartenders and sushi chefs can work. The upper-level bar area can also be reserved to host semiprivate events for 25.
Menu items include rock shrimp tempura and duck tataki with leek, fennel, and yuzu marmalade. Sushi and sashimi are presented with garnishes such as flowers, shells, and river stones. Mixologist Adam Seger helped to create the cocktail list, which includes a strawberry-jalapeno mojito and the spicy apple-Asian pear saketini.
The venue has a sushi cart and can arrange for karaoke. For more formal gatherings, chefs can prepare tasting dinners with multiple courses and wine pairings. For off-site events, there's a mobile sushi bar and sushi chefs for hire.
