Shakou Introduces Urban Vibe and Modern Japanese Cuisine to St. Charles

Praised by online reservation service Open Table as one of the top 100 “Hot Spot” restaurants in America, Shakou is bringing modern Japanese cuisine and a sophisticated urban vibe to a second suburban location starting the weekend of April 17th at 312 Main Street in downtown St. Charles, Ill.

The restaurant will be open for dinner only from Thursday, April 16 through Sunday, April 19; the following week, Shakou will resume regular hours.

Shakou St. Charles follows the opening of Shakou Libertyville two years ago. The restaurant quickly became a sensation in the northern suburbs, garnering rave reviews and awards.

The main floor at Shakou features a dining room with a sushi bar, and a cocktail lounge with a bar; upstairs, there’s a sake room for small groups and an upper mezzanine with a spacious bar area for before-dinner drinks and cocktail celebrations. The new restaurant will be home to approximately 50 Shakou team members. Executive Chef Sang Choi will lead the scratch kitchen, and Ed Hartigan, owner along with partners Aleks Dupor and Adam Garvanian, will oversee operations.

“We are excited to welcome the community to enjoy the inventive cuisine and unique ambiance that is Shakou,” says Hartigan. “Shakou means ‘social life’ in Japanese and we created our new venue as a place for friends, family and business colleagues to meet, network, celebrate and dine.”

A portion of the proceeds from opening weekend will go to support the Muscular Dystrophy Association as part of the Shakou Cares program, designed by the restaurant’s owners to help local organizations raise funds, find cures and champion worthy causes.

The dinner menu, created by Chef Choi, includes hot and cold appetizers, soups, salads, by-the-piece nigiri/sashimi and maki ($3-$7), signature maki rolls ($12- $22) and beef, chicken, fish, noodle and seafood cooked entrees ($17-$39). The lunch menu also features sushi bar specials ($9-$11), Bento Box lunch specials ($12-$14) and sandwiches ($10-$12).

Specialties include Signature Maki such as Black Widow, with black rice, lightly battered fresh water eel, avocado topped with tempura crunch, sauteed scallops, tobiko and unagi sauce and Golden Lobster, featuring lobster tempura, avocado and masago, wrapped in soy paper topped with seared garlic egg yolk sauce, unagi sauce and wasabi mayo.

Cooked entrees include Chilean Sea Bass, prepared with garlic soy sauce with sauteed vegetables topped with baby arugula and yuzu wasabi and Braised Short Ribs, with sweet ginger soy sauce accompanied by sauteed vegetables and rice.

Among the signature cocktails are The Dragon, with dragon berry and lemon rum, white cranberry juice, passion fruit puree and a grenadine floater, garnished with a cherry; Shakou Bomb with Japanese beer and a shot of sake and the Blueberry Lemon Drop Martini, with Stoli Blueberry Vodka, sour and citrus juice, sugared rim and lemon garnish. Shakou also is featuring its special “Partners in Crime” beer, handcrafted exclusively for Shakou by Only Child Brewing Company, Northbrook.

Shakou offers lunch and dinner Monday through Friday and dinner on Saturday and Sunday. Hours are Monday and Tuesday from 11 am to 11 pm, Wednesday and Thursday from 11 am to 1 am, Friday from 11 am to 2 am, Saturday from 4 pm to 2 am and Sunday from 4 pm to 10 pm. On-street and valet parking are available. Make lunch and dinner reservations online at shakousushi.com. For details and to sign up for special offers, visit shakousushi.com or follow Shakou St. Charles on Facebook.