BEST NEW BARS

1 Kumiko

COCKTAIL BAR

WEST LOOP

Perfect for Exploring the wonders of green tea shochu under the guiding hand of serious bartenders who also happen to be really nice

Start with The Highball No. 2, with Japanese whisky and pommeau — it tastes like a Normandy orchard landed in Honshu

The moment you arrive at Kumiko, you’re served a cup of tea — warm in the winter and chilled in the summer — presented to you in a delicate cup (when we were there, it was a forest-green ceramic vessel sourced from a Japanese market). It’s a quiet invitation to leave the day behind and settle in for a singular experience. Certainly, creative director Julia Momose’s cocktails, which highlight sake, shochu, and other Japanese spirits, are minor works of art, and it’s no exaggeration to say that chef de cuisine Mariya Russell’s food — nigiri with caviar, a tempura prawn with a zip of yuzu kosho, steamed pork belly buns — is worth a trip in its own right. But it’s the subtle touches like that cup of tea, or the purse hook that magically appears under the bar, or the thoughtful array of feminine products in the restroom, those things are served: with a precise but soothing attentiveness, the kind that ensures you’ll never feel stupid asking questions or regret trying something outside your comfort zone.